Bermuda [bl]

Andreas felt like every hair on his body was standing on end. It wasn't easy for someone of his rank as a battalion commander to feel this way, but Leonardo's gaze was like the eyes of a golden beast that had marked him as prey, declaring, "I'm coming to kill you soon."

It seemed that from the moment the guy had shaken off his clones and come to the back, he had already figured out the approximate location of the main body. Moreover, looking at his technique of dealing with the charging clones, each one precisely aimed at vital points and cut off their breath in an instant, using methods that would be employed in assassinations.

The clones he had created were indeed not even half of his actual combat power, but they were definitely not puppets that would crumble in a single blow like that.

Furthermore, just now, he had clearly not mistaken the clone in front of him for the main body and twisted its neck, but rather, he had already identified the main body behind it and demonstrated that action as an example.

For a moment, Andreas felt a chill that was no less than when he first met Hugo.

Eventually, as Leonardo fiercely charged towards him, Andreas drew the real sword he had at his side. As the steel sword with mana durability clashed with the flame sword, the blade made a screeching sound.

Confronting the blazing inferno before his eyes, Andreas felt the tip of his sword, heated by the guy's flames, gradually softening. At the same time, he was perplexed by the tingling sensation that ran up his entire arm, although he didn't show it.

'What kind of strength...'

He had been amazed since the moment the guy blocked his two clones with one hand each, but directly crossing swords with him, the strength felt so powerful that it was unbelievable to think it came from the delicate and pretty-looking guy in front of him.

In the midst of that, as he saw the blade melting with a boiling sound, Andreas hurriedly deflected his sword to gain distance and immediately gathered vines to grab Leonardo's arms and legs.

However, the guy instantly burned them all with the heat emanating from his entire body and relentlessly pursued only him with fierce intensity.

'I'm not confident in close combat at all... and the compatibility is the worst.'

Andreas was the type who mainly shone in long-range battles. However, the guy's speed of dealing with the clones in a single blow was much faster than his speed of creating them, and he had somehow found and instantly identified the main body, leaving him with no way to handle the situation at the moment.

Moreover, when he encountered the absurd phenomenon of his blade, which could withstand considerable high temperatures, melting away in such a short time, he couldn't simply keep crossing swords with him.

'Where is Hugo and what is he doing?'

Even while running away from Leonardo, Andreas busily shifted his eyes and searched for Hugo. As he moved his gaze along the scattered ice fragments, he saw Hugo, who had shattered all the ice chunks far away, timely raising his head and looking this way.

Andreas informed him of his situation, where he was almost unilaterally being chased, by making the most desperate expression and moving his lips. As if his earnestness had been properly conveyed, Hugo immediately flew up into the air and quickly approached the battlefield.

Seeing that, just as Andreas was about to feel relieved, a brutal voice came from behind him, as if mocking his audacity.

"Taking your eyes off me?"

In an instant, a chill ran down his spine. Andreas barely twisted his upper body to block the attack coming down on his head. Leonardo, who had somehow approached right in front of him, was pressing down with a terrifying force while wearing an eerie smile.

"Why don't you bring out those annoying tree vines one more time?"

As the gradually bending blade flickered before his eyes, Andreas became extremely anxious, thinking that the sword would completely break at this rate. As if sensing that, Leonardo relentlessly swung the magic sword in his other hand, driving him back without giving him a chance.

With fierce sparks added to the attacks sweeping from both sides, Andreas was barely able to block them, but even in the midst of that, he tried to maintain a relaxed demeanor and retorted with a raised corner of his mouth.

"Damn it, do you have any use for firewood?"

At that, Leonardo chuckled and mercilessly swung his sword as if intending to shatter it completely, saying,

"Of all things, they sent a battalion commander who uses wood against me."

At that moment, Hugo, who had been approaching while concealing his presence, charged towards them at a fast speed. Seeing that, Andreas endured Leonardo's sword and, at the right timing, pushed him towards Hugo.

Due to the considerable difference in physique, when Andreas put his weight into it and pushed with all his might, Leonardo, who was in midair, was helplessly pushed back. Feeling properly heated up by the repetition of similar situations, he tried to charge at the opponent again, but sensing the presence behind him, he quickly lowered his body.

Soon after, Hugo's heavy sword came down from above like a smash, exuding a threatening force. Leonardo tried to dodge, but lacking the propulsion, he had no choice but to raise both arms from below and barely block it.

As the preheated and even hotter sword and the even more cooled sword fiercely clashed, the same explosive sound from before reverberated through the surroundings, and an intense atmosphere burst out between the two.

Hugo strongly pressed down on the connected swords to drain Leonardo's strength. However, Leonardo, who had been hurt in his pride after being blown away by him once, stubbornly endured his strength with sheer willpower.

Looking down coldly at the foolish sight of him enduring his sword with veins bulging on his neck and face, Hugo abruptly opened his mouth.

"Leonardo, that's enough."

However, Leonardo, while blocking his sword with trembling arms, looked up at him with a sharp gaze filled with defiance and said,

"You seem to have some leeway. Trying to persuade me?"

At his heavily sarcastic tone, Hugo's brows narrowed.

"Two more battalion commanders are coming as reinforcements. If you don't want to be dragged away in a miserable state, stop now."

Leonardo didn't respond to those words. Instead, he briefly endured Hugo's heavy sword with one arm, then pushed it aside and thrust a sword with high-voltage current flowing through it, sparks flying, towards him.

