The heavy rain was thinning, and the sky was gradually clearing—like approaching the eye of a typhoon.
Nero, heading toward the fierce battlefield that could blow away even the clouds, occasionally stopped in mid-air and looked back. He was very worried about leaving Leonardo alone in such poor condition.
The captain was more knowledgeable than anyone about how to act when injured. However, depending on the situation, he was also the epitome of recklessness, acting without regard for his own state.
Knowing this well, Nero had originally planned to move together once Leonardo’s condition improved, but it was obvious he would grow anxious and try to intervene even if it meant overexerting himself, so there was no other way.
He couldn’t waste energy on unnecessary power struggles just to stop him, so earnestly telling him to rest and moving ahead while the captain recovered was the best option.
The pitiful face asking for help—pale white. Recalling that image, Nero let out a deep sigh.
‘Such stubbornness, really.’
Shaking his head as he stared back, Nero tore his gaze away and turned again. Then, as he was about to move toward the center of the flashing light once more, a powerful wind pressure—strong enough to lift his wet hair—hit him in mid-air.
As the overwhelming energy mixed within it enveloped his entire body, Nero instinctively held his breath, bent his upper body, and raised his guard. Floating in the air, he was pushed back without resistance, and when the sharp wind subsided, he lowered his arms and looked ahead.
As he blinked with a dumbfounded expression, two chilling energies ran through his entire body. One was that of the monster, and one was human. However, the human one was not much different from the monster’s. No, it would not be an exaggeration to say it was similar—destructive and cruel.
Amid the waves of shock created by the collision of these two beings, Nero muttered blankly as he grabbed his disheveled hair.
“What... Do I even need to help?”
It was the first time he had properly felt ‘that person’s’ power, which he had only heard about until now.
The first page of the list of major forces from other agencies that one often saw when belonging to Armsilver. The figure that always appeared at the very top without fail, Kazad of the Council.
Though he held the same immeasurable S4-grade title as the captain, Nero had been taught that Kazad had no experience on the front lines, so it was only natural that the imperial army to which Armsilver belonged would have the upper hand if they ever faced each other. And he had believed that.
However, from the moment articles circulated about Leonardo Blaine being captured by him, the existing power assessment of Kazad became worthless. And now, directly feeling his mana before his eyes, Nero could be certain as he felt the opposing energy seeping into his bones.
‘Though the nature is different, the scale of mana itself is similar to the captain in his prime. He’s definitely not an opponent one can confidently say they can beat.’
A tiny human shadow that never yielded despite constantly colliding with the shadow of the giant monster. Each time the two points clashed, air explosions created fierce spherical gusts that spread in all directions.
The pressure was so terrifying that even he, standing 6000 yards away, could barely maintain his balance and endure. Moreover, where these two beings collided, the condensed clouds had been blown away, leaving a clear sky through which light poured down abundantly.
Each time he withstood the passing wind, a tingling sensation followed, as if blood wasn’t flowing. Nero watched the unfolding scene with a bitter laugh.
At that moment, his red eyes, which had been looking into the distance, suddenly narrowed as they caught something strange. The point of collision between the two beings seemed to be retreating, gradually moving away from where he was.
To be precise, the monster’s huge shadow was continuously advancing northward, and Kazad seemed to be blocking it.
Nero tilted his head as he watched their movements. He clearly remembered the captain saying earlier, “Its goal is to kill me.”
‘The captain is behind me, so why is it going that way? Did it change its target?’
The creature must have been burning with revenge toward the humans who had sealed it and their descendants throughout its long slumber. So its purpose would be to annihilate those beings and enjoy eternal freedom; its instinct would be to go where there were as many humans as possible and slaughter lives.
As soon as this thought occurred to him, Nero’s eyes vaguely caught the human demarcation line spread out on the plains beyond the ridge in the northern direction where the mother body was heading. Then, seeing the majestic ice walls rising in front of the ridge—and Kazad being thrown and embedding himself with a savage line at about the same time—he couldn’t just stand still.
