As soon as Rees’ hand touched Leon’s shoulder, Leon’s hand shot up like a vice and clamped down on it with terrifying force.
Grab
Crack
"Shit-" Rees cursed as he instinctively tried to pull back.
*Crack*
The sound didn’t stop.
Bone fragnts grinded against each other inside Leon’s fist as Rees’ hand was crushed rcilessly. Blood leaked out between Leon’s fingers, dripping onto the dirt below.
Leon’s expression twisted grotesquely. His brows furrowed, his jaw clenched so hard it looked like his teeth might shatter. Every muscle in his body trembled as if on the verge of tearing itself apart.
’It hurts like hell... no—worse than hell,’ Leon thought, his consciousness wavering.
’It’s like my body is being thrown into a fucking grinder again and again. It stops for a mont... just long enough to give hope... and then it starts all over again.’
His breathing grew uneven.
’Thousands of needles... no—millions—piercing every part of my body at once. Inside my bones. Inside my veins. Fuck... how long do I have to endure this!?’
Rees staggered back, clutching the ruined remains of his hand, his expression pale despite his undead body.
’I don’t think Master Leon will be able to successfully absorb all the power of that core,’ Rees thought grimly as he forced himself to sit on the stump of a fallen tree nearby.
’But... if he sohow does... then nothing in this world will be able to stop him after this.’
Six hours passed and night passed...
"Hm...?" Rees slowly lifted his head.
A thin ray of sunlight pierced through the canopy of the forest, illuminating the ground in a soft golden hue.
’It’s morning already...’ His hollow gaze returned to Leon.
Leon was still seated on the ground, completely motionless.
Dried blood crusted his face, neck, and arms. His skin looked scorched, almost cooked, as if intense heat had been sealed beneath it. With every slow breath he took, white-hot steam poured out of his mouth and nostrils.
Shhhhhhh...
Fuuuuuu....
His chest rose and fell sluggishly. Sweat gathered across his body in thick layers, dripping down like condensation on burning tal.
’A normal human would’ve been dead long ago...’ Rees thought, his voice heavy.
’How strong is Sir Leon’s will... to endure such agony for so long without losing himself?’
Crack—Crack—Crack—Crack
Suddenly, the sound of breaking echoed through the clearing.
Rees’ eyes widened.
Leon’s skin began to ripple unnaturally, as if sothing beneath it was shifting and rearranging itself.
"What the- !?" Rees jumped back to his feet.
Crack—Crack—Crack—Crack
Leon’s eyes snapped open.
They were completely bloodshot.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
His scream tore through the forest like a dying beast’s howl. The pain returned all at once, magnified beyond comprehension. Bones shattered inside his body one after another, twisting and snapping as if an invisible force was tearing him apart from within.
His limbs bent at impossible angles. His body convulsed violently, as though possessed by sothing monstrous.
"T-The final phase...!" Rees shouted, panic bleeding into his voice.
"It’s the final phase! SIR LEON—THIS IS THE LAST PHASE OF THE ABSORPTION! YOUR BODY IS RECONSTRUCTING ITS SKELETAL STRUCTURE! YOU HAVE TO SURVIVE THROUGH IT!"
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—CRACK
"IT HURTS LIKE HEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL—!!!" Leon scread.
"IT HURTS—IT FUCKING HURTS—!!!"
Larger bones snapped violently. His legs twisted with sickening sounds.
Rees clenched his fists.
’He won’t survive like this...’
’Water. I need water—now.’
He slamd his wand into the ground.
Mana spread outward in invisible waves.
"Fuck..." Rees muttered. "No river nearby..."
Gritting his teeth, he poured more mana into the spell.
"I’ll extend the range to the maximum."
It didn’t take long.
Ten kiloters away—a river.
"There."
"Alzeris Vom... Julan Revio... Telekenris... Roka."
Thud
The spell activated.
Leon’s broken, convulsing body slowly lifted into the air.
’The heat inside him is rising too fast,’ Rees thought urgently.
’If I don’t get him into water imdiately... his body will explode.’
He quickly shoved his wand aside and pulled a piece of paper from within his robe. Dense runes covered its surface, an ergency spell.
"I’m sorry, dina..." Rees whispered.
"But this is an ergency."
"Olmar Ilon Yumol Loruo... Des Tele Froun Porte."
Thud
The mont he struck the ground with his wand, all the mana inside his body was violently drained.
Both of them vanished.
...
Ten kiloters away...
Swish
Leon and Rees reappeared in front of a massive river connected to a towering, majestic waterfall.
Using the very last drop of mana in his body, Rees guided Leon over the river.
The spell collapsed.
SPLASH
Leon’s body crashed into the water.
His screams stopped instantly.
Thud
Rees’ body suddenly stiffened.
He fell face-first onto the ground like a discarded doll.
’Shit...’
’All my mana is gone... Those two spells took everything...’
’It’s fine... the necro-heart will regenerate so mana soon and I’ll be able to’
Shush
His thoughts froze.
’What... was that?’
Sniff—Sniff
’It’s near my legs...’
Sniff—Sniff—Sniff
The sound grew closer.
Rees’ hollow eyes slowly shifted upward as a massive shadow lood over him.
"Gaww...?"
A monstrous creature stared down at him.
A Rexian Bear.
Sixteen feet tall. Ten feet wide.
Two massive heads.
One head sniffed Rees’ bony body.
The other sniffed toward the river.
Its scarred head was covered in deep cuts and old woundsmarks of countless battles it had survived.
’No... no no no...’ Rees’ mind scread.
’Not one of these... Why does it have to be a Rexian Bear?’
’If winter had lasted even one day longer... this wouldn’t have happened.’
’It has to be the lord of this area who just awakened from it’s winter sleep.’
’A Rexian Bear is as strong as a small dragon. They can kill ogre chiefs in single combat. Their skin is tougher than tal, and their jaws can crush a Vulmort Tortoise’s shell easily.’
’And after winter sleep... their senses are heightened enough to sll blood from kiloters away-’
"Gaww..."
The second head suddenly turned toward the river.
Then it moved.
’No—!’
’Sir Leon—!’
Rees desperately tried to move, forcing every last fragnt of mana in his body to respond.
’I have to stand... I have to-!’
But his body didn’t move.
*Splash*
The Rexian Bear stepped into the river.
Monts later, it found Leon.
Grab
The beast clamped its jaws around Leon’s unconscious body.
And dragged him away into the forest.
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