The battlefield still trembled from the aftershocks of the last explosion. Smoke and dust filled the air, mingling with the bitter scent of burnt earth and magic.
Anna's breathing came out ragged as she and her companions faced Leopold once more. They had exchanged countless blows, and the result was undeniable—there was no chance of victory.
Still, none of them surrendered. Even as pain coursed through their battered bodies, even as despair loomed over them, they held on. Because this moment—this desperate struggle—had already been foreseen.
They had faith that Lee Seong-jun would come.
And when the crimson light split the clouds above, that faith was rewarded.
"Lee Seong-jun!" Baek Mu-jin and the others called out in unison, rising to their feet despite their exhaustion.
Anna slumped to the ground with a sigh of relief, her staff falling from her trembling hand. "Thank goodness you arrived on time…"
Lee Seong-jun's lips curved into an awkward smile as he glanced at her. "Sorry for the delay. There was… a bit of unexpected trouble."
Anna chuckled faintly. "Can I ask you to take over from here?"
He gave her a reassuring nod. "Rest easy."
When he turned his eyes back toward Leopold, the warmth vanished from his face. His expression hardened into cold steel.
Across the field, Leopold Reinhard straightened his back, his golden hair matted with dust and blood. His sharp gaze fixed on Seong-jun like a hawk's.
"So… this is the one who shattered everything," he murmured. "I should have expected as much. Perhaps the flaw was in my plan itself. Lorenzo was never meant to stop you."
A flicker of intrigue danced in his eyes.
Over the years, Leopold had faced countless opponents—powerful returnees, genius hunters, and even monsters born of chaos. Yet the crimson energy surrounding Lee Seong-jun stirred something in him—an emotion he hadn't felt in decades.
"This power…" Leopold muttered. "It's not mere aura. It's closer to… life itself. Pure vitality, condensed and reforged into destruction."
Ordinary hunters could never surpass the limits of the human wall. The gifted few who managed to defy that rule usually did so through sheer luck or otherworldly blessings. But this man—this crimson-haired demon—was different.
The energy surrounding Seong-jun was not forged through training or borrowed strength. It was life force, compressed to its limit, purified through countless battles and rebirths.
Even if it resembled aura, its foundation was entirely different—like steel tempered from a divine ore while all others wielded rusted iron.
Leopold's lips curled into a smirk. "Fascinating. But you're not the only one who has transcended common sense."
Power rippled from his body. The ground around him split and cracked like a spider's web, trembling beneath the sheer pressure.
He had devoured hundreds of hunters. Every skill, every ability they possessed was now his. He was the embodiment of humanity's greed for power—the culmination of every stolen strength.
"Strengthen. Amplify. Grow. Break through," Leopold intoned.
The earth quaked.
Lee Seong-jun watched him calmly, a faint smile forming on his lips. "So you really did force their power into your body. Crude, but creative."
"Oh? You can tell?" Leopold's voice carried both admiration and arrogance.
"I've seen your kind before," Seong-jun replied coolly. "Borrowed power can make you shine for a moment, but in the end, it always burns out."
"It's not borrowed!" Leopold roared. "It's mine!"
His body blurred, surging forward like a storm. Dozens of projectiles formed from stolen energy erupted around him, converging on Seong-jun with terrifying precision.
Sssch—!
Blasts of mana exploded in every direction, leaving no room to dodge—not even an inch of escape. Attacks rained from the sky, from below, from every conceivable angle.
But Seong-jun only smiled. "Too clumsy."
A soft chime rang through the air.
Ding—!
[User 'Lee Seong-jun' receives the following effects: Star's Protection, Star's Suggestion, Star's Favor, Earth's Blessing, Wind's Grace, Strength, Stamina, and Agility Enhancement.]
[Skill Activation: Star Fusion and Amplification—Active.]
Golden light enveloped him, mingling with the red aura pulsing beneath his skin. His power surged like an inferno breaking its chains.
'Eight-year cycle,' he thought. 'No, multiply it fivefold.'
The energy within him roared to life—forty cycles of condensed blood energy, magnified five times over.
Two thousand four hundred years of cultivation condensed into a single heartbeat.
The result was simple—his body transcended the limits of humanity.
"Now," Seong-jun murmured, his eyes gleaming crimson, "this feels more like my body."
His fist moved before the sound could follow.
BOOM!
Leopold's head snapped back as the punch connected squarely with his face. The world seemed to slow as shockwaves rippled outward.
Seong-jun didn't stop. He closed the distance in a blink, fists flashing faster than light. Each blow landed with bone-shattering force.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAANG—!
The ground exploded beneath their feet. Leopold's body skidded backward, coughing blood, yet his smirk remained.
"Heh… impressive," he said, wiping the crimson trail from his chin. "Far beyond my expectations."
But even as he spoke, his confidence did not waver.
'No matter how fast he moves, he'll never reach me,' he thought coldly.
In less than a second, Seong-jun's fists struck dozens of times. The earth around them caved in from the sheer impact. But only the first strike had truly connected.
"You modified your body's structure?" Seong-jun muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Not bad. You've made yourself intangible."
Leopold's figure flickered like heat haze as he approached. "You have sharp instincts, I'll give you that—but it won't change anything."
He lunged forward.
PAANG—!
A deafening crash echoed, but Seong-jun felt no resistance—his fist hit empty air. Leopold's counter came instantly, his punch arcing toward Seong-jun's face.
"Do you know how many skills I possess?" Leopold bellowed. "Five hundred! Whatever you imagine, I can surpass it!"
His blow connected—or seemed to. Seong-jun's image rippled and vanished like a mirage.
Movement beyond sound. True speed.
Leopold's pupils shrank. He's—gone!?
He realized too late that Kim Ha-rang's body—the vessel he had merged with—wasn't yet perfected. To unleash its full power without restraint risked self-destruction. That was why he couldn't fully keep up.
Even so, he gritted his teeth. He didn't need to win here—only to destroy the Axis.
"I'll still be the victor," Leopold declared. "In the end, I always am."
"You have big dreams," Seong-jun replied, his crimson eyes glowing like molten gold.
He opened his palm, gathering all the blood energy within his body. "No matter what form you take, your body still bleeds. You can't hide that from me."
Sssch—!
Leopold froze. Blood surged violently within him, responding to Seong-jun's command.
"W-what…!?"
"Swallow it," Seong-jun whispered.
The crimson energy coiled tighter—
PAAAANG—!
An invisible barrier detonated between them, hurling Seong-jun backward. Leopold screamed as his body spasmed uncontrollably, his skin flashing red and blue in chaotic bursts.
Desperation took hold. He launched himself forward, breaking the sound barrier again.
But Seong-jun was already there.
Their fists collided—then Seong-jun slipped inside his guard and struck.
KWAJIK—!
The blow sank deep into Leopold's ribs. His body convulsed, crashing against the shattered ground like a meteor.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
He coughed blood, his vision spinning.
'Damn it…'
The realization hit like a blade through his pride.
The gap between them was not just power—it was existence itself.
And as he stared up at the crimson figure standing amid the ruin, Leopold Reinhard—once the so-called God of Returnees—understood one undeniable truth.
He had been utterly, irreversibly defeated.