Andreas felt as if every hair on his body was standing on end. It wasn’t easy for someone of his rank—a battalion commander—to be shaken like this, but Leonardo’s gaze was like that of a golden beast that had marked its prey, silently declaring, “I’m coming to kill you soon.”
It seemed that from the moment he’d shaken off the clones and moved to the rear, he had already pinpointed the main body’s location. Moreover, the way he handled the charging clones—each strike aimed precisely at a vital point, cutting off their breath in an instant—used methods typically reserved for assassinations.
The clones Andreas had created weren’t even half as strong as his true self, but they certainly weren’t fragile enough to fall in a single blow like that.
What’s more, Leonardo hadn’t mistaken the clone in front of him for the real body when he twisted its neck. He had already identified the main body behind it and was simply demonstrating an example.
For a brief moment, Andreas felt a chill no less intense than the one he’d experienced when he first met Hugo.
Eventually, as Leonardo charged toward him with blazing intensity, Andreas drew the real sword from his side. The steel blade, reinforced with mana, screeched as it clashed against the sword of flames.
Facing the inferno burning before his eyes, Andreas felt the tip of his blade gradually soften from the heat. At the same time, a tingling numbness crawled up his arm—but he didn’t show it.
‘What kind of strength is this...’
He’d already been stunned when the guy blocked two clones with one hand each, but now that they were crossing swords directly, the strength radiating from that delicate, pretty-looking man in front of him was terrifying.
As the blade hissed and melted, Andreas quickly broke away and created distance, summoning vines to bind Leonardo’s limbs.
But Leonardo instantly incinerated them with the sheer heat of his body and closed in again with relentless focus—only on him.
‘I’m terrible at close combat... and this matchup couldn’t be worse.’
Andreas was the type who excelled at long-range combat. But Leonardo’s speed in dispatching clones was faster than Andreas could summon them, and he had already located the main body. There was nothing Andreas could do at the moment.
Worse still, the sight of his blade—capable of enduring high temperatures—melting away so quickly made it clear that continuing this swordfight was suicide.
‘Where the hell is Hugo and what is he doing?’
Even while retreating from Leonardo, Andreas kept glancing around, searching for Hugo. Following the trail of scattered ice shards, he finally saw Hugo, who had finished shattering all the ice chunks, lift his head just in time and look in his direction.
Andreas conveyed his desperation—being utterly outmatched—by mouthing words and making the most pitiful face he could muster. As if his plea had been heard, Hugo immediately took to the air and swiftly flew toward the battlefield.
Just as Andreas began to feel a hint of relief, a brutal voice sneered behind him, mocking his carelessness.
“You’re taking your eyes off me?”
A chill tore down his spine. Andreas barely twisted his torso in time to block the strike aimed at his head. Leonardo had somehow gotten right up to him and was bearing down with monstrous strength, a strange, eerie grin on his face.
“Why don’t you summon those annoying tree vines one more time?”
As the blade before his eyes steadily bent under pressure, Andreas grew increasingly anxious. If it kept up like this, the sword might snap entirely. Sensing his unease, Leonardo swung his other magical sword without hesitation, forcing Andreas further back without respite.
Blazing sparks exploded as the swords came down from both sides. Andreas barely managed to parry them, yet still tried to maintain a composed look, the corner of his mouth lifting in a crooked retort.
“Damn it, what good is firewood going to do you?”
At that, Leonardo laughed and drove his sword downward as if to break it completely.
“Of all things, they send a battalion commander who uses wood—against me.”
At that moment, Hugo, who had been approaching silently, suddenly charged in. Seeing him, Andreas withstood Leonardo’s pressure and, timing it just right, shoved him backward—toward Hugo.
Given their difference in build, when Andreas threw his full weight behind the push, Leonardo—caught midair—was helplessly pushed back. Heated from repeated clashes, he tried to counter again, but sensing danger behind him, he dropped low.
Just then, Hugo’s massive sword came «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» crashing down like a hammer, brimming with lethal force. Leonardo tried to dodge, but lacking enough propulsion, he could only raise both arms and barely block the attack from below.
As the overheated sword clashed with the bitterly cold one, the same thunderous boom exploded around them, and the air between them sizzled with violent energy.
Hugo bore down hard on their locked blades, trying to drain Leonardo’s strength. But Leonardo, wounded in pride after being shoved aside once already, resisted with sheer will, veins bulging across his neck and face.
Looking down coldly at him, Hugo finally opened his mouth.
“Leonardo, that’s enough.”
Leonardo, arms trembling as he held off the blade, looked up with sharp, defiant eyes and scoffed.
“You’ve got room to talk. Trying to lecture me now?”
Hugo’s brows drew together at the biting sarcasm.
“Two more battalion commanders are on their way. If you don’t want to be dragged off in disgrace, stop.”
Leonardo said nothing. Instead, he braced himself with one arm, shoved the sword aside, and then lunged with another blade crackling with high-voltage current.
Hugo reacted by conjuring a long ice spear in his free hand and deflected the strike. A shrill crack rang out as half the spear shattered from the friction with the electricity, shards exploding in every direction.
