The Clock Strikes Zero

Of course, there has never been anyone as strong as the monstrous crocodile giant, but even so, Leo has been steadily researching other countermeasures instead of trusting in his own shield. 

If Leo doesn't learn mobile magic, all he can do is take the enemy's attacks from the front. 

Now that we've come this far, the problem becomes simple. 

Will Leo be able to block Beck's attacks pouring down on him with the shield he has compressed one by one? 

The answer to that question will determine the outcome of the fight. 

And Leo never once doubted his own talent. 

"Let's give it a try." 

A gangster with long legs and a skinny wizard step forward at the same time. 

The image of a wolf rising beyond Beck's tattered suit. Dozens of flashes of light pouring down at the same time. 

Accept them all. 

Tata tata tata tang!!! 

A series of dull, sharp, and deafening roars, like the ceaseless striking of dry iron, rang out, and shock waves shook the area mercilessly. 

If you see it with your eyes and react, it is too late. 

Just focus the sensory field that you spread with magical power on the opponent in front of you and shake it off. 

At the same time, he pulls the trigger of the revolver he is holding. 

[Acceleration of reload] [Strengthened firing] 

Tata tata tang!! 

As flames burst from the silver muzzle, bright red flowers burst out from various parts of Beck's long limbs. 

The ice beneath my feet was freezing cold, and dozens of bright blue electric currents surged through the air, neither above nor below. 

The revolver's muzzle and the fireballs that were fired one after another struck Beck's entire body hard. 

Kwaaaaaaaang!!! 

Settlement 

"Khaaaaa…!!" 

I only failed to attack once, but the counterattack that came back was so strong. 

Leo nodded inwardly as he looked at Beck's face with both eyes wide open. 

His monstrous strength, superhuman speed, and powerful armour that don't match his skinny body are impressive, but if you've been observing the way he's used his powers so far, you can easily find his weaknesses. 

An ability that becomes dramatically stronger whenever the form of a certain animal comes to mind. 

In other words, this means that each time you change your form, your other abilities become relatively weaker. 

And Leo was confident that he could land a valid blow at any time, as long as Beck did not take on the form of a turtle. 

"Tch! This little bastard…!!" 

Beck, his face distorted like a demon, suddenly changed the shape floating behind him and stretched out his left leg. 

Gooosh!! 

The shape of a buffalo rising as its outstretched feet dig deep into the ground. 

The intense magic power that has settled on the window sill becomes a heavy wave and rushes forward. 

Even after experiencing the bitter taste once, are you still planning to honestly destroy the shield from the front? 

It's not a wrong judgment. 

If Beck could just break through the shield once here, it would be a breeze to take Leo's life. 

His determination to once again tackle the situation head-on despite suffering a lot of blows is surprising. 

Leo also saw the attack and drew his magic power up once more. 

Second clash. 

Kwaaaa ... 

A deafening roar erupted and another shock wave erupted. 

The ground Beck was standing on could not withstand the force and created a large hole behind him. 

But the regime his long right arm had planted failed to penetrate Leo's shield this time as well. 

In the same way as before, Leo's shield was concentrated on one side, but this time it was spinning quickly and missed his target. 

"Damn it, Lal…!!" 

The backlash of a powerful blow that ends in nothing. 

The price for the power that was forcibly pulled out in a situation where there were no small number of injuries was high. 

The accumulated damage from the revolver bullets embedded throughout his body, the injuries inflicted by Zod, and the lasers fired by Agria all began to eat away at his body at once. 

"Coolook….!!" 

And beyond that, Leo collapsed, clutching his chest and coughing dryly. 

Beck's attack itself was successfully blocked, but the shockwave that burst out through it was so strong that it even hit Leo's body. 

If the ring of Fry ice had not been activated to protect the internal organs and skeleton, it would not have been strange for this weak body to have been twisted internally and externally by such an impact. 

But Leo held on, inhaling the smoke from the cigarette he had in his mouth like crazy. 

A few tobaccos I bought separately from Plumber's Orchard. Among them, Defiler-92, which was strongly recommended by the old man at the orchard. 

It is a drug specialized in pain relief that artificially suppresses the senses and suppresses pain to the extreme, but it may be helpful in battles where you cannot see even an inch ahead. 

For Leo, who was putting down his shield for the first time and going into battle against a superhuman with his bare body, it was an item he needed more than anything else. 

Fortunately, only the five senses are dulled, and the ability to detect using magical powers still functions sharply. 

Leo, who rubbed his cold palms and struggled to get up from his seat, gritted his teeth and swung his magical power toward the ground. 

[Sink hole] 

The pit that formed under Beck's feet swallowed his body, which had not yet recovered from the aftermath of the collision. 

Leo, holding the revolver with both hands, pulled the trigger repeatedly, pointing at the bottom of the pit. 

[Speaker compensation] [Impact enhancement] 

Tata tata tata tang!! 

Blind muzzles swing in all directions, spitting out sparks, and angry bullets thrust their heads into the pit, seeking life. 

Due to the effect of the auxiliary magic, with each step taken, a faint shock wave erupted from inside the pit, and the dirt floor shook in response. 

[Reverse Gravity] 

Wood thud thud…!! 

Not stopping there, he uproots the nearby clock tower that Agria was stepping on and slams it into the pit. 

