Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger-Chapter 132: EX . Sugarcoat

The area was silent, broken only by the fading slither of a retreating beasts. Just moments before, the air had been thick with tension, magic, blood, and something far more ancient. Now, it was still. Still enough for Vanguard Taco to stop in his tracks and glance around the area.

"This is it," he said, voice echoing. "Right here’s where I last saw him heading. Before I peeled off to assist you lot."

Nikko didn’t respond. She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing with focus. Then she said flatly, "That’s enough. I’ve caught his scent."

Without waiting, she surged forward, boots grinding against stone as she moved with absolute certainty. Rebecca and Raven exchanged a glance and followed immediately, their steps quieter but no less determined. Taco hesitated only for a beat, eyes narrowing in thought.

’What’s with her and that boy? is he her ’boy toy’ or something?’He shook the ridiculous thought away and jogged after them.

The trail led them to a dead end, or it would’ve been, if Nikko weren’t who she was.

"His scent leads underground," she muttered. "But there’s no entrance."

Without another word, she leapt and punched downward, cracking through layers of rock like it was paper. Dirt exploded, and then she vanished into the earth.

The others followed her one after another, dropping through the hole and landing into a dim underground passage, the air thick with dust and the lingering energy of something unnatural.

Nikko was already moving fast, every breath homing in on Leon’s trail. The tunnel narrowed, then widened into a natural chamber, and then she saw him.

Leon stood still, gaze fixed in the direction of the shadows, tense but very much alive. That was all Nikko needed to see.

"Leon," she breathed.

She rushed forward without thought, without caution. She didn’t see the massive corpse of the basilisk coiled in the corner. She didn’t notice the unconscious Eleanor collapsed to the side, body crumpled. She didn’t even spare a glance at Elizabeth, who stood near Leon with her eyes burning with power and confusion.

All Nikko saw was Leon. She stopped right in front of him and ran her hands over his shoulders, checking for wounds, for blood, for anything.

"You’re... okay," she whispered, the tension bleeding out of her all at once. Her voice steadied. "You’re okay."

Only after confirming he was unhurt did she exhale and finally seem to come back to herself. That’s when the other vanguards caught up.

Rebecca’s gaze immediately scanned the chamber, sharp and tactical. Her eyes quickly found the unconscious Eleanor, the basilisk, and then Elizabeth. Her brows lifted slightly. Even Raven, who rarely took anything seriously, narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth before looking back at Leon.

Rebecca was the first to speak.

"Combatant Leon," she said, her voice cool but edged with curiosity. "What the hell happened here?"

Leon glanced between them all. He could see it in their faces, the confusion, the questions, the expectation for answers. Nikko finally turned, blinking as if waking from a dream, and followed their gaze. Her eyes widened slightly as she finally took in the rest of the scene: the dormant basilisk, the unconscious Eleanor, and the girl with eyes like stars and power thrumming in her veins.

Whatever Leon said next... it would have to explain everything.

****

Leon didn’t hold anything back.

His voice was steady, as he started from the moment he left the battlefield, right after Vanguard Taco had arrived. With the fighting settled behind him, he’d received a distress signal from Eleanor, one of his squadmates. And without wasting time, he’d followed the signal to the caves, only to find a nest of demons swarming the tunnels like ants protecting their queen.

He spoke about the battle. The ’weight’ of fighting alone in the dark, until he reached Eleanor.

And then, her betrayal.

There was no hesitation in his voice as he explained how she tried to summon a high-level demon into her own body, how the ritual had gone ’wrong’, leading to the entity’s full power being blocked. Regardless, it had given him and Elizabeth just enough of an edge to fight it down. Together.

His tone never changed. He spoke as though it was routine.

But the silence that followed told another story.

Taco blinked hard. His brow twitched, and he folded his arms, subtly hiding the slight clench of his fingers. "An E-rank...?" he thought. "This boy... this E-rank boy fought through A-rank demons like they were disabled." His eye then darted to the basilisk corpse. "And that thing is emitting an aura nearing S-rank."

Taco swallowed quietly. ’No. I made a mistake earlier. He’s not her boy toy... he has to be her fiancé. There’s no other explanation. Only someone that talented could stand beside her.’

Beside him, Rebecca and Raven remained still. Neither of them spoke. They just stared at Leon, one trying to understand, the other measuring him.

Nikko was no different, though her thoughts ran deeper.

She hadn’t noticed anything earlier. Not the unconscious cadet Eleanor crumpled in the corner, not the massive dead serpent, not even Elizabeth standing close to Leon with faint burns on her arms. All she saw then was Leon’s face. His breathing. The warmth still in his skin. But now, with the full story out, her eyes wandered.

’At this rate...’ she thought, ’he’ll surpass me before I even realize it.’

It was Raven who finally broke the silence. Her curious gaze shifted from Leon to Elizabeth. Her tone was casual, but her eyes were sharp.

"So," she asked, "how did she get here?"

All attention turned to Elizabeth. The quiet tunnel grew tighter.

Nikko’s eyes narrowed slightly. as she felt threatened, not in the way combat trained her to detect, but something else.

Possession.

’I must be overthinking things.’

Leon didn’t hesitate.

"Well," he said, glancing briefly at Elizabeth, "she knew her man needed some help, so she appeared by his side. It’s nothing difficult."

A single sentence.

That was all.

But to Nikko, it felt like something shattered.

Far away, somewhere outside time and space, a voice echoed into the void, its tone dry, amused, and just a little scolding.

"At least sugar coat it in front of her...

I’ll need to have a talk with this young man soon."

And then, he was gone.