Eira knelt before the statue and kowtowed twice. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Only then did she rise to her feet. She took out a small blade and began carving a large circle around the statue. The process took nearly five minutes.

After completing the circle, she started engraving strange symbols along its edges.

The symbols looked ancient and mysterious, unlike any language found in the modern world.

She had only finished about half of them when...

"Those are some impressive symbols you can draw. Where did you learn them?"

A voice suddenly echoed behind her.

Eira’s body stiffened. She instantly leaped backward and assumed a defensive stance.

Only then did she see the owner of the voice.

Leon.

He was standing comfortably a short distance away, not a single rope binding his body. His lips were curled into a faint grin.

"Y-You?!" Eira’s eyes widened. "How did you get rid of the rope?" Her voice carried both shock and anger.

Leon shrugged. "Just a few tricks."

His gaze shifted past her and landed on the giant cyclopean statue standing within the circle.

"So that’s the demon you were talking about, huh?"

Twenty Minutes Earlier...

Leon slowly opened his eyes.

’Didn’t think pretending to be unconscious would actually work. But luckily, it did.’

He carefully kept his breathing steady while looking at Eira to see what she was doing. ’At least now I know why she’s here. But what’s this demon she was blabbering about? Aren’t demons supposed to be nothing more than fairy tales? The kind of thing people read about in novels or watch in supernatural movies?’

After a moment, he shook his head. ’Whatever it is, I doubt letting her complete whatever she’s planning is a good idea.’

Leon lowered his voice to the faintest whisper. "The Raging Inferno’s Wings."

The next instant, the twin daggers appeared beside him. He immediately activated their stealth mode, causing them to vanish from sight.

Then he carefully guided them toward the ropes binding his wrists. He controlled them, the daggers sliding back and forth against the ropes. But... The ropes didn’t even show the slightest sign of damage.

Leon frowned. ’What the hell?’

He increased the force and pressed the daggers even harder.

Still nothing.

’These daggers can’t cut through it?’

His expression darkened slightly. ’Damn it. If only I could control the Frost Monarch’s Blade with my mind, too.’

Gritting his teeth, Leon continued. The invisible daggers relentlessly rubbed against the same section of rope.

Five minutes passed. Then, finally...

A small portion of the rope began to stretch.

Leon’s eyes lit up.

The fibers gradually grew thinner and thinner under the constant friction.

And then...

Snap!

The rope finally broke apart.

"Got you."

The moment his hands were freed, Leon immediately summoned the Frost Monarch’s Blade.

Shing!

The icy blade flashed through the air. The supposedly unbreakable artifact rope was sliced apart as easily as tofu. Within seconds, all of his bindings had fallen away.

He rubbed his wrists and stretched his stiff limbs, easing the lingering pain and allowing blood to flow normally through them once more.

Then he looked toward Eira.

’Sorry, but whatever you’re trying to do ends here.’

Back to the present...

After staring at Leon for several moments, Eira suddenly chuckled.

"You could have tried running away to save your life. But instead, you stayed. Stayed because you actually think you can stop me. What should I call it? Overconfidence? Or plain foolishness?" She asked with an amused laugh.

Leon shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"I suppose not." Her eyes turned cold the next moment. "You’re going to die regardless."

The moment she finished speaking, she brought out her fan and swung it in a wide arc.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Five silver needles shot through the air. They were so fast that Leon didn’t even have the time to dodge. Or it seemed more like he had no intention of dodging.

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

All five needles struck their targets. Two pierced his arms. Two embedded themselves in his legs. The final one sank directly into the center of his forehead.

Eira grinned viciously. "Huh. You couldn’t even see the attack coming. And you wanted to be my opponent? What a joke."

Leon didn’t respond. He didn’t move either.

Veins began bulging across his body as something greenish flowed violently beneath his skin, as though the veins could burst apart at any moment.

A trickle of blood slid down from the corner of his lips.

Yet Leon’s gaze remained fixed on the air before him. More precisely, on the translucent panel, only he could see.

[Host has consumed a large amount of Grade 3 poison.]

[Poison Resistance is increasing drastically.]

[Poison Resistance: 0.25%]

[Poison Resistance: 0.33%]

[Poison Resistance: 0.41%]

The corners of Leon’s lips slowly curled upward. Blood continued dripping from his mouth. Combined with the bulging green veins spreading across his body, the smile made him look more like a villain than a victim.

Eira was caught off guard. A trace of unease flashed across her face. "What are you laughing about?"

"Laughing at your bad luck, I guess."

"My bad luck?" Eira frowned.

"What else? Out of everyone in this world, you could’ve chosen as your sacrificial vessel, you had to choose me."

Eira laughed. "And that’s supposed to be my bad luck?" Though she laughed, she felt slightly uneasy. As if something wasn’t right.

Leon didn’t bother answering. Instead, he focused entirely on enduring the agony ravaging his body. His Poison Resistance was indeed increasing. But that didn’t make the process any less painful. His organs felt as though they had been thrown into a furnace. Every passing second brought a sensation of decay spreading through his body. At the same time, it felt as though countless tiny insects were crawling through his flesh, gnawing at him from the inside. The pain was so intense that even breathing became difficult.

Leon clenched his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. But he forced himself to endure.

Eira gradually became impatient. ’How is he still standing? He should have collapsed long ago.’

The poison inside those needles was powerful enough to kill a B-Class monster within seconds. Yet Leon remained on his feet.

Her unease was justified.

Without hesitation, she raised her hand, preparing to swing her fan once more.

But then...

Clang!

A metallic sound echoed.

Something invisible had slammed into the fan. The impact was so sudden that her grip loosened instantly. The fan flew out of her hand and spun in the air before crashing against a wall.

"I appreciate the help," Leon said. "But can you wait a little longer? I don’t think I can handle that much poison all at once." He grinned.