050 THE BATTLE WITH THE ROSE DEMON

050 THE BATTLE WITH THE ROSE DEMON

The garden before them no longer appeared as roses but a sea of crimson droplets, thick and pulsating with power. Although the appearance may have changed, underlying it was still a bed of deadly roses.

"What in the world?" Father whispered, stunned. "Why does it look like blood?"

"That's his gift," Dassa said proudly. "The power to reshape the world in small steps."

Suddenly, the altered blood from the garden surged into Leo, overwhelming his senses. His body struggled, as his demon nature mistook the essence for blood, absorbing it greedily.

He dropped to his knees, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"What's happening to him?" Dassa demanded, fear seeping into her voice.

Yun-Yun knelt beside him, her brow furrowed. "His body's flooded with magic he can't process. It wasn't blood he absorbed which his body recognizes. This was the raw magic of the Rose Demon which he is unable to process. He is overloaded by the magic."

They looked at Leo, helpless, as the weight of the Rose Demon's magic coursed through him, his face pale and still.

-----

Leo slept through the night and well into the next day. When he finally opened his eyes, Yun-Yun was there, watching over him.

"Leo, you've reached a new breakthrough with your Cakra," she said. "But this time, it wasn't by demon magic. It was from the magic of the rose garden."

"Really?" He tried to sit up, still groggy. "What tier am I now?"

"You're at the peak of Cakra Mula. You probably absorbed enough magic to push you toward Cakra Svad, but something's holding you back."

"What's stopping me?" Leo asked, a hint of frustration in his voice.

Yun-Yun's expression grew serious. "If you try to break through to Cakra Svad, you'll face Destiny's Retribution from Heaven."

Dassa frowned. "Destiny's Retribution? I didn't face that when I reached Svad."

"That's because Leo's constitution is unique," Yun-Yun explained. "He has the potential of a mage king, but his abilities are also a liability- it attracts demons to parasite on him."

"What about the Destiny's Retribution?" Dassa asked.

"Heaven doesn't favor those who can reach divine power easily—it seeks to eliminate them before they grow too powerful," she added.

"Heaven?" Leo repeated, pushing himself upright. "Or do you mean the System?"

Yun-Yun shrugged. "Perhaps they're the same thing. Either way, it wants to keep powerful magic in check. In balance."

Leo's brow furrowed. "When will this 'retribution' happen? I need to be ready."

"You'll know when your Lust Counter reaches the max threshold, a breakthrough then is likely," Dassa interjected.

"Once you reach it, you'll break through—but you'll also trigger the first punishment," Yun-Yun added, "The retribution usually comes as a bolt of lightning."

Leo looked at her with newfound respect. "How do you know so much?"

A shadow crossed her face. "Because I endured the same punishments a few times—and survived."

"Damn," Dassa muttered, shaking her head. "You are both fucking geniuses this world should eliminate."

Yun-Yun changed the subject. "Now, what should we do about the Rose Demon? She'll return from the village soon."

"There's one more place we need to go first," Leo said.

Dassa looked skeptical. "We don't have much time. She'll be back in a few days."

"Don't worry. I've sent scouts into the forest to delay her," Leo replied calmly.

"Your guards can hold her off?" Dassa asked.

"Not directly. But they're falling trees and blocking paths, even making new paths to nowhere, forcing her to take the long way through the wolf-infested forest. It'll buy us more time."

Dassa smirked, giving him a mock salute with her middle fingers. "Genius."

----

It took Madame la Rosa more than a week to return to Gomora City, exhausted from the grueling journey. The journey was filled with wrong turns and broken paths that delayed her. Now, all she wanted was to collapse onto her throne, hoping to shake off the fatigue.

Descending through the magic portal beneath Bagnio la Pleasures, she finally reached her garden—only to be struck by horror.

"No…" Her scream echoed, sharp and thunderous, as her gaze fell upon the expanse of ash and charred remains. Her once-lush rose garden was nothing but smoldering ruins.

"Who did this to me?" she shouted, her voice quaking with fury. She raced to the center of the room, finding her throne—a burned and shattered shell.

"WHO WOULD DARE?" she shrieked again, her voice breaking with rage.

From the shadows, a figure stepped forward.

"You did this to yourself," the figure replied calmly.

"You, Dassa! Where have you been? I've searched everywhere for you!" Madame la Rosa called out.

Suddenly, more figures emerged behind Dassa, stepping out from the piles of ash blanketing the garden. Among them was Leo, brushing the dust off his clothes.

"The hardest part about this is the laundry," Leo muttered, eyeing his ash-streaked shirt.

"You… you're the fool shaman from the village," Madame la Rosa spat, recognition flaring in her eyes.

"What gave me away?" he smirked.

"Your voice, your mannerisms… the smell of chicken, everything! And what have you done to my garden?" she demanded.

"I've got other plans for it. Tomatoes, perhaps—definitely not roses," Leo replied casually.

"I'll kill all of you!" Madame la Rosa shrieked, pulling out her scepter.

"Huh, what do you plan to do with that?" Dassa asked, eyebrow raised.

Madame la Rosa waved her scepter. Then waved it again. Something was wrong. Realization dawned on her, and she threw it to the ground in frustration.

"When did you replace my scepter?" she demanded, fury blazing in her eyes.

"While you were busy… having wet dreams with her," Leo replied, nodding toward Dassa.

Dassa quickly shot him a warning look and kicked him.

Madame la Rosa was in dire straits. She'd lost her rose garden, the source of her realm's magic, and now her scepter, her magic weapon.

But she wasn't finished yet.

"Even without my garden or my scepter, I am not to be trifled with," she declared, raising her hands to cast a spell.

"Blah, blah, blah, you're powerful. Got it. That's why we came prepared," Leo interrupted.

Several dozens of cloaked figures suddenly appeared around the garden, their dark hoods blending into the ash-covered landscape. They began chanting in unison, their voices weaving a spell.