WHAT awaited Leo after he parted with Aki and floated back down to the underground lake was a severely wounded man with red hair about to be thrust through the chest by Elias. Leo’s eyes flew wide open at what he hadn’t expected to find upon his return.
What the summon monster happened here?! What went down while Aki and I were gone? And who in the world is he?
Stop thinkin’ and get movin’, or he’ll die!
Making a split decision, Leo spread his legs wide and thrust out his palms toward Elias. He uttered the short spell under his breath, gathering numerous magic bullets to his fingertips. Once several dozen bullets formed he swung down his arms, firing them at Elias’s feet like a rapid fire ballista.
With his short incantation, the bullets wouldn’t pack enough power to act as much more than a smokescreen, but it should do the trick to momentarily deflect Elias’s attack.
The magic bullets spraying him in rapid succession alerted Elias to Leo’s presence. Stone-faced, his eyes traveled to his friend, and he gracefully sidestepped every magic bullet as they kicked up a dust storm, carving holes in the ground where he stood a second earlier.
Leo didn’t wait to confirm how far his attack pushed back Elias before racing across the field to the man lying face up in the flowers.
Dang, he’s badly hurt.
The man with flaming red hair must’ve gone at it hard with Elias, because clean slices distinct to the Holy Sword marred his entire body, and blood gushed ceaselessly from the long gashes.
Elias did this… Knowing that deeply saddened Leo. Elias wasn’t the kind of man to make sport of his opponent. He usually put an end to the battle as soon as possible. But the wounds he’d inflicted on this man appeared like he was intentionally trying to make him suffer.
Leo didn’t believe for a second that Elias wanted to become a heartless killing machine. Suppose his body was acting with a separate mind of its own, indiscriminately attacking others? If the real Elias was stuck watching without a say, he had to be agonizing over not being able to stop himself.
…I have to bring him back in control fast for his sake, too! Resolve growing stronger by the second, Leo swung his gaze to where Elias had retreated from the hailstorm of magi-bullets. He kept his distance and watched Leo like a guard dog protecting a set perimeter.
He showed no signs of launching another attack against Leo to wipe him off the face of the field.
Perhaps he only attacked when someone approached him or Aki.
Trusting Elias was sticking to that unspoken rule, Leo wrenched his gaze away from him and shook the man he had scooped into his arms. “Oi, you okay? Can you hear me?”
Heat still radiated from the man’s arms. He probably wasn’t dead yet.
As if in answer to Leo’s voice, the redhead groaned and forced open his eyes. Their vivid color caused Leo to sharply inhale. His eyes were a mysterious combination of forest green and aqua. An inhuman shade. The amount of magic pouring off him in waves was beyond human too.
I take it this is the Shadow Tribesman that Aki said set this whole farce up to hand over the Book of Creation?
The redheaded Shadow Tribesman blinked, his mind still not fully working until he saw Leo’s face. Astonishment caused his blurry eyes to bulge and his swollen lips to fall open.
“Master Leo?! Why…why did you come back?!” he yelled.
“…Huh?”
Why does this guy know my name?
Leo blinked several times and took another look at the man’s sharp facial features, bruised from his fight with Elias.
I don’t know any Shadow Tribesmen. And I don’t recall doin’ anything to draw their attention.
Baffled, he wanted to question the Shadow Tribesman, but remembered they weren’t in the best situation for idle chatter. Leo shook his head and directed the conversation where it mattered most.
“Hey, are you the Shadow Tribesman who attacked Elias and Aki… Jent Sutcliff, is it?”
The man nodded and lowered his eyes from Leo’s face with diffidence. “I’m sorry, Master Leo… I tried to stop Heroboy, but my strength was nothing before him…”
“I see,” Leo said perfunctorily.
This Shadow Tribesman took on Elias alone?
According to Aki, Sutcliff was the one who’d pushed Elias to the brink. So why was the perpetrator of this chaos trying to stop Elias from wreaking havoc?
I haven’t a jot about his intentions. But I can’t waste time questionin’ the guy.
Leo gave his head another shake and assessed the man barely keeping his swollen eyes open. “…Goddess damn it. I’ve got a mountain of questions for you, but savin’ my friends comes before dealing with you. I can’t have you dyin’ on me though.”
Keeping one eye trained on Elias, Leo shoved his right hand into his robe and pulled out a potion vial. A potion bought at a normal item shop wasn’t potent enough to fully heal his wounds, but it should help him recover to the point of walking on his own two legs.
Leo pulled out the stopper and pressed the vial into Sutcliff’s hand. “Can you do me a favor and rescue my friends, Mina and Louis, from under that pile of rocks over there once you heal up with this?”
Teleportation magic should be a cinch for a Shadow Tribesman. It wouldn’t take much effort on his part to teleport to safety with Mina and Louis.
To Leo, securing their safety mattered most. He knew Elias would be permanently crippled with despair if his attacks led to the death of his friends.
Sutcliff accepted the potion, forced himself upright, and started sprinkling the sappy liquid onto his gaping wounds.