As his gaze settled on Lily, Leo could clearly see her desperately trying to force her way through a translucent barrier erected to prevent demons from entering the city.

The barrier dome enveloped the entire city, its faint golden surface rippling every time Lily's fists struck it. Leo was certain it must have cost a tremendous amount of mana to sustain. Even with his own reserves nearing one hundred thousand mana, he doubted he could maintain such a structure for more than a 30 seconds.

And he was right.

Within the city's central temple, the holy priest could be seen kneeling on the cold stone floor, hands clasped tightly in prayer. Hills upon hills of mana crystals surrounded him, their once-brilliant glow gradually dimming as they dissolved into pure energy. Thin, luminous lines extended from the crystals, flowing into the priest's feet like glowing wires. Intricate magic circles and carefully etched runic lines covered the floor beneath him, ensuring that the crystal absorption remained stable and free from crystal poisoning.

Back outside, near Lily, city guards lay scattered across the ground, groaning in pain. Some clutched broken weapons, others held bruised ribs or bloodied arms. They had clearly tried to stop her, but their strength had fallen far short. The only ones capable of restraining her were instructors and professors—yet they were all occupied fighting outside the city walls. As to qualify as a city guard, one had to be at least a veteran hunter… assuming no backdoor connections were involved. Regardless, their power was nowhere near enough to handle Lily.

With a single thought, Leo reached out through their soul bond, conveying his feelings to her.

The moment Lily received it, her punches halted mid-motion. She lifted her head and looked toward the sky—toward Leo. There, she saw him suspended in the grasp of the monstrous flame bird. Even from this distance, she could tell he was in pain, his posture strained and battered. Yet somehow, she understood what he was trying to tell her: I'm safe. Don't worry.

The tension in her face eased slightly, though the anger burning inside her only grew fiercer as her thoughts turned to the red demon with goat horns.

"I don't know who you are," she said coldly, her voice trembling with restrained fury, "but I promise you this. I will grow strong enough to shred you and your entire family into pieces."

Her fists clenched so tightly that blood seeped between her fingers, dripping onto the ground below. The image of Leo's chest being blown open replayed endlessly in her mind—an image she would never forget. All she had been able to do then was watch.

Leo let out a quiet sigh as he saw her finally stop her futile assault on the barrier. Still, her gaze remained locked onto him, searching his body for signs of injury, trying to confirm that he was truly alright. The distance made it difficult, even with their enhanced vision as 3-star hunters.

His attention shifted back to the battlefield.

Brant had begun sending sharpened blades of water and compressed wind crashing into the colossus, chipping away at its thick armour bit by bit. From his prior experience fighting a colossus, Leo knew exactly what would happen next—it would soon enter heat mode, incinerating everything around it into ash. Once that happened, dealing with the demons would become exponentially harder.

To make matters worse, the old man who had saved Leo had sent his beast along with him. That left Lu dangerously exposed. If Lu died, the blame would inevitably fall on Leo—and that was something he absolutely would not allow.

His eyes flicked toward Howl, who stood just a kilometre away from the city on the opposite side, waiting for further orders. The brute professor seemed to have already informed the city that the beast is tamed, as there was little panic or commotion below.

Leo steadied his breathing and focused his mind. The greater distance meant he had to concentrate harder. After a brief moment, he issued a command through their link.

Go. Engage the other Colossus. Distract it.

If Howl could keep the second colossus occupied, Brant would be freed up to focus entirely on the demons. That would make Leo a valuable contributor in driving them back—and finally erase the label of dead weight he had become.

Just as Howl received the command, he rose to his full height on all six feet and began circling the city, his massive frame casting a moving shadow below as he made his way toward the colossus that Brant had been holding off.

Leo shakily lifted his hand and pointed toward Howl, his vision swimming as pain surged through his body.

"If you can understand me," Leo said hoarsely, forcing his voice as loud as his injuries allowed, "put me down on that colossus's back!"

The phoenix turned its blazing gaze toward the distant colossus, then back to Leo, its burning eyes narrowing as if weighing his words. A moment later, it glanced toward Lu, who was locked in a brutal exchange with the goat-horned demon, every clash shaking the air. Then, as if sensing the danger its master was in, the phoenix suddenly bolted forward.

It shot toward Howl in a straight line, leaving behind a trail of mystical orange flames, streaking across the sky like a living comet.

Brant's focus sharpened, his pupils constricting as mana surged through him. Maintaining the fierce winds that restrained the colossus, he formed a massive, compressed blade of water in front of him. With a sharp jerk of his hand, he hurled it toward the colossus's flank.

The water blade struck with terrifying force, carving out a huge chunk from the side of the colossus's body. The impact sent a thunderous howl echoing across the battlefield as fragments of earth and boulders scattered through the air. Almost immediately, the colossus's bloodshot eyes began shifting, an ominous orange hue creeping into its gaze.

Brant's expression darkened as he understood what was happening.

"The fire skill…" he muttered through gritted teeth.

If it were possible, Brant would have preferred the colossus to wake fully from its drug-induced state. That was why he had been applying relentless pressure—to suppress it and prevent it from activating its heat mode, as once it was awoke, it would go directly into hibernation. But now, it was clear he had failed.

"Don't die on me, old bastard…" Brant growled under his breath, his thoughts flashing to Lu as he gathered mana and formed a massive sphere of water above his head.

At that moment—

HHHHHHOOOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG!!

A ferocious shriek, more roar than sound, erupted from Brant's side, the sheer force of it making his ears itch and the air tremble.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.