Bermuda

Hugo's frozen gaze and body remained motionless for a while. As if forgetting to breathe, despite his rough pulse, there was not even the slightest movement in his [N O V E L I G H T] breathing.

The chillingly horrific scene created by just one human, with a single attack.

That vivid image of hell carved out with one strike truly seemed like a scene of judgment descending from heaven.

After briefly surveying the devastated landscape, Hugo set Delua and Marlen down on the ground from his arms. Then he straightened his back again and shifted his gaze upward to stare at the being dyeing the sky golden.

The golden flames, stretching long from his blood-stained shoulders, fluttered powerfully like a massive cloak. Clear high-voltage currents drawing bright yellow lines repeatedly appeared and disappeared around him.

This further adorned Leonardo's back view, which was emitting an intimidating aura, making it more mystical and brilliant. Along with this, heavy waves of low frequency spread in all directions, making the earth resonate as if in dedication to him.

This sight evoked primal fear rather than an opportunity to turn misfortune into blessing. Because of this, Meterion and Isabella on either side instinctively took a step back. Delua, who was sitting awkwardly on the ground, also gradually crawled backward, pushing off the dirt with her feet.

At that moment, Leonardo, floating leisurely in the steam, suddenly extinguished the flame sword in his hand. Then, after briefly scanning the canyon at his feet, he stretched out his arm toward the monsters on the other side.

In an instant, hot air whirled and an extraordinary current gathered around him. Leonardo spread his empty right hand, aiming his palm forward. Then, from left to right, he slowly drew an arc in the air. No magic was fired from his hand, but the real beginning was now.

Kwagwagwagwang-!

Following the trajectory of Leonardo's palm, a violent explosion erupted in the gap of the distant mountain range where the plains ended. Moreover, it was not a single explosion but a chain of explosions, and the impact burst the bodies of the fleeing monsters without a trace.

As the mountain range was destroyed and rock walls and earth collapsed, the creatures whose escape route was suddenly blocked scrambled in confusion. In the end, they were massacred on a large scale, screaming as their bones were pierced by heated rock fragments.

To those watching from afar, it looked like just thousands of lights flashing, but the fierce shockwave spreading from there made them feel its power, if only indirectly.

Meanwhile, in Leonardo's clean, relaxed movements without any excess, Hugo, looking up at him, felt an overwhelming power more than ever before. Yet that appearance kept making him gauge and doubt Leonardo's condition.

'For a runaway... is he still conscious?'

Runaway. It referred to the phenomenon where a mana possessor cannot control their own power being emitted. Similar to the concept of unstable control, but a runaway can occur even when not casting magic, and its scale and impact are on a different dimension.

Unable to stop even if wanting to, consciousness is swallowed up midway and reason is lost. In the end, the body, unable to withstand the mana, is torn apart and self-destructs without even knowing the pain.

That boiling energy being emitted incessantly certainly looked similar to a mage's runaway symptoms to Hugo. However, the judgment to distinguish between enemy and ally and specify targets, and the appearance of at least some control over the power, made it difficult to see it as a perfect runaway.

Then what on earth was the source of that sudden power?

As if answering Hugo's question, the mother body on the other side roared fiercely once again.

"How, how are you still alive?"

The mother body's voice, heard only by the two of them, was extremely excited and agitated. Its eyeballs, rolled back as if seeing something it shouldn't, and its half-spread wings trembled.

"You should have been dead already—why are you alive!"

The cornered monster snapped, its body fully inflated. It seemed very angry, but there was an unknown fear in its eyes.

Hugo vaguely guessed that someone other than Leonardo was reflected in the creature's eyes. As it roared violently to threaten its opponent, a dark red breath mixed with ultrasonic waves suddenly swept over the humans' vision.

Hugo, who had been standing still, reflexively took a step forward to block the attack. But the flashing light was faster than Hugo's movement.

Leonardo, who appeared on the ground at a speed the eye couldn't follow, deflected the oncoming fireball with a single strike.

Kwaaang-!

The flames, blocked as they tried to cross the canyon, bounced off, tangled with hot steam. At the same time, the powerful energy emitted around Leonardo caused the ground to sink as his feet neared it.

From that point, cracks spread across the floor with a cracking sound, and the ground in the area shook heavily. As Hugo, who had hesitated, regained his balance for a moment, a savage voice flowed from 'him,' who had come within about 7m.

"You've been chattering noisily, making strange noises all this time."

The golden hair fluttering eerily and the golden currents crossing the surface. The heavy waves vibrating the air matched very well with his low voice.

"Why are you treating a perfectly alive person as dead? It's annoying."

Leonardo's deeply furrowed brow plainly revealed his displeased emotions. There was not a hint of trembling in his voice, but it sounded somewhat precarious, with a strangely rough breath mixed in.

Hugo, who had been quietly observing the situation, quickly came to his senses and approached him. Then, carefully reaching his hand forward, he called Leonardo's name softly.

"Leonardo."

"Don't come closer."

But Hugo had to stop in his tracks at the sharp voice that instantly blocked his approach.

His hand that couldn't reach also flinched in midair. Soon after, Leonardo's face, half-turned, was tinged with quite a strained look.

"...It's dangerous."

He was wearing a faint smile. But only his mouth was barely smiling, while his distorted eyes were all too clear. Hugo, remaining in place, examined Leonardo's face and then naturally shifted his gaze to the area around his neck.

The black choker was glowing gold as if overloaded. Leonardo's vast mana, being endlessly emitted, was being sucked into the choker—yet drawing out even more power.

Hugo's expression hardened coldly at the sight, which certainly didn't look normal.

