Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate!-Chapter 245: Soulbind Ascension

I was stunned by the sight of King Aslan. Even though he was older now and no longer at the peak of his strength, the power he exuded was nothing short of overwhelming.

"Soulbind Ascension is a high-tier form of familiar summoning," he declared. "You and your familiar merge into one, gaining tremendous power. You may even be able to communicate with them directly. That’s what I achieved when I mastered it—I can speak with Hyperion."

Serena, Cain, Theresia, and Freya all nodded with deep interest, their eyes lit with curiosity and awe.

"So now, let me show you... this is my Soulbind Ascension with Hyperion—[King of the Braveheart]."

His voice rang out with regal strength. His presence transformed—radiating power and majesty. A golden crown rested on his head, and his cloak unfurled like wings of light. His sword grew in size and intensity, and Hyperion’s crest gleamed on his chestplate.

Serena, Cain, Theresia, and Freya stared in awe, their faces filled with admiration. Even Amelia gazed at him with pride shining in her eyes.

King Aslan turned to Amelia and spoke gently, yet with kingly command."Amelia, my beloved daughter... you will inherit Hyperion. You must master the Holy Sword Durandal and form a contract with him."

"Yes, Father!" Amelia responded, her voice full of excitement and resolve.

"Very well, everyone. It would be a waste to only show you the form. Let me give you a taste of the power behind Soulbind Ascension. Serena, Cain, Theresia, Freya... come at me."

He raised his sword and pointed it at the heroes.

"W-Wait, seriously?!" Cain shouted in surprise—but before he could protest further, King Aslan had already launched forward with frightening speed.

He swung his massive blade, and Serena and Theresia quickly moved to block the attack.

"Cain! Obey the king’s orders!" Serena called out, prompting him to draw his weapon.

"Freya, let’s help them!" Cain shouted, and Freya nodded in response.

Together, the four heroes launched an all-out assault on King Aslan.

But even surrounded, the king moved with ease. A single swing of his blade unleashed divine magic that blasted them all back.

I stood with Amelia and Lyra, watching the intense sparring unfold.

"King Aslan is incredible... even at his age, and with that injured arm, he’s still this powerful," Lyra said, full of admiration.

"You’re right... he’s still the reigning king of the Braveheart Kingdom," I replied, equally impressed.

Amelia smiled faintly at our words, but her eyes betrayed a quiet sadness.

"When my father was younger... he was ten times stronger than this. He was unstoppable," she said softly. "But now... age doesn’t lie. His mana has diminished. His body has grown weak."

Despite her smile, her voice trembled slightly.

Then she continued, her tone heavy with emotion."After turning forty, Father developed a heart condition. He can’t keep fighting like he used to. His power has been cut in half. He couldn’t even defeat Xir, the Rank 1 Demon Warlord..."

"I see... but is it safe for him to be doing this kind of training?" Lyra asked worriedly. "A heart condition... if he overexerts himself—"

Amelia gently took Lyra’s hand and said with a small laugh,"It’s okay. He told me... if I don’t let him do the things he still wants to do, he might die even sooner."

Lyra blinked, then let out a nervous laugh of her own.

And in that moment, I understood. I understood why King Aslan was taking such an active role in our training. He was preparing Amelia to succeed him.

"I get it now... even if he doesn’t show it, the King must be frustrated with his current self. That’s why he’s pushing us—to make sure we surpass him."

"That’s right, Naoki," Amelia said firmly. "I’m not just going to inherit my sister’s Divine Axe Regalion and my father’s Holy Sword Durandal. I’ll surpass them both—and defeat the Overlords."

Her fist clenched tightly. Her determination burned like a flame.

I smiled at her, admiring her spirit.

"You will," I said. "Once you form a contract with Hyperion and your father entrusts Durandal to you... I’ll personally train you."

Amelia lit up at my words, clearly thrilled.

Truth be told, it was Envi’s idea—he’d been shouting in my head nonstop about wanting to train with Amelia personally. I couldn’t ignore him any longer.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how important this was. Amelia was the future queen. She needed to be strong.

So in the end, I agreed with Envi. I’d train her myself—whether with my own body or using [Second Body].

