As Doppel and I dropped to the Misty Forest, a large area immediately cleared as Leon cleaved all the trees down with a single stroke of her blade.
"Hey! You're damaging nature!" [Solace]
If not for the misty nature of the forest, the trees might have caught on fire from the flames still clinging to Leon's sword.
"|Lightweight|." [Leon]
Her speed increased even higher than before, making her movements seem like she was gliding across the ground. Doppel and I split up, attempting to pincer or corner her so that speed wouldn't be a problem.
"|Burning Fist|!" [Solace]
"|Thunderbolt Lance|." [Doppel]
As we closed in on her, Leon propped her back on her large sword to block Doppel's spear while she faced me.
"|Thunderous Expulsion|." [Leon]
The red lightning that cloaked her converged to her palm, allowing her to blast me with it.
"Agh!" [Solace]
It was so fast that I couldn't even react. I felt the air in my lungs get pushed out as I hit the ground. Nevertheless, I picked myself up before she could do anything else. …Not that she could. Leon was forced to pick up her sword again to fend off Doppel.
"|Small Cure|." [Solace]
Thanks to |Unbound Mortal|, I was able to cast healing spells infinitely using the mana in the environment. As expected of the First Hero's skill; it's overpowered.
"|Thunderbolt Lance|." [Solace]
Just like Doppel, I equipped a spear and leapt into the fray.
"|Four Armed Enlightenment|." [Leon]
Sprouting and extra two arms, Leon began to fend the two of us off. She grabbed my spear with two arms mid-thrust before swinging her beefy sword at Doppel, forcing him to block as he was sent away.
("Damn it!") [Solace]
Her strength should be less than mine, so how was she pushing us back this much? Anyway, with Doppel gone and my spear still trapped, Leon swung at me.
"Uh-oh." [Solace]
I was forced to let go of my spear and lean back as Leon's sword passed overhead. I then used the momentum of leaning back and put it into a backflip. I had hoped my foot would strike her chin with that, but it ended with Leon blocking it with my spear.
"Seriously?!" [Solace]
Seeing that, I hooked my foot onto the spear to push myself up for another kick.
"|Enchant Lightning|!" [Solace]
I thought coating my leg with electricity would fend off Leon's red lightning, in which, it worked? My foot landed directly on her chin, so I thought she'd stagger or something. However, she endured it.
("She's also inherited Jukhan's resilience!") [Solace]
Releasing my spear, Leon latched onto my leg.
("I can't get free!") [Solace]
I didn't have enough time to think of a way out as I saw Leon raise her greatsword, so I snatched my spear from the ground to defend.
"|Physical Boost|." [Leon]
"|Reinforce|!" [Solace]
With the great weight and immense force behind Leon's greatsword, it was able to cut through my spear when I blocked.
"Wha-?!" [Solace]
Twisting my body at the last moment, Leon's sword cut into my collarbone.
"Urgh!" [Solace]
I squeezed my muscles with all my might, keeping the greatsword from entering my body any further. It also helped to keep Leon from pulling it out.
"It's… stuck?" [Leon]
As she tried to yank the sword out repeatedly, pain coursed through me with every pull. It hurt even worse because the flames on the sword felt like it was melting my flesh to the metal.Thankfully, this was enough to distract Leon from Doppel who was currently standing right behind her.
"|Paralyze|." [Doppel]
Leon's body stiffened, allowing Doppel to wrap his arms around her and lock her down. He then pulled her back to give me space.
"Ugh…!" [Solace]
I ripped out Leon's greatsword with great effort, causing it to drop beside me with a loud thud. I also had to cast |Small Cure| several times over to keep myself from bleeding out.
"Leon, that really hurt." [Solace]
I picked up my spear and aimed it at her.
"You've lost. Accept it." [Solace]
Leon remained silent. For a second, I thought she gave up. If not for the oddly large amount of red lightning charging up, I wouldn't have noticed her determination.
"Stop that! Don't make me hurt you anymore!" [Solace]
The red lightning amped up, making Doppel struggle to hold on to her.
"Leon, this next move will kill you if you don't stop!" [Solace]
I took an offensive stance, aiming the spear at her heart. I even waited a bit, hoping Leon would relent. Unfortunately, she didn't.
"G-|Grygand|!" [Solace]
I moved with incredible speed, my speartip guaranteed to strike true. However, I turned my spear at the last moment, leaving a sizable path of destruction in the forest.
"...What was that?" [Solace]
I could've sworn I heard Leon say something.
"...eit." [Leon]
"Huh?" [Solace]
"I forfeit!" [Leon]
Her lightning dissipated, and relief filled me. I had Doppel release her, and for the first time I think I saw Leon show me a real expression. Frustration? Anger? Maybe both?
("...Is she crying?") [Solace]
I might be imagining it, but I think I saw her eyes welling up with tears. As if noticing my gaze, Leon turned her back on me while wiping her face.
("...Shit, what do I do here? She's not supposed to have emotions! Do I… Do I cheer her up?") [Solace]
It was here that I realized I had no clue on how to console someone. Like, do I give her candy or something?
"U-Uh… You wanna come to my house?" [Solace]
Instant regret when those words left my mouth.
("The FUCK am I saying?! I sound like I'm trying to pick her up!") [Solace]
"I-I mean, I cooked a little too much for dinner today. Can you help me finish the rest?" [Solace]
Soooo much better. At least that sounds more normal.
"Plus you can uh… You can meet my disciples! I've got two of them now." [Solace]
Leon didn't reply.
"...Sure." [Leon]
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Perfect. Just follow me." [Solace]
The only problem left is… cleaning up the forest and explaining what just happened to the kids. What a busy life I have. Still, I find it odd that Leon's more expressive now.
("I'll try to figure it out over a meal with her.") [Solace]