In response, Hugo also created a long ice spear in his other hand and deflected his sword. With a high-pitched sound that stimulated the eardrums, half of the ice spear shattered and burst in all directions due to the friction with the electricity.

However, Leonardo, who would have normally dodged it cleverly, didn't move this time and continued to face the sword. As a result, the shattered ice fragments grazed his cheek at a fast speed.

Frowning one eye at the stinging sensation, blood flowed down Leonardo's cheek, indicating that it was quite a large cut.

Seeing that, Hugo momentarily faltered and forcefully pushed him away. However, Leonardo quickly approached again and, with their swords connected, raised the corner of his mouth and stared into Hugo's blue eyes.

"I thought I had misunderstood earlier, but it seems I was right."

"..."

He grinned a sardonic smile as if he had caught a very good opportunity. Fresh red blood flowed down his cheek and gathered on his lips.

As those lips, dyed red with blood, curved into a parabola, that sight appeared quite precarious, but combined with his surreal appearance, it evoked a sensual beauty. Hugo silently gazed at the hot, red blood flowing down to his lips, then met his curved golden eyes again.

Although Hugo's expression remained unchanged, Leonardo, looking at his opponent's face, smiled seductively and whispered as if confirming his thoughts, their swords still connected.

"You have no killing intent."

Hugo inwardly sighed.

This cunning fellow seemed to have realized that he had no intention of seriously injuring him. Rather than the guy taking the citizens hostage, Hugo thought that he would now blatantly use himself as a hostage, so he no longer made eye contact with him and instead strongly pushed him far away.

Then, Leonardo, even while being pushed back by that force, laughed as if he found it amusing and said,

"Do you think you can drag me away like this?"

Hugo was fed up with the guy's confident face.

Even with one cheek completely covered in blood and drops of blood dripping down his chin, Leonardo looked down at him with an arrogant face and smiled. As if his own condition didn't matter at all.

Seeing the carefree actions of a child who seemed to be playing around on top of his head, Hugo thought that he was more difficult to handle than any other guy.

At that moment, something huge flew towards Leonardo at a fast speed, making a heavy wind sound. Leonardo thought it was Andreas' tree vines and tried to lightly twist his body to dodge it.

However, its flying speed was much faster than he anticipated, and before he could dodge, that massive something strongly struck Leonardo's left shoulder.

"Ugh-"

As a heavy sensation was felt, enough to push his entire body back with a thud, a small groan escaped Leonardo's lips. He swayed a little in midair, barely regained his balance, and turned his head. Then, once again, a huge tree vine, bundled into a lump, flew towards him.

'What the hell is this?'

After being hit once, his anger gauge rose, and veins bulged on his neck. This time, Leonardo quickly dodged the flying object and identified its identity.

Where his gaze was directed, Andreas was swinging a giant wooden mace made by weaving broken ice chunks with tree vines. Andreas grinned at Leonardo and said,

"Sorry for interrupting, but you can't forget about me."

Leonardo completely erased the smile he had been giving Hugo.

Seeing that face, Andreas, who had been smiling with delight, swung the wooden mace with all his might again.

Leonardo reflexively twisted his shoulder to dodge the incoming attack and charged toward that direction with an incomparably colder force than before. Noticing his unusual gaze, Hugo realized his quite enraged state and immediately chased after him, swinging his sword.

Then, Leonardo, while blocking the sword, didn't endure Hugo's blade this time.

As a very light sensation was felt, as if no weight was put on the connected blades at all, Hugo was momentarily puzzled, then soon realized his intention and hurriedly shouted,

"Andre─!"

Using the recoil of Hugo's swinging sword, Leonardo quickly charged towards Andreas. Startled by the sight of Leonardo flying towards him in an instant, Andreas reflexively pulled back the wooden mace and threw it at him again.

However, Leonardo, without any intention of dodging, charged straight ahead and sliced the huge approaching shadow in half with his flame sword in one breath. Then, he rushed right in front of Andreas and asked him in a brutal voice,

"You know, I really like wood. Do you know why?"

Andreas immediately drew his sword again to block, but due to the acceleration attached to Leonardo, his body was pushed back and floated upward. In the midst of that, the guy who had been approaching from the front suddenly disappeared, and before he knew it, he was above his head.

Pressing down on Andreas' shoulder with his left hand, he whispered with a fresh smile on his face,

"It burns well."

In an instant, Andreas saw the dazzling sun floating behind Leonardo and his swaying golden hair overlapping. The sunlight seemed to reflect off the guy's hair, making it shine even more.

'It's blinding.'

Andreas' brows furrowed involuntarily due to that excessive radiance.

Feeling as if time had stopped at that moment, he struggled to open his eyes to look directly at Leonardo. Then, he saw a fatal beauty with red blood flowing on his white skin, looking down at him and smiling.

Andreas, who had been blankly captivated by the sight for a moment, soon saw a mass of flames mixed with red and gold, held in Leonardo's right hand, directed towards him.

In that instant, Andreas simply gave a hollow laugh as if he had foreseen his immediate future.

"Haha, oh well."

Kwaaang!

A huge explosion occurred in the sky, accompanied by a roar. Andreas hurriedly put up a barrier and raised his guard to block the incoming fist, but being hit directly, the impact was severe.

Without even having a chance to gather tree vines to use as a cushion, he plummeted and crashed into the half-destroyed square floor.

As he fell, another roar resounded, and a corner of the square was dug out. The surroundings were filled with a thick cloud of dust due to the shockwave.