Chapter 37

"Ugh... Have I been neglecting my body too much lately?"

"Commander, are you alright?"

Andreas barely lifted his body from the deep crater. His joints ached, and his whole body was sore. A nearby elite couldn't rashly approach him due to maintaining the balance of the barrier, so he stood in place and asked about his condition.

Andreas waved his hand as if he was somewhat okay.

"My left arm is shattered."

"Oh no...!"

"It's fine, no big deal. It's a good thing I had my guard up; otherwise, my ribs would have been broken."

Andreas smiled bitterly and looked down at his left arm, which had become completely useless and had no strength at all. After trying and failing to move his fingertips, he immediately brought over a vine, using it as a splint, and recalled the culprit who had done this to his arm.

'Not only his mana but also his combat skills are flawless.'

That speed of instantly getting above his head in the Imperial Capital, where teleportation couldn't be used. That agility in sensing the air currents and searching for the main body. That meticulousness in precisely aiming only at openings and vital points. Moreover, that grip strength when he firmly grabbed his shoulder to prevent him from escaping, and that powerful and destructive mana that took his breath away.

Faced with his cheating-level abilities in every aspect, Andreas could understand what it meant to lose one's fighting spirit.

Bang! Kwang!

Explosive sounds continued to be heard from the sky near the ice wall. As the powerful mana of the two people constantly clashing against each other swept over his skin, goosebumps rose, and his body trembled slightly.

Andreas gave a hollow laugh as he watched the collision of the two opposing mana, which couldn't even be properly seen with the naked eye. He even thought that he was fortunate to have ended up with just a broken arm in between them.

"Are they monsters..."

His light violet eyes, which had been traversing the sky following the flashing lights, suddenly stopped at a completely unrelated point.

It was because he suddenly felt something strange.

As Andreas reflected on the earlier battle, Leonardo's incomprehensible actions flashed through his mind one by one.

Eventually, they merged into a single question and resurfaced in the void before his eyes.

"..."

There was one strange thing about Leonardo Blaine.

Despite possessing such fast, agile, and powerful mana, and even having a golden opportunity when Hugo briefly moved away from his side...

'...Why didn't he run away?'

* * *

Hugo had been thinking while constantly clashing with the guy.

'Have I ever felt this guy's mana in the Imperial Capital before?'

This was the second time he had confronted Leonardo. Since their first encounter was so intense, his mana had deeply etched itself into Hugo's senses to the point where he could never forget it.

However, even if he had seen him in the Imperial Capital in the past, he had never felt his mana so strongly or clashed with him like this. Hugo felt that the guy's vibrations, now reverberating throughout the Imperial Capital, were somehow not unfamiliar.

Whenever the guy's concentrated mana flickered before his eyes in the form of a blazing sword blade, he couldn't shake off the strange sense of déjà vu.

And there was one more thing he couldn't understand.

'Is it intentional?'

What Hugo had been most concerned about was the situation where a battle with Leonardo in the Imperial Capital would become inevitable, resulting in people getting hurt and damage occurring. That's why Hugo was currently unable to use any long-range attacks or large-scale magic other than close combat.

However, the same applied to this guy. He must have known from the previous battle that he was at a disadvantage in terms of physique and stamina compared to Hugo.

Then, what would be advantageous for him was not close combat, where he had to put his weight into it and push forward, but long-range combat, where he could maintain a distance and freely launch attacks. However, except for the attack that burned Andreas' clones earlier, the guy had been fighting only in close combat.

'It can't be...'

Unable to fathom the guy's intentions, Hugo constantly swung his sword with maximum force to drain his strength.

Earlier, when he saw the ice wall fragments flying, he had briefly held onto the hope that perhaps the guy was fighting only in close combat out of concern for people getting endangered.

However, now his thoughts had changed. If the guy had considered even that, he wouldn't have caused such a commotion in the middle of the Imperial Capital. The surroundings had already turned into a chaotic mess, and the losses, both in terms of manpower and finances, were immense.

