Von Leon

“Stronger now are the people of the Maple World, but still not enough to defeat the Black Mage.”

― Von Leon

Von Leon, also known as the Lion King, is one of the Commanders of the Black Mage.

Story

The Lion King

Von Leon was a king of El Nath who was known for his courage and strength, earning him the moniker "The Lion King". His people were loyal and devoted to him, viewing him and his castle as a symbol of strength. Many years ago, Von Leon disguised himself as a commoner to attend a festival, where he met a florist at the market named Ifia. The two bonded over flowers, especially roses, and eventually married, with Von Leon giving Ifia a snow rose and a rose garden during his wedding proposal.

As El Nath was perpetually cold and covered in snow, the kingdom had little wealth or population, and thus, the people were more modest. When the Black Mage first began raising an army to destroy Maple World, the people of Von Leon's kingdom believed that the Black Mage would not attack their kingdom, which had nothing of value.

When the Anti-Black Mage Alliance^[4], a loose coalition that attempted to resist the Black Mage's invasion, invited the kingdom to join them, Von Leon declined the offer, believing that doing so would needlessly put a target on their kingdom when he was certain that the Black Mage would overlook them.

Because of Von Leon's refusal to aid them, the alliance assumed that it meant that he and his kingdom had already joined the Black Mage. While Von Leon left his kingdom to negotiate with them, the alliance sent its forces to attack his people, resulting in the deaths of his citizens, his knights, and Ifia. When Von Leon returned back to his kingdom, he was devastated to find that everything he loved had been taken from him.

In his despair and anger, Von Leon - against the repeated counsel of his Chief Knight, Luden - sought to take revenge on the alliance by joining the Black Mage. After swearing his loyalty, Von Leon became a Commander and was granted the power to transform into a large, lion-like beast. With this power, Von Leon enacted his revenge on the alliance, destroying them with ease.

Winter Bard

Soon after taking his revenge, Von Leon met with Hilla inside his castle. A former mercenary named Ryude, having found the castle in ruins, made his way inside and began eavesdropping on the conversation. Hilla asked Von Leon how his revenge had been, to which Von Leon replied that it had been too easy and wondered whether the Black Mage was really that strong. Hilla replied that the Black Mage was more powerful than he could imagine.

She then told Von Leon that with his revenge mission completed, all Commanders were to commence with a coordinated attack on Ereve, which would easily fall before a surprise attack of such a magnitude. Just then, Von Leon noticed Ryude listening in on their conversation and told him to show himself, upon which he said that he remembered Ryude's face while drawing his blade. As Ryude attempted to retreat, Hilla blocked his escape. With no choice, Ryude engaged Von Leon in a duel.

As they fought, Von Leon revealed that he was the one who had destroyed the cities of El Nath in retribution for the people of El Nath killing his beloved wife. Ryude told Von Leon that he would never be forgiven after all his heinous acts, but Von Leon replied that he didn't seek forgiveness, claiming that it would be hypocritical of him to do so. He then pointed out that Ryude wasn't blameless either, as he had killed countless men during his mercenary days. He asked Ryude whether he thought that he would reach salvation for his sins.

Hilla then told Von Leon to hurry up, to which Von Leon asked Ryude what his name was, as he wished to remember him. However, Ryude replied that he didn't like his name and asked Von Leon to finish him. As Von Leon moved for the final blow, Alicia suddenly appeared and told Ryude that she had warned him not to go inside. Hilla was shocked to see the girl, whom she recognized as the World Tree and the Transcendent of Life, as she believed that Alicia didn't interfere with mortal affairs. Alicia told her that Ryude owed her, after which she teleported them both away.

Soon after, Ryude and the survivors of El Nath marched towards the Dragon Master's Tower, where they planned to light the beacon in order to signal the end of the world. In response, Von Leon and Hilla led their armies towards the tower in order to stop them. As the Commanders arrived, a snowstorm began to blow, which Hilla believed to be the wrath of the gods, though Von Leon told her that the gods hadn't realized that snow wouldn't stop them. Hilla asked him why they hadn't taken the gate, to which Von Leon replied that the mercenaries were adept at fighting in the snow and had managed to use the ice against them. He then ordered his forces to wear Ryude's forces down.

Over the next several days, Von Leon's forces continued pushing towards the tower, while Ryude and his men attempted to hold off the Commanders until they could light the beacon. Through great sacrifice, Ryude was able to emerge victorious. As he lay dying, Von Leon approached him and congratulated him for his victory, asking for his name and telling him that he had fought well.