Sensing that it was time for him to act, Nero took a deep breath. Then, bringing his fingers together in front of his face, he muttered as if casting a spell on himself.
“Felix Montero, 11th Platoon, 6th Company, 3rd Battalion of the Central Branch. Felix Montero, 11th Platoon, 6th Company, 3rd Battalion. Commander, Commander.”
It would be best to move without catching the Commander’s eye as much as possible, but now didn’t seem to be the time to hold back. While prioritizing the protection of the members below, even if he came to the forefront and aroused suspicion, he had changed his appearance, so who could argue if he insisted he was Montero?
Although he didn’t feel particularly good about making that dimwit look good...
Anyway, thinking there would be no problem if he finished quickly and just disappeared, Nero cracked his finger joints, making popping sounds.
Eventually, as the wind pushed away the clouds, a crimson sunset settled in his red eyes. Beyond that, the corners of Nero’s mouth, staring at the monster, curled up.
“Taking down that one thing would make for at least a 30-year-long heroic tale.”
Hot air boiled around him, causing heat haze to rise and warp the space. In the midst of this, Nero bent his upper body and adjusted his posture as if about to spring forward, then pulled down his gloves tightly to ensure they wouldn’t come off.
And a few seconds later, his figure, swallowed up in flames, disappeared in the blink of an eye.
*****
Kiiiing- Kwaaang-!
Hugo, who had been embedded in the gap of the split ice wall, reflexively escaped from there as soon as he saw the violent flames bursting in front of him. He thought the mother body that had repelled him had fired a breath toward the lower part of the ice wall.
After spouting nonsense earlier about Leonardo dying, the creature had changed direction and tried to advance northward. In the meantime, as if it had realized that the source of the barrier spread out in the sky was the barrier stones, the mother body kept wandering around that area, concentrating its attacks on the members.
It was fortunate that Leonardo had been removed as a target, but if the creature’s ultimate goal was to head north, the situation was the worst. If it continued straight ahead, at the end lay the mainland of the empire. So they had to stop it here no matter what.
Hugo solidly built a double ice wall to protect the members guarding the barrier stones below. Then he stood firmly in front of them and spread a barrier to block the flames. However, the powerful mana that spread afterward and the fierce cry of the mother body suggested that ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) another being had appeared here.
A chilling flame that felt by no means friendly.
It must have been that mysterious shadow that had abducted Leonardo.
Soon, Hugo’s furrowed brow caught sight of a black form flying at an insane speed. This form circled around the mother body and fired balls of flame at irregular intervals, which must have been quite threatening, as the creature raised its altitude while shrieking sharply.
And at that moment, Nero, who had created a beast’s claw glowing dark red in his right hand, instantly teleported near the mother body. Then, before the creature’s eyes could turn toward him, he raised his arm and growled with fierce momentum.
“Were you the one who tore our brother’s left arm?”
Ten red pupils that hadn’t sensed his presence rolled to the side. They seemed quite surprised.
But Nero’s deliberate movements were much faster than the creature’s perception speed. Before the stinger at the end of its tail could open, Nero’s grip, baring teeth like a dragon’s maw, mercilessly struck down on the mother body’s left front leg.
The flaming claws that dug into the tough hide instantly severed the creature’s muscles and nerves, trailing tails. Acidic liquid boiled at the friction surface, emitting acrid smoke, but Nero paid no heed.
Grasping the creature’s bone buried in the thick flesh, he concentrated ultra-high-temperature heat at his fingertips. Adding his own grip strength to this, he crushed the surface with his fingers and then split the monster’s bone in two without hesitation.
The entire arm of the massive body was torn off in an instant, and along with a fierce roar that scratched the skin, sizzling blood droplets splattered spectacularly.
Amid the red liquid scattering in the sunset, Nero, with a fierce look in his eyes, savagely muttered.
“I’ll take one of your arms too.”
