Experiments—that was what defined his life when he was captured by Leon. A man who used him and his companions to develop human abilities. Their mana channels were poisoned to the extreme, to create resistance and increase mana production speed. Their magic was altered through stones Leon created, because in this world, one was born with a single magic and died with it—yet that demon tried to change this human nature. And finally, their bodies were treated as objects to increase mana.
'Used until death'
Rudg was one of those destined to die when he returned from the war. But one of the guards, named Kailin, who had a family member killed by Leon, had been planning to kill him—and chose this exact day, when he was supposed to return. A plan to kill him once and for all, without giving him time to recover.
'He's been doing this to us since we were fifteen… this is justice'
At least, it should have been. Rudg watched his men being split in half by Leon's flame-covered hand. Clenching his jaw, he gripped his sword tighter and charged forward. His blade aimed for his opponent's throat, covered in pure magic.
"Explosive Touch"
Just as the sword was about to hit, Leon tilted his head to the left, dodging. Behind him, an explosion erupted, pushing him forward. Rudg took advantage of the moment, pulling a hidden dagger and aiming for Leon's eyes. As the blade approached, Leon's expression remained unchanged. At the last second, he leaned his head back while using fire at his feet to propel himself backward.
'Damn it'
"You should be more careful when approaching your opponent"
Taking advantage of Rudg still being in motion, Leon let his body fall backward and kicked upward with force toward his opponent's chin. The impact sent Rudg flying dozens of meters into the air, his body spinning upward.
"Surfien, it seems Kailin is a traitor. Kill him"
"Yes, my lord"
Surfien turned toward Kailin. His sword trembled before a green mana blade formed through a magic stone. Leon conducted many experiments to gain more power—if he used living beings, it was obvious he would use objects as well to strengthen his forces.
Rudg spun midair, still feeling the impact crushing his bones, but forced his body to react before falling. Mana flowed through him like poison as he stepped on empty air, creating an explosion that launched him back into battle. He appeared above Leon, his sword descending toward his head, wrapped in unstable mana that vibrated and tore everything in its path.
"You know, I thought about letting you live…"
"Explosive Touch"
The blade descended, but Leon only slightly moved his face aside while raising his flame-covered hand, grabbing the sword at the moment of impact. An explosion erupted between them, cracking the ground below and raising dust around them. Rudg pushed harder, gritting his teeth as his mana tried to break through Leon's defense.
"But from what I see, that's impossible"
"Explosive Break"
Another surge of energy exploded toward Leon, but he twisted his wrist and redirected the force sideways, destroying the ground as he advanced immediately without giving space. His flame-covered fist struck Rudg's abdomen with absurd force, bending his body—but before being launched away, Rudg grabbed Leon's arm, digging his fingers into the flesh. His mana concentrated in his arm.
"I got you"
"You won't listen"
"Contact Explosion"
The detonation engulfed them both in fire and mana, collapsing the ground into a crater. Rudg was thrown away, rolling several times before stopping, his body burned and his arm nearly destroyed—but he still stood up with difficulty, spitting blood as he looked at the dissipating smoke with a dark smile.
"And you definitely won't give up"
Leon walked out of the smoke completely intact, without even a scratch or dirt on his clothes. His eyes showed only indifference and pity as he looked at Rudg still standing.
"Just like Chalés"
Rudg trembled but planted his foot firmly, cracking the ground around him as his mana began to leak violently, pulling everything around him. His already-destroyed channels were forced beyond their limits as blood began to seep from his skin. The other experiments who came with him were already being killed by Leon's knights. Those struck by surprise had risen again like the undead, terrifying the attackers—but Rudg saw nothing except the man in front of him.
"Stop talking nonsense, you demon. I'm not done yet"
"Nonsense? Yeah… you're right"
Rudg charged again, breaking the ground with every step, while Leon watched for a moment before disappearing completely. In the same instant, Rudg boosted his speed with mana and vanished as well, leaving only impact marks on the ground. Explosions erupted across the battlefield one after another as the two clashed at high speed, invisible to the naked eye. Each collision created smaller craters and shockwaves. Blows were exchanged without pause as Rudg's body deteriorated with every second—but he kept advancing, never retreating, never hesitating, even knowing from the beginning that this was never a fight to win, but one to die in while fighting this man.
'If I let them live, everything could fall apart in the future… I was thinking of recruiting them, but it would never work'
[…I don't like this, but I agree. Their hatred is too great]
A punch hit Leon's face—but he didn't even move. It reminded him of the fight against Chalés, but now there was a difference. He could capture them and try to change them, since he was stronger—but Leon's thoughts, his memories, everything in his being told him it was impossible. Since that was the case, he would act as Leon would in this moment.
"Is that all you can do to kill me?"
With a punch, he sent Rudg's head snapping back—but in one last attempt, Rudg grabbed Leon's clothes tightly, gathering magic within his body.
"I still have my life"
Rudg's body exploded, causing tremors in the distance. Even a nearby city could see the explosion. From within it, Leon emerged without serious damage, only dust covering his body. He looked at his enemies being killed. These experiments would become a major problem in the future if they escaped—they would go after the protagonist because of Leon. So they had to die today.
'Why do I feel satisfaction watching this?'
Leon looked at his own hand before seeing Kailin's head being cut off by Surfien. That traitorous guard would have caused major trouble in his life, so seeing him die before his time made Leon's heart feel even more satisfied.
'Disgusting'