War of Destruction

Following Ryude's sacrifice, the Dragon Master's beacon brought together six brave Heroes that sought to defeat the Black Mage. The Heroes began fighting a war against the Black Mage and his Commanders, who continued sowing destruction across the continent. During the war, Von Leon often held meetings in his castle with the other Commanders, such as Orchid, Arkarium, and the Demon, in which he acted as a mediator between Arkarium and the other two, as as Arkarium's snarky attitude often led to the meeting going nowhere.

Towards the end of the war, Von Leon and the other Commanders invaded the Temple of Time, where the Black Mage stole the powers of Rhinne, the Transcendent of Time. Using the power of time, the Black Mage pulled the kingdom of Kritias into the future and ordered his Commanders to invade the city, after which he caused it to disappear. Though Von Leon and the others believed that the Black Mage had destroyed the kingdom, the Black Mage had actually sealed it away in time, as he had intended to imprison and erase any trace of Tana, Grandis' Transcendent of Light, until the time was right to use her for his plans.

Following the invasion of the Temple of Time, Von Leon and all the other Commanders besides the Demon were ordered to wipe out the rest of Ossyria, including southern Leafre. As a result of this order, the Demon's family was killed, leading to him betraying the Black Mage and aiding the Heroes. Soon after, the Heroes attacked the Temple of Time and managed to seal away the Black Mage. Following the end of the war, Von Leon and the other Commanders disappeared and went into hiding for centuries.

Return of the Lion King

Centuries later, the Silent Crusade discovered that dark energy, similar to that of the Mystic Gates, emanating from the Lion King's Castle. A legendary Crusader named Krag was sent to investigate the castle, where he summoned a Crusader for backup in order to help him break through the magical wards blocking the way forward^[5].

The Crusader broke through the wards and eventually made their way to the Fourth Tower, where they met the ghost of Luden, Von Leon's Chief Knight. Though Luden and many other servants of the castle had chosen to remain loyal to Von Leon, he explained that they could not rest in peace knowing that Von Leon was now serving the Black Mage. Luden reluctantly decided that Von Leon ought be defeated, believing that the old Von Leon would appreciate his thinking.

During their investigation of the castle, the Crusader also encountered the ghost of Ifia. Much like the other spirits, Ifia was also not at peace, as she had been calling to her husband for centuries, but to no avail. As she was afraid that he had forgotten her, Ifia asked the Crusader to speak to Von Leon in order to learn the truth. In the Audience Room, the Crusader met Von Leon and told him that Ifia's ghost had been calling to him, but Von Leon called them a liar, claiming that he would have known if his beloved wife were a ghost, and threatened them to never speak her name again.

After realizing that Von Leon could not see her, Ifia asked the Crusader to retrieve a key to the Rose Garden that she had once cherished with her husband. She asked them to find a Flower Book inside the garden and present it to Von Leon, hoping that it would help him believe that she still waited for him after centuries. The Crusader brought the book to a surprised Von Leon and explained that Ifia had told them where to find it. Though Von Leon knew that only he and Ifia knew of the book, he still couldn't believe the Crusader's story, as he refused to accept that he couldn't hear Ifia's voice when they could.

The Crusader returned to Ifia and told her about what Von Leon had said. They then asked her what had caused his abrupt change, but Ifia told them that she couldn't remember much and said that one of the knights may still remember. The Crusader then spoke with Luden, who told them about the alliance of the past, and how the monsters in the castle used to be Von Leon's soldiers. As proof, Luden asked the Crusader to hunt some of the monsters for Alliance Badges, proving that some of the soldiers were actually spies sent by the alliance.

The traveler returned to Ifia and explained what they had learned from Luden. Ifia told them that she had originally resented Von Leon for the change in his behavior, but having learned the truth, she was determined to turn him back. She told them about a secret passageway that only she and Von Leon knew about and resolved to meet her husband.

She and the Crusader traveled through the passageway and met with Von Leon, who was shocked that the Crusader had discovered the secret passageway. The Crusader revealed that Ifia had told them about it, and that Ifia herself was standing with them. When Von Leon still couldn't sense her, he wondered whether it was punishment for having sold his soul to the Black Mage.

Defeated, he gave the Crusader a pendant containing Ifia's picture and told them that he didn't deserve her memory. The Crusader and Ifia returned to the Fifth Tower, where Ifia told them that she was touched that Von Leon still had the pendant after centuries, wondering whether it was proof that he was still a good man deep down. She thanked the Crusader for their help and explained that she would continue clinging onto the hope that Von Leon would one day return to his old self.

