With his dark forces filling the courtyard, Leon quickly issued orders. "Fenrith, take Raina to the Varavium base and return here immediately!"
Kazan deftly lifted Raina onto the giant wolf's back. "Don't be afraid, Raina. This wolf is friendly," he reassured her. Raina nodded, clutching Fenrith's thick fur tightly before they vanished into a spatial rift.
Leon then turned to his troops. "Forsaken, heal all the living and wounded here. Sylvaris, you are tasked with protecting Nix as he attempts to break the seal on the final gate. Valker, lead the remaining forces and engage the enemy army outside the gate. Now, hurry!"
Without wasting any time, they all sprang into action. Forsaken, his hands radiating a green aura, immediately knelt beside Celestia and the others.
Sylvaris stood firm behind Nix, who had already begun concentrating fully on the final gate, his hands ablaze with fire.
Meanwhile, Valker shouted commands and led the dark forces out through the gate to face the sea of mud creatures.
Kazan then glanced at Leon, a wild grin etched on his face. "So, how should we divide these eleven rats? I can take more if you want."
Leon laughed, swinging his sword casually. "Let's divide them fairly. So no one feels shortchanged."
Hearing their conversation, the Hydra members seethed with anger. "You dare look down on us?!" roared Daidaiiro, his fire spear blazing.
Kazan shrugged, his gaze cold. "Not looking down. Just stating a fact."
Kin'iro, the golden-haired leader, raised his hand to quell the anger of the others. His face remained calm. "Daidaiiro, Ao, Kiiro. You handle them."
"Yes, Kin'iro!" the three replied in unison.
Daidaiiro, with his fire spear, stepped forward, followed by Ao with his ice spear emitting a cold mist, and Kiiro, who cracked his lightning whip on the ground with a thunderous sound.
"You take the yellow and blue ones. I'll handle the red one," Leon said succinctly.
"Agreed," Kazan replied, and the two of them shot forward.
Daidaiiro attacked first. "Flame Lunge!" His fire spear spewed a large blast of flame. Leon swung his sword, cleaving the fire in two. He pressed forward immediately, forcing Daidaiiro on the defensive.
"Blazing Parry!" Daidaiiro spun his spear, creating a circle of fire that deflected Leon's attack. But Leon was undaunted. He pivoted his body, evading the spear thrust, then countered with a vertical slash that forced Daidaiiro to leap back.
Meanwhile, Kazan faced two opponents at once with calm composure.
"Hailstorm Spear!" Ao hurled giant ice spears. Kazan quickly drew his sword.
"Hikari no Battō!" A flash of white sword light, too fast to see, sliced all the ice spears into fine, scattering crystals.
"Lightning Dance!" Kiiro gave no respite. His lightning whip lashed out from all directions. Kazan dodged nimbly, his movements precise between the lightning strikes.
"Rimebite Thrust!" Ao thrust his ice spear. The air around the spear froze, extending its reach. Kazan turned swiftly. "Metsujin no Hikari!" His super-fast sword thrust collided with the ice spear, creating an explosion of ice crystals.
Seeing Kazan facing two enemies, Leon created an opening. He deliberately baited Daidaiiro. "Focused Plasma Jet," a deadly jet of flame shot towards him. But just before the fire hit, Leon leaped to the side.
The jet of flame continued its path straight towards Ao and Kiiro! Kazan, seeing this, immediately dodged. Ao and Kiiro, caught by surprise, were forced to break their formation to avoid the attack.
"Thanks for the assist!" Kazan said with a laugh, taking advantage of the chaos.
"Humming Veil!" Kiiro spun, creating a lightning shield to protect himself and Ao. But it was too late. Their formation was already broken.
Daidaiiro, furious that his attack had missed its mark, charged at Leon. But Leon was ready. This time, he didn't parry. He let Daidaiiro get close, then with a quick motion, he slipped his sword through the fire defense and stabbed Daidaiiro in the shoulder.
"AAARGH!" Daidaiiro screamed, dropping his fire spear.
Meanwhile, Kazan faced an enraged Ao. "Thicket of Icicles!" Ao sprouted dozens of ice spears from the ground. Kazan, seeing this, merely smiled. "Tenshin Ranbu!" Sixteen slashes in three seconds swept away all the ice spears. Before Ao could react, Kazan was already in front of him, the tip of his sword pressed against Ao's neck.
Kiiro, who wanted to help, found his lightning whip halted as he saw Leon's sword already pointed at his chest.
The battle came to an abrupt halt with Daidaiiro and Ao exhausted and wounded, and Kiiro standing but cornered. The three Hydra members seemed to be struggling against the two coordinated fighters. Kin'iro and the other Hydra watched with serious expressions, realizing their opponents were far more formidable than anticipated.
=== CHAPTER 38 END ===