CHAPTER 193: EX 193. GODS TEMPLE VI

Jessica and Racheal were still locked in combat with the towering statue. Each movement of the stone colossus shook the arena, its emerald eyes gleaming with malice.

Racheal, bow drawn but waiting for an opening, suddenly froze. Her eyes darted toward the shimmering veil of the barrier. Outside, where the elf cohort had once stood, six humans now lingered in their place. Her breath caught in her throat when her gaze swept the ground. The lifeless, headless bodies of the treacherous elf cohort were strewn across the floor.

"Did these humans... kill them?" the thought spilled into words, her voice trembling in disbelief.

Jessica had no time to respond. She narrowly avoided a crushing swipe of the statue’s claw, the impact cracking the altar floor as its massive hand embedded into the stone. Without hesitation, Jessica dashed up the length of its arm, her movements sharp and flowing like a dancer’s. As she launched herself into the air, her spear shimmered with aura, momentum spiraling around her strike.

"Dream Thrust!"

Her weapon pierced clean into the statue’s right eye, sinking into the glowing emerald orb. The colossus let out a guttural scream, staggering backward, its body shuddering from the precision of the blow. Jessica landed beside Princess Racheal, her eyes still blank with the eerie glow of her Sleepwalker talent.

Racheal steadied her breathing, tearing her gaze from the humans outside. "I can worry about them later. For now... this thing dies."

She drew her bow, the string pulled taut as a golden aura surged into the weapon. The winds howled against her white hair, flaring it back as if the very air bent to her will. Her gaze was cold, and unwavering.

"Heavenly Divine Shot..." she whispered.

The arrow formed, blazing gold, and massive, it’s form almost divine. The pressure alone cracked the tiles beneath her boots, its radiance painting the arena in holy light, and in the next moment she loosed it.

The shot ripped through the air like thunder. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Each sonic boom shattered the silence until the colossal arrow slammed into the already staggered statue. The explosion bloomed like a newborn sun, swallowing the battlefield in blinding brilliance.

Outside the barrier, Nikko’s lips curled in satisfaction. "It’s about time."

Leon’s eyes narrowed, hand gripping the object he had taken from Rowan’s corpse. "Yes... it is." With that, he crushed it. The barrier shattered, fragments of glowing energy dissipating into the air.

Inside, Racheal lowered her bow, sweat dripping down her brow. "Is it... over?"

But before she could draw another breath, the smoke split apart. A giant serpent of stone burst forth, its body coiling, its jaws wide open as it lunged for the exhausted princess.

Jessica stirred, her sleepwalking stance shifting as she prepared to intercept, but then it came.

A sharp, echoing crack rang across the arena. The sound of the barrier breaking.

And with it, a voice, low, commanding, and faster than the serpent’s strike.

"Extreme Art: Horizon Cleave!"

****

Leon swung his blade in a vertical arc, the strike carrying across the chamber in a gleaming wave. The air split with a violent hiss, and the sword slash flew, carving through the distance before Racheal could even breathe. The serpent’s head severed clean from its body.

It collapsed at her feet with a dull thud, the body writhing before falling still.

Racheal’s eyes widened, her lips parting in disbelief.

"What...?"

A sharp crack echoed through the altar. Leon grimaced, lowering his weapon just as fissures split across the blade’s length.

"Damn."

The sword shattered in his hand, fragments clattering against the stone floor.

His squad froze. Shock flashed in their eyes, but none more than Elizabeth, who turned toward him with worry cutting through her tone.

"What happened?"

Leon exhaled through his teeth, inspecting the broken hilt before sighing again.

"It must be because of the excess workload I put on it."

The explanation was simple, yet no less staggering. His squad understood instantly. That blade had been only F-rank, its only saving grace being a Tier VII make. To withstand Leon’s absurd strength this long had been a miracle in itself.

He calmly slid the shattered weapon into his inventory and shrugged.

"There’s no need to worry. I prepared another sword just in case."

Nikko’s eyes lingered on him, sharp and appraising.

"You really prepare for anything, Leon."

A small smirk tugged at his lips.

"Yeah, I do... but I don’t need a sword."

The words hung in the air as the dust from the fallen serpent finally cleared, unveiling what lay ahead.

The female statue guardian was gone. In its place, another form emerged, it was taller, its stone body sculpted into the likeness of a warrior. From its back, a massive serpent coiled upward, and from the front another had once jutted forth. Leon’s earlier strike had ended that one; only the serpent trailing from its back remained, hissing with venomous malice.

Nikko’s sharp voice cut through the tension.

"The guardian has entered its rampage state. In this form, all of its strength is doubled."

Her gaze shifted back to Leon.

"Why don’t I handle this?"

But Leon was already stepping forward, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off the weight of the shattered sword. His stride was casual, almost lazy, but the fire in his eyes said otherwise.

"No need. This’ll be a little warm-up."

He cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp in the chamber. A grin spread across his face.

"It’s been a while since my fists tasted some action."

Force flared through his body, surging into his arms. His fists glowed faintly, the affinity amplifying every ounce of power packed within them.

He dashed forward, the ground cracking beneath his step.

The guardian lunged to meet him, its stone limbs moving with unnatural speed, the serpent at its back snapping down in tandem.

Stone and flesh collided in a thunderous crash, and just like that, Leon’s fists had entered the battle.

****

Racheal’s breath hitched as her eyes tracked Leon’s movements. Jessica’s weight pressed against her shoulder, the old elf slumping unconscious the moment Leon had stepped forward, as though her body itself had given in, trusting he would handle the rest.

And now, Racheal could only watch.

The guardian towered above him, stone muscles chiseled into monstrous bulk, its serpent whipping and lashing with deadly precision. Yet Leon met it with nothing but his fists. His knuckles crashed into stone, each strike ringing out like steel on steel, and the ground trembled beneath their collisions. Despite the vast difference in size, they were evenly matched, blow for blow, power for power.

Dust and fragments scattered with every clash. Leon didn’t flinch. His expression was calm, almost casual, as if he’d been waiting for this kind of brawl.

Racheal’s lips parted slightly, her heart skipping as the thought pressed against her mind.

’He saved me?’

The realization struck harder than the guardian’s fists. That vertical slash, that impossible strike that cleaved the serpent’s head before it reached her, he hadn’t even hesitated. And now, he was standing where she should have been crushed, fists drenched in force energy, holding back a creature no sane trial taker would fight barehanded.

Her fingers curled against Jessica’s limp arm. Shock lingered in her chest, mingling with something unfamiliar. Watching him trade punches with a monster that should have been unbeatable, she couldn’t tell which was louder, her racing heartbeat or the sound of Leon’s fists breaking stone.

****

A/N : I’m planning to release six Chapters at the start of next month. Please show your support, as "burnt out" isn’t a strong enough word to describe how I feel right now.