Dung-
An ominous roar, as if the earth itself were sinking, echoed between the towering peaks. Hugo and Isabella, who had been chasing the light at high speed, immediately stopped in mid-air upon hearing it.
The two briefly assessed the situation, watching the distance, and about 1.5 seconds later, they threw themselves sideways. No sooner had they hidden behind thick rock walls than a destructive shockwave swept through their previous position.
Kwaaang-!
The heavy wind pressure, expanding in a spherical wave, annihilated everything in its path. Two medium-sized peaks below were instantly crushed by the pressure and scattered into dust.
Hugo, watching this savage scene while holding his breath, vividly felt the magnitude of the power mixed within it.
The single light illuminating the darkness. It was the phrase that best expressed Leonardo's influence on this land.
However, the pulverized peaks and the devastated land before his eyes only added certainty to the anxiety Hugo had been harboring all along.
Leonardo was in quite a hurry now.
It was clear that that fearsome power of unknown origin was pushing him to the extreme.
As evidence of this, Leonardo's attacks, which showed no mercy, left no room for anyone to intervene. As if aiming only to eliminate the mother body in a short time, he poured out attacks incessantly with overwhelming power rather than finesse or meticulousness.
His actions, which split the earth and blew away mountains with a single strike, made even the thousand-year-old ancient demon abandon its northward advance and retreat. Moreover, the morale of the members, which had been as precarious as a candle in the wind, now burned fiercely like a fire doused with oil.
While it was true that the tide had turned and they had gained the upper hand, Hugo's intuition told him that if things continued like this, problems would surely arise. Therefore, to prevent Leonardo's body from being overstrained, there was a need to quickly bring this situation to an end.
However, the difference in combat power between the Council's battalion commanders and the current Leonardo was as stark as heaven and earth. It was challenging enough just to keep up with his speed, so it was difficult to actually help him, and they would be fortunate if they weren't a hindrance.
In the end, to swiftly eliminate the fleeing mother body, a new strategy was needed rather than the current disorderly method.
In short,
‘If we could give Leonardo even one proper chance.’
They might finally be able to put an end to this endless battle.
Kugung, kung-
As if cutting off Hugo's thoughts, a dark shadow and an ominous sound suddenly loomed over his head. As Hugo nimbly dropped his altitude and looked up, a massive rock that had broken off from the cliff face was already bearing down right in front of him.
‘To the left.’
His gaze, which had briefly flicked left while tracking the presence, snapped back to the falling rock. The moment his chilling stare fixed on its center, the surface of the rock was completely covered in ice.
Soon after, as the ice rapidly expanded, fine cracks spread across the surface, and the large rock mass inside was split into long, narrow fragments. Hugo, timing it right, immediately swung his greatsword wide, and the pieces, pushed by the sword energy, soared toward the sky.
At that moment, the mother body, which had revealed itself from beyond the peak, spread its wings to glide toward the opposite side. The sharp crystals that cut through the air precisely embedded themselves into the creature's hind legs in an instant.
Kyaaaak-
The monster, caught off guard by the unexpected ambush, howled and surged forward as if whipped. As it leaped to gain momentum, stepping on the ridges between the mountain ranges, it spewed flames onto the ground, burning the earth and vegetation.
In the suddenly reddened view, Hugo felt a terrible sensation as if his lungs were being heated. Nevertheless, he amplified the cold and wrapped it around his body, preparing to face the approaching flames head-on.
At that moment, ‘he’—emitting a sharp light—appeared and blocked Hugo's front in the blink of an eye.
“Little rat.”
Leonardo, who had chased after the mother body, spread a golden magic circle wide and instantly absorbed the evil flames. Then, as if returning the attack to the opponent, he hurled a massive blaze toward the gap in the smoke where the mother body had hidden.
This firepower, visibly ten times that of the monster's breath, instantly annihilated peaks 120 to 125. Isabella, pushed back by the hot wind as she watched, felt both heat and chills run down her spine.