"Leonardo, you—" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Later. I'll explain later."

As if guessing what he wanted to say, Leonardo raised one hand and cut him off first. Then, turning his gaze back to the monster beyond the canyon and steadying his rapid breathing, he continued.

"I don't have much time right now."

Leonardo's shoulders heaved violently. His body, enduring infinite power, swayed precariously as if about to collapse at any moment.

Nevertheless, he stood firmly at the forefront, confronting the monsters, and grasped his left chest, hoping it wouldn't be visible from behind.

'Damn... it feels like my heart is burning up.'

The unknown drug handed over by Alec Siles. From the moment he took it, mana began to gush out madly. Along with this, his heart heated up intensely as if thrown into lava, and he felt a terrible pain like being deeply stabbed with a long needle.

But there was no time to fear each of these pains and hold back. Now that most of the Council's top forces had been defeated, if they couldn't stop the creature in the plains, the peninsula's final defense line would be as good as annihilated.

Meanwhile, the duration of the amplifier was only three hours.

No matter what, he had to settle things with that monster within that time.

Leonardo, who had been frowning deeply, slowly removed his hand from his clutched chest. Then, grasping the blazing sword in his hand, he pointed its tip toward the mother body on the other side.

"Hey, listen well."

His voice, echoing through the canyon, was enough to pressure the monsters standing about 100m away.

As they flinched and retreated step by step, Leonardo pointed with the tip of his sword to the boundary line he had drawn in front of them and said:

"From that line to this side, it's all territory of Raina Logia."

Eventually, the tip of the sword, flames fluttering, plunged into the ground two steps in front of Leonardo. He swept his gaze over the crowd with blazing eyes and spelled out each word as if to devour the creatures:

"And as long as I stand here, not a single one of you can take even one step into this territory."

Red blood flowed down beneath his fiercely shining eyes. The same was true between his roughened lips. The hot, fishy smell soaking his chin and neck clearly warned of his unstable physical condition.

Nevertheless, Leonardo merely wiped the flowing blood lightly with the back of his hand and showed a relaxed smile. Not minding that his cheeks were covered in blood, he made a savage declaration of war toward the creatures.

"Come if you want to die."

The flow of air changed at his words.

Hugo felt with his entire body that the tide had turned in an instant.

The monsters clustered together, stirring like waves, and the mother body, shrinking its body tightly, slowly retreated backward.

Hugo, blankly staring at Leonardo's back standing in front of him, focused his senses on the gradually changing air current behind him.

Jeorlgeureok-

The sound of lifting heavy metal objects was heard from all directions at about the same time. Following this, groans of pain and gasping breaths filled various parts of the earth.

As Hugo slowly turned his head with a puzzled expression, he soon faced his members spread out across the wide wilderness. Those who had been lying helplessly were now staggering to their feet, standing firm while grasping their weapons and their resolve.

Hugo, looking around at them with slightly widened eyes, saw courage beyond fear in the many pairs of tattered eyes. His members, pushed to their limits, were burning with final fighting spirit, encouraged by Leonardo's voice.

He took in the sight of each member one by one, then turned his head again to look at Leonardo in front of him. As he quietly watched his firm back, the stories about 'war heroes' that Abraham Langaster used to talk about often suddenly came to mind.

It was a topic he had listened to until his ears wore out, and debated with his teacher, when he was in the midst of lessons about the qualities of a commander in the past.

At that time, he thought that the existence of war heroes in this world was nothing more than a fancy hat and scapegoat created to establish the justification for war. Like an obedient and efficient chess piece, convenient for the privileged class who needed to win public sentiment.

But Abraham's opinion was a little different. He said that to evaluate a war hero as merely a chess piece was to overlook the infinite symbols contained within. The image of a war hero that Abraham mainly talked about was the hope of the people struggling in their arduous lives—their savior and light, their wish.

At the time, Hugo considered his teacher's words to be excessive praise that blurred the essence of war. Because of this, he responded somewhat coldly and, while expressing respect, didn't pay much attention.

But now, standing in the middle of the peninsula as time had passed. Though he didn't know why that memory suddenly came to mind, Hugo was deeply reconsidering his conversation with his teacher once again.

Chiiik-

Just then, pale steam rose from the cross-section of the stratum revealing its red innards, as if the earth was exhaling. Heat haze rose, distorting the view and creating an even more dangerous yet uplifting atmosphere.

Delua, who had been sitting on the ground, picked up an iron bar rolling around at random. Then, grabbing Meterion beside her and struggling to her feet, she raised it high and shouted.

"6th Battalion, all prepare to attack-!"

As her cry, driven by anger, cut across the plains, the members staring at the front all at once adjusted their postures.

Leonardo, standing at the very forefront, was no exception. He pulled out the sword stuck in the ground and grasped it with both hands, then lowered his posture and emitted energy as if about to spring forth at any moment.

Soon after, Delua, clutching her abdomen, stood on her own, blood vessels standing out on her neck. She drew out her last voice and shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Charge-!"

At that moment, morale that rose like an active volcano quickly crossed the blood-soaked earth.

Leonardo, who instantly sank the ground he stood on, leaped into the enemy lines before anyone else. Following his glorious shadow trailing white steam, the members also flew beyond the canyon, shouting with thunderous battle cries.

In the midst of this historical scene passing by him, Hugo grasped his greatsword and naturally joined the wave. As he did so, he finally deeply empathized with the words his teacher had spoken to him in the past.

The hope of the people, their savior and light. Their wish was unfolding at this moment.

The hero of this country, whom all the citizens of the empire had loved in those times of war.

Right before his eyes now.