Cedar Lake,
Nova York state
United continent of America
Terra, Tellus Solar system
Milky way Galaxy
Neutral Free Zone
March 8th 2019
"So… he defeated the Patchwork Abomination."
Geb's voice rumbled low beneath its helm, thick with contemplation.
From his vantage point atop the corrupted structure, the pig-faced Abomination watched the distant battlefield with burning red eyes. Leonard Haravok was no ordinary Awakened Ascendant—of that, Geb had no doubt.
The boy carried the blood of Sol.
And that alone made him dangerous.
A threat to His Majesty's design.
Geb's grip tightened slightly as he stared into the distance.
Then he must die here.
Without hesitation, Geb began to speak—his voice shifting into a guttural, ancient tongue not meant for human understanding. The words pulsed with authority, vibrating through the building beneath him.
A command.
Below, the Lesser Abominations stirred.
Then surged.
Like a flood breaking its dam, countless beast-like creatures poured out from the structure, spilling into the streets in a frenzy of claws, fangs, and hunger.
Geb watched them go, unmoving.
"First… I'll have them exhaust themselves," he murmured. "Let them burn through their mana."
A slow breath.
"Then I will push them to the brink."
His eyes narrowed.
"And when they can no longer stand…"
His voice dropped into something colder.
"I will tear them apart."
A pause.
"Starting with Haravok."
Two streets away—
The battle raged on.
Leon and the others carved their way through Cedar Lake's broken remains, but progress was slow.
Too slow.
The town itself had become a battlefield.
Cedar Lake was divided into two main districts—the Residential area, where Sam's home lay… and the Business district, where they currently fought.
Under normal circumstances, it would've been a ten-minute drive.
Now—
It felt like an endless warpath.
Every street brought more enemies.
More resistance.
More death.
Leon led the charge.
He moved like a force of nature, leaping from one cluster of Abominations to another, his blade flashing in arcs of golden light. Each strike was clean, efficient—he cut through them as if they were nothing more than meat laid out before him.
Behind him, Emily provided relentless support.
Spells formed at the tips of her fingers, runes weaving themselves into existence as she cast with fluid precision. She layered attack after attack, controlling the battlefield with calculated efficiency.
Henry stood further back, supporting both of them—his spells slower, more deliberate, but no less impactful when they landed.
And Sam—
Stayed close to Emily.
Her shield vambrace struck forward again and again, crushing, piercing, breaking the Abominations that came too close.
But something was unraveling within her.
The Resonance hadn't stopped.
If anything—
It had grown stronger.
She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to move, to strike, to fight—
Even as the emotional backlash surged through her.
Every enemy she hit—
Every creature she brought down—
She felt them.
Their pain.
Their fear.
Their despair.
It seeped into her, staining her thoughts, pulling at her mind like invisible hands.
Why…?
Her shield pierced through another Abomination, the sharpened edge punching through its chest.
Why do they have to suffer?
She tore it free, stepping forward.
What was the point of their existence…?
Another strike.
Another body.
What is the point of life itself…?
Her breath trembled.
Why…?
Why…?
Why…?
[Blizzard Fall]
A surge of pale light descended from above.
Frost erupted outward, instantly freezing a cluster of Abominations in place—locking them in solid ice before they could even react.
Leon was already there.
His blade flashed—
The frozen bodies shattered.
Emily didn't stop.
Her fingers moved again, weaving new runes into existence as another magic circle formed. Mana gathered at her fingertips, condensing into the next spell—
But then—
She felt it.
Her expression shifted.
"More incoming."
A swarm.
Fast.
Closing in.
She turned toward Leon.
He was already smiling.
Not with amusement—
But anticipation.
"They're trying to wear us down," Leon said. "Smart."
His eyes sharpened.
"Before we head to Sam's house… we take out whoever's running this."
Emily exhaled softly and extended her senses outward.
Her awareness spread through the battlefield—reaching, probing, searching for the source.
Nothing.
Just noise.
Just corruption.
Just… interference.
She pulled back, frustration flickering across her otherwise composed face.
"I can't pinpoint it," she said. "The miasma is too dense. It's masking everything beyond a certain range."
Leon nodded slightly.
"I figured."
He closed his eyes.
For a moment—
The battlefield seemed to quiet around him.
