The forest air hung thick with tension. Aiden, Elara, Xaleth, Vael, and Lyra stood shoulder to shoulder, their breathing ragged as they faced the blood-soaked clearing where Leon awaited. His normally calm demeanor had twisted into something dangerous, his sea blue eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity.
"Leon, what happened here?" Aiden asked, his voice steady but laced with caution.
Leon didn't respond. His gaze seemed distant, as if he were looking through them rather than at them. Blood stained his uniform and splattered the ground around him, a grim testament to the fate of his teammates. Bodies lay strewn across the forest floor, unconscious but still breathing—though just barely.
"Did you... do this?" Lyra's voice wavered as she clutched her staff tightly, air currents subtly swirling around her.
"They were in my way," Leon said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Nothing more."
Xaleth narrowed his eyes. "In your way for what, exactly?"
"For the Arcane Sigils," Leon replied. His pouch clinked with the sound of dozens of sigils, far more than any other student could have amassed so far. "And for peace and quiet."
Elara stepped forward, a hint of desperation in her tone. "Leon, we're not your enemies. We can work together—"
Before she could finish, Leon vanished, reappearing in front of her in an instant. His hand blade was already drawn, whisper away from Elara's throat. The entire team reacted simultaneously, their instincts honed by Takeda Renzou's brutal training.
Xaleth's hands shimmered as he attempted to warp space, a portal opening beneath Leon's feet. But Leon shifted his weight, stepping sideways as if he had seen the move coming before it happened. His foot crashed into Xaleth's chest, sending him sprawling.
"Stay back!" Aiden shouted, mana pulsing through his sword as he dashed forward. Flames erupted along the blade, but Leon parried with an effortless flick of his sword, the clash of steel ringing through the forest.
Elara's shadow magic twisted behind Leon, tendrils aiming to bind his limbs. For a moment, it seemed to work—until Leon's aura flared. The shadows shattered, and Elara recoiled, blood trickling from her nose as the backlash of broken mana hit her.
Darius gritted his teeth, showing no sign of interfering, but rushed , his ice magic speeding him as he hits leon in his chest "snap out , you speed freak-" But before he could finish his sentence, leon appears behind him "that tickles , so called ice prince." And he land a hand strike on his neck, as Darius recoils back like a rolling stone, hitting tree, and losses his consciousness.
Lyra took to the air, wind gathering beneath her feet. She unleashed a storm of razor-sharp air blades, each one aimed precisely at Leon. He didn't even look up. His hand moved in a blur, and one by one, the air blades dissipated, his sword creating a near-impenetrable shield.
Elysia's magic surged, a crystalline barrier forming around Aiden as he charged in again. "Leon, snap out of it!" she cried, her voice a mix of fear and hope.
But Leon remained unmoved. He sidestepped Aiden's strike, spinning to kick him in the ribs. Aiden crashed into a tree, his vision blurring as pain lanced through his body. He struggled to rise, only to find Leon's blade hovering inches from his chest.
"This is your limit?" Leon's voice was cold, each word a shard of ice. "You wanted to be the best, didn't you? Show me."
Aiden's grip tightened around his sword. His mana flared, fire and lightning dancing along the blade. But his body wouldn't move fast enough, his mind still reeling from the sheer speed and precision of Leon's attacks.
Just as the sword descended, a gust of wind diverted it. Lyra had used the last of her strength to nudge Leon's blade off course. Xaleth's portals shimmered behind Leon, but he simply pivoted, avoiding the traps as if he were walking a familiar path.
"Enough!" Elara's magic burst forward, a wave of force knocking Leon back. She stood before Aiden, her stance unwavering. "If you want to get to him, you'll have to go through me."
Leon straightened, his expression still unreadable. "You're all holding back. Why?"
"Because you're our friend," Aiden said, forcing himself to his feet. "And friends don't abandon each other. Not even when they've lost their way."
For a moment, silence fell. Leon's hand lowered ever so slightly, a flicker of emotion crossing his face—doubt, pain, something human beneath the mask. But just as quickly, the coldness returned. His aura surged, the pressure doubling as his mana filled the air with a tangible weight.
"Then prove it," he said. "Prove you're worth keeping around."
The battle resumed, fiercer than before. But this time, Aiden's team adapted. Xaleth began warping space not to trap Leon, but to guide his allies—portals opened to create escape routes and strategic angles. Lyra's wind magic combined with Elysia's barriers, creating gusts that deflected Leon's strikes or slowed him down. Elara's shadows became an extension of the battlefield, laying down traps and creating opportunities.
Aiden led the charge, his swordplay more precise, his mana more focused. He wasn't just attacking—he was guiding his team, his instincts sharpened by the harsh lessons of their training. It wasn't enough to win, not yet, but it was enough to hold the line.
And for the first time, Leon's expression shifted. His smirk faltered, his breathing deepened. He was finally taking them seriously.
The chapter ended with Leon standing amid the battered team, his own stance showing the first signs of wear. His sword lowered as he considered their resolve, a storm brewing behind his silver eyes. The question hung unspoken between them: Was this the start of redemption, or the prelude