Leonard seized an opportunity.
It was a moment when the man in white robes was slightly distracted by his own regeneration.
He lunged forward, his body spinning in the air, and delivered a fierce flying kick squarely into the man’s chest.
Boom!
The man in white robes slammed into the ground like a cannonball, carving a trench dozens of meters long before becoming embedded in a pile of rubble.
“Cough...” He spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression turning terrifyingly dark.
However, his reactions were swift. The instant before Leonard landed, he reached out and grabbed Leonard’s ankle, swinging him with immense force.
Swoosh!
Leonard was instantly flung away. He tumbled through the air several times before barely managing to stabilize himself and land.
The moment he touched the ground, Leonard turned and ran.
He gasped for breath as he sprinted, his chest heaving like a bellows, and the hand gripping the Holy Sword was trembling.
Leonard was well aware of his physical condition.
The Holy Sword’s power was backfiring on him, clashing violently with the Demonic Energy inside his body that didn't belong to him.
If he kept fighting, he wouldn't even need the man in white robes to kill him—the backlash alone would finish him off.
“Damn it...” Leonard gritted his teeth. “I have to find a way...”
“Thinking of running?” the man’s voice drifted from behind.
He slowly crawled out from the rubble, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and let out a cold laugh as he watched Leonard’s retreating back.
“This fellow truly is made from a Hero’s remnant soul; he's impressive,” he muttered to himself. “But by the look of it, he’s nearing his limit.”
With that, his feet left the ground. He hovered into the air and gave chase in the direction Leonard had fled.
As he pursued, he raised his hand.
Dark red magic gathered in his palm, condensing into spheres of energy the size of fists.
“Go!”
The energy spheres fell like raindrops, exploding all around Leonard.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Deep craters were blasted into the earth one after another, sending rubble flying and filling the air with dust.
Leonard could only dodge pathetically, jumping left and right, several times narrowly avoiding a direct hit.
“Damn it...” He gritted his teeth, glancing back at the man in white robes who was closing in.
Then, he made a decision.
A very Hero-like, yet very foolish decision.
He suddenly stopped, planted his feet, and lunged backward with all his might!
“What?” the man in white robes faltered.
He hadn't expected Leonard to suddenly turn back, let alone charge straight through the magic bombardment.
In that split second of hesitation, Leonard had already reached him.
The Holy Sword was raised high, its tip aimed directly at the man’s heart.
Pfft!
The blade pierced through without resistance, skewering the chest of the man in white robes.
Leonard landed, using his weight to pin the man firmly to the ground with the sword.
“Cough...” The man spat out more blood, but a bizarre smile spread across his face.
He stared intently at Leonard, his eyes showing no pain, only mockery.
Leonard tightened his grip on the Holy Sword, preparing to rip it sideways to slay the monster once and for all.
But at that moment—
The Holy Sword in his hand began to flicker in and out of existence.
“Oh no...” Leonard’s expression changed.
He tried to pull the sword back, but it was too late.
The man in white robes grabbed his wrist while his other hand clamped around Leonard’s throat, hoisting him into the air.
“Haha!” the man laughed. The wound on his chest healed at a rate visible to the naked eye, literally forcing the Holy Sword out. It fell to the ground and dissipated into particles of light.
“I told you, fake Hero—don’t use too much power.”
He choked Leonard, watching the purple veins surface on the boy’s skin. “Now you’re suffering the backlash of the Demonic Energy! Haha!”
Leonard struggled desperately, but the man’s hand was like an iron vice, unmoving.
The purple marks on his neck had already spread to his face, crawling across half his cheek like a spiderweb.
The Holy Sword was gone, and the power within him was rapidly draining away.
His consciousness began to blur.
“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.”
The man in white robes leaned in, whispering into his ear. “I spent so much effort creating a perfect masterpiece using a Hero’s remnant soul and Demonic Energy. How could I bear to kill you?”
Leonard’s eyes widened. He wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
“Once you absorb all the Demonic Energy here, you will reach the peak of above Rank 9, fully comparable to a calamity of the demon race.”
The man continued, his voice filled with fanaticism. “When that time comes, you can leave this place. Just imagine—the former Hero of humanity becoming their new disaster... The mere thought is exhilarating, Hahaha!!”
He laughed maniacally, his mirth unrestrained.
But as he laughed, he felt the weight in his hand lighten slightly.
He looked down.
Leonard, who had been in his grasp just a moment ago, was gone.
Looking up, he saw Leonard in the distance, being held by Lilith.
She casually tossed Leonard aside and looked at the man.
“Now, it’s my turn to fight you.”
The man in white robes snorted coldly. “I haven’t even settled the score from earlier, and yet you come looking for me yourself. Fine, since you’re so eager to die, I’ll grant your wish!”
His figure blurred, appearing before Lilith in an instant as he threw a punch!
This punch condensed all his strength. The sheer pressure of the strike caused the space it passed through to distort slightly.
Then, just as his right arm was about to touch Lilith...
An invisible slash flickered through the air.
The man’s right arm, from shoulder to fingertips, was instantly shredded into pieces.
His pupils shrank as he retreated violently, putting distance between them.
He looked down at his empty right shoulder, then back at Lilith, his face written with disbelief.
“What happened?” he thought in shock. “What just happened? I didn't even see an attack. How was my arm torn apart?”
His expression turned grim.
But before he could react, Lilith was already in front of him.
A single hand clamped over his face.
Boom!
Lilith slammed his head into the distant mountain range.
The mountain collapsed, and boulders tumbled down.
The man in white robes was embedded in the cliffside, his head ringing.
“You damn thing!” he roared, trying to break free.
But in the next second, countless invisible slashes descended from the sky, enveloping him and the entire mountain range.
Chii! Chii! Chii! Chii! Chii!
The sound of dense cutting filled the air.
The mountain was sliced into countless pieces, all of which were reduced to dust under the barrage.
The man in white robes was no exception.
His body was shredded, mingling with the debris of the mountain until they were indistinguishable.
Lilith hovered in mid-air, looking down at the area covered by her slashes, her expression exceptionally serious.
“What kind of freakish thing is this? He’s still not dead?”
She could feel that the man’s aura was still there.
Not only was it there, but it was also recovering rapidly.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, the slashes dissipated.
Covered in blood, the man in white robes crawled out from the ruins.
The wounds on his body were healing at a visible rate, and in just a few short seconds, he was restored to his original state.
For some reason, even his clothes were restored, making him look no different than before.
“It seems you are quite strong.”
The man wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at Lilith with a grin. “However, I am stronger!”
With that, he spread his arms.
The surrounding Demonic Energy began to surge toward him frantically.
Dark red mist rose from the ground, condensed from the air, and converged from all directions, pouring into his body.
His aura began to skyrocket.
Double, triple, quadruple...
Lilith didn't stop him. Instead, she crossed her arms and watched with interest.
“He’s absorbing the Demonic Energy here?” she thought. “Interesting.”
The speed at which the man absorbed the energy grew faster and faster, causing the concentration of Demonic Energy in the surroundings to drop visibly.
His body began to swell, and dark red magic patterns surfaced on his skin.
“Hahaha!” He laughed, his voice laced with madness. “This Demonic Energy can briefly push my strength to the level of the Fourth of the Four Calamities! You’re dead!”
Rate on N.U.
