Kneel or Break
"You are too arrogant, maybe I was wrong just now, but no matter who you are, this is not your playground to show off in front of the Soulforge Citadel."
The five-ring Elite's voice echoed coldly, but beneath that confidence… there was something unstable.
A crack.
Small.
But there.
Because the man standing in front of him—
Still hadn't moved.
Another knight suddenly turned his head, panic flashing through his eyes, his voice rising sharply.
"Brothers! It doesn't matter who he is anymore—we've already offended him!"
His breathing quickened.
"I'm telling you, this guy has no cultivation! We can kill him together and end it right now!"
A few knights hesitated.
"…Kill him?"
The man clenched his teeth.
"If we don't do it now, and he really has backing behind him, he'll come back later with stronger forces to settle accounts!"
That thought—
Hit them hard.
Fear twisted into something darker.
Desperation.
Another knight quickly added, voice hurried:
"If anything goes wrong, we all say the same thing—that he provoked us first! We were forced to act!"
"Yes! We stick to one story!"
"No witnesses here anyway!"
"Exactly! Who would dare question the Soulforge Citadel?"
Confidence slowly returned to their faces.
Cruel.
Calculated.
"Even if he has backing…"
"They wouldn't dare challenge the Citadel for one dead nobody."
The group steadied themselves.
Their eyes hardened.
Spirit Force surged again, pressing down like waves.
Leon stood at the center.
Still.
Silent.
His golden eyes swept across them slowly.
Cold.
Too cold.
It made their skin tighten.
Leon raised his eyebrows slightly.
"You're really talented."
A faint smirk appeared.
"I'm actually impressed."
A pause.
Then—
He lifted his hand.
Hooked his fingers.
Casual.
Provocative.
"You guessed right."
His voice dropped slightly.
"I don't have any cultivation."
The next words came out even slower.
"So hurry up."
A faint tilt of his head.
"Come kill me."
Silence.
Then—
"Ah! Bravado boy!"
One of them spat.
"Still acting tough at a time like this?"
"Brothers, stop wasting time!"
The five-ring Elite roared:
"Do it—now!"
In an instant—
He moved.
Spirit Force exploded outward, forming the phantom of a massive tiger behind him, roaring silently into the sky.
The air cracked.
Energy surged.
Other knights followed instantly.
Light after light flared.
Attacks gathered—
Layered.
Stacked.
Crushing.
The storm rushed toward Leon like a collapsing sky.
"Crush him!"
"Don't leave anything behind!"
"End it!"
A killing intent filled the air.
Thick.
Suffocating.
Leon didn't move.
Didn't dodge.
Didn't even blink.
"A bunch of idiots."
His voice was quiet.
But it cut through everything.
As the storm closed in—
Leon gently pinched the ears of the Lunar Rabbit.
"Shua!"
Silver light—
Exploded.
Not violently.
Not loudly.
Just—
Instantly.
Like reality itself shifted.
The silver brilliance swallowed everything.
The attacks.
The energy.
The pressure.
Gone.
Completely erased.
As if they had never existed.
Silence.
Absolute.
The battlefield froze.
The silver-armored knights stood there—
Unmoving.
Unbreathing.
Eyes wide.
"What… what just happened?!"
"Where did the attack go?!"
"I—I can't move!"
"My body… it won't listen!"
Panic erupted.
Voices trembled.
Their limbs refused to obey.
Their Spirit Force—
Gone.
Like something had crushed it into nothing.
"What kind of ability is this?!"
"Is this even possible?!"
Their arrogance—
Gone.
Replaced by raw fear.
Leon stood in front of them.
Untouched.
Unbothered.
He slowly shook his head.
Disappointment flickered faintly in his eyes.
"You people…"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"When you think you're superior, you act arrogant."
"When you meet something you don't understand…"
His gaze sharpened.
"You start begging."
A pause.
His lips curved slightly.
"If you don't want to be dead…"
His voice dropped.
"Then kneel."
The word landed.
Heavy.
Final.
"Plop!"
One knee hit the ground.
Then another.
Then—
All of them.
One after another.
The sound echoed repeatedly.
Their knees smashed into the stone floor, cracking tiles, denting armor.
Some screamed.
Some groaned.
All of them—
Kneeling.
The pressure above them felt like the sky itself pressing down.
Unavoidable.
Unforgiving.
"Mercy!"
"Please—let us go!"
"We were wrong!"
Their voices broke.
Fear stripped everything away.
Only survival remained.
But—
The five-ring Elite still spoke.
Even now.
Voice shaking.
But stubborn.
"Beating a dog depends on its owner!"
His eyes burned with fear and hatred.
"Even if we're wrong… if you kill us, it will damage the reputation of the Soulforge Citadel!"
His breathing was uneven.
"They won't let you go!"
A pause—
Then he shouted:
"My uncle is a Vice General with eight Spirit Hallows!"
His voice gained strength.
"If you touch me… he will kill you!"
Leon walked forward slowly.
Each step steady.
Measured.
He stopped in front of him.
Then—
Smiled.
Not kindly.
Not gently.
A smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Your uncle… a Vice General, right?"
"Yes!"
Hope surged in the man's eyes.
"If you know what's good for you—let me go!"
"Snapped!"
The sound cracked through the air.
Loud.
Sharp.
The Elite's head whipped sideways.
Blood sprayed.
Teeth flew.
His face swelled instantly.
The world spun.
"You… how dare—"
"Snapped!"
Another slap.
Harder.
Cutting him off mid-sentence.
His other cheek exploded with pain.
Leon tilted his head slightly.
Examining him.
Then nodded.
"Better."
"It should be symmetrical."
"My uncle—!"
The man tried again.
Desperate.
Terrified.
"Shut up."
Leon's voice dropped.
Cold.
"Boom!"
His foot came down.
Crushing.
Pinning the man into the ground.
Stone cracked.
Armor dented.
The man screamed.
Leon leaned down slightly.
His golden eyes locked onto his.
Deep.
Endless.
Terrifying.
"Your uncle is a Vice General?"
A faint pause.
"Is that supposed to be impressive?"
The man's pupils shrank.
Leon's lips curved faintly.
"My Evelyn… is still your Supreme Empress."
A beat.
"Do you see me bragging about that?"
The words—
Didn't make sense.
And yet—
They hit like thunder.
The Elite's face twisted, blood dripping from his lips.
"You… you dare insult the Supreme Empress…"
His voice cracked.
"No matter who you are… you're dead!"
His body trembled.
Then suddenly—
His eyes lit up.
"I can feel it!"
"My uncle… he's coming!"
Leon slowly looked up.
In the distance—
Streaks of light cut across the sky, heading toward the Citadel.
Fast.
Powerful.
He smiled faintly.
Calm.
Unhurried.
"Then let's wait."
His gaze dropped back down.
Back to the man beneath his foot.
"Let's see…"
His voice softened.
Dangerously.
"Whether your uncle can protect you."
A pause.
Then—
"Or whether…"
His smile deepened slightly.
"You die."
"And I don't."