The Dragon Lord closed the distance.
Fast, brutal.
Leo barely moved. He flicked his wrist once.
The Astral Sword answered. It shot out in a clean, vicious arc, meeting the Dragon Lord's crimson charge head-on. The clash threw sparks high into the air, but the Dragon Lord didn't stop.
He bounced back, only to whip forward again, blades screaming.
Red streaks slashed through the air. Sharp, violent, whipping around Leo in a relentless storm.
Back.
Forth.
Again.
The ground around Leo cracked and spiderwebbed under the pressure as the Dragon Lord ricocheted off invisible points like a savage force barely contained. Dust spiraled. Sonic booms rippled with every impact.
And yet,
Leo stood at the center.
Unmoving.
Unyielding.
An immovable point on a battlefield of chaos. Each time the Dragon Lord crashed in, Leo's blade snapped up, deflecting and twisting with clean, brutal counters that sent shockwaves rumbling across the arena. The Dragon Lord's attacks grew wilder, more desperate, but Leo's steps were minimal.
Measured.
Each block and parry flowed as if it had already been written.
In the royal box, the Astral Sovereign's eyes gleamed, catching the wild flashes of the battle below. Every time the blades clashed, her smile twitched.
Faint.
Pleased.
She remembered the way Leo's raw power had once made her Astral Arena tremble, an earthquake running under her skin. She had thought that was his peak.
Now, she knew better.
Across from her, Burdado leaned forward. His smirk was gone, replaced by a stone-faced mask. His eyes, unblinking, tracked Leo's every movement, but behind his neck, a bead of cold sweat slid down.
Slow.
Heavy.
It crawled like something alive.
Somewhere in the upper stands, a spectator blurted out, too loud to be contained:
"Is that... really the VIP System user?!"
The words cracked through the tense air. Another voice picked it up.
Louder.
More urgent.
A ripple ran through the crowd. A heartbeat of stunned silence.
Then—
The ground trembled.
Lightly at first.
Then harder, with the weight of a thousand voices rising at once. The arena shook as the audience began to chant, the sound rolling across the field like a living storm:
"End him!"
"End him!"
"End him!"
The air thickened with a wild, hungry energy. And in the center of it all, Leo twisted his blade once, the Astral Sword shimmering. The Dragon Lord roared again, wings snapping wide, blood dripping from fresh cuts.
He blurred forward once more.
But this time, Leo moved. Retaliated.
A sudden, violent crack of energy as he blitzed forward, straight into the Dragon Lord's onslaught. The crimson blades crossed, braced for impact.
But Leo didn't slow.
Power thundered through his limbs, a burning green surge flickering at his joints. A low, vibrating hum filled the arena, enough to make the ground tremble.
The Astral Sovereign stiffened. Her breath hitched, the words escaping in a sharp, brittle whisper:
"Astral Onslaught."
The moment she spoke it, it began.
Leo's blade blurred.
First strike
A flash faster than sight, shattering the crossed blades' center.
Second strike
A brutal uppercut slash, spraying crimson feathery skin into the air.
Third strike
A deep, carving blow to the ribs that forced the Dragon Lord staggering back.
Fourth strike
A ruthless sweep across the knees that unbalanced him.
Fifth strike
A vicious cross-slash from opposite angles that finally broke his momentum.
He reeled.
Breathless.
But Leo wasn't done. Not even close.
For the final move, he gathered a surge of energy so dense the very air warped. Leo lifted his sword high, and reality seemed to splinter around the blade's edge.
His eyes locked into the Dragon Lord's broken stance.
And then,
The last strike fell.
Silent.
Absolute.
The slash carved downward, splitting the space between them. It hit and the ground detonated. A roaring shockwave swallowed the arena, throwing debris and thick white fog high into the air.
The world went blank.
The crowd gasped, voices strangled. Nothing but the churn of fog and the bitter, electric sting in the air. Seconds dragged.
Then, the mist began to thin.
Slow.
Reluctant.
And through it, the Dragon Lord emerged.
Broken.
Kneeling.
One hand braced against the ruined ground, the other clutching the hilts of his twin blades to keep him upright. Blood dripped steadily from his mouth.
In front of him, Leo stood, his Astral Sword resting at his side. Green light burned off his body in slow, furious pulses. He looked down at the Dragon Lord.
Unforgiving.
The crowd stared, breathless. This wasn't just a fight anymore.
It was judgment.
The Dragon Lord coughed, a wet, ragged sound. A fresh spray of blood splattered the floor. He lifted his head slowly and met Leo's burning stare.
And he smiled. Broken teeth and split lips.
"You think you've won?" he rasped. "This... is only the beginning."
Leo's face didn't twitch.
"I'll rip apart everything you care about," the Dragon Lord promised, "until you give her to me. Or maybe..." he tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "Maybe I'll just take her."
A low, ugly laugh tore from his throat.
But then, Leo moved.
His emerald eyes blazed, the glow swallowing his gaze entirely. His aura surged outward. Above his head, the burning crown spun faster, and behind him, the golden mantle of living light unfurled, snapping like a battle flag.
Leo raised his sword.
Slow.
Steady.
His voice came low, calm, final. "None of that will ever happen."
The Dragon Lord's grin stayed.
Smug.
Mocking.
"You don't have the guts," he spat.
"You won't kill me. You can't. You're all the same. Weak."
The ground at Leo's feet cracked under the sudden spike of his power. The Astral Sword pulsed, then ignited in roaring emerald flame.
The Dragon Lord's laugh choked mid-breath.
Too late.
Leo's gaze locked to his.
Unwavering.
And he struck.
The sound was not a clash, not a crack, but the rip of reality splitting open. The Astral Arena shattered, the protective plane bursting apart like a fragile soap bubble. The shockwave blasted outward, flinging spectators back with panicked screams.
Dust and broken stone filled the air.
The last thing anyone saw before the world drowned in white was the Dragon Lord.
Eyes wide.
Mouth open in silent disbelief.