The 8th Platoon leader, who had surfaced alongside him in an instant, flinched as her ears popped from the sudden pressure shift caused by Leonardo’s blistering speed. She quickly regained her composure, assessed the situation, and shouted to her platoon members waiting in the air:
“Now!”
In that same moment, hundreds of Sawtooth Fish, clustered together in the shape of one massive beast, burst from the water’s surface.
From above, the members unleashed merciless long-range attacks at the enormous swarm. Explosions chained one after another as the spells struck, the force amplified by friction with the water’s surface, tearing the leaping creatures apart. An endless, grotesque death cry echoed over the entire lake.
Leonardo stumbled onto land, spitting out a mouthful of water. The 8th Platoon leader immediately sprang back into the air, joining the others’ onslaught. As the platoon’s strongest mages struck together, the monsters were shredded, reduced to pulp.
After a few harsh coughs cleared his airway, Leonardo forced in a ragged breath, planting his hands behind him in the dirt as he scanned the area with a frown, clearly searching for someone.
I can feel mana nearby—so why can’t I see him?
Not far off, a member who had lost consciousness after slamming into the wall was now vomiting water, while the one who had been struck by the venomous stinger earlier had also revived, risen, and was receiving a healer’s aid.
Judging from the wound on his bare arm, it wasn’t as bad as Leonardo had feared.
Above, the members ceased their barrage, leaving chunks of meat and debris floating in the lake’s center.
But soon, black shapes swam toward the surface again. As the platoon took defensive stances, the remaining Sawtooth Fish broke through the water—not to attack them, but to rip apart the monster’s corpse and feast on their own kind.
The sight of the surface seething with them was anything but pleasant.
Leonardo exhaled, sweeping wet hair from his face. For now, it seemed the worst was over.
The relief lasted only seconds.
A violent crack echoed—rock splitting. All eyes turned toward the sound. The lakeshore directly beside them fractured, fissures snaking out as water surged, threatening to spill over. Leonardo’s eyes widened.
He remembered the monster’s massive body slamming into the wall underwater—and that the area below had been a hollow cave.
If the ground collapsed, an immense volume of water would crash downward, the force and pressure causing a chain collapse that could crush any processions still within the cave.
Before he could decide on a course of action, another thunderous boom followed. The cracks widened further. From the small hole created earlier when they had ascended from the cave to this crater, the ground began to sink.
Leonardo bit his lip and thrust his hand to the ground. Earth magic clashed most with his mana, so he almost never used it—but right now, he had no other option to block that opening.
Then, a roaring torrent of water spilled into the widening sinkhole. The magic circle was only just forming under his palm when—
“Freeze.”
The word wasn’t his.
A cold so bitter it could numb bone swept through in an instant. The rushing water froze solid mid-fall, each droplet suspended in crystalline stillness.
Even the Sawtooth Fish breaking the lake’s surface froze in mid-air, falling to the icy ground and shattering like glass.
Frost gathered on Leonardo’s wet hair and lashes. But he had no time to notice. His gaze was locked on the impossible sight before him—the vast crater lake suspended in motion, utterly frozen.
In his perception, less than a second had passed from start to finish.
He stared at the lake’s frozen turbulence, then turned toward the voice’s source.
The two scouts, Flynn, and Hugo Agrizendro were approaching. Flynn, seeing Leonardo still sitting awkwardly on the ground, rushed to him.
“Blaine, are you alright?”
Leonardo stared at Flynn without blinking, saying nothing. Flynn’s expression turned puzzled.
Whether it was the staggering mana that had frozen such a vast space in an instant, the creeping chill radiating from the lake, or the mounting fury that confirmed his suspicion—Leonardo could feel the faint tremor in his own body.
The 8th Platoon leader and her members spotted their Commander and descended, gathering around him.
“Commander!”
She landed first, masking urgency with composure as she reported.
“A monster emerged from the lake—we had to act immediately. I know you ordered us not to go in, but a member was dragged under, so under the circumstances, we engaged. I apologize.”
Hugo glanced over the scene.
“It’s fine. The injured?”
She shifted her gaze to the two being treated. Both were conscious; one’s wound was being wrapped.
Hugo asked, “How bad?”
“Struck by the monster’s venomous stinger, but it only grazed him. Most of the poison was washed out when he fell into the lake. Once the wound closes, there will be no problem.”
The healer gave the answer while working. The wounded one was the rookie who had fallen asleep on night watch the previous night; now his face was clouded with shame and confusion at his first real battle wound.
After a quick check, Hugo returned his focus to the platoon leader.
“The type?”
“Yes. A mutant unlike anything we’ve seen before...” She hesitated, glanced at Leonardo, then continued, “It regenerated quickly, so capture was impossible. We prioritized extermination and couldn’t preserve the body. There were also Sawtooth Fish in the lake.”
“Sawtooth Fish... as I suspected.”
Hugo swept his gaze across the members.
“You fought well—no major injuries. Good work.”
Leonardo kept watching from where he sat. The frost in his hair and on his face, born of Hugo’s mana, melted into rivulets down his skin. Droplets fell from his chin; his lips carried a faint purple tinge.
Hugo stepped toward him, hand extended.
“Good work, Leonardo.”
Leonardo didn’t take it. His eyes sharpened, voice cooling as he asked:
“Where were you until now?”
The question sounded like an accusation. Hugo’s tone remained even, his hand still outstretched.
“I encountered a mutant while scouting for the route. Our protocol is immediate annihilation upon discovery. That’s why I was delayed.”
Leonardo’s gaze held his. Something in Hugo’s presence felt... off, enough to make Flynn and others tense. Slowly, Leonardo asked again:
“No... I mean—you arrived here, but instead of coming straight in, where were you?”
This time, Hugo stayed silent. Flynn’s eyes darted between them.
Leonardo gave a hollow laugh. Rising without taking the offered hand, he dried himself in a sudden flare of flames, brushed dirt from his clothes, and let the sneer fade.
When he looked back up, his expression had sharpened into something cold enough to cut.
“Hey.”
The shift in his tone made everyone tense, unsure why. Flynn almost answered, but it was clear Leonardo’s gaze was locked on the Commander.
Hugo straightened from his slight lean, withdrew his hand, and met that glare with quiet eyes.
Leonardo stepped toward him, his presence fierce. His eyes burned hotter than ever, just as they had in the Frost, as if ready to devour him.
In the suffocating silence, Leonardo spoke first, voice tight with contained fury.
“You were testing me, weren’t you?”
