Leonardo took advantage of the violent shaking of the iron cage to apply force to his right hand.
Though he couldn’t muster much strength, he was able to move it slightly. He grabbed the chain part of the handcuff on his wrist and began shaking it hard.
It was clear now—the force restraining his body had definitely weakened compared to earlier. Soon, the chain of the right-hand cuff snapped off and clattered against the bottom of the cage. The cuff itself hadn’t broken, but as soon as his hand and wrist were freed, Leonardo gathered strength in his entire right arm and pulled forcefully several times.
Before long, with several dull thuds, the restraints binding his arm to the floor came loose and dropped away.
With one arm completely free, he immediately ripped off the cloth covering his eyes and ears, then tore the gag from his mouth in one motion. As he did, sensation returned to his body, and the outside sounds gradually became clearer.
Though the cloth was gone from his eyes, the inside of the cage remained pitch-black. Still, with his hearing restored, even without seeing, he could roughly tell how many people were nearby.
Just then, the rapidly accelerating iron cage began to slow down. Feeling pressed for time, Leonardo quickly resumed his efforts.
He tore off the restraint holding his neck in place with his right hand. With one arm and his neck now free, the rest would be easier.
Soon after, when he had fully detached his bound left arm and waist from the cage floor and raised himself halfway, the violently rocking cage came to a full stop.
Sitting up and catching his breath, Leonardo stared into the darkness ahead. Agrizendro’s mana was unmistakably flowing in from that direction.
Thinking he couldn’t let the outside know he’d freed himself, Leonardo immediately began controlling his breathing. Silencing his mana, he focused intently on the sounds.
"...Oh no..."
Hugo Agrizendro’s voice came from close by, as if he were standing directly in front of the cage. Unfortunately, he had already noticed the shift in Leonardo’s mana flow.
Leonardo bit his lip. While he had removed about half the restraints, the thick magic-stone shackles were still fastened around his wrists and ankles.
Can I escape?
Even if he launched himself toward the gate, it was unclear whether he could actually get out. Judging by the surrounding mana density, they were within the 2nd Mana Control Zone. He had already been brought deep into the Imperial Capital. If he tried to escape by flying rather than using teleportation, it would take significant time.
During that interval, handling Agrizendro alone would be difficult—and if the other man beside him supported him, escape might become entirely impossible.
"What’s wrong? Isn’t it fine as long as it stops?"
"The seals have been disrupted."
"What?"
"Evacuate the citizens immediately."
Upon hearing the exchange outside, Leonardo released his bitten lip.
This was the Imperial Capital. He had nothing left to lose, but for the Commander of the Council’s forces, there were countless things to protect.
Two at the battalion commander level. And even then, one is far weaker than Kazad.
Leonardo ran a hand through his hair, assessing the Council’s forces outside. They seemed to have underestimated him—compared to the Northern Branch, the security presence was far lighter.
Letting out a quiet laugh, he began violently shaking the restraints binding his torso and legs. He had to break free while Agrizendro was still hesitating, unable to act rashly with civilians in the area.
"Hurry!"
At the sound of the Commander’s fierce voice, Leonardo ripped off the restraints on his legs one after the other. As the heavy pieces of enchanted metal clattered and groaned, the sound of panicked people fleeing echoed in from outside.
Shaking in fear over just this?
The masses cowered at even a hint of his presence. Yet they hid behind the safety ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) of numbers—condemning him, mocking him.
Among them, there were surely some to whom he owed apologies, some to whom he should pay penance. But there were also many swept up in emotion, spouting groundless accusations with no understanding of the truth.
The stones of condemnation were featherlight from the hands of those who threw them.
So light—it felt far too unjust to simply accept death.
By the time Leonardo had completely freed himself from the restraints binding his body, the ground rumbled, and a loud sound echoed, followed by a chill filling the air. It was unmistakably Agrizendro’s mana.
Given his fighting style, he had likely surrounded the cage with an ice wall.
"You’re really going all out."
