"Clown?"
Leo raised an eyebrow, seemingly displeased with the title.
He didn't even bother to look at the three charging knights, simply raising his right hand and snapping his fingers casually.
"【Chain Lightning】."
Crack-boom—!!!!
A thick bolt of blue-purple lightning shot from his fingertips at a speed the naked eye could barely track!
It struck the first knight with pinpoint accuracy.
The 【Holy Light Protection】 on the knight didn't even last 0.1 seconds before being instantly pierced by the terrifying electrical energy! He, along with his shield, was blown into charred fragments on the spot!
The lightning flashed, never slowing down.
The second knight didn't even have time to stop his feet before the arc of electricity penetrated the gaps in his helmet, its high temperature instantly vaporizing his brain.
Immediately after, the third knight let out a terrified roar, desperately raising his shield—
"Boom!"
The electric arc swallowed him without resistance.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
The rain continued to pour down, yet it could not extinguish the three charred, smoking remains.
Eligor's ear-splitting laughter was cut short, as if an invisible hand had seized him by the throat.
In the distance, within the imperial army's ranks, the pupils of Legion Commander Dulac—who had been watching coldly—suddenly constricted.
The adjutant beside him gasped even harder. "Instant cast...?! A high-tier spell?!"
This man in pajamas... just what kind of monster was he?!
Lucrezia, who had been collapsed on the ground, snapped her eyes open, her red pupils filled with disbelief.
She looked at the back of the man standing in the thunderlight like a descending god, and her heart began to beat violently.
This... was this the existence she had summoned?!
"Who did you call a clown?"
Leo withdrew his hand, dismissively flicking away non-existent dust.
Using a max-level account to fight these tutorial-zone mobs wasn't even worth a warm-up.
He was just about to act cool and ask where the hell he was, when suddenly—
Crack!
A crisp sound of shattering echoed deep within his soul.
"Huh?"
Immediately after, an indescribable surge of intense pain and emptiness hit him!
Leo's face turned pale instantly. His body swayed, and he nearly collapsed.
He felt with horror that the vast sea of mana within him—his mana source—had actually... shattered!
Like a glass sphere covered in cracks, the mana inside was leaking out completely. Not a single drop remained!
Realizing something was wrong, Leo's fingers flicked frantically in the air.
"System? Menu? Force Logout?!"
Swipe, click, swipe again! However, his retinas remained empty. There was no familiar blue light screen, only the cold rain passing through his fingertips.
That overwhelming sense of "reality" flooded his mind again.
I... I couldn't have actually transmigrated, could I?
Leo's pupils shrank.
"What is he doing...?"
Leo's sudden stumble and his frantic, spasming finger movements did not escape the eyes of the experienced paladin captain, Eligor.
That strike must have exhausted all his strength! He was just bluffing!
A hideous killing intent reignited in Eligor's eyes.
However, he didn't immediately order a charge. After all, the way this "clown" had appeared was quite eerie. He would test him first.
"【Holy Light Judgment】!"
Eligor raised his greatsword, pointing it toward Leo from a distance. A punitive beam of light descended from the sky, striking directly at Leo's head!
This was a mid-tier divine art, the fastest long-range attack he possessed as a knight captain!
"Damn it!"
Leo's scalp tingled.
He instinctively raised his hand, attempting to manifest an 【Arcane Barrier】.
However...
Nothing happened.
Inside that shattered mana source, he couldn't squeeze out even a trace of mana.
"Shit!"
With the threat of death looming, Leo could no longer afford to maintain his composure. He performed a desperate roll to the side!
Boom—!
The holy light smashed into the spot where he had just been standing, blasting a charred crater. Mud and debris splattered all over him.
"Haha... Hahaha!!"
Seeing Leo roll so pathetically, Eligor burst into a laughter even louder and more crazed than before!
"And here I was wondering what you were! You're just a small-time loser who almost managed to pull one over on us!"
"Everyone, move in! Hack him into mincemeat!"
"Kill—!"
The remaining seven or eight paladins, having recovered from their brief shock, were awakened by their captain's roar.
This is bad. It's really game over now!
Leo's mind raced. No system, no logout button, and his mana source was shattered! How the hell was he supposed to play this?!
His brain worked at high speeds within 0.1 seconds, calculating every possibility.
Run? Hand-to-hand combat? Beg for mercy? All were dead ends... Move, damn it! Use your gamer brain! Think of something!
Just as death approached, Leo caught a glimpse of the magic circle on the ground and the silver-haired girl.
A faint, spectral soul thread was connecting him and the girl.
【Contract Link】.
Wait...
Combining the knowledge being poured into his mind with the "Command Seal" on his left hand, Leo's breath hitched.
I'm a freaking contracted beast?!
He had no time to be annoyed. The moment the thought arose, it was replaced by an idea so bold it was insane.
Since it's a link... that means it's a channel...
A channel means flow... If things can go in, they can come out!
It's a Hail Mary!
By now, Eligor had charged to the very front. He leaped high into the air, his greatsword surging with holy light as it swung down with the force of a thousand tons!
The blade was upon him! The shadow of death loomed over Leo's head!
Leo spun around. Under Lucrezia's horrified gaze, he seized her slender wrist and roughly pulled her into his embrace!
"Eek—! You—you bastard, what are you doing?!"
Lucrezia shrieked in panic. Her petite body slammed into Leo's firm chest. Feeling the aura of a strange man, she instinctively tried to struggle.
"Shut up. I'm borrowing your mana."
Just before Eligor's blade could split his head open, Leo let out a low growl, ignoring her resistance entirely.
One hand gripped the girl's slender waist like an iron vise, while the other pressed against her flat belly—the location of her mana source.
"You dare—!?"
Lucrezia's mind went blank.
"You lowly... mgh—!"
Her red eyes widened. She let out a distorted moan that was part pain and part strange, tingling numbness.
She felt an incredibly domineering suction force emanating from the man's palm. It roughly probed into her body, churning her mana source!
At the exact moment the holy greatsword was about to cleave Leo in two, a translucent purple 【Arcane Barrier】 expanded in front of him!
Clang!!!
The golden sword qi slammed into the shield, erupting in a piercing screech of metal on metal!
A storm of energy rippled outward, blowing away the surrounding mud.
"What?! That's impossible!"
Eligor's pupils shrank.
Wasn't his mana exhausted? How could he block my full-power strike?!
Could it be...
He looked in horror at the flushed, limp princess in Leo's arms, then at Leo, whose aura was surging rapidly.
"You... you're draining her mana?!"
Such an evil and domineering ability was unheard of!
"Correct, but no prize for you."
Leo gave a crooked smirk.
He felt the power flowing through him again. That feeling of being in control was back.
Leo glanced down at the girl in his arms, who was already dazed.
He had to admit, this NPC's mana quality wasn't bad, and... she felt pretty good, too.
Wait, since when did I know how to distinguish mana quality?
"You piece of trash... quick... let go of Us..." Lucrezia protested weakly, her voice so soft it sounded like she was pouting. Her little tiger tooth peeked through her trembling red lips.
"Behave yourself. I haven't had enough yet." Leo gave her perky backside a firm swat. The elasticity was incredible.
"Wuu! You just wait...!" The girl's body trembled, and she nearly fainted from shame.
"Next..."
Leo looked up, his cold gaze locking onto Eligor, whose holy light was surging again.
"It's my turn."
Rate on N.U.
