Leon's POV
My movents sliced through the air, growing faster with each passing second. Her attacks ca at from every angle, relentless and unyielding. She was gaining speed, but so was I—no, I was surpassing her.
I could feel the sharp currents of wind cutting against my skin as our blades clashed in a deadly dance. The air around us trembled with the sheer force of our strikes, the sound of steel colliding echoing through the battlefield.
"Nnn…!"
A sharp groan escaped her lips the mont my blade slipped through her defenses. She had tried to block it, but she was a fraction too slow. The blade veered off course, missing its intended target, yet still managed to graze her cheek. A thin red line ford across her skin, and a few droplets of blood splattered onto the air before trailing down her face.
She didn't falter. With a swift motion, she retaliated, her blade cutting through the space between us. I barely dodged in ti, feeling the tip of her sword graze my clothing. A faint tearing sound reached my ears, but the blade never reached my skin.
Faster. Our attacks only grew more intense.
Neither of us yielded.
The battlefield shrank, consud by the rapid exchange of blows, each strike carrying lethal intent. The world around us blurred as we moved at speeds beyond ordinary comprehension, our blades a flurry of silver light and streaks of crimson.
Then, another opening—
My blade struck again, slicing through the air before cutting against her skin.
"Ugh…!" A sharp gasp escaped her lips, her eyes widening in surprise. She staggered back, instinctively distancing herself from .
She raised her hand, wiping the blood from her cheek with the back of her palm. Then, she stared at the crimson sar, eyes dark with exhilaration.
"Ha…! It's been a while since I bled." A twisted smile curled on her lips. "It feels good…"
Even wounded, she looked more alive than ever.
"I was holding back," she admitted, tilting her head slightly, her eyes gleaming with unrestrained excitent. "Didn't want to cause too much damage here—too many people around, too much risk of collateral casualties. But I guess I'll have to stop playing around."
Then—
A shift.
Sothing unseen, yet undeniable.
Her presence, once restrained, now exploded outward like an untad wildfire. The air thickened, pressing down like an invisible weight. The very space around her trembled, and the ground beneath us cracked from the sheer force of her aura.
She had been holding back. Until now.
"Don't worry," I said, eting her gaze with unwavering confidence. "You don't have to hold back at all."
With a flicker of thought, I activated Guardian.
A golden translucent do materialized around us, enclosing our battlefield in a protective field. The surrounding soldiers and Zoey were now beyond the reach of our fight. With Guardian in place, we could unleash everything.
No restraints. No limits.
No holds barred.
"I appreciate the courtesy," she said, smirking as she ran her fingers along the edge of her blade. Her gaze flicked to the shimring barrier surrounding us. "I can see now—you're not just strong. You're a problem."
She exhaled, her grip tightening on her weapon. "I won't hold back anymore. But don't take it personally—this is just my job."
"I understand," I said, steadying my stance. "But I won't be holding back either."
Then—
We clashed.
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, the force of our strikes making the very ground beneath us quake. Each movent was a blur, each attack faster than the last. Blades t, fists struck, and our bodies moved with an unrelenting fury.
If not for Guardian, the sheer force of our battle would have sent everyone flying.
"You really are sothing!" Zes shouted, laughter lacing her words as she pushed forward with another powerful strike. "You're not just all talk, huh!? You can actually back it up!"
She wasn't tiring. If anything, she was getting faster.
Her attacks reverberated through my arms, the shockwaves spreading across the battlefield like ripples in a storm. She was strong—undeniably so. And her technique only reinforced that strength.
But she wouldn't outlast .
No matter how boundless her stamina seed, it had limits. I estimated that she could last for three days in continuous battle before her body gave out.
But I had no intention of waiting that long.
I had to end this now.
"Sorry," I told her, voice steady. "As much as I'm enjoying this, I don't have ti to waste."
I dismissed Ayuru, the blade vanishing from my grasp.
Instead, I struck with my fingers.
A precise movent.
Her body froze.
"Huh…?"
Her breath hitched.
She stood there, eyes widening in shock. Then, her knees buckled.
She fell.