Leonardo scoffed and slowly forced himself to his feet, his muscles stiff from long confinement. In the cold air, he could clearly feel his blood heating and rushing through his body.
He took a few steps forward and grabbed the iron bars enclosing him. Immediately, he felt his mana being absorbed—and even disintegrated. This was no ordinary cage.
It was actively nullifying his mana. With magic stones likely embedded all throughout, it made sense the bars hadn’t melted no matter how much heat he poured out.
In the end, Leonardo gave up on trying to melt his way out. He stepped back and glared silently into the darkness, deep in thought.
If I fail, the charges against me will grow. Moving around will become harder. Now that it's known I can change my face with magic, acting in secret might no longer be possible. Even so... is it right to go out?
While lost in thought, weighing every possibility, a sudden idea struck him. At this moment, he had every justification to stir up chaos—he had been dragged all the way to the capital.
With that thought, Leonardo exhaled sharply, as if bracing himself, and clenched his fists.
Even if escape fails, it’s worth stepping out—just once.
His eyes sparked like lightning in the dark. Having made his decision, he hurled his body toward the iron cage with all his might, aiming to further disrupt the surrounding sealing stones.
****
Kwang!
As the sound of something violently colliding with the iron cage rang out, Andreas flinched and looked down from atop the ice wall.
Was the guy suddenly going on a rampage? Along with the screech of heavy metal dragging across the floor, rough crashing sounds echoed again and again. With each impact, the iron cage shifted slightly to the side. Before long, one end slammed directly against the ice wall, sending a deep vibration through the entire structure.
Bang! Bang!
"What... is that..."
The surreal sight left him speechless.
The massive hunk of metal was moving of its own accord, almost as if it possessed a will. And the more it thrashed, the more the tightly affixed sealing stones were knocked loose. From within, the energy of the man began to pour out, and fine cracks started forming across the thick, solid ice wall.
The echoing sounds grew louder, amplified by the sealed ice walls on all sides. The pressure was immense—overwhelming.
Andreas, who had been staring blankly at the chaos, finally felt the full ripples of mana leaking out and swallowed hard.
Inside that iron cage—something that had moments ago been sealed so tightly it couldn’t even move a finger—was now raging, as if it might break free at any moment. Only then did Andreas fully understand what Hugo had meant when he said he was underestimating the man. The mana he’d felt before... had only been the tiniest fraction. A scrap that had slipped out despite the layers of sealing stones crushing him down.
Bang!
More sealing stones fell to the ground like scraps of brittle paper. The pressure of the guy’s released mana doubled, surging through the air like it was drilling into Andreas’s bones.
"Is that even human...?"
Andreas muttered, laughing weakly to himself. The energy erupting from within felt no different from that of a high-tier monster on a rampage.
Those who had stopped momentarily to watch the scene began fleeing again, terrified by the thunderous shockwaves now pounding against the top of the ice wall.
The Council members guided them toward escape routes, urging them to get as far from the site as possible. Meanwhile, the elite members of the 4th Battalion deployed a massive, semicircular barrier that sealed off both ground and sky with the iron cage at its center.
As soon as the perimeter was secured, Hugo layered more ice onto the cracking wall, reinforcing it with a second shell to make it sturdier.
The only reason they’d been able to subdue Leonardo with a dragon-capturing bullet in the first place was because his strength had been nearly depleted after more than half a day of clashing with Hugo.
But while being transported, the man had been immobilized—wrapped in layers of restraints and sealing stones. In that time, his drained stamina had surely recovered.
And now, they were in the heart of the Imperial Capital.
This wasn’t some remote battleground like Frost Island, where he’d faced the man before and fought with no restraints.
As the mana shockwaves rippled outward, Hugo and Andreas—hovering in the air—felt their hair stir and cloaks flutter from the pressure.
Hugo looked down at the violently quaking iron cage and pulled out a communication magic tool to contact Central Branch Headquarters.
"This is the 2nd zone near the northern gate of the Imperial Capital, coordinates 113, 452, 43. Requesting support from two battalion commander-level personnel."
