The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns-Chapter 354

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Chapter 354

The Hall of Communion.

The power I accumulated there can be described as a technique that pours every ounce of energy into a buff, from head to toe.

It affects all targets without discrimination, doesn’t overlap with other buffs, and its effectiveness is extraordinary.

Of course, it wasn’t that way from the start.

At first, it barely produced a placebo-level increase, but once skill developed in blending spirit energy and melody, the results became meaningfully different.

Because the Hall of Communion’s ability depends on how well one synchronizes spirit energy with the body, even having the skill doesn’t mean one can spam top-tier buffs immediately.

The body must first be properly conditioned to handle it.

Still, that doesn’t mean the buff power gained from the Hall of Communion is weak.

The succubi’s track record is proof of that.

Moreover, buffs can be used in many different ways depending on how you apply them.

“What’s she doing?”

“She says she’s doing prenatal care.”

“Prenatal care? All of a sudden?”

“No idea.”

That was my conversation with Melissa as we watched Luna sitting in a rocking chair, eyes closed, listening to a recording of my piano performance through an artifact.

“She thinks getting married means having a baby right away, doesn’t she?”

“She’s clearly mistaken, but what can we do? She looks so full of hope it’s awkward to say anything.”

“Leon! The baby just kicked!”

Yeah, right.

Melissa snickered at the sight.

“Oh, by the way, Leon.”

“What?”

“The regular demon-realm subjugation.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you provide the artifact and that buff thing?”

There wasn’t any real issue.

Besides, I wanted to test how effective the buff really was for the Demon-Realm Guards.

“No problem. When is it?”

“Tomorrow.”

“You call that planning?”

“It came up suddenly! That’s why I’m asking for help!”

Fair enough.

Normally, she would never have asked for help.

I flicked out a hand like lightning and pinched her cheek, making her yelp and squirm.

The demon realm was extremely dangerous, one reason it hadn’t been cleared before.

Even a sword master couldn’t easily deal with the Demon King of Beasts that ruled it.

Particularly the Cascadia demon realm—one of the most perilous.

None of Cascadia’s ancestors had ever insisted on subjugating it.

But this time was different.

Truth be told, I could wipe it out now.

That alone had made me hesitate.

However, the real reason I didn’t was unexpected.

When I opened a small passage into the demon realm, a flood of ecosystem resources poured out.

As long as the realm remained stable, we could harvest those materials freely.

Fairy Wood from the elves.

Succubus artifacts.

Mithril from the Cascadian mines.

And now, resources from the demon realm itself.

Simple hides and plants unique to the demon realm kept the entire Cascadian territory running in stable abundance.

In short, as long as the demon realm was properly maintained, it could be profitable.

Melissa, of course, collected royal subsidies under the pretext of “monitoring” the demon realm, so her stance was, Why bother subjugating it?

Still, when monsters began acting outside predicted patterns, the guard units had to conduct routine purges.

I noticed the succubus queen’s descendant, Marian.

“How many combat-assist artifacts do you have in stock?”

“Uh… we got a bit carried away making them for morale boosts, so we have plenty. Do you need some?”

“Yeah. Something urgent came up. You’ll get proper incentives—can you spare a batch?”

“Well… we made more than usual, so sure.”

Even succubi took pride in improving artifact quality, just as dwarves strove to forge better weapons.

The artifacts were secured.

The buff was nothing new.

Preparation complete.

“Luna, want to come along?”

“I have to do prenatal care.”

After a short pause, I walked up and whispered quietly.

“Come with me.”

“Okay.”

No further persuasion was needed.

She dropped what she was doing and looped her arm through mine.

Since our marriage, her affection had become both bolder and richer—a good sign.

Wearing a light dress fluttering softly, Luna followed me with a bright step, unfazed by the demon realm’s chill.

Melissa, in contrast, was bundled up in fur-lined armor with cute ear warmers.

“It was warm just a while ago, but now it’s freezing again. I never get used to this place.”

“It’s the demon realm. You’re usually immune to heat and cold, so why all the fuss?”

“My butler wouldn’t let me leave without it.”

Laughing, she led the way to the guard outpost that protected the realm.

“Attention!”

“At ease. Any unusual activity?”

“None, ma’am!”

“Good work. We’ll head inside.”

Past the saluting soldiers, we entered the barracks, where knights and guards were resting.

Some were using Paradise Artifacts, others gambling around a board game.

“Ah! Lord!”

“Enjoying yourselves? Everyone, line up!”

Melissa’s shout made the soldiers scramble.

“You slugs! Move faster!”

“The lord’s here—get in formation!”

The demon realm demanded constant vigilance.

Though I had improved their gear and added a few protective spells, it was still a forest full of man-killing monsters.

Yet these men had trained well and kept disciplined tension.

Within moments, they assembled before Melissa in neat ranks.

“Rested up? You all know the regular subjugation’s coming.”

“Preparations complete!”

“Just give the order!”

