Supreme Spouse System. Chapter 458: Leon VS Aden [Part-3]

Leon VS Aden [Part-3]

"You’re good," Aden managed, each word ragged from effort, the sweat on his brow catching the light. He sounded almost impressed, and that made the admission bitter. "But strength without purpose is hollow."

Leon’s eyes intensified until they seed to possess a cutting edge. His gold eyes drew together in a manner that stretched the air between them taut; his voice was flat and cold, cold as a blade. "Purpose?" he repeated, each syllable a careful blow. "My purpose is to destroy the rot that spreads through this empire. And if I must destroy every knight who gets in my path—"

The world replied to him: wind arose, scattering leaves and dust into a storm of wind that stank of iron and ozone. His aura blazed like an approaching storm, a material presence that pulled on banners and rustled up the hems of cloaks as if the very air itself was obedient to him.

Aden’s fingers went white on his sword hilt, not from fear but from an anger that shook just beneath the surface. He spat out the next words like acid. "You sound like a rebel."

Leon cocked his head, that treacherous smirk relaxing over his face—half mockery, half sympathy, completely unapologetic. He leaned in like the sharing of a secret intended to hurt. "No," he said, low, soft enough to hurt, "I speak like a king."

The blow struck harder than any blow. Aden’s face tore across a dozen feelings at once—anger, incredulity, and then a thin, unpleasant line of fear that he struggled and failed to conceal. The courtyard froze.

That was enough to snap him out of it like a command. He struck his blade into the compressed dirt; the force reverberated through the earth that responded to Leon’s tempest with a counterpoint of its own. The runes on his steel ran alive, ascended the tal in hot, ravenous strokes as Aden strode his hand through the air.

"Let’s see you stand against this—Earthen Burst!"

The earth split asunder with a blast that was deafening. Sharp shards of stone lanced up in a sudden spasm, ripping through the ground, seeking to pierce Leon from all sides.

Leon did not move. He did not even flutter his eyelids. His eyes glowed softly with a pure, violet light as he lifted his hand. The air itself started to vibrate, its sound crystalline and unearthly, like pressure on glass.

Then—

The world exploded.

"Air Break.

The order bood through the air like thunder. The stone spikes halted in mid-air, then disintegrated into dust that flew beneath the impact of Leon’s step. He sprinted forward, quicker than the eye could see, cutting through the murk of the debris. His fist struck Aden’s chestplate, the clang booming out like the collision of tal with a warhamr. The blow sent Aden skidding back, boots grinding against the stone until he managed to catch his balance. A harsh cough tore from his throat, a spatter of blood marking the ground between them.

Leon exhaled slowly, shoulders rising and falling as he straightened. "You’re strong, old man," he said, his voice calm but edged with quiet intensity. "But not enough."

Aden wiped the blood from his mouth, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "You’re holding back."

Leon’s golden eyes narrowed just slightly. "Maybe."

"Then stop."

The words hung in the air—sharp, daring. And then, for a heartbeat, the world seed to pause. The wind stilled. Even the flas surrounding the courtyard flickered low, as though waiting for what would co next.

Leon shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened them, the gold in his eyes was darkened, streaked with threads of deep violet. A slight throb wavered through the air—dark, heavy, and old. It slid along his flesh like an unfolding shadow, speaking of power that should have remained entombed. The earth shook. The air cooled, a chill breeze curling through the courtyard like the exhalation of sothing long dead.

Aden felt it imdiately—the pressure, the weight, the primal dread. His instincts scread, urging him to move, to attack, to do sothing. His breath caught. "You— you’re using dark elent...!" he managed, disbelief and warning tangled in his voice.

Leon tilted his head, the faintest trace of amusent in his expression. His smile was quiet, dangerous, almost serene. "Surprised?"

But Aden wasn’t rely surprised. Sothing more profound awakened within him—a glimr of interest, a shiver he couldn’t suppress. He cocked his head, and a slow, deliberate smile creased his face. "You think you’re the only one who is suffused with darkness?" The words dripped with a subdued, deadly humor, as if he had been holding out for this mont.

Leon’s face lost its composure, a flash of doubt illuminating his golden eyes, but he didn’t turn away. The air hung heavy for a heartbeat, electric and dense, before Aden raised his sword. This ti it wasn’t plain steel glinting in the light of the fires. Shadows twirled along its edge, black veins snaking like living things down the blade. His armor, which had been so bright with green sigils, had beco obsidian, drawing in the light that surrounded him. "Don’t look so dumbfounded, boy," he growled, low and rich and heavy with threat. "You think darkness only picked you?

The air itself quivered in reaction. Mana was distorted and writ upon, a raging tempest of power bursting around them. Fire danced, flexing to the pull of the massive aura, gold, indigo, and black blending in a mad whirling that was beautiful and terrifying at once. Each pulse, each breath was made to seem larger, as if the universe had been condensed to this one eting of wills.

Leon’s lips twisted into a pale, reluctant smile, tipped with surprise and sothing darker, sothing taunting. "Well," he got out, a laugh stuck in his throat, "did not expect that."

Aden’s smile grew harder, teeth just visible beneath the shadowy mask of his face. The air around him vibrated like a living thing, hungry, ready. "Now," he growled, his voice rumbling through the air like thunder on the horizon, "let’s get on with it.