“Kill her? Are you worthy?”
Before the Holy Sword of Zenith could reach Lilith, an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended upon Guren, forcing him to his knees in the sand.
“What!?” Guren gasped, his mind reeling in shock and disbelief.
Before he could recover from his shock, a crushing blow to his stomach sent him flying hundreds of meters.
*Boom!*
Guren’s body crashed into a large rock, shattering it upon impact, a testament to the sheer power of the attack he received.
“Cough! Cough!” Blood seeped from the corners of Guren’s mouth as he coughed violently.
The searing pain radiated through his back and abdomen, blurring his vision, as though something was pulling his consciousness away.
The holy power within him fought to heal the wounds, but it struggled in vain, as if an equally powerful force was suppressing his holy power.
At this unexpected turn of events, Valen and Luna were both deeply shocked.
They quickly turned their attention to Lilith and saw a man with a half-face mask slowly descending from the sky, coming to stand before her.
The man had pale white hair and eyes of an exquisite purple hue. He wore a beautiful black mantle that emphasized his domineering and mysterious presence.
As Luna’s gaze met his purple eyes, her heart skipped a beat, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity blossomed within her.
“Leon?” Luna called out, her voice trembling.
Valen gasped at the mention of the name “Leon,” staring at the mysterious man in disbelief.
“Leon? That’s impossible,” Valen said in a heavy tone, instantly shattering Luna’s hope.
“N-No, but he…” Luna stammered, wanting to argue, but her words faltered when she noticed the man’s features were distinctly different from Leon’s.
Leon had black hair as dark as the night sky and beautiful golden eyes, whereas the mysterious man had pale white hair and purple eyes like sapphires. Their differences were so stark that it was impossible for him to be Leon.
Yet, despite these glaring contrasts, there was an inexplicable pull, a feeling that told Luna this man must be Leon.
Valen sighed softly, pitying Luna. After Leon’s death, Luna’s temper had subtly shifted, and Valen was keenly aware of the change.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Valen refocused on the mysterious man, his wariness growing.
Just moments ago, Guren had been struck by this man with such incredible speed that Valen hadn’t even had time to react.
Though he despised Guren, Valen had to admit that Guren’s newfound strength, aided by the Holy Sword of Zenith, had made him much more formidable.
Thus, the mysterious man’s power and abilities were undeniably terrifying, instilling in Valen a deep sense of danger.
“Who are you?” Valen inquired coldly, struggling to rise to his feet.
However, the immense power of Lilith’s ancient magic made it difficult for him to stand.
The mysterious man, who was none other than Leon, didn’t answer. Instead, he watched Valen with a faint smile slowly spreading across his lips.
“It’s been a long time since I last saw him,” Leon muttered softly. “I didn’t expect him to end up in such a pitiful state.”
His gaze shifted to Valen’s wounds, most of which seemed fatal, before moving to Luna, who appeared just as weak, her blue eyes clouded with exhaustion.
A subtle tremor ran through Leon’s heart, and a wave of longing washed over him.
“Luna…” he whispered, but quickly held himself back.
Despite the deep yearning to call his childhood friend, he reminded himself that he couldn’t lose sight of his purpose on this battlefield.
“Who are you?” Lilith’s weary voice sounded from behind him, prompting Leon to turn.
“I’m a friend of your Demon Emperor, here to help you and the Demon army,” Leon replied softly.
Lilith looked at him in surprise, doubt clouding her beautiful face.
“A friend of the Demon Emperor? Why wouldn’t I know about that?” She questioned, her skepticism clear.
Being quite close to Liliana, she had no idea her sister had any friends—especially not a male one.
Feeling slightly awkward, Leon cleared his throat, trying to cover it up.
“Well, that’s understandable; you’ve been in the Desert of Chaos for quite some time,” he replied nonchalantly.
Lilith narrowed her eyes, preparing to question him further when, unexpectedly, something happened.
Fresh blood trickled from her nose and the corner of her mouth, followed by a sharp pain in her chest. She gasped for air before finally collapsing.
Startled, Leon reacted instantly, moving to catch her as she collapsed. He examined Lilith and discovered severe damage to her magic channel.
“Is this the result of the ancient magic she cast?” Leon wondered, his gaze fixed on the vanishing magic circle.
In that instant, the mankind soldiers, who had been paralyzed by Lilith’s ancient magic, finally regained control of their bodies.
“I can finally move!” one soldier exclaimed in relief.
“Me too!” another replied, and soon, cheers of excitement rippled across the battlefield.
Their gazes instinctively shifted to the retreating Demon army, and though they considered giving chase, they immediately refrained, knowing the army leaders had not issued any orders.
Meanwhile, Valen, now free to move, glared furiously at Leon. Leon’s disregard for his question mirrored Guren’s arrogance, igniting Valen’s anger once more.
“Dammit! Do you think that just because you struck Guren from the shadows, you can act arrogantly in front of me?” Valen snarled, tightening his grip on the Holy Spear of Soaring Dragon.