Even the others felt it.
A subtle shift.
Then—
He opened them.
The blue was gone.
Replaced by light.
Golden radiance filled his sclera, his irises turning black as void, while his pupils reshaped into a radiant sun cross—a symbol of something ancient, something sovereign.
The glow dimmed slightly—but the change remained.
Sam froze.
A chill ran down her spine.
Those eyes—
They weren't just seeing.
They were piercing.
It felt as if Leon could look straight through her—past her thoughts, past her emotions—
Into the very core of her being.
Into truths she hadn't even realized existed.
And for the first time—
Sam felt something she couldn't name.
Not fear.
Not awe.
Something deeper.
Something… unsettling.
"Do you really have to push it that far?" Emily said.
Her voice carried a rare edge of concern.
Out of everyone present, she understood Leon's power the most—his Ability Factor, his Unique Techniques… and the cost they exacted from him. Even now, faint trails of blood had begun to run from the corners of his eyes, the strain already manifesting.
Leon didn't respond immediately.
He stepped forward instead, summoning the crystal broadsword once more. The translucent blade shimmered into existence, golden motes drifting within it like trapped starlight.
"There's no better time," Leon said calmly. "And the conditions are perfect."
His gaze tilted slightly upward.
"The sun's still out."
He rolled his shoulder, grip tightening around the hilt.
"I'll handle the Greater one."
A faint pause.
"You three deal with the rest… and shut down the Infernal Engine."
Before anyone could respond—
He vanished.
Not moved.
Vanished.
Even Emily's sharpened senses lost track of him entirely.
"What… what was that?" Sam asked, her voice low with disbelief.
Emily exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing as she tracked the direction Leon had gone.
"One of the aspects of his Ability Factor," she said. "His Unique Technique—Hyperion Eyes."
Sam blinked.
Emily continued, her tone measured, almost instructional despite the chaos around them.
"In ancient belief, the Sun is an all-seeing eye—a divine witness through which the gods observe the world. They watch… they judge… they see all that walks beneath their light."
Her gaze hardened slightly.
"This technique embodies that concept."
It wasn't equal to the Heavenly Pupil—the sacred sight granted to those chosen by Fate—but it came dangerously close. As far as mortal perception went…
This was near the pinnacle.
Emily turned, raising her hand as mana gathered once more at her fingertips.
"Come on," she said. "We end this."
While the others held the line—
Leon soared.
He cut through the corrupted sky like a streak of gold, his blade blazing against the oppressive miasma that clung to the atmosphere. The darkness recoiled faintly in his wake, as if resisting his presence.
In seconds—
He reached the source.
The rooftop.
The Infernal Engine loomed behind it, pulsing with corrupted energy, its grotesque faces silently screaming.
And before it—
Stood Geb.
The Abomination stepped forward, moving away from the Engine as Leon landed.
The two faced each other.
Stillness.
Geb was prepared.
A round silver shield rested in one hand, its surface etched with infernal markings. In the other, a butcher's blade—thick, jagged, and stained with a dark, unnatural sheen.
His black armor throbbed faintly with Infernal energy, the aura around him dense, suffocating.
But more than that—
He was aware.
Annoyed.
The Haravok had seen through him.
"So… a Fallen Beast," Leon said, studying him.
His golden eyes flickered, analyzing.
All races could fall.
Corruption did not discriminate.
When consumed by Infernal energy, beings became Fallens—twisted antitheses of Ascendants. Each race manifested its own form of degeneration.
Beastmen became Fallen Beasts.
Daemons became Infernal Demons and Devils.
Fae and Elves became Darklings.
Pleiadians became Asuras.
Humans became Revenants.
Giants—Fomorians.
Dwarves—Ravenous Trolls.
Only Automatons remained untouched.
A mystery.
One Leon had never been able to solve.
But none of that mattered right now.
This one—
Was powerful.
Stronger than the Ape Abomination he had faced months ago.
Leon stepped forward.
Even at nearly 190 cm, he had to look slightly upward. Geb towered over him, muscles bulging beneath his armor, tusks protruding from his jaw like weapons in their own right.
"In the name of His Majesty, King Sirius…" Geb growled.
His voice carried a savage weight.
"I, Geb… will eliminate you."