“If the young master joins, those monsters won’t stand a chance!”

Apparently they thought I’d be fighting alongside them.

“Sorry, I won’t be joining.”

“What?”

“T-then who—?”

Confusion spread among them.

“Instead, I’m giving you something else.”

I emptied a pouch full of the succubi’s finest artifacts.

“By the gods… are those all artifacts?”

“Be proud. Cascadia possesses the most advanced artifact-craft in the continent.”

Each of those items easily outclassed anything on the market.

“Make sure your gear’s on point.”

“With this much, we can handle it ourselves!”

An old knight inspected the items with nostalgia.

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“Of course, that’s not all. I prepared something else too.”

Melissa glanced at me.

In response, I reached into a dimensional pocket and drew out a flute.

Even if it was a subjugation mission, there was no need to risk lives.

I could send undead instead, but that would harm Cascadia’s self-reliance—and I wanted to test the buff.

The soldiers and knights watched curiously as I raised the flute.

Soon, a bright, lively melody filled the air.

At the same time, vast spirit energy surged within me.

From the Hall of Spirit Blades and the Hall of Communion—combined—they dwarfed all my previous reserves.

That immense power intertwined with the melody and seeped into the knights and soldiers.

The subjugation was supposed to last three days, but maintaining buffs that long would be inefficient.

Better to make it so powerful that they could finish in one or two.

By mixing spirit energy into the melody’s vibrations, I created unique resonant waves and embedded them into the bodies of all present.

[Strength Up]

[Agility Up]

[Perception Up]

[Body Reinforcement]

[Elasticity Boost]

[Vision Enhancement]

[Breathing Efficiency]

[Mana Jump]

When the first layer of buffs took effect, the knights and soldiers looked puzzled.

“Huh?”

“My body feels lighter…”

That alone wasn’t far from standard buff magic—except in variety.

But the most powerful buff from the Hall of Communion was only beginning.

[Amplify]

Woom—!

A massive wave of sound spread out, forcibly upgrading all existing buff spells.

[Song of the Brave]

[One Who Brings Death’s Rest]

[Guardian’s Iron Wall]

Numerically, their stats multiplied severalfold.

And then—

[Song of the Martial God]

If you’re going to test it, do it thoroughly.

This final layer doubled the efficiency of every prior amplification, creating an explosive surge.

Time to see what that felt like.

The soldiers began to feel their strength skyrocketing, their eyes widening in disbelief as they flexed and moved.

When I finished the performance, I asked calmly,

“Feeling lighter?”

“W-what did you do, sir?”

“I’ve never had buffs like this—not even from priests…”

“Try it out.”

I gestured toward a training dummy made of reinforced metal alloy.

A regular soldier stepped forward, nervous but brimming with rising courage.

He steadied his breath, grasped his spear, and charged.

CRAAANG!!! BOOM!!!

The result left everyone stunned.

A mere veteran soldier—barely an aura user—vanished for an instant, then reappeared, his spear having completely torn apart the metal dummy.

“Huh?”

He himself looked dumbfounded at what he’d done.

Honestly, while the Hall of Communion worked well for others, it was especially effective for me.

The potency of a buff always scales with the caster’s ability—and I, after all, had mastered buff magic at its apex in the Labyrinthos’s Hall of Communion.

“What the hell…?”

Even Melissa was taken aback.

“That was a soldier, not even a knight!”

I shrugged.

“Beats me. I didn’t think it’d be this strong.”

In truth, I hadn’t expected nearly this much efficiency just from doubling my spirit energy output.

“You mean they get this strong?”

“Leon, at this level, they might suffer backlash if you don’t regulate it.”

“Since when do buffs need throttling because they’re too effective?”

Curious, one knight swung his sword at another reinforced dummy.

His aura-imbued blade cleaved it cleanly in two.

The faces of the soldiers and knights hardened—not with fear, but conviction.

“Lord! Let’s start the subjugation right now!”

“We can tear them all apart!”

They looked like gamers who had just turned on cheat mode—radiating overwhelming confidence and zeal.

With the succubi’s top-grade artifacts,

and my overpowered buffs stacked on top,

the outcome of the subjugation was obvious.

Melissa made her decision and launched the mission a day early.

Six hours later, reports came back,

the entire target group of monsters had been annihilated. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

According to the report, monsters that normally required a knight’s direct intervention were ripped to shreds by three soldiers.

Even high-rank monsters—usually a lethal threat—were crushed as they tried to flee from the berserk subjugation force.

Empowered beyond reason, intoxicated by their own strength, the troops rampaged through every enemy, finishing in six hours what usually took three days.

“A three-day subjugation… done in six hours…”

Melissa stared at me like I was a monster.

“You lunatic—what the hell did you do?”

Hey, I don’t know either.

When I started, I expected maybe 40% of this effect.

Even though I poured in all my spirit energy, this level of buffing was flat-out beyond reason—

the magical equivalent of a full-scale doping explosion.

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