Soon after, Luden asked the Crusader to put Von Leon down, as he had become too great of a monster. After opening the path to the Audience Room, the Crusader managed to defeat Von Leon in combat. Luden thanked them for their actions, but explained that Von Leon had only been weakened. Since his powers were tied to the Black Mage, Von Leon could never truly fall until the Black Mage's power had been driven from his body.

Luminous' Investigation

After the Silent Crusade informed Luminous about the return of Von Leon, Luminous decided to investigate for himself whether the Lion King was still a Commander of the Black Mage. After investigating the castle, he came to believe that Von Leon was no longer a servant of the Black Mage, but rather, he was just a man whose heart and soul had been torn out.

Meeting the Demon

As part of his investigation to learn more about the Black Mage, the Demon traveled to the Lion King's Castle at the suggestion of Alcaster, who had told him that only Von Leon knew the whole truth about what had happened during the final battle at the Temple of Time. He decided to use the secret passage from his days as a Commander, but after arriving at the Lion King's Castle, he noted that it was in terrible shape and wondered if Von Leon had blocked off the secret entrance. However, he was able to find the entrance and used it to enter the Audience Room. Von Leon recognized the Demon and asked what he wanted, calling the Demon ‘the betrayer'.

The Demon scoffed his words, claiming that the Black Mage was the true betrayer for having killed his family. Von Leon told him that if that were true, then it was likely part of the Black Mage's grand plan, and that the Demon was too blinded by anger to see. The Demon replied that he was surprised that someone who had offered their soul to the Black Mage after losing their own family would say that, adding that the difference between them was that the Black Mage had already betrayed the Demon, whereas the betrayal was yet to come for Von Leon.

His words angered Von Leon, who loudly asked what there was left for him to lose, as he had lost everything that he cared about. Seething with rage, he told the Demon that he had nothing more to say to him, as he had no interest in the disloyal. The Demon assured him that he would leave, but he first asked what had happened to the other Commanders. Von Leon merely told him to go to the Temple of Time in order to answer his own question there. He then ordered the Demon to leave and warned that if they met again, he wouldn't hesitate to strike him down. After the Demon left, Von Leon blocked the secret passageway.

First Encounter with Damien

Following the Black Mage's return and the formation of the present-day Maple Alliance, the Commanders who had once disappeared began returning back to his side. Along with the old Commanders, Arkarium also brought back Damien, who had been exiled in Tynerum for centuries after the war, and made him a new Commander. During his first meeting with the Commanders, Damien was approached by Von Leon, who told him his story. Damien was intrigued to learn that Von Leon was a kindred spirit, as they had both lost loved ones and had chosen the path of revenge.

Von Leon then unexpectedly told Damien that some things were impossible, even for the Black Mage. Damien was surprised and asked Von Leon why he was so interested in him. Von Leon ignored the question and asked Damien whether he had ever felt as though what he was doing might be pointless. Damien retorted that Von Leon was one to talk about stopping his quest for vengeance, adding that there was no going back for either of them after having sold their souls to the Black Mage.

However, Von Leon simply told Damien that even if his mother were to return to life, Damien's tainted soul wasn't fit to be anywhere near her. He explained that he was sure that Damien had expected as much, but added that to be so close to something without being able to touch it was a fate worse than death.

The New Transcendents

Von Leon was present alongside the Commanders who met Alpha and Beta after the twins escaped from Mirror World. Though Von Leon did not speak during the encounter, he witnessed the Commanders offering the new Transcendents of Time a choice to join the Black Mage.

The Black Mage's End

Following the Black Mage's death at the hands of the Adversary, the power that the Black Mage had given Von Leon presumably disappeared, leaving him a mortal man once again. However, Von Leon's ultimate fate following the end of the war remains unknown.

Trivia

• A photograph found in the Monster Park shows Von Leon with Spiegelmann. Seeing as Von Leon looks happy in the picture, it was presumably taken before his wife's death. (If it is shown to Spiegelmann, he'll bribe the player into keeping quiet about it.)
• There is a beggar in El Nath named Nonvon Leon who looks like Von Leon.
• A common misconception regarding Von Leon's origin story is that the Cygnus Knights were responsible for him joining the Black Mage, as seen from an old article on the GlobalMS website: The Cygnus Knights were given false information that Von Leon had joined the Black Mage and sent their forces to invade the castle and wipe out El Nath. A Cygnus Knight crest was left behind on Ifia's dead body, and Von Leon then pledged allegiance to the Black Mage (though this is implied to have been a trick by the Black Mage).
  • The article from the GlobalMS website is proven to be non-canon and inaccurate since Aria, not Cygnus, was the Empress of Ereve at the time that Von Leon joined the Black Mage, and Aria's knights were not mentioned as part of the Anti-Black Mage Alliance.

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