Name That Shakes the Wall

"I admit defeat today. You win... Let’s go."

Freddy Lavahound glared fiercely at Harry Taylor before turning to leave, his jaw tight, pride barely holding together.

"Wait..."

The single word drifted across the city wall like a blade sliding free from its sheath.

Instantly—silence.

The noise of the battlements, the low murmurs, even the wind carrying ash from the scorched wilderness seemed to freeze.

Everyone felt it.

A shift.

A weight.

Freddy stopped mid-step.

His spine stiffened.

Something bad is going to happen.

The thought didn’t come gently—it slammed into him.

That voice...

Too familiar.

Not through friendship.

Through fear.

A fear carved deep into bone and memory.

Leon turned.

Then, under countless gazes, he began walking toward them.

Slow.

Unhurried.

Each step light—

Yet every footfall landed like a hammer against Freddy’s chest.

The Lavahound experts behind him felt it too.

Their breathing grew uneven.

Their legs... weakened.

Not from exhaustion.

From instinct.

Their bodies reacted before their thoughts could catch up.

They remembered.

Harry, standing off to the side, blinked—then a grin slowly crept across his face.

Senior isn’t done?

Ah... this just got interesting.

Freddy forced himself to turn back.

His face had gone pale.

His lips trembled.

His eyes locked onto Leon’s calm expression as if staring at judgment itself.

In that moment—

Freddy wasn’t thinking about winning anymore.

He was thinking about how he would die.

Standing?

Kneeling?

Would collapsing make him look pathetic?

Would begging make it worse?

His thoughts spiraled into absurdity.

"Se... Senior..."

His voice shook.

It barely sounded human.

One of the Lavahound members behind him shifted slightly, sweat sliding down his neck, his gaze flickering nervously—never daring to meet Leon’s eyes.

His shoulders were tense, chest rising unevenly, as if even breathing too loudly might draw attention.

Yet—

Contrary to everything they expected—

Leon showed no killing intent.

No pressure.

No overwhelming aura crushing them into the ground.

He simply stopped in front of them.

Midnight robes stirred in the heated wind.

Long black hair brushed lightly against his shoulders, moving with a quiet, effortless grace.

His purple eyes—calm, distant—like still water under moonlight.

Unreachable.

Unreadable.

He looked at Freddy.

Then briefly—just briefly—his gaze flicked past him.

Not lingering.

Not obvious.

But precise.

Noticing.

Measuring.

Everything.

One of the members stiffened instinctively under that passing glance, his back tightening, spine straightening without thought—as if something had just brushed across his very bones.

And then—

as if nothing unusual was happening—

Leon spoke, voice even.

"You guys just came back from outside the city?"

The question stunned them.

That was all?

Freddy’s throat moved slightly, but no sound came out.

For a moment, no one responded.

Lavahound Elder reacted first.

This old fox truly deserved decades of experience.

Though his back had already dampened with cold sweat, his expression steadied quickly.

Even his posture adjusted subtly—shoulders squared, stance firm, hands steady as he cupped them in greeting.

"Respected Leon, we have indeed just returned from outside the city."

A pause.

Careful.

Measured.

"I wonder if Respected Leon has any questions?"

"...Yes."

Leon nodded faintly.

His gaze shifted toward the distant burning wilderness.

Flames danced along the horizon, reflecting faintly in his eyes.

"What’s the situation outside the city?"

A breath.

Then—

"Have you found any traces of the Inferno Swift Bird?"

Inferno Swift Bird...

The name dropped like thunder.

At once, attention across the city wall shifted.

Conversations halted.

Heads turned.

Even those pretending indifference could no longer remain still.

A woman nearby instinctively pulled her cloak tighter around her body, as if the very name carried heat.

Everyone present reacted at the same moment.

It was him.

The man standing before them—

The swordsman who slew the Purgatory Giant Ape in one strike.

Someone gasped.

"Celestis Academy’s Amethyst Summit Division... Leon."

Another blurted out, unable to hide the disbelief,

"It’s actually him. When did he come?"

Shock spread like ripples through water.

Many had been speaking loudly near him just moments ago.

Yet none had sensed his presence.

That only made the awe sharper.

"Damn... this god was standing beside me just now and I didn’t notice at all."

A burly cultivator wiped sweat from his brow, his thick arms still tense.

His heart hammered violently in his chest.

Fortunately, he hadn’t said anything stupid earlier.

Otherwise...

He didn’t even want to imagine it.

Leon’s reputation had long outgrown rumor.

Especially in Ashford City.

Back then, he had arrived alone—and before countless witnesses, crushed three elders of Sky Breaker Academy with a single strike.

That legend had never faded.

In tea houses.

In training grounds.

In taverns.

Stories still spread.

Some exaggerated him into a monster.

Some called him a sword immortal.

Others whispered of a young sovereign destined to shake the Forsaken Domain.

And now—

he stood here in person.

More terrifying than rumor.

Because this—

this felt real.

Too real.

Some sharp-eyed cultivators noticed something else.

His aura now...

It wasn’t explosive.

It wasn’t violent.

It was... heavy.

Like an ocean with no visible bottom.

Back then, he had already entered the Sage Realm.

Now?

No one could tell.

And that uncertainty—

that lack of understanding—

was what made it frightening.

Even Lavahound Elder, who had maintained composure until now, felt his breathing tighten slightly.

His fingers pressed just a bit harder together.

Facing such an existence...

How could anyone remain truly calm?

Harry, meanwhile, nearly burst from happiness.

He looked left.

Looked right.

Saw every stunned expression.

And his inner voice screamed.

Hehe, did you see that?

I’m with him.

Are you afraid?

This is too awesome.

He struggled not to laugh aloud.

His chest swelled so much he looked half a head taller.

Harry Taylor had dreamed of showing off many times.

But never on a stage like this.

This... this was legendary-level pretentiousness.

The greatest decision of his life truly had been following Leon.

His thoughts ran so wild he felt he had already reached the peak of life.

If someone handed him a throne right then, he might have accepted.

Yet Leon remained focused.

None of the commotion mattered.

Only the bird.

Only the calamity.

Lavahound Elder’s lowered his voice.

"As for the Inferno Swift Bird..."

He hesitated.

Even speaking the name seemed heavy.

"We did not find it directly."