A stone pillar about 3m high falls in a parabolic curve at Leo's touch. 

Kwaaaaang!! 

Only after turning his head towards the pit and seeing the sight of the stuck clock tower did Leo catch his breath and slowly back away. 

"Phew…." 

He slowly took the cigarette he was holding with trembling hands out of his mouth. 

He had clenched his teeth so hard that there was a clear, bloody tooth mark on the end of the cigarette. 

Could he be dead? 

Leo couldn't be sure. 

While the other team members were buying time by grinding against Beck, I prepared various things, but in the clash just now, I only used two of them. 

If it weren't for the power of the new drug that was added in between, I wouldn't have been able to even achieve this kind of calm. 

And as if not to disappoint Leo's expectations, the clock tower buried deep inside the pit began to shake violently. 

Woozijijijik!!! 

A clock that had long since stopped was crushed in a hand that protruded from the ground, and long limbs emerged from within it. 

A battered Beck Clinton. 

But his two eyes were shining brightly with a murderous intent. 

"Kaaaak..!!" 

Phew! 

He spat out the impurities mixed in his mouth along with his broken teeth and glared at Leo as if he was going to kill him. 

"It was long, wasn't it?" 

"...…" 

Wounds all over his body. Droplets of blood streaming down his collar. Limbs cramping from repeated battles. 

Despite his appearance being noticeably more mangled than before, a wicked smile spread across Beck's face. 

Beck growled, rolling his shoulders and releasing his stiff neck. 

"You'd better wait. I'll show you in person what it means to live without being able to die by dragging you in front of the boss!!" 

"no." 

Leo replied with a tired face. 

"It's over now." 

"...what?" 

Chorrrrrrrr!! 

At that moment, the clock tower that was upside down behind Beck's back lights up brightly. 

A purple magic circle completed in an elongated circle, as if the hands of a clock were turning. 

Two strong whip protruding from it instantly grabbed Beck's body and pulled him to the clock tower. 

Kuung!! 

"This, this is…..!!!" 

Beck's face turned pale as he realized the situation belatedly. 

This feeling of being tied up and having your whole body weighed down at the same time. 

This terrible feeling of confinement is something you can never forget once you experience it. 

The gravity-based binding magic, [Gravity Bind], appeared from an unexpected place and bound him. 

Considering how much effort Beck had put into avoiding this magic during the battle, it was a truly absurd ending. 

"Eventually, one will be caught." 

Leo said as he slowly walked forward towards Beck. 

While the other team members were fighting Beck until their bodies were broken, Leo wasn't just standing there watching. 

A magic spell that has been developed through consistent research. 

The results of that research were finally successfully applied retroactively to moving objects. 

After the second clash, the time given to Leo was wasted on suddenly pulling out the clock tower and throwing it, which was also all part of that work. 

And Beck, completely unaware of Leo's trick, was caught in the act. 

Even a skilled warrior cannot deal with applied magic that penetrates the blind spot of perception. 

'Additional research would be needed to apply it permanently to items such as firearms, but it has been proven that it can be used effectively in immediate combat.' 

Although it was certainly a significant achievement, Leo decided to focus on the task at hand. 

I look down at Beck's face as he thrashes around madly, bound by the whip of gravity. 

Did Beck know that day at Jenny's bar that he would one day look up to Leo in this way? 

Leo calmly ignored Beck's screams, which were already indescribable, as he drew up his magical power with his familiar hand movements. 

Kiiing!! 

The magical power thrown into the sky spreads out wide, scattering bright blue light. 

Beck goes crazy when he senses that the magic that burned down the train car in an instant will fall on his head. 

"Fuck, you… I'll kill you!!!" 

Do you burn with hatred instead of pleading, knowing that death is imminent? 

Although he was an annoying opponent, he was also a great fighter. 

But even that feeling is swept away by the pillar of blue light pouring down from the sky. 

[Thunder Calling] 

KWAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! 

Using the upside-down clock tower as a landmark, a single bolt of lightning strikes right over Beck's head, burning everything in the vicinity blue. 

A hot wind blows so strong that it makes your skin tingle. 

Only the stones from the shattered railway station were scattered here and there on the ground that was nothing but dry dirt. 

Only then did Leo, who had hurriedly raised his shield, open his eyes slightly and see the results of the disaster he had created. 

If Beck survives the aftermath of the lightning strike, we'll have to finish him off for sure. 

He gripped the revolver tightly and tried to draw on his magical power, but the life response he could sense through magical power was no longer present. 

The clock tower disappeared without a trace. 

Below, only a single, elongated, twisted corpse remains, signalling the end of the battle. 

"....." 

Now I can barely open my mouth. 

I moved my trembling legs and searched through the charred belongings of the corpse. 

Beck Clinton is one of the strongest and most skilled superhumans he has ever met. 

If you are that kind of person, there is a high possibility that the things you carry around will also have that extraordinariness in them. 

He snatched the spear that he had been holding in his arms until the moment of his death, and searched through the pockets of his shirt and pants, which were left with only scraps of cloth. 

Most items were reduced to ashes by the heat of the lightning strike, but conversely, items that survived the heat are likely to be valuable. 

And as if to support Leo's conviction, he was able to grab a green, glowing key from the inside pocket of his burnt-out suit.