Hugo strongly swung his long sword to pressure and suppress Leonardo, wanting to end this meaningless fight before the battalion commanders arrived.

"Leonardo, now that you've come to the Imperial Capital, resistance is futile. If you continue like this, you'll only increase your crimes."

At those words, Leonardo struck Hugo's sword away with momentary force and moved upward, instantly switching positions with his opponent. Then, pressing down with his sword just as Hugo had done, he said,

"My crimes? What are my crimes? Don't you guys, who suddenly captured a person who was living well, have no sins?"

"Didn't I tell you? It's to protect you. No matter what you do, nothing will change."

"Protect me? What a joke."

Leonardo seemed to have suddenly switched, showing a noticeably angry demeanor. His expression turned cold and sarcastic, and the flow of mana around him also changed drastically, emitting a threatening aura as if it would devour the opponent facing him.

At that changed atmosphere, Hugo instinctively felt a bad premonition.

'Long-range.'

Moreover, the feeling was on a different level from the red beams the guy had fired before.

As powerful mana that could overwhelm the entire area gathered in Leonardo's hand, Hugo immediately moved his position quickly in the direction surrounding the ice wall.

It was the moment he realized that the guy who had been fighting him all this time had not been putting his full strength into the battle. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the source of that intense mana spreading in all directions.

Even if this ice wall shattered like before due to Leonardo's attack, he had to prevent that magic from flying toward the place where people were. The scale of that mana was not something the elites' barrier could withstand at all.

As soon as Hugo placed the ice wall behind his back, Leonardo, with an angry face and veins bulging on his neck, stretched out his hands towards him and said,

"The only one who can protect me is myself."

At those confident words, Hugo faltered and stared at him. And at that moment, the flames that had been fiercely raging in Leonardo's hands explosively boiled over and extended towards Hugo.

Hugo deliberately slowed down his speed a little to confirm that the guy was aiming at him, and waited until that massive, sun-like mana approached him before dodging it by a hair's breadth.

Soon, the crimson flames that had extended in a straight line collided with the majestic and thick ice wall, exploding together with a destructive sound that shook the surroundings.

Kwaaang!

Immediately after the first explosion, Hugo spread a barrier in the center of the sky to prevent the ice fragments from bursting outward. As a strong gust of wind blew due to the explosion, the scattering ice shards felt threateningly sharp like glass.

Even in the midst of that, the citizens were holding their breath and watching the fierce battle between the two mages from behind the barrier set up by the Council members. Since such a large-scale battle rarely occurred in the Imperial Capital, despite knowing the danger, they couldn't take their eyes off the confrontation of magic that seemed to annihilate everything.

However, when the subsequent fierce gust of wind fiercely swept over the place where they were gathered, they screamed in fear, each curling up their bodies.

It was also at that moment when a girl's hat, whose gaze had been captivated by the explosion of strong mana, was blown away by the gust of wind.

"Ah, my hat!"

The hat, which had floated into the air without a chance to grab it, flew across the heads of the lined-up crowd and was swept away somewhere. The small-bodied girl tried to catch it, weaving through the gaps between people, and unknowingly approached the direction where the battle was taking place.

Fortunately, the hat soon fell to the ground not far away, and just as the girl, who had finally reached it, crouched down to pick it up...

Another gust of wind blew in from the second explosion, and a nearby signboard fell right in front of the girl. The girl was startled and fell backward, so she wasn't hurt, but the white hat she was trying to pick up was crushed under the signboard.

The girl, who had clumsily stood up in shock, tried to pull her hat out again, but the signboard was so heavy that the hat wouldn't come out easily.

At that moment, due to the chain explosions, the lower part supporting the tall ice wall was cut in half, making a creaking sound as it cracked horizontally. Eventually, the massive ice wall, which had risen as high as a spire, swayed ominously from side to side and slowly began to tilt towards the hole created earlier when Leonardo had escaped.

The people who had been densely gathered in that direction froze in place, unable to move at the surreal sight, but at someone's shout, they woke up from the shock and began to run away to survive.

