Leon—although reclusive—was as pragmatic as he could be. If he wanted to do something, he would always calculate the gains and losses, the pros and cons.
He wasn’t the type to play a losing game. Although killing the whole group might seem cruel, since not every one of them seemed evil, he had no choice but to do it.
There was always a dangerous possibility. What if the person or people he chose to let go once returned in the future to bite him at the worst possible moment?
Leon couldn’t allow that. So, regardless, his decision was firm, and no one could change his heart. Perhaps a few, but one was far away, and the other was asleep.
Seeing that Leon’s expression didn’t even waver despite his words, Henry’s expression twisted in fury, and he bellowed.
"You think just because you’re Tier Two, our lives are meaningless?! I’ll show you hell today!"
Holding the oversized mace, he charged at him, swinging the weapon straight at Leon’s left side.
The black-haired guy blinked in confusion when the man addressed him as Tier Two. However, he soon forgot about it, as he had to protect himself.
Even if his strength surpassed Henry’s by a large margin, he didn’t dare to take that attack with his body alone.
He tightened his grip around the black spear, then swept the weapon in a wide arc.
Clang!
The blade caught the head of the mace, stopping it in place. While Henry paused and tried to adjust to the recoil, Leon stepped closer to the man.
Without missing a beat, he reversed the weapon and stabbed with the rear blade. Unable to dodge, Henry could only tighten his muscles as the blade tore into his shoulder, only stopping after emerging from the other side.
A pained groan escaped his lips, and his grip on the mace loosened. However, his eyes were still sharp and vicious.
"Now!"
Leon sensed something wrong and tried to pull back. However, his weapon was stuck in the man’s body, trapped by his tensed muscles.
’Oh? Cunning.’
Not wanting to abandon his weapon as Henry wanted, Leon stayed in place and glanced at the incoming attack.
It was a thick bolt of lightning, powered by the woman called Mary. In a flash, it struck him from behind, causing his eyes to widen as he felt a numbing pain rack through his entire body.
It was similar to the shock a person receives when coming in contact with a live wire. However, this was clearly on a different level.
Seeing that Leon actually chose to tank Mary’s attack, Henry laughed out loud.
"Fool! So you chose this?! You’re still a brat, after all!"
Today, he was going to ensure that his enemy died! Tier Two, Tier Three, he didn’t care. Even if Leon became a god, he’d still kill him.
The lightning bolt only lasted for a few seconds, yet Leon’s combat gear was already ruined, and his skin had darkened considerably.
’Haa...’
White smoke escaped his lips as his clear black eyes gazed into the night sky. Unknown to anyone, a dark glint shone in those eyes as Leon felt his body adjusting again. His stiff muscles eased, and his dried blood was quickly replaced by normal blood once again. The burnt flesh on his arms cracked, and beneath it, healthy skin slowly emerged. It was as if he was being healed, but Leon knew it was far beyond that.
He was... adapting.
Filled with dark glee, he casually caught a blade thrust at his neck. A savage grin broke out on his face, and he turned to the owner of the blade.
"What is your name?" He asked, his tone light.
The girl stared at him with eyes full of disbelief, answering unconsciously. "C-Chloe."
Leon nodded, taking a deep breath. "You’re brave."
She wanted to say something, but then felt her world spinning.
’Eh...?’
One moment, she was looking at Leon’s roasted figure, and the next, she was seeing him upside down.
’Wait... isn’t that... my body? Head...less...’
Her head hit the ground with a soft thud, followed by her body that toppled after it.
[You have slain a...]
Leon turned back to Henry who looked like he was seeing a ghost. He couldn’t believe it. How? How was Leon still moving? Even he didn’t dare take on that attack from Mary. Yet, this guy...
A few meters behind Leon, Mary’s raised hands trembled. Her expression was pale, and it turned even paler as she glanced at Chloe’s corpse.
Just like Henry, she couldn’t understand how Leon was able to move. Even if he hadn’t died from her attack, he should have been paralyzed for at least ten seconds. Yet, he had caught Chloe’s sword just two seconds after her attack ended.
’How...?’
Bam!
Henry’s mace dropped to the ground as he lost grip of it. Leon stared at the man’s slackened expression, then clicked his tongue.
"You break so easily for an adult."
At this point, his skin color had returned to normal, and only his combat gear still looked charred.
He stepped back, easily pulling his spear out of the man’s body. Then, he turned around to face Mary. The young lady stepped back, her eyes wide with fear.
"Again," Leon said, his tone firm.
Mary blinked. "...What?"
"Your lightning," His eyes met hers. "Use it again."
"Huh?" She couldn’t stop herself from gasping in surprise, as she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
The others who were standing around also tensed, unable to believe their ears. Was he really asking her to attack him again?
’Is he mad?’ They shared the thought.
Mary’s lips trembled, and she took another step back. Leon followed with a single step, then paused.
Seeing this, Mary’s heart clenched. "You’re serious?"
Leon nodded, his expression calm.
Realizing that he was serious, her expression changed. "If... if I do it. C-Can you spare me? You can kill the others."
"What?! Mary!" Someone shouted in shock. They never expected this from her at all.
However, they also couldn’t understand her. Mary knew what she was doing. After piecing together everything she had noticed, she knew what was happening.
Leon could adapt to their attacks as long as he didn’t die. He was merely using them as experimental material. To him, they posed no real danger.
This was why she quickly devised a plan to save herself.
"Oh? Interesting..." Leon mused, a faint smile on his lips.
Receiving his response, Mary’s confidence grew slightly. "I promise you, I won’t be your enemy. You can even take me as your slave, fuck toy, or whatever. You’ve seen my ability, right? I can surely be useful to you! Just don’t kill me!"
At the end, she sounded desperate and hopeful, her voice hoarse.
Leon was taken aback by her offer, and he couldn’t help but change his perception of her. This woman was really willing to do anything to live.
Unfortunately, she was out of luck. Although she was indeed beautiful, Leon would still rate Fel and Cassie above her, so he had no interest. As for her ability, he could always steal it later.
His amused smile disappeared, and he shook his head. "Sorry, I can’t promise to keep you alive. You’re dying tonight."
Mary’s expression darkened, and she roared in rage.
"You bastard! Die!!!"