He moved.
The butcher blade carved through the air in a brutal diagonal strike—
Leon raised his arm.
He didn't dodge.
Didn't parry.
He blocked.
Mana surged beneath his skin—Validus activating as his body hardened under the mystical technique. The aura around him condensed, reinforcing muscle and bone.
The blade struck.
A violent shockwave rippled outward.
The impact forced Leon backward, sliding across the rooftop until he reached its edge.
Silence.
Then—
Drip.
Blood.
Leon glanced down at his arm.
A shallow cut.
Already healing.
He flexed his hand once, dismissing it.
He could've avoided it.
Easily.
But that wasn't the point.
He needed to measure him.
"That was reckless," Geb said, a low chuckle rumbling in his throat. "Another inch… and I would've taken your arm—and your head."
Leon scoffed.
"Hardly."
His stance shifted.
Then—
He struck.
[Heavenly Radiance – Divine Armament]
The space around him fractured with light.
Dozens—then hundreds—of golden weapons manifested into existence. Spears, blades, halberds, and constructs of pure radiant energy formed in a luminous halo around Leon.
For a single instant—
They hovered.
Then—
They launched.
A storm of divine armaments tore through the air, converging on Geb with overwhelming force.
Geb didn't move.
He raised his shield.
A pulse of energy erupted outward—
An invisible barrier.
Every weapon struck it—
And stopped.
Clashed.
Deflected.
Even those that curved mid-flight, attempting to bypass his defense and strike the Infernal Engine behind him—
Were repelled.
Leon's eyes narrowed.
Tch.
So the eyes were right.
That shield…
Was a problem.
Geb laughed.
A harsh, guttural sound.
"What's wrong, Pleiadian?" he sneered. "Can't even touch the Engine?"
The aura around him surged.
Infernal energy flared violently as he drew power directly from the Engine behind him, his presence swelling, dark and oppressive.
Leon didn't respond.
Didn't react.
Instead—
He raised his left hand.
His thumb and index finger pressed together.
A point of crimson light gathered at their tips.
Condensing.
Sharpening.
Focusing.
And for the first time—
The air between them grew heavy with something far more dangerous than brute force.
[Hyperion: Chaotic Field – Crimson Pressure]
The condensed sphere of red light launched from Leon's fingertips.
It didn't simply travel—
It warped everything around it.
Space itself trembled as the projectile moved forward, the very structure of reality distorting under its passage. A violent spatial quake rippled outward, generating crushing pressure that flattened anything caught in its wake.
The rooftop beneath them cracked—
Then began to collapse.
The crimson sphere collided with Geb's shield.
For a single instant—
Everything stopped.
Then—
Impact.
A deafening shockwave erupted outward as the pressure detonated, forcing Geb backward. The Abomination was hurled through the building behind him, smashing through walls and steel alike before crashing into the streets below.
Dust and debris swallowed the battlefield.
Leon watched, hovering in the air—
Waiting.
The smoke cleared.
Geb stood.
Unharmed.
His massive frame rose from the rubble, the infernal aura around him pulsing steadily, unshaken.
Leon's eyes narrowed.
Then—
He vanished.
Reappearing above Geb in a streak of light, his blade descended in a flurry of strikes. Slash after slash rained down, each one faster, sharper, more precise than the last.
Geb raised his shield.
And endured.
Steel met divine metal in a storm of sparks, each clash ringing out like thunder. Leon pressed forward relentlessly, his movements accelerating as he poured more force into each strike, testing the limits of the shield's durability.
And still—
It held.
"Give up," Geb growled, his voice thick with confidence. "His Majesty bestowed this Unholy Shield upon me. None of your attacks can reach me."
His red eyes gleamed.
"I am the shield that guards His Majesty."
Leon paused.
Then—
He smiled.
Not calmly.
Not confidently.
But wildly.
"Is that so?" he said, a glint of excitement flickering in his eyes. "Then I guess I'll just have to test it."
His grip tightened on the blade.
"Whether I can carve you open or not."
A pause.
His smile widened.
"It's been a while since I've had bacon… so forgive me if I take my time making you extra crispy."
"You fool!" Geb roared.
