“They’ve all come out.”
“…………”
Lily nodded silently in response to Gareth’s muttered comment from the spectator seats. The crowd erupted in cheers as Kay’s spirits appeared.
“But Rourke also prepared a thunder beast. That’s surprising.”
Celia’s voice carried a hint of surprise.
Compared to the spirits that governed the four elements—fire, water, earth, and wind—which were said to shape the world, spirits of other attributes were far fewer in number. Thunder spirits, even at lower ranks, were relatively rare. Where had Rourke managed to acquire one?
“I saw it in the market, tucked away in a corner.”
“Wait, why didn’t you buy it!?”
“Because I didn’t need it…”
“Then you should’ve told me about it!”
“Sorry.”
“Now, now, let’s focus on the match.”
Celia calmed down and turned her attention back to the match.
“Still, I’m surprised by the thunder beast, but it seems Rourke failed to stop the spirit summoning.”
“That’s right.”
One of the commonly mentioned strategies against Kay was to defeat him before he could fully summon his spirits. It was a tactic anyone would think of, though no one had ever succeeded in executing it.
“Rourke has started summoning minor spirits. Is he still planning to fight without summoning a contracted spirit?”
“That’s reckless.”
“So, what will Rourke do?”
Gareth, who knew the truth, silently wondered as he listened to their conversation.
The initial exchange of blows had ended, and the spectators watched with bated breath as the two prepared to move into full-scale combat.
The Trallus family’s history as spirit masters was, in truth, quite short.
So, what was their family’s profession? Music. Having produced numerous renowned composers and performers, they had established themselves as a prestigious family of musicians. For them, there was no need to gain status as spirit masters.
Occasionally, someone with the talent for spirit mastery would enroll in the academy, but that was merely part of building connections—nothing more.
“Lorelei, come here.”
Kay-Trallus was an anomaly born into this family of musicians, possessing a rare talent for spirit mastery.
As Kay extended his hand, the half-woman, half-fish spirit swimming in the air dissolved into particles that covered his right arm. In the next moment, he was holding a conductor’s baton and wearing a gauntlet reminiscent of fish scales.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m finally ready.”
“I wasn’t waiting…”
Rourke replied, cold sweat dripping down his face.
Spirit Armament. A high-level technique used by skilled spirit masters, including Rourke’s mentor, Owen, to manifest the power of their spirits.
Overwhelmed by Kay’s swelling spirit energy, Rourke unconsciously took a step back.
“Aren’t you going to summon your spirit? I’ll wait if you want.”
“Mind your own business. Hurry up and come.”
Perhaps it was a word of genuine goodwill, not a provocation or a taunt, but Rourke deliberately smirked and moved his fingers as if to challenge.
“Or rather, since it’s not here, no matter how many hours you wait, I can’t call it.”
“……Nice, interesting.”
In response to Rourke’s provocation, Kay first wore a blank expression, then twisted his lips into a grin.
“I’ve decided. The theme for this play will be ‘the hero.’”
As Kay declared this to Rourke, who stood ready with his minor spirits, he raised his baton.
At the same time, the Siren began to sing loudly, and the spirits floating above Kay’s head started to dance around, playing notes formed from spiritual energy.
“As flashy as ever with your spirit arts……”
“But this is your first time on stage, isn’t it? Please, enjoy it to the fullest.”
As soon as Kay finished speaking, the Siren’s singing voice beside him shifted into a low, terrifying tone, and the music played by the minor spirits grew heavy and oppressive.
Gradually, as the music changed, the spiritual energy infused into the countless notes surrounding Kay began to heat up, turning a deep red.
And then——
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“Hero’s Ode, Chapter One: Blazing Inferno.”
As Kay swung his baton down, the notes transformed into raging flames, surging toward Rourke like a crimson lotus tsunami.
Facing the oncoming inferno, Rourke activated a defensive spirit art, combining water and wind, the same technique he had used to block Salamander’s Breath in his fight with Leia.
A massive vortex of water enveloped Rourke, meeting the fiery wave head-on.
“Tch!”
