Chapter 66: Showdown
While Leo was still airborne, a steel rod came hurtling toward him.
His Danger Sense flashed a warning.
He swung one of his hidden blades without a second thought.
CLANG!
The blade collided with the steel rod, deflecting it as sparks scattered through the air.
His boots touched the ground, and he swept his gaze to both sides.
To his left, John lay flat on the ground, unable to stand. One hand remained outstretched, controlling the steel rod from a distance.
To his right stood Rose, her rifle aimed straight at him. She was the one who had fired the earlier shots.
Rose took a step forward.
"Hey... just surrender."
"We don’t have to fight each other."
"I promise they won’t do anything to you."
Leo remained silent.
Seeing no response, Rose continued,
"You don’t believe me, do you?"
"My father is one of the military’s higher-ups."
"As long as I’m here, they won’t dare lay a hand on you."
Still, Leo said nothing.
Rose’s heart sank.
She didn’t want the situation to escalate. Earlier, she had seen Leo trying to kill Tony. Even if he had saved her life... she couldn’t let him do it again.
"Young Miss, there’s no need to waste your breath on someone like him."
Tony raised one hand. Water swirled together, condensing into a thin, sword-like blade.
With a flick of his wrist, the water sword shot straight toward Leo’s waist.
Leo flipped backward in response.
The water blade sliced harmlessly beneath his airborne body.
Upside down in midair, Leo aimed his rifle at Tony, his finger tightening on the trigger , but before he could fire the shot .
A steel rod shot toward his head.
CLANG!
Leo swung the hidden blade in his free hand, deflecting it once more. Sparks burst from the collision.
The moment his feet touched the dirt, he burst into a zigzag sprint.
RATATATATA!!
A hail of bullets chased after him. Rose had opened fire. This time, she aimed low, targeting his legs.
Even so, Leo couldn’t dodge them all.
PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!
Three bullets struck him. The Cloak of Shroud and his tactical armor absorbed the impact, keeping the rounds from piercing his skin.
A stinging pain flared through his legs. The flattened lead fell from beneath his cloak, clattering onto the asphalt.
Tony’s eyes narrowed.
"Young Miss, be careful."
"His armor is bulletproof."
Rose tightened her grip on her rifle.
"I’m sorry..."
"But you didn’t listen to my advice."
"You leave me no other choice."
Emboldened that normal bullets couldn’t harm Leo , Rose unleashed another volley.
RATATATATA!!
Four shots echoed before
Click.
Click.
The rifle fell silent, the magazine empty.
At the same time, Tony closed the distance. Several water bullets floated beside him as the water sword hovered in his grasp. He swung the blade toward Leo’s head in a sharp arc.
Leo ducked under the slash and charged straight at him.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The water bullets rained down from above. This time, Leo didn’t bother dodging.
PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!
The projectiles slammed into his back. A dull pain spread through his spine, but he ignored it, closing the remaining distance.
Tony’s face paled.
"Shit!"
Leo lunged straight for Tony’s waist, his hidden blade flashing toward its target.
But just before it connected,
Two steel rods shot toward him from different directions.
Leo abandoned the attack. He dropped his rifle and drew his second hidden blade.
CLANG! CLANG!
With a powerful strike, he deflected both steel rods, the sheer force splitting the steel rods cleanly in half.
The moment the metal snapped ,
John coughed up a mouthful of blood. Red blood trickled from his nose, his eyes rolled back, and his head slumped as he blacked out on the ground.
Using the brief opening, Tony retreated and created distance .
Leo also leaped backward, putting distance between them.
Then His sharp eyes swept across the street.
Tony was breathing heavily , his chest heaving up and down .
Rose had slammed a fresh magazine into her rifle.
And farther away , a squad of soldiers was rushing toward them.
Leo realized he was running out of time.
Rose raised her rifle at him once more.
"This is your last chance."
"Surrender."
Veins bulged across Leo’s forehead.
This time genuine irritation and anger flashed across his face.
’Do they really think I’m some kind of pushover?’
Without warning, Leo pulled a grenade from his vest, yanked the pin, and tossed it at Rose’s feet.
Then he unhitched the grappling gun from his belt.
THUNK!
The grappling hook shot onto the roof of a nearby building. The cable went taut, pulling Leo into the air.
Tony had condensed an enormous water blade while Leo looked around. He was preparing to stop Leo from escaping.
But the moment he saw the grenade rolling toward Rose ,
His eyes widened in horror.
"No!"
He threw himself over Rose, wrapping his arms around her. At the same time, he dismissed the massive water blade, condensing every drop of water in the surroundings into a thick water barrier between them and the grenade.
BOOOOM!!
The grenade exploded with a deafening BOOM!, crashing into the water barrier.
The shockwave rippled violently through the curtain of water.
PSSH! PSSH! PSSH!
Countless razor-sharp fragments tore through the barrier, sending towering splashes in every direction. The intense heat from the blast rapidly evaporated the water, filling the area with thick steam.
The soldiers rushing over to reinforce Tony widened their eyes in horror at the sight and instinctively quickened their pace.
A few moments later, the smoke and dust gradually dispersed.
The water barrier was still standing.
On the other side, Tony remained kneeling behind it, breathing heavily.
Blood seeped from several wounds across his back.
Although the barrier had absorbed most of the explosion, a number of shrapnel fragments had still pierced through, leaving him far from unscathed.
Ignoring the pain, Tony slowly raised his head.
His venomous gaze locked onto the rooftop of a nearby building.
Standing there was the hooded Leo.
The dark hood completely concealed his face, making it impossible to read his expression as he silently looked down at Tony from above.
Just then...
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The sound of helicopter rotors echoed across the sky.
Leo turned his head.
Several military helicopters were rapidly approaching from the distance.
Seeing the reinforcements closing in, he didn’t hesitate.
He turned around, sprinted across the rooftop, and leaped off the opposite edge.
His figure disappearing into the maze of dark alleyways below.
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