"I-It's falling this way!"

"Aaaah!"

"Everyone, evacuate!"

As the majestic ice wall fell over, casting a shadow, people poured out of the buildings, and the streets in that area were filled with screams.

The girl's mother, who was facing that shocking scene amidst the crowd, hurriedly looked around when she suddenly noticed that her child had slipped out of her hand. She began to search for the girl, pushing through the fleeing people.

"May? Where are you, baby!"

It was by no means an easy task to go against the crowd that was pushing in one direction amidst the rampant screams. People shoved her as she tried to go in the opposite direction, rushing to escape, and she endured the fierce collisions, tightly grasping the collar of her own clothes.

In the midst of that, behind the scattered signboards, a familiar back caught her eye.

"May!"

The woman's face turned pale as she saw the small figure struggling to pull out the hat. She ran towards the direction where the wall was falling to save the child.

However, she couldn't move forward due to the ruthless waves of people.

"Everyone, move aside! My child is over there!"

As soon as Hugo saw the ice wall tilting from the sky, he urgently shouted to Andreas, who was below.

"Andre! Block it with all your might!"

"I know!"

Andreas, covered in dust from the gust of wind, used his remaining intact arm to support himself on the ground and pulled out huge tree vines from underground with all his strength.

Thick vines continuously sprouted up from beneath the falling ice wall, trying to suppress its falling force as much as possible. From the back of the direction the wall was tilting, wooden vines also wrapped around the ice wall and pulled it tightly in the opposite direction.

Thanks to that, the speed temporarily decreased, but perhaps because the ice wall was so thick and heavy, the thick tree vines began to snap helplessly. The vines pulling from the opposite side also broke one by one. Thinking it wouldn't work, Andreas even mobilized his shattered left arm to draw out mana.

Nevertheless, when the vines couldn't completely stop the collapsing ice wall, Hugo quickly flew towards the direction the wall was falling, intending to shatter it completely.

"Huh...?"

The girl, who had been staring at the hat without knowing anything, slowly raised her head at the sudden screams of people and the feeling of a shadow being cast. There, the majestic ice wall was crashing down towards her.

At the sight of it falling over at a speed that made the supporting tree vines seem meaningless, the girl froze in place, her eyes wide open.

"Baby!"

As the girl's mother tried to run towards her, losing her mind, a Council member mixed in the crowd grabbed her with all his might to stop her.

"Where are you going? Evacuate immediately!"

"Over there, my daughter—!"

At the woman's shout as she struggled violently, the member also turned his head, following her desperate gestures. Only then did he see the girl, who had been hidden behind the fallen signboard and hadn't been noticed.

The girl seemed to be frightened, unable to take her eyes off the shadow that had stepped right in front of her, and the girl's mother screamed towards her child, who couldn't move under it. The member, grasping the situation, hurriedly inhaled and shouted,

"Run away, quickly!"

The member immediately released the woman he had been holding and ran towards the girl instead. Although the ice wall was about to collapse, he thought saving the girl was the top priority.

However, unfortunately, the speed at which the ice wall crushed the tree vines and fell over was incomparably faster than his running legs.

The distance hadn't been sufficiently narrowed yet, and seeing the huge shadow cast before his eyes, the fear of death washed over him despite his will. Because of that, his leg strength gave out, and even as he fell forward, the member stretched out his arms and hugged the girl tightly.

As he closed his eyes tightly and held his breath, waiting for death at that moment...

A dazzling golden light appeared in front of them.

Leonardo, who had firmly planted his feet beside their crouched heads, stretched out one hand towards the majestic ice wall that had collapsed and come right before his eyes. And with the other hand, he stretched it behind him and cast a powerful barrier.

A huge and magnificent golden magic circle unfolded before him, and as he chanted a spell, blinding flashes of light poured out in all directions.

"Destroy."

In an instant, people's ears went numb, and the world briefly fell silent, then gradually, a tremendous destructive sound rushed in along with a fierce tinnitus.

