Leo watched as Niri's [Solar Beam] descended upon the metal demon.

He half expected the attack to reflect off the demon's metallic body, the radiant light skidding harmlessly away. Instead, he noticed something that made his brows knit together—the demon looked terrified. Its posture stiffened, his shout cutting short as the beam closed in.

From what Leo had inferred earlier, especially after striking the demon's back himself, its body was far too durable for [Solar Beam] to cause any meaningful damage. That was what logic dictated. Yet what happened in the very next moment left his mouth hanging open.

The beam carved straight through the demon's body at the midsection, searing through metal and flesh alike. The abdomen was completely incinerated, edges glowing red-hot for a split second before crumbling into ash. The upper and lower halves separated cleanly, falling limp to the ground with a dull, lifeless thud.

Dead.

Ding!

Metal Wrath Demon (Pseudo 4-star) Killed – 50000xp

Level 24: 10890 / 41896 → 41896 / 41896

Level Up!

Level 25: 18994 / 54465

Stats Updated!

Vitality: 505 → 758 [695 → 948]

Strength: 505 → 758 [695 → 948]

Agility: 415 → 623 [605 → 795]

Stamina: 506 → 759 [696 → 949]

Intelligence: 724 → 1086 [914 → 1279]

Mana: 72400 → 108600 [91400 → 127900]

A fresh surge of energy and strength flooded through him. Warmth spread from his chest to his limbs as any lingering injuries, aches, and fatigue faded away as if they had never existed.

"Damn… with this, I'm a Pseudo 4-star! I am so—" Leo stopped mid-sentence, the image of the goat-horned demon flashing through his mind. A chill crawled down his spine.

"Fuck…" he muttered, his excitement collapsing inward. "I am nowhere near strong enough."

He forced himself to calm down, grounding his thoughts by repeatedly recalling how close to death he had come—again and again—multiple times in a single day. The memory was sobering.

Then, as if to encourage himself, he spoke again, his voice low but firm.

"At least people will underestimate me, thinking I'm just a mid-3-star weakling."

His thoughts drifted elsewhere.

"I wonder if that old man succeeded in killing him."

A second later, another realization followed, and he murmured,

"No… him staying alive would also be a big deal."

Leo could clearly tell that the red goat horn demon he had nearly died to was a mid-to-close range combatant. In contrast, the old man—paired with his Phoenix—would excelled at long-range combat. That mismatch alone would make it extremely difficult for Lu to secure a clean victory.

He shook his head lightly and turned his gaze back to the broken corpse at his feet.

"How in the world was Niri's [Solar Beam] so effective?" he muttered. Saying that, he brought up the attack's description once more.

[Solar Beam]:

–By drawing in the sun's essence…

…Deadly against beasts weak to heat or light, even if higher ranked…

"Weak to heat or light?" Leo repeated, glancing at the charred remains again.

"Doesn't look like it…" He sighed sharply.

"Ahhh, fuck it. I just want to go back into my Lily's arms quickly!"

As he said that, he deliberately tried to recall the sensation, warmth, faint scent of Lily's soft fluffy bosom. The thought only made his irritation spike. Their reunion had been disrupted so badly that he had nearly died.

But if he had thought about it more carefully, he might have realized the truth: he had taken the brunt of an attack that Lily would have suffered instead. Xyren had come through the portal to kill the most promising candidate—Lily at the time—after Leo had been announced dead. But whether being lucky or unlucky, Leo had been directly in the path of Xyren's strike.

He exhaled slowly, pushing the thoughts aside.

With a casual motion, Leo stored the metal demon's corpse inside his spiritual space and deactivated [Mist Shroud]. The haze dispersed instantly, and once more, the evening sun's slanted rays washed over his body, warm and golden.

He moved across the massive frame beneath his feet, slowly climbing to the highest point on the other Colossus's back to get a clear view of the surrounding area.

And the moment his eyes took it all in—

He was completely dumbfounded.

Since earlier, he had packed himself inside a box-like enclosure formed from earthen walls, Leo hadn't been able to see things clearly. But now—

A vast section of the forest stretched out before him, nearly a kilometre in diameter, completely charred and reduced to ash. Blackened tree stumps jutted out of the ground like broken bones, revealing scorched earth beneath. Yet it was clear the fire hadn't been allowed to spread freely—it had been forcefully extinguished with water, smothered before it could consume more.

The same pattern appeared in other places as well, though on a much smaller scale. Patches of burn marks, drowned embers, and soaked soil dotted the land—but nothing compared to that massive, obliterated section.

"That old man was such a monster…?" Leo muttered under his breath.

He could tell at a glance—this was the work of a fire-type being. And among everyone he knew, there was no one else besides Lu who wielded fire with the capability to cause destruction on this scale.

"Old man…" Leo continued quietly, eyes scanning the devastation. "His phoenix was a high-5-star beast… so that's what a 5-star being is capable of."

There was awe in his voice as he took in the scene. The sheer scale of ruin surpassed most modern weaponry on Earth, rendering entire swathe of land uninhabitable in moments. The thought lingered heavily in his mind—

When suddenly, a voice called out to him.

"My name is Lu. You can call me Professor Lu. And I am by no means old," the voice said, followed immediately by a derisive snort.

"Old coot. Hanging around with young girls doesn't make you young, you need to know that," another, far too familiar voice chimed in.

Leo spun around sharply toward the voices. Recognition hit him instantly—but as his eyes fully landed on their figures, he sucked in a sharp breath.

Both were injured.

Injured as fuck.

Lu was in far worse condition. A horrifying gash ran from his abdomen straight up his torso, tearing through flesh all the way to his neck and face. One of his hands was completely gone, the stump mangled and battered. Blood dripped continuously from his wounds, flowing freely as if clotting simply refused to work.

Beside him stood Brant. Though his body was still mostly intact, he too was bleeding from several places. A clean hole pierced straight through his right chest, blood seeping out steadily, mirroring Lu's condition—no signs of clotting or any sign of recovery.

Leo didn't need to think long.

At once, he knew.

This was the handiwork of the red goat-horned demon.

---

A/N: I am so spent...

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