Without hesitation, Valen teleported directly in front of Leon, spinning the Holy Spear of Soaring Dragon and shouting, “Hero Technique: Breaking the Limit!”
The spear blazed with a brilliant white light as Valen thrust it toward Leon’s neck.
“Wait! Don’t be reckless, Valen!” Luna shouted, scrambling to stop him. But the attack had already struck Leon.
*Boom!*
A powerful explosion erupted where Valen and Leon stood, sending a small sandstorm swirling around them.
A triumphant smile spread across Valen’s face, but before he could take pride in his victory, Leon’s cold, indifferent voice rang out.
“Is this all you’ve got?”
Valen gasped in shock as the tip of the Holy Spear of Soaring Dragon, just centimeters from Leon’s neck, was effortlessly caught between his two fingers.
“How is that possible?” Valen gasped, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Before Valen could react, Leon casually released his grip on the tip of the Holy Spear of Soaring Dragon, then pressed his index and middle fingers together, pointing them at Valen’s chest.
A purplish-black sphere of chaos energy materialized from the tips of his fingers and shot toward him.
*Boom!*
The sphere exploded, sending Valen flying hundreds of meters.
At that moment, Guren, who had just regained full consciousness and was about to break free from the rock crevice, was suddenly struck by Valen, whose body had been sent flying.
The pain that had started to subside flared up again, overwhelming his body and causing him to lose consciousness once more.
Meanwhile, Luna, witnessing the scene, couldn’t help but swallow nervously.
“Who is he? And why is he so strong?” Luna wondered, her body trembling slightly.
Valen’s attack, a hero technique empowered by holy energy, had been effortlessly blocked with just two fingers, making her feel as if she were dreaming.
Even though Valen was injured and not at his full strength, his attack had still been overwhelming.
Even the powerful arch-demon they had just faced would likely have struggled to withstand such an assault.
“Could he be the Demon Emperor?” The moment the thought crossed her mind, Luna’s eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat.
Although she couldn’t be certain if her guess was right, she was sure that no one other than the Demon Emperor could have achieved such a feat.
Subconsciously, her eyes turned red, and a strong hatred twisted her beautiful face.
This was the figure who had wounded Leon and taken his life, stealing away the one person she cherished most. Despite the inexplicable familiarity she felt, she pushed it aside.
Her purpose in coming to the Desert of Chaos was not only to search for Leon but to kill the Demon Emperor and avenge him.
With that, a blue light suddenly appeared in her left palm, and an ice-blue bow materialized.
Luna pulled the bowstring, and a brilliant white arrow gradually formed.
Leon was momentarily shocked by the scene but quickly regained his composure.
Cradling Lilith like a princess in his arms, he looked at Luna with a calm and gentle gaze.
“I don’t want to fight you, Hero Luna. Please lower your weapon,” Leon said softly.
Luna flinched but quickly hardened her expression, replying coldly, “Stay silent, Demon Emperor! You killed Leon, and I will avenge him!”
Leon was momentarily stunned, the corner of his lips twitching at her words.
He wanted to tell her that he wasn’t the Demon Emperor and that the “Leon” she spoke of was standing right in front of her, alive.
But, unable to reveal the truth, he sighed deeply and spoke calmly.
“You’ve misunderstood, Bow Hero. Sword Hero Leon Kruger is not dead,” Leon said casually.
Luna’s eyes widened, and the arrow she had drawn vanished in an instant.
“Not dead? What do you mean?” Luna asked, her voice trembling.
Leon smiled slightly, ready to explain, but was interrupted as hundreds of thousands of human soldiers swiftly formed a tight circle around him.
The army, comprising cavalry, infantry, and archers, arranged themselves in perfect formation, effectively trapping him in place and preventing any chance of escape.
“Hero Luna, are you alright?”
A female soldier from the archer unit hurried over, concern flashing in her eyes as she glanced at Luna’s wounds.
Luna shook her head with a calm expression and replied, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
The soldier exhaled in relief, nodding silently before stepping back.
Leon observed the hundreds of thousands of human soldiers encircling him, a tinge of nostalgia settling into his thoughts. Once, he had led many of them into battle against the Demon race, and now they surrounded him with eyes full of hostility.
“Tsk tsk, fate is truly unpredictable,” Leon muttered, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Shaking his head, Leon glanced at Luna and said lightly, “Two days from now, meet me at the Valley of the Dead at night, and I’ll reveal Leon’s whereabouts.”
After a brief pause, he added with a playful smile, “Oh, and bring Jim, Rain, Natasya, Valen, and the fake sword hero with you.”
After saying that, Leon and Lilith in his arms gradually blurred and disappeared from sight.
Humanity’s troops were stunned by the sudden disappearance, exchanging bewildered glances.
Meanwhile, Luna’s expression remained unchanged as she lowered her head, deep in thought.
“Valley of the dead?”