[Devouring Rot]
From the black aura surrounding him, six serpent-like projectiles burst forth—dark brown and writhing, their mouths lined with jagged fangs. They shot forward with terrifying speed, converging on Leon's position.
The rooftop exploded under the impact.
Acidic energy splattered outward, eating through stone and metal alike, the ground hissing as it dissolved into a bubbling, corrosive mire.
For a moment—
Leon was gone.
Then—
He stepped out from the debris.
Unscathed.
But his eyes lingered on the ground where he had stood.
The acid had burned through everything.
Even his mana skin would've struggled to hold against prolonged exposure.
"Tch…"
He exhaled slowly.
"Come on, Solus… how long are you going to stay in Dusk mode?"
His voice carried a hint of irritation as he addressed the Divine blade.
No response.
As expected.
Solus was temperamental—its power locked behind phases. Right now, it lingered between states, transitioning from Dusk to Dawn… but Leon needed more.
He needed it at Noon.
Leon moved again.
[Flying Crescent Moon Slash]
A white arc of energy carved through the air, shaped like a crescent moon as it surged toward Geb.
The Abomination barely reacted.
He raised his shield—
And deflected it effortlessly.
"Do you really think such a simple Mystic technique would work on me?" Geb snarled.
He retaliated instantly, hurling his butcher blade forward with brutal force.
Leon twisted, his sword snapping up to redirect the trajectory. The blade veered off to the side—
And in the same motion—
Leon thrust forward.
A precise strike aimed directly at Geb's face.
Blocked.
Again.
The shield intercepted the attack without fail.
Leon clicked his tongue, irritation creeping in as he pressed forward, his strikes becoming faster, more aggressive. Slash. Thrust. Pivot. Repeat.
A deadly rhythm.
A relentless dance.
But no matter how he attacked—
The shield remained absolute.
Tch… still not enough.
Solus continued its transition.
Dusk.
Dawn.
Not yet.
Not enough.
Leon shifted his stance.
[Heavenly Radiance – Apollo's Net]
A golden construct erupted into existence—interlocking lines of radiant energy forming a grid-like pattern, descending upon Geb like a divine snare.
It struck—
And shattered against the shield.
Leon didn't stop.
[Heavenly Radiance – Divine Armament]
Three massive greatswords of golden light materialized above him, each one radiating immense power.
With a single swing—
They launched.
Each blade came from a different angle, converging on Geb simultaneously.
The Abomination braced—
Shield raised—
All focus drawn to the incoming barrage.
And that was the opening.
Leon vanished.
Reappearing in front of Geb—
His blade thrust forward, aimed directly for the gap behind the shield.
But—
Geb's eyes flickered.
He had seen through it.
And in that instant—
The Abomination activated his next ability.
[Eat]
A section of space itself collapsed.
The projectiles flying toward Geb were swallowed mid-flight—crushed and erased as if they had never existed.
Leon's eyes flickered.
"Huh."
He felt it before he fully saw it.
Something surged toward him.
He moved instantly—shifting his body to the side just as the ground beneath his feet was devoured, disappearing into nothingness as if bitten out of reality itself.
Leon flipped backward, landing lightly as more of the invisible force tore through the battlefield, consuming everything in its path.
His gaze sharpened.
Then he saw it.
A mouth.
A warped, invisible construct—its jagged edges barely perceptible, its form defined only by the destruction it left behind. It snapped again, attempting to take a piece of him—
Leon stepped out of its trajectory effortlessly.
Behind him, a building wall vanished, leaving a massive hollow where it had once stood.
Leon twisted midair, landing behind Geb and immediately retaliating—a clean horizontal slash aimed at the Beast's neck.
Clang.
Geb intercepted it with his butcher knife.
"Nice ability," Leon said, his tone almost impressed. "That's Eat, isn't it? A racial trait of the Were-Warthogs."
His golden eyes gleamed faintly.
"A projected maw that devours anything it touches. Dangerous…"
A pause.
"If I couldn't see it."
So he can analyze it just by seeing it… Geb thought, irritation flickering beneath his composure.
At that moment—
Leon felt it.
A shift.
Solus.
The blade pulsed in his hand as it transitioned—Morning phase.
His grin widened.
Golden light intensified along the blade, deepening in hue as his power surged.
Leon moved.
A barrage of crescent slashes tore through the air—this time radiant gold, sharper, faster, more lethal.