The realization hit her like a crashing wave.
"Huh…? Why…?"
I exhaled slowly. "I struck your pressure points," I explained, watching her struggle to process what had just happened. "It should have knocked you unconscious… but it seems you're too strong for that."
She gazed at , her expression riddled with disbelief, as though her mind refused to register what had just happened. Confusion clouded her once-determined eyes. She had already lost, yet it seed that realization had yet to dawn upon her.
"Now then," I said, my voice cutting through the silence, "you're going to let leave without interference, aren't you?"
She didn't answer. Her lips parted slightly, as if about to say sothing, but no words ca. Instead, she continued to stare at , dazed and frozen in place, struggling to comprehend the outco of our battle.
Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and began walking away. According to the agreed terms, the soldiers stationed here had no choice but to let exit the military camp without raising a hand against .
But just as I took another step forward—
I felt it.
A sudden spike in energy behind .
Zes's aura flared to life, thick and stubborn, an unwavering presence that refused to be snuffed out. The very air around trembled, a whisper of warning carried by an unseen force.
I turned my head, my instincts already confirming what my eyes would soon witness.
She was rising.
Her entire body quivered violently, her legs barely able to support her weight. Blood dripped from her lips where she had bitten down with such force that the crimson trickled down her chin. Her breaths ca out ragged, uneven—but still, she stood.
"As per the rules," she declared, her voice steadier than her body, "the winner is determined only when one participant is completely incapable of continuing the fight."
She lifted her chin despite the exhaustion weighing her down.
"As you can see," she continued, "I am still standing."
It was… unbelievable. The fact that she could still move after everything—hell, even the fact that she was still conscious—was astonishing in itself.
"You have to fight until I am truly incapable of continuing," she insisted.
My gaze lingered on her for a mont. Even in her current state, she had not yet let go of the fight.
Then—
She moved.
A burst of motion.
She lunged forward, her figure a blur of determination. Though her speed had significantly diminished, she was still fast—fast enough that anyone else might have struggled to react.
But not .
I read her movents with ease. She was no longer untouchable. No longer the overwhelming force she had been before.
With a single sidestep, I slipped past her, avoiding her charge entirely.
Now, I could see her clearly. No more streaks of light. No more afterimages blinding my vision. She was still swift, but she no longer held the monstrous speed that had once kept her beyond my grasp.
"It's ti for you to stop, Lieutenant," I said, my tone calm but firm. "You've already lost."
Her breath hitched, but she clenched her fists, pushing forward.
"I have never lost before… I can't lose here…" she murmured, shaking her head as if trying to reject the very notion. "You think I'll just stand aside and let you leave…?"
Her gaze burned with sothing raw—sothing desperate.
"You'll have to kill if you want to leave," she said. "The rules allow it. If I die, then I am truly incapable of fighting. That's why—"
She took a staggering step forward.
"—I won't stop."
She was relentless.
Like an unbreakable protagonist in a never-ending battle.
Her determination was admirable. But also terrifying.
I exhaled, lowering my gaze for a brief mont. Then—
I moved.
With a swift, precise step, I appeared behind her in an instant.
Before she could react—before she could so much as turn her head—
I struck.
A sharp, controlled chop to the back of her neck.
If pressure points alone wouldn't work, then this combined thod would be enough to render her unconscious.
Her body stiffened for a brief second—
Then collapsed.
The fight left her completely.
She crumpled forward, her body falling limply into the dirt.
Face-first.
Motionless.
Only then did I deactivate Guardian, the energy dissipating from around as I turned away from her fallen form.
"Zoey," I called out, my voice slicing through the thick silence. "Let's go."
Zoey had been staring, lost in thought, her expression frozen. It took a mont before she snapped back to reality.
"R-Right…" she stamred, shaking off her daze.
Together, we made our way out of the military camp, carrying with us the device that contained the portal particles.
None of the soldiers made a move to stop us.
They wouldn't.
They couldn't.
That was the agreent.
As we left, the soldiers moved toward Zes, lifting her unconscious form from the dirt, her stubborn will finally subdued.
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