Chapter 313: Chapter 313: Leon VS Magicless Guardian [1]

Leon’s expression instantly became completely blank as he stared at the [Magicless Guardian]’s actions.

At that moment, he stopped thinking entirely. There was only one thing left in his mind: kill it. Immediately.

BOOOOM!

Leon exploded forward with terrifying speed, shattering the marble floor beneath his feet as he dashed directly toward the guardian without hesitation.

SLASH!

Both of his swords swung simultaneously toward the boss.

CLANG!

The [Magicless Guardian] reacted instantly, blocking both attacks with two of its own blades while the other two arms immediately retaliated toward Leon’s torso and neck.

But—

Vision Enhancement!

Leon’s eyes sharpened instantly. Every movement became clearer. Every trajectory visible.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The exchange exploded into motion as Leon deflected strike after strike at absurd speed while continuing to pressure the guardian relentlessly.

The boss was incredibly fast. Far faster than any opponent Leon had fought physically until now in this life. But Leon no longer cared about danger.

His eyes remained fixed only on the transparent orb inside the guardian’s chest where Celeste’s flame continued slowly disintegrating.

He needed to kill it before the process finished.

SLASH!

Leon ducked beneath one blade before slashing upward toward the orb, but the guardian twisted one of its arms instantly to block the attack.

Then—

BOOOOM!

A massive burst of aura exploded outward from the guardian’s body, forcing Leon backward once more.

The boss immediately followed up by coating all four swords in crimson energy before swinging outward simultaneously.

FWOOOSH!

Dozens of giant crescent slashes erupted across the chamber at once, each one powerful enough to split apart the marble floor itself.

The attacks covered almost the entire room. Normally, facing such an overwhelming opponent would have forced Leon to analyze the situation carefully or retreat temporarily.

But not now. Not while Celeste’s flame was inside that thing.

Leon’s expression remained terrifyingly cold as he dodged through the storm of crescent slashes one after another, his movements becoming sharper and faster with every passing second.

Even if this thing had ten million combat power, he would still kill it. Fast enough to save Celeste.

Leon’s grip tightened around his [Power Sword +3].

Then suddenly, crimson light erupted from the blade alongside swirling darkness, both energies combining together violently around the weapon.

Surprisingly, even after everything that had happened until now, Leon still managed to remain calm while the [Magicless Guardian] stood before him with Celeste’s fading phoenix flame trapped inside its transparent core, though the coldness in his eyes had already reached a level Emilia herself would probably find terrifying if she were here to witness it.

The aura surrounding Leon exploded outward. And without hesitation, he unleashed his strongest attack.

ECLIPSE SLASH!

The moment Leon unleashed the skill, the entire chamber exploded with countless flashes of crimson and white light as hundreds of slashes erupted around the [Magicless Guardian], surrounding its towering frame from every direction while enough force burst out to crack the marble floor beneath them.

Leon already understood something important from the very start of this fight: the boss possessed more [Combat Power] than him.

Not only that, but because the creature existed in a place where all [Spirit] was drained away completely, it meant every single one of its remaining attributes had likely been pushed to monstrous heights instead: [Strength], [Agility], and [Constitution].

A creature like this was basically built for pure physical combat. Yet Leon did not care, not even slightly.

At this point, his mind only had one objective left: kill the guardian, save Celeste. That was all.

His [Power Sword +3] still doubled the force of his physical attacks thanks to the [Blood Heart Blessing], which meant that even if the guardian possessed overwhelming durability, Leon’s strikes could still tear through it if they landed properly.

The barrage of crescent-shaped slashes continued erupting around the guardian’s body endlessly, forcing the boss to move all four of its arms at insane speed while blocking and deflecting attack after attack.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Every collision released violent shockwaves throughout the chamber as sparks exploded everywhere.

The guardian’s experience was monstrous.

Even while facing an overwhelming rain of attacks from every angle, it somehow remained composed enough to react to every incoming slash with precise movements.

Seeing this, Leon instantly realized something. If he gave the boss even a little breathing room, then Celeste’s flame would continue getting absorbed.

Which meant he could not allow the guardian even one second to recover.

Fwoosh!