Geb raised his shield.
Each strike collided and deflected, sparks erupting in rapid succession.
Leon pressed forward through the barrage—
And thrust.
Directly for the core.
Again—
Blocked.
The shield intercepted the strike without fail.
Leon pushed harder, muscles tightening as he tried to force through—
But the invisible barrier held.
Unyielding.
Geb snorted.
With a sudden motion, he angled the shield upward, deflecting Leon's blade off-line—
And countered.
The butcher knife carved toward Leon's left shoulder, aiming deep—aiming through him.
A flash of yellow.
Leon vanished.
Reappearing several feet away.
He landed—breathing heavier now.
Blood dripped from his shoulder.
A deep gash.
Geb's blade glistened with it.
"You're slower than I expected," Geb said, watching him closely. "With those eyes of yours, you should've avoided that easily."
His gaze narrowed.
"That technique must be draining you."
Leon's eyes—
Still bleeding.
His breath—
Uneven.
The strain was catching up.
After a moment—
He dismissed the Hyperion Eyes.
The golden glow faded.
The pain dulled… slightly.
Leon exhaled, checking himself.
Eighty percent… gone.
Only twenty remained.
"Turning off your eyes now?" Geb snarled. "Not very smart, Pleiadian."
Leon rolled his shoulder slightly.
"Don't need them anymore."
[Hyperion – Chaotic Field: Yellow Flash]
Leon vanished—
Again.
But this time, he became light.
A streak of yellow tore through the battlefield, ricocheting across buildings, walls, and space itself. He moved in bursts—appearing and disappearing, slipping in and out of a transdimensional pathway.
Geb watched carefully.
Analyzing.
Tracking.
The light didn't move normally.
It skipped.
Warped.
Reappeared.
Subspace traversal… Geb realized.
Leon wasn't moving through space—
He was moving around it.
Each flash was a shortcut—a constructed pathway between points, bypassing physical distance entirely.
But it wasn't perfect.
Geb's mind worked quickly.
The paths were fixed.
Once set, they couldn't change.
They were bound to Leon's line of sight.
And prolonged use…
Would drain him.
Vitality.
Mana.
Everything.
Still—
It was fast.
Too fast.
Leon's attacks rained down as he darted in and out of space, slashes striking from unpredictable angles.
Geb raised his shield again and again, blocking each strike—but barely.
Leon didn't slow.
Because he had already seen it.
The path.
The end.
[Heavenly Radiance – Helios Sun Wheel]
Golden energy erupted from Solus.
Condensed.
Spun.
Then launched.
A blazing wheel of radiant power tore toward Geb—faster than anything before.
He couldn't raise the shield in time.
Forced to react—
He parried with his knife.
The moment steel met light—
Space warped.
Violently.
The energy distorted reality around his arm, bending and tearing—
Then—
Snap.
His lower arm severed cleanly, torn from existence as black blood sprayed into the air.
Geb grunted, staggering slightly as the detached limb hovered midair—
Then began to drift upward.
Leon emerged from his Yellow Flash, landing firmly.
He steadied himself—
Then raised his hand.
Two fingers pointed at Geb.
That red technique again…? Geb thought, raising his shield instinctively.
But—
The energy gathering was different.
Not crimson.
Blue.
Dense.
Heavy.
The air around it distorted under its weight.
[Hyperion – Chaotic Field: Azure Sky]
Leon fired.
The sphere didn't travel toward Geb—
It ascended.
High into the sky.
Then—
Everything shifted.
Gravity warped.
An overwhelming attractive force erupted from the sphere, pulling everything toward it—buildings, debris, even the severed arm.
The battlefield bent.
Collapsed inward.
Geb braced, activating his shield's barrier to anchor himself against the pull.
Leon—
Didn't resist.
He used it.
Letting the force drag him forward—
Then—
Yellow Flash.
Faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
This time—
Even Geb couldn't track him.
Leon emerged from the pathway—
Landing atop a mass of compressed debris pulled together by the Azure Sky.
His stance lowered.
Steady.
Focused.
Solus pulsed in his hand—
Reaching its peak.
Noon Phase.
The golden light deepened—darkened—infused with a heavier, more absolute presence.
Leon's expression sharpened.