Yet Leonardo, who would normally have avoided that, didn’t flinch this time. He stayed close, letting the ice fragments slice across his cheek.
He winced as one eye twitched from the sting, and blood streamed down his face—a deep cut.
Seeing that, Hugo’s expression briefly shifted, and he forcefully shoved Leonardo back. But Leonardo instantly closed the gap again. Their blades locked once more, and he raised the corner of his mouth, staring straight into Hugo’s icy-blue eyes.
“I thought I was mistaken earlier. But I wasn’t.”
“...”
He grinned with a sardonic smile, as if he’d just seized a golden opportunity. Fresh red blood streamed down his cheek and gathered at his lips.
Those lips—stained crimson—curved into a striking parabola. The sight was undeniably precarious, yet when combined with his surreal beauty, it evoked a haunting sensuality. Hugo silently watched the hot, vivid blood trail to his lips before locking eyes with his curved golden gaze again.
Though Hugo’s expression didn’t change, Leonardo, reading his face, smiled seductively. With their swords still locked, he whispered as if confirming a suspicion.
“You have no killing intent.”
Hugo inwardly sighed.
The cunning bastard had already figured it out—he had no real intention of harming him. Rather than taking hostages, Hugo now suspected Leonardo would blatantly use himself as one. He stopped meeting his eyes and instead shoved him away with a sharp burst of force.
Even while being driven back, Leonardo laughed, as if finding the whole thing amusing.
“You think you can drag me off like this?”
Hugo was sick of that cocky face.
Even with one cheek soaked in blood and crimson droplets trailing from his chin, Leonardo stared down at him with an arrogant smile, as if his own condition meant nothing.
Watching this carefree man act like a child playing above his head, Hugo realized he was more exhausting than any opponent he’d ever faced.
At that moment, something massive hurtled toward Leonardo with a heavy gust of wind. Thinking it was one of Andreas’ tree vines, he moved to casually twist out of the way.
However, its speed far exceeded his expectations—and before he could evade, the large object slammed into his left shoulder.
“Ugh—”
With a solid thud, the impact knocked his entire body back. A low groan escaped Leonardo’s lips as he swayed midair, barely regaining balance before turning his head—only to see another huge, bundled tree vine flying straight toward him.
‘What the hell is this?’
Struck once, his temper surged, veins bulging across his neck. This time, Leonardo dodged nimbly and quickly identified the source.
Where his gaze landed, Andreas stood wielding a massive wooden mace, crudely fashioned by binding shattered ice fragments with vines. Grinning, Andreas called out:
“Sorry to interrupt, but you can’t forget about me.”
Leonardo’s smile, meant for Hugo, vanished instantly.
Seeing that expression, Andreas, still grinning, swung the mace again with all his strength.
Leonardo twisted his shoulder reflexively to evade and charged forward—this time with a far colder and more violent force. Sensing that deadly shift in his gaze, Hugo realized he was truly enraged and immediately gave chase, sword in hand.
This time, Leonardo didn’t try to endure Hugo’s sword.
As their blades touched, Hugo felt something strange—no resistance at all, as if there was no weight behind Leonardo’s blade. Perplexed for a moment, he quickly grasped the intent and shouted:
“Andre—!”
Using the recoil from Hugo’s sword, Leonardo blasted toward Andreas like a bullet. Alarmed by the sudden charge, Andreas instinctively yanked the wooden mace back and hurled it again.
But Leonardo didn’t even try to dodge. He cut the looming shadow clean in half with a single, blazing swing. In the next instant, he was right in front of Andreas and asked in a grim voice:
“You know, I really like wood. Want to know why?”
Andreas quickly drew his sword again, trying to block. But the force behind Leonardo’s acceleration lifted him straight off the ground. In that moment, Leonardo vanished from sight—then reappeared above him.
Pressing one hand down on Andreas’ shoulder, he whispered with a freshly gleaming smile:
“It burns well.”
In that instant, Andreas saw the blazing sun behind Leonardo and his swaying golden hair blending with the light. The sun’s reflection seemed to set his hair ablaze.
‘Too bright...’
Andreas instinctively furrowed his brows at the overwhelming radiance.
Time felt like it stopped. Struggling to keep his eyes open, he forced himself to look up at Leonardo. There he saw a breathtakingly beautiful figure, blood streaked across pale skin, smiling down at him.
Spellbound by the sight for a brief moment, Andreas snapped back to reality just as he saw a mass of flames—red and gold—gathered in Leonardo’s right hand and aimed straight at him.
In that split second, Andreas let out a hollow laugh, as if accepting his fate.
“Haha... oh well.”
Kwaaang!
A deafening explosion erupted in the sky. Andreas hastily raised a barrier and braced for impact—but he was hit head-on, and the blow was devastating.
He didn’t even have time to gather vines for cushioning. He plummeted, crashing hard into the shattered stone plaza below.
The second impact echoed as another boom rang out, a large chunk of the square torn apart. Dust exploded from the blast zone, clouding the area in a thick, suffocating fog.
