Alexander laughed after seeing Celeste standing there without a weapon.
The sound carried confidence and amusent, as if the situation had already been decided long before this mont even happened.
"Good job, Karin."
His gaze shifted toward the woman standing behind several mbers of the group, calmly holding a bow that was still faintly glowing from the shot she had just fired.
"No wonder you’re my co-leader."
Leon imdiately recognized her.
Karin. The co-leader of the [Imperial Guild].
Just like Alexander, she had built a reputation for being ruthless, soone who never hesitated when it ca to doing whatever was necessary to gain an advantage.
But now the situation had completely shifted. Celeste had no weapon.
And more importantly, she had no allies nearby who were willing to step forward to help her.
From an outside perspective, the outco already seed obvious.
A single girl surrounded by multiple high-level players belonging to one of the most powerful guilds currently active in the area was not a scenario that ended well for the person standing alone.
To everyone watching, Celeste looked completely trapped.
Leon observed everything quietly from where he stood.
His eyes moved between Alexander, Karin, and the rest of the surrounding guild mbers while he considered the situation.
’Did it also end like this in my past life?’ he wondered silently.
Back then, at this exact point in ti, he had still been stuck inside the [Novice Village].
He and the rest of his teammates had been dealing with the consequences of the [Challenge Tokens] event, a punishnt that had reduced their experience gain and resource acquisition by half for six long hours.
Because of that penalty, they had been forced to remain in the beginner area much longer than other players, struggling to keep up while everyone else moved forward.
This ti, however, things had turned out very differently.
Since Leon had managed to win that challenge, his early strength had increased far sooner than it ever had before, allowing him to move through the early stages of the ga at an accelerated pace.
That was exactly why he had already reached the [Higher Domain].
Which also ant that sothing important had changed.
While he had been struggling against beginner monsters inside the village during his previous life... Celeste had most likely been captured here during that exact sa ti.
If that was the case, then it explained why he had never heard anything about her later.
A phoenix-race player disappearing without leaving any trace would only make sense if her story had ended before it even had the chance to truly begin.
Leon slowly looked around at the players gathered nearby.
Many of them had clearly noticed what was happening.
But none of them stepped forward. None of them even attempted to intervene.
They simply stayed at a distance, pretending to watch sothing else while keeping careful track of the situation from the corner of their eyes.
The [Imperial Guild] had power, influence, and numbers.
No one wanted to turn them into an enemy.
Leon slowly tightened his grip around the staff in his hand.
’This is just like with Emilia.’ His eyes sharpened, ’I’m not going to stand here and watch them do whatever they want.’
Leon adjusted his grip on both his sword and his staff before stepping forward.
At almost the sa mont—
Fwoosh!
Alexander suddenly advanced with a powerful step, clearly deciding that the ti for talking had ended.
His sword swung forward with trendous force as he aid directly at Celeste.
His goal was not to kill her.
Instead, he intended to cut off one of her limbs, either an arm or a leg, making sure she would no longer be capable of resisting.
Once she was immobilized, capturing her would beco extrely easy.
And after they had captured her...
There were countless ways soone from the phoenix race could be exploited.
But just as his blade was about to reach her—
Clang!
Another sword intercepted the strike. Leon stood directly in front of Celeste.
His weapon had perfectly blocked Alexander’s attack, the impact ringing loudly as the two blades collided.
Because of the [Blood Heart Blessing] on Leon’s sword, the force behind his defense was far stronger than Alexander expected.
Even though Alexander was fourteen levels higher, Leon’s raw strength at that mont still surpassed his.
The clash forced Alexander’s blade away.
Leon remained steady. Alexander was not a weak opponent.
But that didn’t change Leon’s decision.
’I can always revive anyway.’
The [Life Vessel] title had changed the way Leon approached danger.
Knowing he possessed the ability to co back to life ant that the risks he took could be higher than before.
And in this situation, saving Celeste from the fate that clearly awaited her felt like a decision worth making.
"Who are you?" Alexander demanded, anger already visible in his eyes. "Why are you intervening?"
Leon did not respond. Instead, he simply raised his sword slightly and prepared himself.
Behind him, Celeste stood in stunned silence. Her eyes were widened slightly in disbelief.