This was it.
And as he moved to strike—
The battlefield itself seemed to hold its breath.
[Divine Sword – Heavenly Severing Slash]
Leon moved.
And the world… fell silent.
Not quiet—
erased.
Sound vanished. Motion dulled. Even time itself seemed to hesitate, as if reality had paused to witness what came next.
A single line of darkened gold cut through space.
It did not travel like an attack.
It simply appeared—
Passing through Geb's shield… and his body… as if neither existed.
For two full seconds—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Reality broke.
Cracks splintered through the space surrounding Geb's left arm, spreading like fractures across glass. The invisible barrier shuddered, unable to withstand what had already bypassed it.
Then it shattered.
The shield split apart—one half dropping lifelessly to the ground, the other still clutched in what remained of Geb's severed arm as it spun through the air.
His arm was gone.
So was part of his torso.
The left side of his upper body had been cleanly removed, as if erased from existence itself.
Black blood rained down.
Leon reappeared behind him in a flicker of yellow light.
Geb staggered.
A ragged breath tore from his throat as blood spilled from his mouth.
"That attack…" he rasped. "How…?"
His voice trembled, disbelief cutting through the pain.
"If you could do that… all along… why… didn't you use it sooner…?"
Leon sighed softly.
Then smiled.
"Sorry," he said, glancing down at the blade in his hand. "Solus is a bit… lazy."
The Divine sword shimmered faintly, its golden light deep and heavy—alive with something ancient.
"She likes to take her time. Warming up. Getting into the mood." His smile widened slightly. "I can only use her real power when the conditions are right."
Noon Phase.
At its peak—
Solus revealed its true nature.
The power to sever space itself.
It didn't matter how strong a defense was.
Didn't matter how absolute a barrier seemed.
Solus didn't cut the object—
It cut the space the object occupied.
Defense became meaningless.
Existence itself became the target.
Leon had already seen it with his Hyperion Eyes.
There was only one way through Geb's defense.
And this—
Was it.
"I'll admit," Leon continued, his tone almost conversational, "you were strong."
He turned slightly, glancing back at the crumbling form of the Abomination.
"Against most opponents… you would've won."
A pause.
Then—
A softer note entered his voice.
"But you were unlucky."
His eyes sharpened.
"I was your opponent."
He exhaled lightly.
"And you were more fun than I expected."
A faint grin.
"It was a pleasure."
"Liar…" Geb coughed, more blood spilling down his chin.
"You could have ended this fight long ago… with that explosive technique…"
His voice cracked with frustration.
"Why didn't you use it…?"
He knew.
That attack—
That Supernova—
His shield wouldn't have held.
Not even for a moment.
And yet—
Leon had chosen not to use it.
"You risked your life… for this?" Geb muttered, disbelief lacing his tone.
Leon blinked.
Then frowned slightly.
"Are you insane?"
He dismissed Solus, the blade dissolving into golden light as it returned to his dimensional storage.
"I can't use Supernova with my teammates nearby," he said bluntly.
Geb let out a weak, breathless laugh.
"I see…"
His gaze dropped.
To his chest.
A hollow void.
His core—
Gone.
Pierced through before Leon had even reappeared behind him.
His body began to unravel, the severed edges disintegrating into ash.
So this is the end…
His thoughts dimmed.
Forgive me… Your Majesty…
"I have failed you…"
His form collapsed into dust.
All that remained—
Was a large Essence shard.
Leon stepped forward to pick it up—
Then froze.
His body convulsed.
A violent spasm tore through him as he staggered, blood bursting from his mouth.
Pain followed.
Raw.
Overwhelming.
It surged through his entire body, threatening to tear his mind apart.
"—Tch…!"
He forced himself to stay upright, pulling a flask from his side with shaking hands.
He drank.
The liquid burned going down—
Then spread.
Numbing.
Dulling the pain just enough for him to breathe again.
Leon exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
Then reached down—
And picked up the Essence shard.
The ground trembled.
A deep rumble rolled through the ruined city.
Leon turned.
In the distance—
A pillar of white light pierced through the corrupted sky, tearing through the miasma like a blade of purity.
The darkness recoiled.
The air shifted.
The cleansing had begun.
And for the first time since arriving—
The land itself began to breathe.