It was a textbook-level conquest using the "boiling frog" method.
When she was injured during training from unstable power control, Cloud was always the first to appear, gently healing her wounds.
And incidentally, stroking her smooth skin a few extra seconds, under the pretense of "checking if the injury has fully healed."
When she lay alone late at night, unable to sleep due to nightmares from her past, Cloud would appear at her window like a ghost, hand her a cup of warm milk, then sit quietly with her, watching the stars in the night sky.
When those two blockheads Ralf and Clark told their greasy "manly jokes" about "muscles" and "sweat" at the dinner table, Cloud would always redirect the conversation at just the right moment, rescuing Leona from that awkward atmosphere.
This silent, pervasive warmth—practically "central air conditioning" style—was devastating to a girl who had grown up in the military and was desperately lacking in emotional security. Its killing power was comparable to Orochi's Sunshine Purification!
Leona's long-frozen heart had completely melted under this half-month of continuous "heating."
The way she looked at Cloud had evolved from initial "obeying orders," to "dependence," to now a complex mix of "worship," "love," and "possessiveness."
She didn't say it, but Cloud understood.
[Ding! Detected that bond target Leona Heidern's affection toward Host has reached 100 (Complete Surrender)!]
[Host! The time has come! Final push! Don't hesitate! GO! Conquer that iceberg! Make her burn for you! Make her sing for you! You two need to applaud for love!]
Listening to the system's prompt—more eager than he was, practically a "gold-medal wingman"—a smile of "hunter about to close the net" curved at Cloud's lips.
He knew the time was ripe.
...
It was a dark and windy night.
The Ikari Warriors base's searchlights diligently swept across the desert.
In the distance, a few lone wolf howls added a touch of desolation to the silent night.
Once again, Cloud moved like an experienced "flower thief," silently infiltrating to the door of Leona's dormitory.
The last time he'd done this was at Kagura Shrine, targeting the outwardly soft but inwardly strong Chizuru Kagura.
This time, the target had changed to a mobile iceberg.
The difficulty level had shot straight from "tutorial village" to "hell mode."
He pressed his ear against the cold metal door.
No sound inside whatsoever—extremely quiet.
"Asleep? Or waiting for me?"
A "veteran driver" smile appeared on Cloud's face.
He didn't knock, didn't use a key.
He simply extended one finger and lightly tapped the lock.
A faint trace of Chaos Power passed through the door, instantly dismantling the complex mechanical lock structure inside.
"Click."
A soft sound—the door opened.
The whole process was smooth as water, silent—the pinnacle of "breaking and entering."
The room was dark, only cold moonlight spilling through the small window.
Leona's dormitory was simple to the extreme.
One bed, one desk, one wardrobe—no decorations whatsoever. Full of a soldier's characteristic simplicity and hardness.
By moonlight, Cloud saw that petite yet powerful figure, dressed in a simple white tank top and military shorts, lying quietly on the bed.
The sound of even breathing was clearly audible in the silent room.
She seemed to really be asleep.
"This one's much more honest than that little girl Chizuru." Cloud laughed internally.
Like an elegant night cat, step by step, soundlessly, he approached the bedside.
He leaned down, looking at Leona's sleeping face—appearing even more cold, exquisite, and porcelain-like in the moonlight.
Even in sleep, her brows were slightly furrowed. As if even in dreams, she was enduring some kind of pain.
Cloud's heart inexplicably softened.
He reached out, wanting to smooth those furrowed brows.
But just as his finger was about to touch her skin—!
Those tightly closed eyes snapped open! Cold! Alert!
Almost simultaneously, Leona's body made the most instinctive response!
She executed a lightning-fast roll, and the military knife in her hand—who knew when—had already cleared its sheath!
A flash of cold steel, accompanied by a shriek of splitting air, thrust straight at Cloud's throat!
Fast! Accurate! Vicious!
This series of movements was her thousand-times-refined killing technique, etched into her very bones!
However...
Facing this lethal strike that would have killed any special forces ace on the spot—
Cloud didn't even dodge.
At the moment that cold blade was 0.01 seconds from breaking his skin—
He moved.
He didn't use his hand to block, didn't use force to deflect.
At a speed faster than the human visual limit, he slightly tilted his head.
Then opened his mouth.
"—CLANG!"
A crisp sound like metal striking metal!
Leona only felt as if the knife in her hand had stabbed into the hardest alloy!
A tremendous recoil force transmitted through the blade, numbing the web between her thumb and forefinger!
She looked closely and froze.
Cloud had actually used his teeth...
To bite the tip of her military knife—forged from special alloy!
This... this... this...
Leona's brain completely crashed.
Was this even human?!
Were his teeth fitted with diamonds?! Did he not need to chew when eating?!
"I say, little sister Leona." Cloud spoke with the knife in his mouth, his words unclear. "Your welcome ceremony is quite... unique."
As he spoke, his teeth gently applied pressure.
"—CRACK!"
That special alloy knife—capable of penetrating armored vehicles—snapped in two!
The knife tip was crunched by him like eating a potato chip—"crunch crunch"—then ptoo, spat onto the ground.
...
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