The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns
Chapter 255

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 255

The gesture of softly tapping the ground, as if a child playing with dirt, clearly didn’t suit the atmosphere of this place.

Every time Grivy’s hand—who had inherited the name of the Earth Spirit—touched the ground, the earth trembled.

Thud... thud...

The Hall of Spirits, one of the halls I experienced in Labyrinthos.

The spirits I spent long years with there were twisted beings I had created, born from my desperate desire to escape loneliness.

Including the original four elemental spirits, such as Gnome, Undine, Sylph, and Salamander—none of them ever made a contract with me.

Spirit contracts rely heavily on talent, and with barely a speck of talent, such contracts were a mere fantasy for me.

In the end, the only spirit I managed to contract with was a twisted one.

A lump of basic elements not even recognized as a proper spirit.

At the time, I only had the faintest traces of spirit mana, so the spirit’s will, form, and power were incomplete—barely able to influence anything.

Even phenomena that the lowest-ranking spirit Gnome could easily trigger would leave me exhausted.

But over time, I adapted.

I gradually built up my spirit mana and, based on a theory I crafted in my own way, nurtured the first Earth Spirit I contracted with—Grivy.

The origin of the name "Grivy" wasn't anything special.

I simply listed a bunch of names and gave her the one she liked best.

Grivy, who was initially weaker than a low-ranking spirit, had one unique trait that set her apart from the others.

She grew in proportion to the amount of spirit mana I possessed.

In that lonely and agonizing space, Grivy became my only family.

Since she was born by my hand, I treated her like a daughter, and she called me Father.

Through countless trials, Grivy grew ever stronger, eventually reaching a power that made even spirit kings look trivial.

However, Labyrinthos, no matter how long it suppressed me, did not last forever.

When I reached the pinnacle of spirit arts—transcendence—I had no choice but to part with the spirits I had contracted and grown with, including Grivy.

It was a painful process, but there was no other way.

So now, the Grivy sitting on the ground playing with dirt is both the same and not the same as the one I once knew.

She calls me Father, but I can’t say this Grivy is the same as the one from Labyrinthos.

Those children disappeared when Labyrinthos vanished.

The Hall of Spirits' power is useful, but it doesn’t exactly feel good.

Still, I couldn’t say to the Grivy now playing in the dirt, “You’re not the Grivy I knew.”

After all, I was the one who named her and gave her birth.

In the end, there’s no doubt this one is still a spirit I must care for.

Pushing aside the bitter feeling, I quietly waited.

THUD!!! THUD!!!

Every time her small white hand gently tapped the ground, the earth trembled with massive shockwaves.

“Waaaah!!!”

And the result became immediately clear.

As if the earth itself had come alive, it surged like waves and swallowed up the assassins that were targeting me.

This entire mountain is now under Grivy’s domain.

Such precise control is beyond even high-ranking spirits.

A spirit born a royal from the start—that’s the Grivy now present here.

Luna, too, looked curiously at Grivy, whose form, ego, structure, and power all deviated from conventional expectations for a newborn spirit.

Thanks to Grivy playing her cheerful dirt games, the assassin squad was instantly neutralized, leaving the opposing side visibly shaken.

“Grivy. Want to play tag now?”

“With Father?”

“No. There are many others in this mountain besides us.”

“Ooh...”

Grivy let out a short sigh in her hollow voice.

“If you catch them all, I’ll give you a reward.”

Grivy bounced up, pumping her little legs hard as she darted off into the forest.

“Her expression and actions don’t match at all.”

“She’s just not used to it yet. She’s a pure and kind child. Over time, her expressions will grow richer.”

The Grivy I remember from Labyrinthos was a child who would smile brightly and ask me to play after spending so much time together.

Her purity remained unchanged even after all that time.

Perhaps, in a way, I was being healed by Grivy.

Just after she disappeared bouncing through the forest, screams began to echo from various points in the isolated woods.

Even though the forest was full of suppression traps, they didn’t apply to Grivy, a spirit.

* * *

Currently, the forest was surrounded by most of the elite forces from the Eastern Continent and Coral.

There were no regular troops, but the force itself was formidable.

The Kingdom of Bata, known to have only one Master-level warrior remaining, could be wiped out in an instant.

Even though not all were in peak condition, there were ten Master-level individuals.

Alongside them were the elite assassin squads painstakingly trained by the Eastern Continent, plus expert-level fighters, mages, and spellcasters.

To think such a force was mobilized just to capture two people was frankly embarrassing.

Still, with a strong request from Coral, they deployed forces, if only for appearances.

They even brought out their secret weapon.

Honestly, even with the intel they had on the target, they thought they’d be able to subdue him quickly.

But...

What the hell is that?

Why has it turned out like this?

That little girl tearing through the forest like she's playing—what is she?

An elder of the Namgung Clan furrowed his brow in deep thought.

A human?

No.

She looked like a young girl, but was clearly not human.

