CHAPTER 201: CHAPTER 201- DEATH DOOR

Julian wiped a cut from his lip and looked to Rafael, who was sweating so hard the metal around him trembled with energy. "You have one big move left," Julian said flatly. "Use it to unbalance him, not to cut his shields. Make him bleed."

Rafael’s hands shook. He could feel the drain in his core, the afterburn of his last feats. He swallowed, summoned the last reserve of ferromagnetic will, and locked his gaze on a wedge of wreckage, a chunk of the whale’s own carapace fused with metal. He lifted it like a planet and hurled it, a single, massive projectile aimed to slam into Leo’s chest just as Julian reopened a rip in the gravity field.

The world seemed to slow as the piece arced. Leo’s eyes narrowed with the terrible calm of the ascended. He reared, preparing to meet it head-on.

Reef stones and shards of steel slammed into his body, tearing his scaly skin, but the pain didn’t weaken him, he inhaled it like fuel. As the explosion hit his chest, his body vibrated, his eyes widened, and a mad laughter erupted from his throat.

"This—this is incredible!"he shouted, his voice echoing through the ruins.

He turned towards Joe, his gaze locking onto the man with a hunter’s instinct. "Lizard, you are the most dangerous, you’re the one who can break the shield. So it will be more satisfying if I deal with you first."

In an instant,his movement changed, it was no longer just about brute force, but an unnatural speed. Leo lunged at Joe with a barrage of blows,Joe, already injured, his regeneration impaired and muscles still stiff, couldn’t counter in time. Kick after kick sent Joe flying through the air.

Julian tried to jump in to protect him, but Leo swatted him away like a fly, the push sent Julian tumbling sideways, crashing into a reef boulder. Rafael shot forward, swinging his magnetic wave, fragments of metal and steel swirled to attack Leo’s body, but Leo drowned out the assault with his new aura, completely unfazed.

Leo pursued the helplessly airborne Joe, hammering him again squarely in the stomach with a scaly fist. The impact shook the air, Joe grunted and was sent spinning, his chin ripped open by a follow-up punch. As Joe was flung back upwards, Leo jumped after him; his body diving down, pounding Joe as the two of them crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact. Leo pinned Joe down, restraining him while unleashing long-pent-up rage.

This wasn’t a brief assault, it was a repeated punishment, Leo struck, punched, kicked, each time ensuring Joe had no room to breathe. Blood splattered, Joe’s body and scales were scratched, but not fatally, Joe remained alive, struggling, gasping between fury and pain. He tried to get up multiple times, but every attempt was shattered by fists coming down like precision hammers.

Amid the violence, Leo stood up, a maniacal grin spread across his face, his eyes shining. "You thought you could beat me? You’re just a stumbling block!" he sneered, punching again, Joe’s face became the target of a relentless barrage until his features were almost shapeless; each blow subdued a little more of the will to live within that body.

Around them, reactions came in waves, Rafael roared, gathering all his magnetic frames to attack again, Julian forced himself to rise, his wounds and exhaustion burning his muscles, his eyes filled with determination. "Rafael—stop him! Now!" Julian screamed. Joe, beneath Leo’s weight, still clutched a tiny ember of anger, he tried to muster one counterattack, but every time he gathered strength, Leo broke his rhythm.

The atmosphere turned into controlled panic, their comrades watched the tragic scene, some moving to close the distance, some holding back to avoid a pointless death. He jumped again, his black shadows spreading to bind and restrain the "god," but Leo was now far harder to capture a counterblow sent Julian staggering, blood spilling from his mouth.

As Leo raised his fist to strike again, the air hardened as if the entire battlefield held its breath. Julian stared at Joe, who was nearly broken, then swept his gaze towards Rafael, trembling as he held back his last reserves of energy. They were exhausted but surrender was not an option.

On the verge of the next explosion, Julian gathered his remaining strength, sharpening his shadows into a blade that shot towards Leo, a desperate, living attempt to turn the tide. The sound of the impending impact was like a promise of vengeance.

Sensing the incoming strike, Leo swiftly parried it, his reflexes far sharper than before. Julian, in turn, surged forward, his body wreathed in lightning to amplify his speed. He vanished for a heartbeat and reappeared beside Leo, blade cutting through the air in a feint meant to deceive. But Leo saw through it easily, his counter came like thunder. A brutal backhand slammed into Julian’s chest, sending him crashing across the ground.

Rafael froze, panic flooding his veins. With trembling hands, he unleashed his magnetic force, distorting the air around Leo in a desperate attempt to restrain him. "Stop this, Leo! Enough!" he shouted, his voice breaking.

But Leo only grinned a wide, ecstatic grin. "Enough? This is fun."

He lunged at Rafael, his movements a blur. The impact of his punch folded Rafael in half, a second blow crushing into his stomach and forcing a spray of blood from his mouth. Rafael collapsed, gasping, and Leo looked down at him with a disgusted sneer. "Pathetic."

Then, as if bored already, he turned back toward Julian. In an instant he was upon him again, dragging Julian up by his hair. "Get up, godling," he snarled, before dashing forward with monstrous speed.

Julian’s head scraped against the ground as Leo ran, the earth tearing beneath them. Sparks flew from the friction, dirt and blood smearing the battlefield. "Ahahahah HAHAHA" Leo laughed, wild, unrestrained, euphoric. It was the laughter of a beast reveling in its kill.