As his vision was obscured by steam, Rourke quickly released a gust of wind to clear his surroundings and disperse the heated vapor.
“The hero who overcomes the trial of scorching flames now faces the next ordeal: the wrath of the great sea.”
As the steam dissipated, Rourke’s vision cleared, revealing Kay still conducting, with the countless notes now shifting to a deep blue.
“Chapter Two: Tempestuous Tides.”
Under Kay’s direction, the Siren’s voice roared, and a raging torrent surged toward Rourke.
“Relentless, aren’t you!?”
Rourke shouted as he switched his spirit art, this time activating earth manipulation. He raised a wall of soil to block the oncoming water, but the torrent overwhelmed it, shattering the barrier in mere seconds.
“Wind!”
Rourke’s chosen escape route was upward. Using a spirit art, he floated into the air, but he soon realized this was a mistake.
“The hero who escapes the sea now faces the judgment of the heavens.”
As the Siren’s voice reached a piercing high, the notes played by the minor spirits began to crackle with electricity, rising into the sky and forming dark clouds.
“Chapter Three: Thunder’s Wrath.”
“Gah!?”
A bolt of lightning shot down from the thundercloud, aimed directly at Rourke. He quickly channeled spiritual energy into his lightning beast to counter it, but the opponent’s lightning was too powerful to suppress.
“Chapter Three isn’t over yet.”
As Rourke fell, smoke rising from his body, Kay calmly ordered the spirits to continue their assault.
Thunder roared across the arena. Multiple bolts of lightning struck Rourke as he fell, engulfing his body in flashes of light.
“That’s it.”
“No way!?”
But the next moment, Kay turned his gaze to the corner of the arena and unleashed a bolt of lightning. Rourke, who had been hiding by manipulating the air with a wind spirit art, appeared in shock.
The audience’s astonishment surpassed even Rourke’s. When had he hidden there? And who had just been struck by the lightning? Their eyes turned to a clay doll that now lay shattered in their view.
“What!?”
“But how could I not have noticed? The spiritual energy……!?”
The shocked audience quickly realized the reason as a minor spirit emerged from the shattered doll. Rourke had infused the doll with a large amount of spiritual energy while suppressing his own, creating a temporary illusion of his location.
“Incredible……”
A masterful combination of advanced techniques.
Leia, who had been watching the battle from the stands, couldn’t help but mutter in awe.
Yet, at the same time, she felt the true terror of Kay Trallus. His precise manipulation of spiritual energy to create layers of air that bent light—he had been completely hidden, yet Kay had seen through it in an instant.
“Senpai……”
“Oh my, are you that worried about your beloved Rourke-senpai?”
“What!?”
Akari, who had snuck up behind Leia and hugged her while teasing, caused Leia’s face to turn red in flustered embarrassment.
“Huh? W-was that it!?”
“N-no! It’s a misunderstanding! I was just purely as a senpai——!”
“Ah, Rourke-senpai’s in trouble.”
As Mary, sitting next to her, asked with sparkling eyes about the love story, Leia hurriedly tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but Akari’s words drew their attention back to the arena.
The attribute of the attack shifted again from lightning, and this time, the ground beneath Rourke’s feet split open like a massive jaw, threatening to swallow him whole.
“Whoa!?”
Rourke, wearing a panicked expression, tried to escape using a spirit art, but immediately, dozens of earthen spears shot up from the ground, aiming to impale him.
With no room to dodge, Rourke used his sword as a shield to block the spears, but the force sent him flying into the air.
“Now, how will you handle the next trial!?”
Kay, seeing Rourke defenseless, swung his baton. The Siren’s chilling voice echoed as the notes turned pale blue, releasing a cold aura that began to envelop Rourke.
“Chapter Four: Frozen Tempest.”
In an instant, the surroundings turned into a snowy landscape. Rourke, caught in the blizzard, shivered from the piercing cold but quickly looked up as he sensed a massive spiritual energy above him.
“Sleep embraced by winter.”
“Tch!”
A gigantic block of ice formed above Rourke
and mercilessly fell, crushing him with a thunderous crash.
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