The girl's vision, which had become distant due to the shockwave, was completely dyed in gold, and the massive ice wall that had approached right in front of her shattered into pieces as if annihilated, leaving no trace. As a result, the golden hair of the man standing in front of the girl to protect her swayed in the fierce wind, emitting a brilliant light.

From the sky, instead of sharp shards, the ice that had been completely pulverized into powder spread like snow in all directions. Sparkling ice powder fluttered around the square, piling up softly.

Leonardo lowered the hand he had stretched out towards the ice wall, turned around, and looked down at the girl who couldn't move and the Council member who was hugging her.

Then, he lightly lifted the fallen signboard with one hand and pushed it aside, picking up the girl's hat that had been crushed underneath.

As the girl stared at him blankly, Leonardo dusted off the hat and held it out, asking,

"Is this yours?"

The girl quietly nodded. Then, he placed the hat on the girl's head and said with a chuckle,

"It's pretty."

At the sound of his voice, the Council member, who had been squeezing his eyes shut, slowly opened them. Realizing that he was still alive under the pouring brilliance, the member relaxed his curled-up body and gradually raised his head.

As the girl blinked and looked at him, Leonardo scooped her up in one arm from the member's embrace. Then, he grabbed the arm of the member, who was lying face down and looking up at him, and lifted him up in one swift motion.

He briefly fixed his gaze on the member, then turned his head and approached the girl's mother, who was behind them. She also hurriedly ran towards Leonardo. Leonardo handed the girl to her and said,

"It's dangerous, so take her and go far away quickly."

"Ah... Thank you, thank you so much."

The woman hugged her daughter tightly, sobbing, and bowed her head several times to Leonardo in gratitude. Then, she repeatedly bowed her head to the Council member standing blankly behind them, repeating her thanks.

The people who hadn't managed to escape, the Council members, and Hugo were watching their actions.

The woman hurriedly carried the girl and turned her body, running towards a distant place. The direction she was running in was a street Leonardo knew very well.

As he stared at the two figures growing distant, he suddenly gazed intently with flickering eyes at the familiar streets of the Imperial Capital visible behind them, the towering buildings, and the fluttering flags tied there.

The vast city and civilization that had unfolded in the center of Raina Logia, which he had been proud of. And the lively people there. They were all things he had once risked his life to protect and had indeed protected.

Everything was here, but it felt like he had forgotten it all, suffering only from nightmarish memories at some point.

'Did I... want to come here?'

Leonardo raised his head and recalled the military command center that would appear after passing through the main road at the end of that path and a few more blocks. Each of those places was vividly depicted in his mind.

Starting from there, the road he was looking at now was the very path where, during his last expedition, the citizens of the entire Imperial Capital had poured out, sincerely wishing for his victory, handing him bouquets and handkerchiefs, wishing him luck, and genuinely loving the hero of this nation.

Three years had passed since that day to return to this place, which he had never set foot on again.

"Leonardo."

Lost in thought while gazing at the scenery, Leonardo turned his head at the voice calling his name.

Hugo Agrizendro was approaching, looking at him with a slightly strange expression.

Leonardo gripped the magic sword in his hand again, jumped back far to distance himself from him. However, no longer sensing the will to attack from Hugo, who was looking at him, he likewise withdrew his mana and stood there, facing him.

As Leonardo's wariness disappeared, Hugo carefully took a few more steps closer. Then, with a somewhat complicated state of mind, he asked him,

"Why did you save the child?"

'You could have had a chance to escape.'

Hugo didn't expect that he would come to have 'expectations' for the guy. However, right now, he was quite earnestly waiting for the guy's answer.

Because he had a premonition that, depending on the guy's answer, that 'thought' might really change.

At Hugo's question, Leonardo's brows furrowed slightly. It was an expression as if he didn't understand the intention behind the question.

Eventually, he answered with an absurd smile, as if the answer was obvious,

"Because that's my job."

Hugo stared at him, at a loss for words.

In the guy's eyes as he spoke calmly, there was no trace of any falsehood.