At that moment, Leonardo, who had been gritting his teeth and withstanding the power of his own magic, was gradually pushed back by the recoil—then suddenly snapped backward. Hugo, who had been behind him, hurriedly threw himself forward to catch him and grabbed his waist.
Hugo quickly detonated an air sphere behind his back to reduce their backward speed as much as possible. However, in that brief moment, it was almost impossible to change direction in mid-air, and the force shoving them back was so strong that they couldn't avoid colliding with the towering rock wall.
Kwaaang-!
Hugo, whose back hit the wall first, did his best to lessen the impact on the person in his arms. With no time to endure the pain, as pale dust obscured his vision, he squinted one eye and drew ice pillars from the walls on both sides.
The pillars that shot up diagonally blocked the front densely, as if protecting them. At that moment, as if it had been waiting, a bright destructive beam silently flew through the acrid smoke.
Hugo, instinctively sensing the danger, drew one more ice pillar from beneath his feet. Then, using only the strength of his lower body to drive the ice hard, he leaped into the air holding Leonardo, using the rising pillar’s speed as a foothold.
The seething destructive beam struck the place they had just left. The black smoke undulating between the mountain ranges expanded its influence in all directions with the explosion.
Kugugung-
For a while, the ominous sound of earth and sand being swept away and vast vibrations filled the area. A landslide occurred, causing the ground to sink, and seawater that had flowed in from the nearby sea released hot steam as it was heated by geothermal energy.
Amidst this, Leonardo, who had been hauled into the air by Hugo and escaped the thick smoke, hunched his body and coughed softly at the pain in his heart that felt like it was burning up.
‘Damn it, what am I supposed to do if I can't withstand my own power.’
He needed to drive the creature to the target point to attempt the strategy or not, but the unnecessarily large output of magic was increasing the burden on his body.
Normally, he would have been able to endure this level easily without any problem, but now, the amplifier's output, the restraining force of the collar, and the needle-stabbing pain in his heart were mixing, sending all kinds of sensations in his body into chaos.
At that moment, as if to suppress all of them at once, a familiar chill enveloped his limbs. Leonardo, who reflexively shivered at the cold energy that didn't match the surroundings, raised his head with furrowed brows. He then found himself face to face with Agrizendro, who was looking at him with a worried expression.
“Leonardo, what's wrong? Where does it hurt?”
That voice, sounding quite serious, contrary to its intention, gently tickled his face and ears.
But strangely, the distance was so close that Leonardo could only blink and meet his gaze for a moment.
Then, unconsciously, he felt he needed to suppress his own energy, and naturally lowered his eyes to quickly assess the situation.
While intense energy that even he could barely control was emanating from his entire body, Agrizendro was pressed close to him, unaware of how dangerous the current situation was. Moreover, he wasn't just close, but was holding Leonardo’s back and under his thighs, with ice wrapped around his own arms and chest.
He had certainly experienced being held similarly by Nero earlier, but the current feeling was quite different from then. The other's shoulders, incomparably broader than Nero's, somehow gave him an even greater sense of stability than before.
The hot wind ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) being emitted instantly melted the ice, disheveling Hugo's hair as if trying to shake him off. In response, Hugo, as if determined not to be pushed back, drew out more cold energy and forcefully countered the fierce heat. White steam rose and undulated all around them as air of different natures collided.
Leonardo, who had been quietly holding both hands in front of his chest due to the pain in his heart, suddenly woke from his frozen thoughts as Hugo's cool face gradually reddened from the heat.
“W-wait, didn't I tell you not to come close!”
The heat currently radiating from around him was not at a level that an ice and water mage could withstand. Even with ice wrapped around him, if this continued, he would suffer burns bordering on fatal injuries.
However, despite Leonardo's struggles to push his shoulders away, Hugo did not let him go.
Instead, he just quietly gazed at him with calm eyes, and at some point, suddenly lowered his gaze. Then he watched the movements of the creature, which was leisurely moving through the gaps in the black smoke as it aimed at them.
