Leon, holding the Terminus Est with his own hands, chanted the words of the contract while simultaneously pouring his magical power into the Sacred Sword.
"Amazing…"
"Of course."
Claire's eyes widened in shock.
What kind of terrifying amount of magical energy was this? The magic being poured into the sword every second equaled the entirety of her own reserves. She couldn't help but wonder—was his magic power limitless?
Alpha, however, wore a calm, pragmatic expression. Having been with Leon for many years, she knew this level of output was nothing more than a trifle to him.
The amount of magical power Leon currently possessed had already reached an unimaginable level. Even if one gathered together every magus across an entire kingdom, their combined energy would not come close to matching him.
The binding strength of a contract largely depended on the magical power of the contractor. With Leon's power, even the legendary Sacred Sword could not refuse.
Or at least, that was how it should have been…
"…Hm?"
Leon frowned.
He felt the blade suddenly twist in his hand. To keep his palm from being sliced open, he had no choice but to let go.
"You actually rejected me?"
Leon muttered in surprise.
But what startled him even more was the faint tingling in his palm. Looking down, his eyes narrowed.
The high-quality black gloves he wore—woven from the silk of monstrous spiders and worth tens of thousands of gold coins—had been torn. Beneath them, his hand was scratched as well.
Scarlet blood dripped from his fingertips.
Leon's eyes widened further.
He froze for several seconds, trying to process what had just happened.
He… had actually been injured?
"No way…"
Alpha couldn't help but exclaim.
The blonde elf stared at the scene in disbelief, as though she were dreaming. Leon was wounded? Leon had bled? How could such a thing even be possible?
To Alpha, this was more incredible than anything she had ever seen before. She had never once witnessed Leon bleed.
In the past—whether facing the Cult of Diablos, the mighty Dragon King, or even the demon Diablos himself—Leon had crushed everything before him with overwhelming power.
Not a single drop of blood had ever been spilled.
And yet now…
He had been scratched by a sword.
Alpha's mind went blank. Without realizing it, she even raised a hand to rub her eyes, certain she must be seeing things.
"Excellent! Wonderful! You actually managed to wound me!"
Leon's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Even though he hadn't been serious just now…
It could still be said that this injury was an astonishing coincidence, perhaps even a miracle.
But the fact remained—he had been hurt. He was bleeding.
Leon smirked, clapping his hands lightly.
So that was it. If this sword couldn't even scratch him, how could it ever be worthy of becoming his possession?
"Healed?!"
Both Claire and Alpha exclaimed in unison.
The shallow cut on Leon's palm vanished almost instantly, as though it had been nothing more than an illusion.
This was the healing ability of the Dragon King Apep. As long as this power remained within him, even a severed arm or leg could regenerate within a single minute.
At present, the Dragon King's power hosted inside Leon continued to grow stronger. To be honest, Leon sometimes felt he was gradually drifting further from being human.
But such things were trivial.
"Well then… let's begin round two."
Leon stopped clapping and spoke.
The Sacred Sword floating in the air gave a low, ringing hum.
Then, like a silver-white meteor, it shot toward Leon from an impossible angle, moving at a speed the naked eye could scarcely track.
Be it a magical shield, an enchanted artifact, or even a slime barrier—none of them would be more than paper before this Sacred Sword. They wouldn't last even a moment.
And yet—
"Spatial Lock. Solidification."
Leon raised his hand and snapped his fingers through the air.
The Sacred Sword, which had been a breath away from piercing his throat, froze in place. Though its blade trembled faintly, it could no longer move.
After all, even if it could shatter physical defenses… breaking free of space itself was impossible.
Normally, a technique like this would freeze even one's breath and sight. But the Sacred Sword still trembled against its bonds, a testament to just how extraordinary it was.
In truth, Terminus Est had no reason to reject Leon. Whether in magical power, swordsmanship, or conviction, Leon stood at the very peak—none in the world could rival him.
It was like a girl rejecting a man who was handsome, wealthy, of high status, with a flawless body—and who loved her besides. If she turned him away, it could only mean one thing: she simply felt no attraction to him.
The same logic applied here.
The reason the Sacred Sword had rejected Leon wasn't that he was unworthy.
It was because it did not want to form a contract with anyone.
But…
"I don't care about that."
Leon understood this truth. And yet, he still gripped the sword's hilt and continued to force the contract forward.
He was a gentle and wise king, yes… but he was also a tyrant, unyielding and absolute. Whatever he desired would inevitably fall into his grasp.
"You think you're the one who gets to choose? No. I'm the one who chooses. And since I've chosen you… you have no option but to submit."
As he spoke, the Geass sigil gleamed in Leon's eyes.
His power of absolute obedience grew stronger and stronger, slipping further out of his control—yet its effect was undeniable. Even if his target wasn't human, even without direct eye contact, his words alone compelled obedience in any intelligent being who heard them.
Alpha endured it with effort, but Claire, far weaker, nearly collapsed to her knees.
"Spatial Lock… release."
With those words, Leon lifted the spatial restraint.
The Sacred Sword immediately thrashed violently, struggling to break free of his grasp and flee elsewhere. But this time, no matter how fiercely it resisted, it could not make Leon release it.
And the torrent of magic he continued to pour into it was unlike anything before.
It was as though the blade had been cast into an endless sea of magic, drowning within its depths.
This was precisely Leon's intent.
Though the Sacred Sword could withstand thousands of times the normal magical input, even it had a limit.
And Leon was breaking that limit—forcefully overloading the blade.
A reckless method, perhaps. But undeniably effective.
Submerged in that boundless ocean of magical power, the Sacred Sword finally reached its breaking point.
At that instant, Leon seized the opportunity and sealed the contract.
"It's done," Leon declared.
---
(End of Chapter)