She resembled spirits known in the Central Continent, but from appearance alone, she was unlike any he knew.

A mysterious chill crept down his spine.

This is not normal.

Could there be something more they haven’t uncovered?

Is that even possible?

Even thinking beyond the realm of common sense, something felt wrong.

It’s nearly impossible for a human to wield both magic and aura.

Occasionally, such gifted individuals are born and walk the path of magic swordsmen, but what they were seeing far exceeded that.

Undead assaults.

Now spirit arts, the polar opposite?

What kind of cheap play is this?

That can’t possibly happen in real life...

“Huh? Found you.”

The girl darting through the forest let out a brief exclamation, her clear eyes landing on the elder.

“Cut her down.”

At that command, two Master-level warriors leapt into action.

In an instant, they closed the distance and slashed at the girl with terrifying force, swords laced with aura.

She didn’t even resist—she was sliced through just like that.

They had struck with full aura-enhanced blades, so not even a spirit should’ve been able to withstand it...

“Ugh… uuuh…”

But then, it happened.

Grivy, who had collapsed with a thud, suddenly sprang back to her feet.

He was sure he’d cut her with sword force.

And yet, she showed no signs of having taken any damage at all.

“Wow… sparkly sparkly…”

Despite her words, her tone was flat—eerily so.

That mismatch made it even more unsettling.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“Huh? Where did everyone go?”

An unexplainable chill crawled down his entire body.

Even sword force doesn’t work?

Fighting that thing is a waste of time.

The elder quickly made a decision.

“Everyone, ignore that monster and focus on the primary objective. Move quickly. Some of you stay behind and distract that thing!”

A spirit disappears once its summoner is taken out.

The elder and the other elites leapt from the scorched forest floor in light, agile movements.

Deeper in the woods, two distinct presences could be felt.

“Assassination formation—go!”

With the elder’s command, the group accelerated, drawing their blades infused with sword energy.

Humans only have two arms.

Even if they managed to block or evade an initial strike, the follow-ups would inevitably strike true.

“Leon. I’ve got somewhere to go for a bit.”

“Go ahead.”

The targets, however, remained completely relaxed.

One of them—even less concerned—turned and left the scene altogether, as if uninterested in the battle.

These damn brats, still acting like they have the upper hand!

“This entire area is already sealed by a barrier! You have nowhere to run!!”

Shweeee!! Kaaang!!

As he swung his blade filled with sword energy, Leon casually blocked it with a sword emitting a strange red aura—who knows where he even pulled it from.

The first attack was blocked, but with aura and mana suppressed by the containment formation, he shouldn’t be able to defend against a follow-up.

The elder forced his strength through and knocked Leon’s sword aside.

Yet Leon’s expression, even after having his blade deflected, remained utterly calm.

A flicker of unease crossed the elder’s mind—but he pressed forward and drove his sword toward Leon’s heart.

“Die!”

The sword slipped in with smooth precision—almost touching the heart.

At that distance, not even the most powerful warriors of the Eastern Continent could react in time.

Victory was certain.

The strike slithered in like a snake.

Unless you were anticipating it from the very beginning, it was impossible to avoid.

His years of battle experience confirmed it.

And then—

An inexplicable chill raced through the elder’s body.

His eyes involuntarily turned toward Leon’s face, and he realized the boy was calmly watching the tip of the incoming blade.

That was not the look of someone caught off guard.

Nor was it the expression of someone facing death.

It was a dull stare, like someone watching a boring performance.

It was too late to pull back.

The elder clenched his teeth.

Thud!!

The sword sank into Leon’s body.

But something was wrong.

It didn’t feel like stabbing a human.

It felt… like piercing through a clump of soil.

“What… what is this…”

“You know how upper-level Spirit Callers can fuse with their elements?”

As Leon’s voice echoed out, the elder, suddenly overwhelmed with dread, tried to yank his sword free.

But before he could—

He realized he was airborne, having lost grip of his sword.

‘What the—’

He tumbled several times like a baseball hit by a bat, finally skidding to a stop.

His whole body rang with pain, and a piercing ringing noise filled his ears.

Blood gushed from his mouth as he slowly raised his head, forcing himself to stand despite the agony.

Then he saw it—his allies who had formed the assault formation were being flung away just as easily.

Leon’s gaze turned toward the elder.

“Remember what you said? That there’s nowhere for me to run.”

The boy smiled—coldly.

“You do realize… that means you can’t escape either, right?”

His eyes gleamed like a predator staring down trapped prey.

And the elder instinctively understood.

That boy—that monster—didn’t see the dozen or so master-level warriors surrounding him as a threat.

Even with aura and mana suppressed by the sealing field.

He showed no sign of discomfort.

“Oh. So that’s how this works? I’m impressed. This suppression formation—Eastern Continent tech really is something, huh.”

Leon casually waved his hand through the air.

And then—

BOOM!!!

An explosive surge of aura erupted around him.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]