"Is it too late to run?"
Watching the demonized Leon standing in the courtyard—wings sprouting from his back and radiating a suffocating pressure—Vespa’s tail fur stood straight up in terror, her voice trembling.
"I told you! Quick! Siphon my mana like last time! Then open a teleportation portal and let's get out of here!"
Lucrezia’s small face was pale with urgency as she grabbed Leo’s hand and pressed it firmly against her stomach.
"Teleport? You mean the legendary spatial teleportation portal?!"
Vespa’s eyes widened, looking at Leo as if he were a god. "You actually know a spell that involves spatial laws? This kitty really didn't choose the wrong person!"
"Tch, stop dreaming."
Leo’s expression was grim as he doused her excitement with a cold reality:
"Without spatial coordinates, the mana is nowhere near enough! Without reaching the 【Glorious】 rank, it’s impossible to carve a stable beacon. Did you think that time we escaped the Red Mangrove Swamp was just something I did on a whim? That was a gamble with our lives! We can't be that lucky every time."
"Wait, you actually know how to do it?!" Vespa’s focus was oddly specific.
"You stupid small fry! Idiot! I told you we should have left earlier! But you wouldn't listen..." Lucrezia pounded on Leo in despair, her voice thick with tears.
While the three were bickering, the battle below had already turned into a one-sided slaughter.
"Boom—!"
Gareth Hawthorne, Kent Town’s only 【Glorious】 rank powerhouse, was currently being pinned to the ground and pummeled by his own son.
Although the Fel energy Leon gained through sacrifice only put his power level at the peak of the 【Glorious】 rank—not significantly higher than Gareth’s—there was a fundamental problem.
The young always have the edge in a fight, especially when dealing with a monster that felt no pain and possessed the recovery of the Abyss.
Gareth was getting old after all. No matter how well he maintained himself, he could bully those weaker than him, but in a life-and-death struggle against someone of the same rank, his stamina simply couldn't keep up.
"Damn it... cough, cough!"
Gareth was swatted away by Leon’s claw, the greatsword in his hand trembling. As he struggled to hold his ground, he roared toward Leo on the wall in desperation:
"Hey! How much longer are you going to just watch?! Where’s the backup plan? Where’s the ultimate move?!"
"Does your Imperial Military Intelligence Section 7 have no contingency plan for the Abyss?! Do something!"
Leo: "..."
Where the hell am I supposed to get a backup plan or an ultimate move?
If I had one, would I be afraid of you? I would have used it to blackmail you ages ago!
Leo cursed inwardly.
But at this point, even if they wanted to leave, they might not be able to. Leon’s presence had already locked down the entire area.
Moreover, if they didn't deal with this now, it was just a matter of dying sooner or later—the only difference being whether they were burned to death by Fel or by the Holy Light Church's sacred light.
"Oh? Father, you still harbor hope for those little insects?"
Leon heard Gareth’s shout and stopped his movements with a cruel grin.
His vertical pupils, burning with Fel, scanned the surroundings warily, sensing the energy fluctuations of Leo and the others.
"Heh, just a bluff. Nothing but a few pieces of trash."
Leon sneered, sensing no threat at all.
With a casual wave of his hand, a chain of Fel energy erupted from the ground, binding the heavily injured Gareth firmly in place.
"Old man, once I take care of these eyesore flies, I’ll come back and torture you slowly."
Having said that, those eyes full of tyrannical murderous intent locked onto the three on the wall.
"Meow! This kitty isn't good at direct combat. I have some urgent business to attend to, so I'll be going..."
Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Vespa crouched down, preparing to activate 【Stealth】 and flee.
"Hum!"
"Run?"
Leon simply made a grasping motion through the air.
"Bang!"
The air seemed to turn into a solid object.
Vespa, who had just entered her invisible state, felt as if she had slammed into a high-speed wall. She was sent flying, coughing up a mouthful of blood as she tumbled into the distant ruins like a broken ragdoll.
"Vespa!"
Leon appeared in front of Leo as if he had teleported.
"Run!"
Leo shoved Lucrezia away, but he was a step too slow himself.
"Boom!"
He was hit head-on by a Fel shockwave. His 【Arcane Barrier】 shattered instantly, and he was sent flying back, slamming heavily into the wall. As he slid down, he coughed up a large amount of blood.
"Cough, cough..."
Leo struggled to prop himself up, feeling as if his internal organs had shifted out of place.
Too strong.
This kind of pure numerical suppression was not something that could be compensated for with skill.
"It's over, little insects."
Leon walked toward Leo with heavy steps, raising his claws burning with green fire.
Despair.
It flooded over Lucrezia like a tide.
Lying on the ground, she watched the "small fry" who was about to be killed, and countless images flashed through her mind.
The sea of fire in Sylvania, her father's tragic death, the pathetic state of her flight...
Is it... ending again?
As a princess, I can do nothing... I can only be protected like a burden and watch the people around me die one by one...
No!
I don't want this! I am the last hope of Sylvania! I am a noble dragon-blooded sorcerer!
In that instant, an intense unwillingness and a will to survive triggered the bloodline dormant within her body.
"Thump—!"
A heavy heartbeat, sounding as if it came from an ancient dragon, thundered in everyone’s ears.
Lucrezia’s pupils instantly turned into a molten reddish-gold!
From deep within her originally dry mana pool, a fresh surge of mana—tinged with a faint gold—erupted!
That was not elemental magic used for destruction; that was the power of kingship used by dragons to rule over their subjects and empower their allies!
"Vroom—!!!!"
At this moment, the total amount of mana within Lucrezia’s body surged wildly. It instantly broke through the 【Transcendent】 rank, crossed the 【Heroic】 rank, and smashed through the 【Crowned】 rank to reach the 【Glorious】 rank!
But this time, she did not wait passively for Leo to siphon it.
"Leo! Catch!!"
She raised her hand, and the reddish-gold light gathered at her fingertips. It then transformed into a golden stream of light, precisely crossing the distance to pour into Leo’s body!
【Dragon's Coordination】 · Mana Infusion!
"This is..."
Unlike Leo’s previous crude siphoning, this time, it was Lucrezia actively infusing him!
Leo felt a vast and warm power instantly fill his withered body.
Leo stood up abruptly, feeling the sense of fullness within him.
Even if it was only for three minutes, and even if this power was still external.
At this moment, his mana level had once again been forcibly raised to the—【Crowned】 rank!
"Only the 【Crowned】 rank again?"
Leo clenched his fist, feeling the violent mana energy dancing at his fingertips. A confident arc curved at the corner of his mouth.
Although there was still a full major rank difference compared to Leon’s peak 【Glorious】 rank.
"But... it’s enough!"
"Killing above one's rank is the daily routine for a pro-gamer protagonist!"
"It's time for a true display of skill."
Rate on N.U.
