Leo's grip locked down on the monster's claws, his feet buried deep in the cracking earth and muscles coiled. But as he strained against the sheer weight of the beast, his mind drifted back to the fight with the Dragon Lord—a victory he had won with the Astral Sword.
It didn't make sense.
"Hey, Ai," he said through gritted teeth, eyes still fixed on the monster's glowing eyes. "How come I can't use the Astral Sword now?"
Ai's voice came from the side, calm as ever. "It was a construct made by the Astral Sovereign that can only be wielded inside an Astral Plane."
He grunted, his jaw clenched.
That checked out.
He twisted his stance, his boots grinding against stone, and with a forceful exhale, shoved the monster away. The impact cracked the ground as a thunderclap of pressure rippled outward, exploding dust into the air. Trees bent from the force, and branches rattled. Even Ai took a step back.
The Arcanite, still seated, stared in stunned silence. The monster was massive, far beyond normal, yet Leo had tossed it as if it were nothing more than dead weight.
The monster rose again, its hulking form blocking out the forest light. Black scales shimmered with a dull, sick sheen. Its six tails uncoiled behind it like whips ready to strike, and each movement of its limbs came with a metallic creak, like old armor under strain.
Then, a slow, heavy pulse began to emanate from it. The Arcanite sucked in a sharp breath as bloody light bled from the monster's body like smoke turned to fire. The surrounding temperature dropped, and the air thickened with a suffocating chill. Her breath misted in front of her lips as her skin prickled.
[ Enraged ]
Under the crimson glow, the monster grew larger. Muscles bulged, and its claws elongated into obsidian-black, razor-edged talons. Its many eyes burned brighter now, their gleam gone, replaced by a feral, rabid fury.
Leo didn't flinch, simply raising his arms into a defensive stance.
The monster roared again, louder this time. Birds fled from the trees, wings flapping in a frantic rhythm as the jagged sound of rage and pain echoed for miles. Then it charged, each thunderous footfalls splitting the earth.
Another wooden sword appeared at his side. He grabbed it, narrowed his stance, and his sword began to glow. Faint at first, then brighter, it was wrapped in a shimmering mana that the Arcanite recognized. She had seen that light, that pressure, before.
She knew what came next.
The monster's claw came down in a blur.
Leo swung to meet it.
Snap!
The sword broke before it even touched the monster, shattering in his grip. Not all weapons could take mana. Some could hold it for a while, and a few rare ones could tolerate it longer, but even those had limits.
Arcanites had none; the ultimate weapon an adventurer could possess.
Leo was weaponless again.
The monster swung. Leo caught the blow with his bare hands, the impact splitting the stone beneath his boots and shooting dust upward. Rocks flew and branches cracked, but he stood firm.
The Arcanite's heart beat faster, not from fear anymore, but from something else, something older and strangely familiar. She'd seen that stance before. She'd felt that force of will, that presence, that silent command, through hundreds of failed pacts.
A deep, dormant part of her instincts stirred.
She remembered every failure, every shaking hand that touched hers. Every adventurer who passed out trying to complete the pact.
But hers never completed. She'd seen men collapse at her feet, pale and gasping. Some didn't wake for hours. Some barely survived the drain. Eventually, the attempts stopped, and her name turned into a whisper of warning.
And yet, she couldn't take her eyes off him. Leo, his back still to her, hands buried in the monster's claws, wasn't bending. He held his ground, enduring the crushing force.
She felt it again, that tug in her chest. That pull from her core.
It wanted him.
Despite everything, despite the failures, despite the shame, her magic surged.
She rose to her feet slowly and cautiously. The air around her felt different now, heavy but humming, like a current waiting to be tapped.
What if I fail again?
The question echoed in her mind, a bell rung too many times. Each footstep she took towards him brought more of the doubt forward, every failed memory, every fallen adventurer.
She moved closer, near enough to feel the heat of the battle and the vibration of power clashing against power. The monster roared again as its red aura surged, but Leo didn't move.
And the Arcanite kept walking, her eyes locked on the man who might finally be the one.