The moment Harald's severed arm spun through the air, time itself seemed to slow to a suffocating crawl. It was not the sound that terrified them… but the realization.
A shocking awareness: they were not facing an opponent that could be matched with cunning or courage alone. No—this was a being far beyond the limits of any of them.
Blood spattered across the stone floor, and Harald collapsed to his knees, stifling a scream, his features frozen between pain and disbelief.
Leo refused to let that moment stretch.
He raised his hand swiftly, and an invisible, hidden force wrapped around Harald's body. Telekinesis drew the wounded leader backward, pulling him out of the Baron's reach to a relatively safer distance. The control was precise, despite the tremor creeping into Leo's limbs.
Then he stretched his hands forward. Interlocking magical circles formed before him, glowing with a bluish-white light.
"Blades of Light!"
Dozens of radiant, lightning-sharp blades, of the fourth rank, sliced through the air with a sharp whistle, heading straight for the demonic Baron.
But…
The demon barely moved. He raised his hand, and the blades shattered against an invisible barrier, dissipating like lost sparks. Deflecting them required no effort at all.
Something pierced Leo's chest—not magic, but a bitter sensation he had never known before.
Helplessness.
He, who carried the memory of a great sorcerer and had always found solutions in the heart of impossibility, now stood powerless before a staggering gulf of strength.
A mocking smile twisted the Baron's lips. He raised his intact arm, dark crimson energy coalescing around it like concentrated hellfire.
"Hellfire!"
A massive wave of fire surged forward, crimson and twisting like serpents of flame, carrying the scent of annihilation. Pure demonic fire; its ferocity scaled with the rank of the caster… and this came from a Baron of the House of Wrath.
In that instant, everyone felt death rushing toward them.
But Leo did not flinch.
He shouted a defensive incantation, and three layers of magical barriers formed before him, stacked like glowing transparent walls.
The fire struck them.
The first layer shattered instantly.
The second cracked and crumbled.
The third held for mere seconds… before partially splintering.
Flames tore through the final barrier, scorching Leo's arms directly. His skin ignited; the acrid stench of burning filled the air, yet he remained standing, teeth clenched so hard blood trickled from his lips.
The Baron's anger flared.
"How dare a wretched human… block my assault?"
In that moment, Leo understood the truth: direct confrontation was futile.
He closed his eyes for a heartbeat, then sent his voice through telepathy to his comrades:
"Listen to me… At this rate, we won't defeat him. But I have a plan. I need only three minutes. Give me that time… and I will kill him."
A reckless gamble.
Three minutes against such a being was to walk on the edge of death.
Yet… they trusted him.
Meira moved first, swinging her hammer with all her might. It spun through the air like a silver meteor toward the Baron. Yet he caught it in his hand as if it were a toy, tossing it aside.
Dark sparks gathered in his palm, and he unleashed a blade of shadow mana that struck Meira squarely in the chest, tearing through armor and flesh alike, leaving a gaping, bleeding wound.
"Meira!" Diara's voice shattered.
Noro charged forward, shield braced, planting his feet firmly, attempting to shove the Baron back. His shield clashed against the demon's body, but the Baron did not budge an inch.
Instead, he raised his fist… and struck.
The heavy shield shattered like glass, shards flying, and Noro was flung through the air, slamming violently into the wall before collapsing nearly motionless.
Borin intervened, invoking sacred spells—golden lights striving to bind the demon and weaken him.
But the gulf in power was immense.
The Baron smirked with contempt and cast a counterspell that exploded at Borin's feet, leaving him sprawled and immobilized.
Now…
Only Diara remained.
Alone, her breaths ragged, her heart racing. How could a girl like her face such a being?
The thought of fleeing crept into her mind. To turn and run… to survive.
Yet she turned.
And saw Leo behind her, eyes closed, body trembling, delving deep into a complex spell.
She placed her trust in him.
Raising her bow, she rained a volley of arrows at the Baron, trying to distract him. The arrows hit, but had no discernible effect.
The Baron's patience snapped.
He lifted his hand, and an invisible force enveloped Diara. Powerful telekinesis lifted her off the ground and hurled her against the wall—once, twice, thrice—until her strength gave out and her consciousness faded.
At that moment…
Leo opened his eyes.
He had completed the restructuring of an eighth-rank spell, forcibly adjusted to suit his current power. A miniature version, weak compared to the original… but sufficient.
The cost?
A magical backlash that would shatter his body from within and prevent him from using magic for a long period.
Blood trickled from his nose and the corner of his mouth.
"Magma Explosion!"
A dense, terrifyingly compressed fireball formed, glowing a dark volcanic hue.
The Baron sensed danger at last, rushing toward Leo to stop him—
But he was too late.
Leo unleashed the attack.
The energy detonated directly on the Baron's body. The hall shook, stone cracked, and clouds of dust and smoke rose.
When the haze cleared…
The Baron still stood.
But his other arm… was gone.
Frustration painted the team's faces.
Then…
The Baron staggered.
And laughed.
"Ha ha ha… a wretched human dares to push me this far. Know this… you shall face a dark fate for daring to defy the blood of demons."
Then his body vanished, evaporating into a swirl of crimson smoke.
Silence fell.
A heavy, suffocating quiet.
The team exchanged glances, then rushed to Leo.
Harald's voice was hoarse:
"Excellent, Leo… thanks to you, we survived today."
Meira, still in pain, said:
"Well done, you rascal… I never expected this from you."
Diara approached, kneeling:
"Leo… are you alright?"
He stood motionless.
Eyes vacant, breaths ragged, as if the air itself refused to enter his lungs.
Diara placed a hand on his shoulder…
And froze.
His body was cold… frighteningly cold.
Suddenly—
Blood burst from his mouth in a torrential gush.
He staggered.
Collapsed to the floor amid the team's screams and chaos, his small shadow stretching across the hall… still and unmoving.