Only monts earlier she had believed that everything was over, that she would be captured and used just like so many others of her kind before her, losing the chance to take revenge or accomplish anything she had set out to do.
Yet now, the sa human she had encountered earlier inside the [Interdiate Divine Temple] was standing in front of her again.
’I felt sothing the first ti...’ she thought quietly. Her thoughts moved faster, ’Is this what they call fate?’
Almost imdiately she shook her head, pushing the idea away as she forced herself to stand properly again.
"KILL THE HUMAN! CAPTURE THE PHOENIX!"
Alexander’s shout echoed through the area as his aura surged outward.
"Yes, boss!"
The remaining mbers of the [Imperial Guild] rushed forward without hesitation.
Their levels ranged between 56 and 63, making them players that most others would hesitate to challenge.
But when compared to Leon... They were insignificant.
With a single swing of his sword he cut through three of them instantly, the attack so fast that they died before they even realized what had happened.
The rest of the group froze in shock for a brief mont, but Leon gave them no ti to recover.
He raised his staff.
Powerful Fireball!
Flas gathered rapidly at the tip of the weapon, forming a blazing sphere that continued expanding as heat radiated outward.
Leon launched it directly into the approaching group.
"DODGE!" Alexander shouted imdiately while retreating toward Karin.
A protective barrier appeared around the two of them just in ti.
But the rest of their guild mbers had no such protection.
The fireball exploded violently.
Flas erupted across the ground, scorching everything in their path and killing the majority of the remaining players almost instantly.
Smoke and heat filled the area.
And then—
SWOOSH!
A sharp sound cut through the air. Karin had already fired another arrow.
This one was far stronger than the previous shot, infused with powerful aura energy as it shot forward with incredible speed.
If that arrow had been aid at Celeste earlier, it would have killed her instantly.
But Leon reacted imdiately.
He swung his sword upward, striking the arrow while it was still midair and cutting it cleanly in half before it could reach him.
Karin’s jaw dropped slightly. Even Alexander looked confused.
Just who was this human? Why was he so strong? And why was he protecting a phoenix-race girl?
"I get it," Alexander suddenly said while laughing as he stepped forward again. "You want her for yourself, don’t you? But wait a second, we’re both human. We can help each other out."
Leon stared at him with an expression so blank it almost looked like he hadn’t heard the words at all.
Alexander genuinely believed Leon had done all this for the sa reason he had.
In his mind the solution was obvious: recruit him.
A player this strong joining the [Imperial Guild] would only make them even more powerful.
Who cared about the players Leon had just killed? They were weak mbers anyway. Completely expendable.
Leon briefly turned his head and looked toward Celeste.
She was trembling slightly.
And at that mont... Leon had already made his decision.
’...Alright.’
ABYSSAL SLASH!
His body vanished into the shadows.
Alexander and Karin both looked around instantly, trying to locate him.
But before either of them could react—
Leon appeared behind Karin.
His sword moved once, and her head separated from her body instantly.
Alexander spun around, his eyes filled with shock as he rushed forward.
"POWER UP!" he shouted as energy surged through his body.
His strength rose to its peak as he swung his sword with everything he had, aiming to crush Leon completely.
Leon raised his own blade. The two weapons collided.
And the result was imdiate: Alexander’s sword shattered.
The impact alone sent him flying backward, his body crashing into a nearby shop before slamming against the ground.
Pain spread through his entire body as blood ran down his armor.
When he looked up again, Leon was already standing above him, his figure darkened slightly by the shadow cast from the building behind him while his eyes glowed faintly as he stared down.
Alexander studied him for a mont before speaking.
"You aren’t human... are you?"
Leon remained silent. Alexander slowly nodded.
"That was a good attempt," he said calmly. "But unfortunately for you... killing or Karin won’t be the end for us."
At that mont Leon understood: they had [Resurrection Stones].
Even if he killed them here, they would revive later.
And when they did, they would return with even more hatred.
Alexander’s eyes burned with fury.
"I’ll make sure you regret ever being born," he roared. "I will—"
Leon didn’t let him finish. His sword moved.
SLASH!
Alexander’s head rolled across the ground. Leon looked down at the corpse calmly.
’Even if you co back...’ His grip tightened slightly around his sword, ’I’ll just be waiting, still stronger than you are.’
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