Kazan swung his sword, a mocking smile on his face. "Anyone else want to step forward? Or are you all scared now?"
One of the neon green-haired Hydra members stepped forward. "Kin'iro, allow me—"
"Now is not your turn, Gurin," Kin'iro cut in firmly, his eyes still fixed on his three injured comrades.
"But—"
"Shouldn't it be time for you three to use that ability?" said Kin'iro, his voice low yet full of authority.
Hearing this, Ao, Daidaiiro, and Kiiro exchanged glances. Ao, with a face full of determination, deliberately grabbed the blade of Kazan's sword, making his palm bleed. Kiiro did the same with Leon's sword. Meanwhile, Daidaiiro wiped the wound on his shoulder, collecting blood. Leon and Kazan could only watch, confused by their actions.
In unison, they smeared their own blood onto their foreheads. Then, their hands formed a series of seals ending with interlocked fists. Their voices merged into a single shout.
"CONVERGENCE!"
Instantly, three lights—red, blue, and yellow—enveloped their bodies, forcing Leon and Kazan back a few steps. The three lights then merged into one swirling ball of tremendous energy. As the light began to fade, a single new figure stood. His hair was streaked red, blue, and yellow, radiating an aura far more powerful than the three of them combined. Without a word, the figure vanished from sight and appeared instantly before Leon and Kazan, shocking them both.
THUD! THUD!
Two heavy blows landed in Leon's and Kazan's stomachs before they could react. The figure then grabbed both their heads and slammed them hard into the ground.
"Guh!"
"Ugh!"
The figure stood with a satisfied smile, but suddenly, his hands bled, deep sword cuts appearing on them.
"How is this possible?!" he muttered in confusion.
It turned out, Leon and Kazan had launched unexpected counterattacks at the very last second with their sharp swords.
"You think you can defeat us with cheap shots like that?" Kazan said, standing up and brushing dust off his shoulder. Leon also struggled to his feet beside him, his sword still glowing.
The new figure groaned, but then smiled. "I am Dairoki. The result of the fusion of the three of them." In his hands, he attempted to create a weapon: a Dual Scythe with one sickle tip wreathed in fire and the other in ice, connected by a gleaming chain of lightning.
"Leon, let me handle this Dairoki alone," Kazan said, his eyes gleaming with confidence.
"You deal with Zenless. I'm sure you can defeat him." Kazan looked seriously at Leon.
Leon nodded. "Alright." He immediately headed towards Zenless.
Dairoki laughed mockingly. "How arrogant of you, thinking you can fight me alone!"
Zenless, watching from a distance, also called out. "Let him, Dairoki. I am more than enough to finish off this one. It's been a while since I moved my body anyway."
"Don't regret this later!" Dairoki snarled before charging at Kazan.
"We'll see about that," Kazan retorted, shooting forward to meet him, sword and scythe clashing with a roar.
Meanwhile, Leon walked towards Zenless, but suddenly a man with indigo hair blocked his path.
"I will be your opponent," he said in a whispery voice.
"My name is Aiiro."
Without warning, Aiiro's eyes glowed with a purple light. "Gaze of the Serpent King!"
His mental attack lashed out, projecting his consciousness into Leon. But once inside, all he found was an endless, empty darkness.
"Where is his soul?" Aiiro murmured, confused, exploring the void.
Suddenly, a faint figure appeared in the distance. Aiiro tried to see clearly, but the figure vanished. Then, it materialized right in front of Aiiro, and a hand choked his neck with an unyielding grip.
"How dare you, a mere insect, attempt to possess this vessel," the voice echoed, full of a threat that made the soul tremble.
Aiiro, being choked, his eyes bulged. "W-Who are you?!"
"You are unworthy of knowing my name," the figure replied, and tightened its grip.
Aiiro struggled to break free, but his strength was futile. Slowly, his consciousness began to fade, until finally, he moved no more. The figure released its grip.
In the real world, Leon blinked, his awareness returning. Before him, Aiiro sat rigidly, eyes wide open with blood trickling from both corners.
Kin'iro, who witnessed the event, immediately ran to Aiiro. He checked him, and his face turned pale.
"He's... dead. Because his mental attack backfired... it destroyed his own soul," Kin'iro whispered, disbelieving. He stared at Leon, his face filled with confusion and deep curiosity.
"Who exactly are you? How could Aiiro have been killed by a backlash this powerful?"
=== CHAPTER 39 END ===