Chapter 160: The Princess
Chapter 160: The Princess
The fourth S-Class Knight, who had moved earlier, saw Leon charging toward him like a predator closing in on its prey.
Without hesitation, he drew a black metallic rod from his waist.
Click!
With the press of a button at its center, a brilliant blue blade shot out from one end.
He swung it at Leon.
But the strike never reached its target. A streak of white flashed through the air.
Schlk!
The blue blade was cleanly severed in half. The broken half spun twice before embedding itself into the asphalt.
At the very same instant...
A crimson line appeared across the knight’s waist. His body split into two.
Dead.
[00:54]
The system had already begun the one-minute countdown for Berserk Mode.
In just six seconds...
Two S-Class Knights had fallen.
That was the terrifying might of Leon’s Berserk Mode.
For that single minute...
He was like a force of destruction. Like a tsunami crashing upon a peaceful shore.
The remaining five S-Class Knights standing beside the leader reacted instantly. Two stood in front of him like human shields.
The other three charged straight at Leon.
One of them pulled out another metallic rod.
There was a button at its center.
Click!
Both ends extended simultaneously, and a razor-sharp spearhead emerged from one end.
Instead of relying on his eyes, the knight thrust toward the sound of Leon’s movement.
But Leon effortlessly slipped past the attack.
He weaved between the spear thrusts with unbelievable precision, his movements flowing so smoothly that it looked less like a battle...
and more like a dance.
With a touch of his wrist, Leon deflected the spear aside.
The Frost Monarch’s Blade shot forward.
Schlk!
The blade pierced through the knight’s chin before erupting from the top of his skull in a spray of blood.
[00:50]
The remaining two attackers desperately tried to stop him.
But it was futile.
Within seconds...
Both lifeless bodies crashed onto the ground.
[00:41]
Without slowing down, Leon charged straight toward the masked leader and the two remaining S-Class Knights guarding him.
The other two S-Class Knights were still locked in battle with Frenrir and Noira.
Leon closed the distance in an instant.
Just as the Frost Monarch’s Blade was about to decapitate another knight...
The leader finally made his move. With a casual flick of his wrist, he threw a black metallic disc onto the ground.
The instant it landed...
Buzz!
A transparent barrier erupted outward, enclosing the leader and the two S-Class Knights within it.
Clanggggg!
The Frost Monarch’s Blade slammed into the barrier.
Instead of cutting forward, the impact sent Leon backward. His feet carved deep trenches into the asphalt as he struggled to halt his momentum.
A sharp numbness spread through the arm gripping the sword. His eyes narrowed.
’A defensive artifact?’
Leon gritted his teeth and charged forward again, tightening his grip around the Frost Monarch’s Blade.
Clang!
The sword struck the transparent barrier again. But... It didn’t even tremble.
Clang!
And again.
Clang!
Clang!
Again and again, Leon unleashed slash after slash. Yet the barrier stood unmoving, like an indestructible mountain. The two S-Class Knights inside let out quiet sighs of relief.
Meanwhile, the masked leader calmly took out his phone and made a call, as though Leon’s attacks were nothing more than an annoyance.
"What the hell...?" Leon roared through gritted teeth. "I can’t break it even in Berserk Mode?! What the hell is this thing made of?!"
Clanggg!
Another violent impact.
Leon was forced back several meters by the rebounding force.
[00:24]
Time was running out. Desperation filled Leon’s heart.
’If Berserk Mode ends... I won’t be able to save her.’
As his heart was growing impatient with each passing second...
Something clicked.
His eyes flashed. Without hesitation, Leon changed his stance.
"Second Form..." He quickly raised the Frost Monarch’s Blade above his head.
"Point Barrage."
Clang!
The first strike descended. The barrier trembled violently. All eyes snapped toward Leon.
Clang!
A second slash landed in exactly the same spot. The impact was noticeably stronger.
Clang!
The third strike. The destructive force continued to build. The leader’s eyes narrowed.
Clang! The fourth strike fell.
And finally...
Creak!
A thin crack finally appeared across the surface of the barrier. The masked leader’s expression changed instantly. His face turned deathly pale. He knew exactly how durable that barrier was.
Even with Berserk Mode multiplying Leon’s strength twentyfold... Even with the Frost Monarch’s Blade increasing its damage by another one hundred and fifty percent...
Leon hadn’t been able to leave so much as a scratch moments earlier.
Yet now...
The barrier had cracked.
Clang!
The fifth strike of the second form landed. The fracture deepened. Cracks spread rapidly across the entire barrier like a spider’s web.
[00:18]
Clanggggg!
The sixth strike. And finally...
BOOM!
The barrier exploded into countless fragments, shattering like fragile glass.
"Shit!" The two S-Class Knights cursed simultaneously before charging toward Leon.
But...
Schlk!
Schlk!
Two flashes of white crossed the battlefield.
The two knights collapsed before they could even complete a single attack.
[00:11]
Leon lunged at the leader like a hungry wolf. "You should’ve come after me instead of using my sister."
Whoosh!
The Frost Monarch’s Blade descended like heavenly judgment.
Schlk!
The Disaster Class Knight was cleaved diagonally from shoulder to waist. Before the man’s body could even fall apart, Leon caught Jenny and gently pulled her into his arms.
The leader’s eyes widened. Blood poured from his mouth.
"But..." His voice trembled.
"We never came for you. We came to take the princess back." He choked out those last words. Then, the last trace of life left his eyes.
Leon froze.
[00:03]
[00:02]
[00:01]
[00:00]
The timer reached zero.
The overwhelming power vanished from Leon’s body.
His legs gave out.
Using the last of his strength, he carefully laid Jenny on the ground before collapsing beside her.
Berserk Mode had ended.
He had saved Jenny.
He knew Frenrir and Noira were more than capable of dealing with the remaining two S-Class Knights and ensuring their safety.
But as darkness slowly swallowed his vision...
Only one sentence continued to echo inside his mind.
’We came to take the princess back.’