Leon immediately dashed forward while the barrage continued, his figure turning into a blur as he rushed straight toward the guardian to overwhelm it further before it could adapt.

But right as he was about to close the distance completely—

Click!

Leon’s eyes widened instantly. The sound came from directly beneath him.

BOOOOM!

A gigantic pillar of flames erupted violently between Leon and the guardian, exploding upward with enough force to melt the marble floor beneath it while scorching the surrounding air.

Leon twisted his body backward immediately to avoid being swallowed by the flames, though even then the sheer heat forced him away from the boss once again.

’The trap didn’t activate before...!’ Leon’s expression darkened heavily as realization hit him, ’Which means this thing can activate every trap in the chamber whenever it wants.’

That fact alone instantly made this battle several times more dangerous.

The guardian knew where every hidden mechanism was located. It knew which areas were safe. It knew where Leon would move next.

Meanwhile Leon had to remain alert against every inch of the floor, ceiling, and walls while still fighting a monster with five million combat power.

And the worst part... The boss only needed to stall for time.

SLASH!

Thankfully, one of Leon’s Eclipse slashes finally managed to bypass the guardian’s defense and cut through one of its four arms completely, blood erupting everywhere as the severed limb crashed onto the ground.

ROOOOOAR!

The guardian released an enraged roar as the remaining barrage finally ended, the crimson aura behind its lion-shaped mask burning more violently than before.

Even so, Leon did not stop moving.

He rushed forward once more immediately, fully intending to overwhelm the boss before it could activate more traps.

But then the guardian suddenly glanced toward the ground beside Leon.

Tap! BOOOOM!

A massive explosion erupted directly beside him, covering the entire area in smoke and shattered debris while the force blasted Leon backward.

And before the dust could even settle—

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

The guardian suddenly emerged from within the smoke itself and launched several attacks at terrifying speed, forcing Leon to block with both swords as sparks exploded everywhere around them.

The guardian attacked relentlessly for several seconds before backing away once again immediately afterward.

It never committed fully. It only attacked enough to pressure Leon before retreating once more.

’A bastard like this...’ Leon’s expression continued darkening with every passing second.

ABYSSAL SLASH!

Darkness spread beneath Leon’s feet as he instantly vanished into the shadows and attempted to strike from below, but because the chamber was completely illuminated from every angle, the guardian noticed the disturbance immediately.

Click!

Another trap activated. Several blades erupted upward from the floor, forcing Leon out of the shadows before his attack could land properly.

The exchange continued repeatedly after that.

The guardian attacked. Activated traps. Backed away. Stalled. Again and again.

Every movement it made was solely focused on wasting time.

And as the battle dragged on, Leon slowly noticed the thing that finally pushed him toward the edge: Celeste’s flame was shrinking.

Before, it had still been relatively stable inside the transparent [Magicless Core]. Now it was barely the size of a finger.

Its particles were slowly disappearing one after another while the guardian absorbed it for energy.

Leon could practically feel the boss mocking him. Even without seeing its face beneath the lion mask, he already knew the creature was enjoying this.

It wanted him to panic. It wanted him to watch helplessly.

And unfortunately for the guardian... It succeeded in making Leon angry. Very angry.

"Alright..." Leon slowly took a deep breath while tightening his grip on both swords hard enough for veins to appear across his hands, "You really want to do this...?"

His voice became frighteningly calm afterward. Just cold killing intent.

Leon had already seen too many companions die in his previous life. Too many people vanished while he stood there powerless.

Too many situations where he wished afterward that he had simply acted faster.

So this time... No matter what happened to him... He refused to let Celeste disappear.

Fwoosh!

Dark crimson aura erupted around Leon’s body violently as he pointed both swords forward.

The [Magicless Guardian] instantly reacted.

Click! Click! Click! Click!

Dozens of traps activated throughout the chamber simultaneously.

Arrows burst from the walls. Spike balls crashed from the ceiling. Spears launched upward from the floor. Explosions erupted around him. Even giant pillars of fire appeared throughout the battlefield.

Yet Leon ignored all of it completely. Because at that exact moment... He activated his newly acquired forbidden skill.

BERSERK!

...

A/N

Only one Chapter today we resume normal schedule from tomorrow!