Chương 52: The Last Moment of Leo

The decision had been made. Leo stood in the center of the collapsing chamber while cracks spread across the walls like black veins. The second pillar continued to fracture, each new line releasing another burst of unstable mana into the underground network. The six attackers had scattered. Some were attempting to protect the remaining pillars. Others had already begun retreating. Only their leader remained.

He stood several meters away, his cloak torn from the earlier exchange, one hand pressed against the wound on his side.

"You cannot escape," he said. Leo looked at him.

"I wasn't planning to." The man's eyes narrowed. For a moment, neither moved. Then the third pillar cracked. The entire chamber shook. Leo understood. The underground structure was becoming unstable faster than he had expected. The attackers had lost control of the system. If the pillars continued breaking, the chamber would collapse, and the accumulated energy would surge toward the surface. The capital would be caught in it. Leo lowered his sword. The leader smiled.

"Finally, you understand."

"No." Leo turned toward the black crystal.

"I understand that you made a mistake." The leader's smile disappeared. Leo stepped toward the crystal.

"You gathered too much power." Another crack echoed through the chamber.

"And now you don't know where it will go." The man's expression changed. Leo was right. The network was no longer responding perfectly to their commands. The black crystal pulsed again. A violent wave of mana tore through the chamber. The remaining attackers were thrown from their feet. Leo planted his sword into the ground and endured the force. His arms trembled. Blood began flowing from his nose. His Internal Energy fought against the foreign mana surrounding him. It hurt. But he continued standing.

The leader stared at him.

"What are you?" Leo slowly pulled his sword from the stone.

"Someone who knows when to leave." Then he moved. The leader barely raised his weapon before Leo struck. Heavenly Demon Step. Their positions reversed. Leo appeared behind him. The man's eyes widened. A thin line of blood appeared across his chest. He fell to one knee. Leo did not finish him. Instead, he ran. The leader looked up.

"You're running?" The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Leo didn't answer. He reached the first pillar. His sword flashed. Heavenly Demon Severance. The damaged pillar exploded. The energy stored inside it rushed into the underground network. Leo immediately moved toward the second. Another strike. Another explosion. The leader finally understood.

"You're destroying them!" Leo continued.

"I know."

"Those pillars are connected to the capital!"

"I know."

"If you destroy them, the backlash—""I know." The third pillar shattered. The fourth began cracking on its own. Leo stopped. He could feel the pressure building. The underground chamber could not survive much longer. Neither could he. He looked toward the passage. Then toward the black crystal. There was only one way to prevent the entire network from releasing its energy at once. Someone had to force the remaining power away from the capital. Leo understood what that meant. He looked down at his injured body.

His ribs were damaged. His Internal Energy was unstable. He had already used too much. But he still had enough. Maybe. Just enough. Leo walked toward the black crystal. The leader rose behind him.

"You'll die." Leo stopped. For the first time, he looked back.

"I know." Then he placed his hand against the crystal. At the academy, the sky turned black. Not with clouds. With mana. A vast distortion spread above the Royal Capital, swallowing the stars and turning the Arcane Convergence into a storm of violet light. Students were being evacuated. Royal guards were arriving from every district. Professor Gareth stood at the academy gates, directing the evacuation.

"Take the western road! Keep the students together!" Elara raised both hands. A massive defensive formation appeared above the academy. Then she felt it. Her face changed.

"Gareth."

"What?"

"The energy beneath the city." He looked at her.

"It is moving."

"Where?" Elara stared toward the eastern district.

"Toward us." Gareth immediately drew his sword.

"Everyone back!" The next second, the ground shook. Alice stumbled. Amon caught her arm before she fell. Masha immediately raised a wall of earth around the nearest students. Daniel looked toward the eastern district.

"What is happening?" No one answered. Then the academy's communication crystal activated. A Royal Guard appeared within the projection. His face was pale.

"Emergency report from the eastern district." Gareth stepped closer.

"Speak."

"There has been a massive underground collapse."

"How bad?"

"We don't know." The guard hesitated. Then came the words nobody wanted to hear.

"Several people are believed to be trapped underground." Alice's eyes moved toward the city.

"Who?" The guard looked down at the report in his hands.

"Among the missing…" He paused.

"Leo." Silence. Alice did not speak. Amon lowered his gaze. Masha's hands tightened around the edge of her robe. Daniel simply stared toward the distant city. Gareth closed his eyes for a moment. Then he turned toward the students.

"We have no confirmation of his death." His voice was firm.

"Until there is a body, we assume he is alive." Alice nodded. She did not cry. She did not run toward the city. She simply looked toward the eastern district. And waited. Beneath the capital, Leo's hand remained against the black crystal. The world around him had become almost silent. He could hear his own heartbeat. One beat. Another. Another. Then the crystal opened. Not physically. Something inside it broke. A tremendous amount of energy entered Leo's body. His muscles locked.

Pain tore through every part of him. His Internal Energy surged instinctively. He activated the Heavenly Demon Internal Circulation. The two energies collided. Leo's vision blurred. He almost lost consciousness. But he remained standing. He began redirecting the accumulated energy. Not toward the capital. Away from it. Toward the mountains beyond the eastern district. The crystal screamed. The remaining pillars shattered one after another. The entire underground chamber began collapsing.

Stone fell from the ceiling. Leo's knees weakened. His blood soaked his clothes. His sword slipped from his hand. He caught himself against the crystal. Just a little longer. The energy continued moving. The pressure above the capital began decreasing. Leo could feel it. The city was surviving. Good. He smiled faintly. Then the final pillar broke. The black crystal exploded. The eastern district disappeared beneath a mountain of stone. A wave of dust swept through the streets. People screamed. Windows shattered.

The ground collapsed in several places. Then everything stopped. For several seconds, there was nothing. No explosions. No magical storms. Only silence. The Arcane Convergence had ended. At the academy, everyone looked toward the eastern district. Gareth's face was grim. Elara lowered her hands. The defensive barrier slowly faded. Alice remained motionless. Then a Royal Guard came running through the gates.

"Professor!" Gareth turned.

"What happened?" The guard was breathing heavily.

"The collapse has stopped."

"And Leo?" The guard said nothing. That was enough. Gareth looked away. Alice closed her eyes. For several seconds, she remained completely still. Then she opened them. There was no certainty in them. Only acceptance of what they had been told. Leo was missing. And the city had swallowed him. Hours later, beneath the ruins, something moved. A hand emerged from the rubble. Leo dragged himself free. He lay against a broken section of stone, barely conscious. His breathing was shallow. His clothes were torn.

His body was covered in blood and dust. He looked toward the ruined passage. Nobody had followed him. Good. Slowly, Leo reached beneath his coat. His fingers found the black mask. He had carried it with him. He stared at it for several seconds. Then he put it on. His breathing changed. His voice changed. The face of Leo disappeared. What remained was another man. A man who had no connection to the academy. No connection to the students. No connection to the boy who had supposedly died beneath the capital.

Leo stood. Pain nearly brought him back to his knees. He endured it. Then he picked up his sword. Somewhere above him, people were mourning Leo Shakespeare. They would search for his body. They would eventually stop searching. His name would become another casualty of the Arcane Convergence. That was exactly what he wanted. Leo looked toward the ruined tunnel. Then he pulled the mask fully into place. The red lines across its surface caught the faint light.

For the first time in years, the world would see him again. Not as Leo. Not as a student. Not as the quiet young man from the academy. A black-robed figure stepped out from the ruins. His sword rested at his side. His eyes were cold behind the mask. The capital had lost a young man that night. And somewhere beyond its walls… the Heavenly Demon had returned. End of Chapter 52.