Then—suddenly—

BAM!

A magical explosion rang out as the clash between King Aslan and the heroes reached its peak.

Cain and Freya launched a fierce joint attack with their Flamemore Swordsmanship. Cain’s flames, bolstered by his Salamander—even though it was still in its egg—burned hotter than ever. Freya’s Phoenix-enhanced fire surged in tandem.

But King Aslan countered it with ease, unleashing [Braveheart Roar]—a divine shout that erupted from Hyperion’s crest on his chestplate.

The blast sent Cain and Freya flying backward.

Theresia tried to ambush him from behind, but even her dagger couldn’t pierce his cloak.

"This cloak is tougher than steel!" she growled in frustration.

King Aslan simply swung his sword backward, sending her flying as well.

Then, standing tall and resolute, he gathered divine energy for a finishing move.

"Take this, young ones—[Braveheart Swordsmanship: Lion Slash]!"

A roaring golden lion, formed from divine energy, surged toward the downed heroes.

Cain, Freya, and Theresia braced themselves for impact.

But Serena stepped forward, alone, standing as a shield.

"I’m counting on you, Ei!" she called out to her familiar.

"Protect my friends from the danger that threatens us—[Winterfell Familiar Magic: Frostbound Barrier]!"

With a surge of magic, Ei summoned a massive wall of ice—thick and gleaming—to block the charging lion’s assault head-on.

The clash of their magic unleashed a powerful shockwave that rippled through the room.

It was incredible—despite coming from King Aslan, Serena had managed to hold back the attack.

She had successfully protected the others. But her familiar collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

King Aslan let out a booming laugh and declared that training, at least on his part, was done for the day.

He praised them all for holding their ground against him, his voice full of pride.

Then, turning to Serena, he said,"You have the finest familiar control among them all right now. Aim for Soulbind Ascension. I expect it not just from you, but also from Cain, Theresia, and Freya."

"You are the kingdom’s greatest assets... surpass me!"

His powerful words lit a fire in their hearts.

"Yes, my King!" they all shouted in unison, their voices burning with determination.

King Aslan then released his Soulbind Ascension, and Hyperion’s form slowly faded. The light dimmed.

He wavered slightly on his feet, but I caught him before he could fall.

"You really pushed yourself this time, huh?" I said with a chuckle.

He laughed, brushing it off. "This is nothing."

Then he placed a firm hand on my shoulder.

"Naoki... I’m leaving the rest of their training to you. I’ll focus on helping Amelia form her contract with Hyperion."

"I understand. Leave it to me."

And with that, King Aslan departed to rest, with Amelia supporting him. Their training would continue tomorrow.

I turned back to the other heroes. They all looked exhausted—except for Serena, who still stood tall, seemingly unfazed.

I continued practicing with them until the afternoon and then I ended the day’s training session.

After everything wrapped up, I found myself growing curious about the progress of Lilith’s teleportation spell research—currently being worked on by Archmage Salvador, Xerion, the Saintess, Arsene, Orion, and Magi Char.

As I stood thinking, Serena approached me.

"I’m heading home first," she said. Then, unexpectedly, she leaned in and added, "Could you keep Lyra company for a bit?"

Lyra stepped forward and nodded, smiling softly."I’d like to visit the Saintess in the magic research lab. And... maybe you could come with me? You might be interested in seeing the progress too."

I agreed. There was something about Lyra’s earnest gaze that made it impossible to refuse.

She seemed genuinely happy, clearly excited about the research. I could tell she was intrigued by magic theory—and eager to grow stronger.

Apparently, she had been training with the Saintess, who had started acting as something of a mentor to her.

The Saintess was still busy with the ongoing research, but Lyra just wanted to ask her for some training advice.

That’s when it clicked for me—Lyra didn’t want to be left behind. She was fighting in her own way.

We made our way toward the lab, located in a separate building near the Braveheart Knight Academy.

It was a lavish, state-of-the-art facility—Arsene’s pride and joy. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Lyra and I reached the door. We opened it—

BAM!

We were instantly greeted by a cloud of thick smoke that exploded into our faces, making us cough and stumble back.

"W-What the hell?!" I shouted, waving the smoke away from my face.

...

..

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