The tension in the air was suffocating. Leo's breathing was ragged as she glanced around, her golden eyes scanning the devastated street. Sweat trickled down her forehead. Her sword hand tightened involuntarily.
The boy lay crumpled on the cracked stone ground, clutching his mangled leg with a low, agonized groan. A dark shadow pulsed beneath the wound, swallowing the flesh like living ink. His pain echoed in the silence around them.
"Dammit… how are we supposed to heal him?"
Leo muttered to herself, frustration and fear mixing in her voice.
Leo[Pride] stood motionless, scanning every direction with an unnerving precision. His golden eyes glowed faintly, the RED CIRCLE inside them flaring like molten fire. His expression was unreadable—cold, calculating.
Suddenly, the air shifted. The wind intensified, cutting sharp through the silence like a blade.
"It's coming closer."
Leo[Pride] spoke without turning his head, his voice low but certain.
"What is it—!?"
Leo's words died as a sudden streak of yellow light flashed toward them.
"Leo—watch out!!" she shouted.
In an instant, Leo[Pride] crossed his arms in front of his chest. A shimmering, emerald-green shield erupted from his stance, glowing with fierce energy. But before it could hold, the yellow blade struck with a resounding SHATTER, cracking it instantly into shards of light.
SLASH!!
Pain flared across Leo[Pride]'s elbow as blood trickled freely from the wound.
"Tch…" he muttered, grinding his teeth in annoyance.
His gaze shifted sharply to the right, locking onto a blur of shadow. A figure moved with such unnatural speed that Leo barely registered it before it struck.
BAM!!
Leo[Pride] parried the strike with the flat of his katana, the impact resonating through his arm. The shadow figure leapt backward, landing gracefully but with lethal intent.
"Huh… who is that?"
Leo[Pride] muttered, eyes narrowing in focus.
Leo turned to see the figure as well—and froze.
Standing before them was an elf girl. She looked barely twenty-one, her long blonde hair tied into a waterfall ponytail that gleamed like spun gold under the dim light. Her emerald-green eyes burned with righteous fury.
Her attire was both elegant and battle-ready: an off-shoulder white collared shirt with billowing sleeves tied at the cuffs, layered beneath a green corset vest trimmed with gold and embedded with turquoise gems that glimmered faintly. Black, asymmetrical slim-fit pants hugged her legs, adorned with a silver diamond patch and leather straps. A golden moon pendant swayed at her left ear.
Leo's voice trembled. "An… elf girl?"
Leo[Pride] stepped forward, blood from his elbow dripping silently onto the cracked street. His gaze hardened.
"What's your problem? Are you—"
Before he could finish, the elf girl lunged forward like a striking viper, katana drawn with a deadly hiss of wind.
"Die!! You monster!!" she screamed, fury blazing in her eyes.
Her blade cut through the air with terrifying speed. Leo[Pride] reacted instantly, dropping low and dodging the attack, then delivering a bone-crushing kick to her stomach.
"Ughh—!!" The elf girl collapsed backward with a grunt, her breath expelled in pain.
Leo[Pride] rose slowly, wiping the blood from his elbow, his face unreadable but for a glint of cold resolve.
"Leo! Look behind!" she shouted, her voice sharp.
Reacting instantly, Leo hurled one of her twin swords like a deadly arrow. It struck with a ringing clang, knocking the elf girl's katana aside.
"Yes!!" Leo clenched her fists in triumph.
But before Leo[Pride] could act further, the elf girl rose again, dagger poised at her hip, and struck his back with deadly intent.
"Die, you monster!!" she screamed, charging once more.
Leo[Pride] pivoted with lethal precision, delivering two crushing punches to her face in succession.
"You thought I was weak!?" he roared.
Before she could recover, his kick smashed into her hip, twisting her spine, followed by a punishing blow to her throat. The elf girl staggered, coughing violently, her breath ragged.
"Distruzione del ghiaccio!!" she gasped, blood trickling from her nose.
From the broken ground beneath her, a massive, jagged needle of ice burst upward, sharp and cruel.
"What the—!?" Leo gasped, rushing to shield Leo[Pride].
But the ice pierced the air, swallowing him whole in an icy grip.
"What have you done, girl!!" Leo shouted, rage cracking her voice.
The elf girl struggled to her feet, blood staining her lips, her katana trembling in her grip.
"You don't understand! That demon turned this land into a nightmare!" she hissed, fury blazing in her voice.
"A demon!? He is… my friend. He isn't the one you're looking for!" Leo shouted back, stepping toward her with righteous anger.
CRACK!! The massive ice shards shattered into pieces under an unseen force. Leo[Pride] stepped forward slowly, a blue aura radiating from him, four glowing blue dots appearing in his golden pupils. His expression was stone-cold.
"I hate when people attack without reason." His voice was low, sharp as steel.
The elf girl's eyes widened. She raised her katana, charging forward again.
"Leo, calm down! She might have mistaken you for someone else!" Leo pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation. She raised her hands in a futile attempt to restrain him.
"Tch… I hate this," Leo[Pride] muttered with disdain, halting his movement.