The next day...
"So, how are we going to go, Fated One?" Ruri tilted her head, looking at Leon with curiosity.
Leon only smiled, then slowly closed his eyes.
*Whoosh!*
A surge of dragon energy burst from his body. Monts later, a pair of golden wings unfurled from his back.
Ruri froze, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Those are… wings? How is that possible?" Her voice trembled with shock.
It was the first ti she had ever seen a human grow wings.
Wasn't that sothing only the dragon race could do?
Then… why could Leon?
"Pfft!" Leon chuckled at her reaction. With a light flap of his wings, he said, "I have dragon blood in . So naturally, I can bring out my own dragon wings."
Hearing that, Ruri's shock eased—though not completely.
"In that case, can you transform into a dragon?" she asked.
"I can." Leon gave a small nod. "Unfortunately, with my current strength, I can't stay in dragon form for long. Maybe in a few months, I'll be able to do it perfectly."
If he could already transform perfectly, he would have done so—not just sprouted a pair of wings.
After all, becoming a dragon would be exciting, and he was curious to see the world in that form.
"So that's how it is," Ruri murmured, looking at him with admiration. "You're really amazing, Fated One."
The complint brought a wide smile to Leon's face. Stepping closer, he slipped an arm beneath Ruri and, to her surprise, lifted her in a princess carry.
"F-Fated One? What are you doing?" She yelped, her voice tinged with panic.
Leon's gaze softened. "Of course, I'm carrying you. Otherwise, how else could I take you?"
It was a perfectly reasonable answer, yet Ruri found herself speechless. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she quickly averted her eyes.
"I… I understand," she murmured. "P-please go slow. I'm afraid of heights."
"Relax," Leon said with quiet confidence. "You'll be safe in my arms."
The tips of Ruri's ears turned red. For so reason, his words felt… strangely suggestive.
*Whoosh!*
Leon's golden wings beat with powerful force, launching them into the sky in an instant.
With another flap, they vanished from sight, cutting through the wind and clouds.
...
The Desert of Chaos...
"Attack those monsters!"
"Damn it! They just keep coming! This is really annoying!"
"Stop complaining! We have to hold them back! If they break through into humanity's territory, the chaos will only get worse!"
Shouts echoed across the Desert of Chaos as hundreds of thousands of white-armored soldiers raised their weapons, striking down the monsters attempting to breach the border.
The monsters had strange, terrifying forms—tall and thin, completely devoid of hair. Their skin was pitch-black, and their lipless mouths exposed rows of sharp fangs jutting outward.
The soldiers, alongside the barbarian troops, fought with everything they had to repel the invasion.
"Hero Technique: Frostpiercer!"
Hovering in the sky, Luna drew her bowstring and loosed a dark-blue arrow toward the two hundred monsters below.
*Whoosh!*
The arrow shot forth at incredible speed. Wherever it passed, the air grew colder, and snowflakes began drifting gently to the ground.
*Skrrrch!*
As the arrow struck the group of monsters, there was no explosion. Instead, every one of them froze into solid ice sculptures.
A mont later, cracks spread across their frozen bodies—then they shattered into countless pieces.
The sight drew loud cheers from the soldiers.
"Everyone, stay focused!" Albert's stern voice rang out in all directions. "Raise your weapons and destroy them all!"
"Destroy them all!" The soldiers roared back with fervor.
Morale surged, and they launched into the second round of battle against the monsters.
anwhile, fifty ters from where Luna's attack had landed, Valen charged toward the five hundred monsters ahead. Leaping high into the air, he bellowed, "Die, you bastards!"
He spun his spear midair before crashing down with full force.
*Boom!*
Five hundred monsters were blasted away in all directions, but Valen didn't give them a chance to recover.
Holy power burst from his body, and with a sideways thrust of his spear, the monsters to his right were instantly reduced to ash.
He swung to his left, and the result was the sa—every last monster vanished without a trace.
Within ten breaths, the battlefield before him was completely cleared.
"Hahaha! Pathetic!" Valen laughed, rubbing his nose with his thumb.
A confident smile spread across his lips as he looked at the ashes of the monsters scattered across the sand.
With his current strength, such creatures were unworthy of being his opponents.
Only soone like Leon was worthy. Unfortunately, that damn guy had already gone off sowhere. If he were here now, Valen was certain he could defeat him.
"Don't just stand there, idiot! Look to your right! More monsters are coming!"
Luna's cold voice rang in his mind, making Valen gasp in surprise. He quickly turned his head and saw another five hundred monsters charging toward him.
"Tsk!" Valen clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Without hesitation, he summoned his holy power once more and lunged at them with a cold expression.
***
"How's the battlefield? Any progress?"
Seated on the throne, Arshley crossed her legs, resting the right side of her face against the palm of her hand.
Her gaze stayed fixed on Edward, who stood at the base of the throne steps.
Edward clasped his hands and replied, "Do not worry, Saint. The situation is under control. Our troops have the upper hand, and there's no way those monsters can break through the border."
"However..." his expression turned grim, "I've received reports that the monsters keep appearing endlessly. The troops are beginning to fear this war might never end."
No matter how high the soldiers' morale, facing an enemy without end would eventually exhaust and wear them down.
And when that happened, surrender—or even taking their own lives—wouldn't be out of the question.
Arshley's expression shifted. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, "Have you found the cause of the monsters' appearance?"
"Not yet, Saint," Edward replied, shaking his head. "But I've heard they all ca from the center of the Desert of Chaos. Rumor has it there's an ancient magic circle there that brought them into the world. Of course, that's still just speculation—the truth hasn't been confird."
"An ancient magic circle, huh?" Arshley muttered, frowning.
If that was true, it all made sense.
She was about to speak when a soldier burst into the Hall of Gods, breathless.
"Saint, a call from Demon Emperor Liliana Crimson!"
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