CHAPTER 207: CHAPTER 207- METAL

Leo didn’t stop.

Even after the explosion faded and the dust began to settle, he was already preparing his next wave. The divine pressure around him thickened, the air froze, then vibrated violently, trembling under his power.

"Still alive?!" Leo roared, eyes glowing a brilliant, inhuman blue. "Then DIE ALREADY!"

He thrust his arm forward, and torrents of water spiraled from the sky, turning into lances of ice mid-fall. At the same time, beams of light burst from his wings, raining destruction in every direction. Every step, every swing, was like a god tearing at the fabric of the world.

Glain’s barrier roots strained under the bombardment. The ground shook. The trees around them withered, life energy drawn away by the clash. Glain gritted his teeth, his arms trembling, his mana nearly drained.

"Rafael—move! Don’t let him lock on!"

But when Glain looked over, Rafael wasn’t cowering anymore.

The fear that had haunted him, the despair when he thought everything was lost, was gone.

What replaced it was a burning fire.

Rafael stood tall, magnetic energy flickering violently around him, pulling in every scrap of metal once again, turning them into a halo of spinning shards. "Enough running," he muttered, his voice low but steady. "I’ve had enough of watching everyone fight while I hide behind shields."

He clenched his fists, his eyes blazing. "If he calls himself a god... then I’ll show him what a human’s will really means!"

He slammed his foot into the ground, generating a surge of magnetic force that lifted him upward. The shards around him fused into a colossal spear of metal, humming with magnetic distortion.

Glain’s eyes widened. "Rafael, wait—!"

But Rafael was already moving. He launched himself toward Leo, riding the magnetic pull like a railgun shot, his entire body glowing from the heat and friction.

Leo smirked. "You dare charge at me again?"

His right hand crackled with energy, and a sphere of pure light formed. "Then disappear!"

The two forces collided mid-air, the metal spear clashing against the divine beam. The impact shattered the sky itself, wind blasting outward in all directions.

For a brief moment, Rafael screamed not in pain, but in defiance forcing his way through the explosion. His magnetic armor cracked, but his momentum didn’t stop.

He pierced through the light, through Leo’s barrier, and drove his fist into the so-called god’s chest.

Leo staggered back, shocked, blood spilling from his mouth for the first time since the battle began.

Rafael landed hard, barely catching his breath, his armor flickering. "You bleed just like us... god."

Leo wiped the blood from his lips, his expression twisting with fury. "You insignificant insect!"

He roared, his aura exploding again, yet now, Rafael’s stance was firm. His spirit, once crushed, now burned brighter than ever. Behind him, Glain smiled faintly, summoning new roots to support him.

"Good," the old druid murmured. "That’s the fire I was waiting for."

And once again, they both faced Leo and ready to defy the self-proclaimed god together.

Rafael’s breath came out ragged, each inhale burning his chest. Sparks of magnetic energy flickered weakly around his arms, the once vibrant aura now unstable, dimming with every second. But even so, he kept pushing forward.

He shouted, forcing his legs to move, his fists to swing. The ground trembled with each strike, and the metallic debris he commanded became a storm again, orbiting him like blades of fury. Each blow he landed against Leo’s barrier sent shockwaves through the battlefield.

Leo grunted as Rafael’s relentless assault pressed him back step by step. The metal shards clanged violently against his exoskeleton armor, carving small dents and gashes. For the first time, Leo had to raise both arms to block.

But even as Rafael’s attacks grew more desperate, Leo’s expression shifted from irritation to amusement.

The self-proclaimed god smirked. "Impressive for a mortal... but you’re running out of fuel."

Rafael ignored him and lunged again, slamming both palms together to generate a massive electromagnetic burst. The force shook the air, sending arcs of lightning and metal shrapnel toward Leo.

For a brief, blinding second—it seemed Rafael had him.

But then the light faded.

Rafael’s body trembled. His vision blurred. His magnetic field collapsed in a wave of static, and the metal storm he’d summoned fell uselessly to the ground. His knees buckled.

"Damn it... not yet..." he gasped, trying to stand.

Leo’s grin widened. "You’ve done enough tricks."

He raised his hand, gathering radiant energy in his palm. "Now—kneel before your god!"

Before Rafael could react, Leo vanished in a blur. In the next instant, his armored fist smashed into Rafael’s ribs, hard enough to send him flying.

CRACK!

Rafael’s body spun midair before slamming into the dirt, tearing a long trench across the ground. Blood spattered from his mouth as he coughed, the taste of iron filling his throat.

"RAFAEL!" Glain roared, thrusting out his hand. Roots shot from the earth, trying to form a barrier—

—but they were a second too late.

Leo followed through with brutal precision, stomping down and driving his heel into Rafael’s chest, cracking the earth beneath him. The force of it made even Glain stumble back.

"You fought well," Leo said coldly, eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. "But this is what happens when mortals forget their place."

Glain’s jaw tightened. His staff glowed faintly, his eyes filled with fury and desperation. "Enough!"

He slammed his palm against the earth, and a surge of emerald light spread across the field, an eruption of vines and ancient runes forming around Rafael’s broken body, protecting him at last.

Leo turned his head slightly, amused. "Still trying to save him, old man?"

Glain didn’t answer. He only stepped forward, his body trembling, his aura rising once again, old, but defiant.

"If I fall here," Glain said quietly, "then I’ll fall standing."

Leo let out a dry, mocking laugh, the kind that scraped at the edges of sanity.

"I should applaud that, old man. You really think courage can make up for age?"

Glain said nothing. He only steadied his breathing, his staff trembling slightly in his grasp. The ground beneath his feet pulsed with faint green light, nature itself answering his resolve.

Leo tilted his head, feigning pity. "How tragic."

Then, his smile twisted into a sneer. "Let me show you how foolish it is."

Before Glain could move, Leo blurred forward, his speed monstrous, his body leaving a trail of warped light and frost behind him. The old druid barely raised his staff when Leo’s elbow crashed into his chest. The impact shattered the air, sending Glain flying backward.

BOOM!

The ground exploded where he landed, scattering shards of rock and dirt. Leo didn’t give him a second to recover. He appeared above him instantly, his claws glowing with an icy hue, and brought them down like blades.

Glain rolled to the side, the attack grazing his shoulder and leaving a deep, freezing cut that burned instead of bled. He grunted, forcing himself up, vines erupting from the soil to snare Leo’s legs—

—but Leo had already anticipated it.

"Too slow," he said coldly, twisting his body midair. A shockwave of energy burst from him, shredding the vines into dust. Then he spun, slamming his foot into Glain’s ribs.

The old man coughed blood, the taste of iron sharp on his tongue.

"You rely on the same tricks," Leo said, landing lightly on the cracked earth. "I’ve seen your roots, your barriers, your healing... You’re predictable now, Glain. You’re just delaying the inevitable."

Glain steadied himself, his breath ragged. His mind screamed at him to move, to fight, but his body lagged behind.

Leo grinned as if reading his thoughts. "Did you think I wouldn’t remember your patterns? Every gesture and every desperate move you made, it’s all recorded, old man. And now..."

He vanished again, reappearing behind Glain. "...you die repeating history."

A blinding strike connected with Glain’s back, sending him sprawling across the battlefield. His staff clattered beside him, and pain rippled through his limbs like fire. Leo walked toward him unhurriedly, savoring every second of the dominance.

"Tell me," Leo said mockingly, standing over him, "do you still think you can win?"