After slipping past Denver, Leo ran towards Vivienne with all the speed he could muster. His breaths were ragged, each inhale scraping against his throat like shards of ss.


    The stinging sensation in his leg was impossible to ignore now—as it had grown from a slight tingling sensation at the start to a cold, numbing pain now, that crept from the spot where Vivienne''s mana chain had grazed him.


    Areas where his muscles should have been twitching in anticipation of explosive movement felt disturbingly still now, as if his leg had been detached from his control.


    ''I can''t feel it, I can''t feel the movement of my muscles'' he realized grimly, as the loss of sensation robbed him of the agility he usually relied on, making his stride uneven and his bnce precarious.


    He felt like his entire limb was being deprived of blood flow, making it impossible for him to move or make his muscles obey his will, as he slowed down significantly.


    Each step sent a dull ache radiating through his body, but he clenched his jaw and pushed forward regardless, as he simply had no other choice.


    Ahead of him, Vivienne floated serenely, her hands glowing with an ominous golden light as she wove intricate runes in the air.


    Her expression was calm, almost amused, as if she were watching a desperate animal make its final lunge.


    "Coming for me? How predictable," she mused, her voice dripping with condescension.


    She waspletely confident in defending herself against his attacks, afterall she had done so before when trying to save Denver''s life.


    Hence, having an exact gauge of her opponent''s abilities, Vivienne relished the hunt and was not fazed by Leo''s dash at all.


    On his way towards Vivienne, Leo''s sharp eyes flicked toward Dumpy, who remained locked in battle with the royal soldiers.


    His heart pounded—not from exertion, but from the weight of his gamble.


    ''Don''t fail me boy'' Leo thought, as the ancient swamp frog, as if responding to his master''s unspoken will, nced briefly in his direction as at that moment, the two met eyes, giving Leo the chance to re towards Dumpy demandingly.


    ''Don''t fail me now….'', Leo thought, as he broke eye contact with Dumpy, in favor of focusing on the heavy footfall of Denver who was closing in fast behind him.


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    With Leo slowing down significantly, Denver managed to close the gap between the two, giving him the opportunity tounch a sword sh from close range.


    *SHUA*


    A sharp whistle sliced through the air—the telltale sign of a broadsword arcing toward him, as without even looking back or missing a beat, Leo performed a front flip, dodging the move perfectly.


    *Thud*


    ''Fuck, I can''t feel my leg'' Leo thought, as he nearly staggered and fell. The numbing sensation that started in his thigh, now seemed to grip his entire left leg as he seemed to be moving a lead-filled limb instead of a live one.


    However, despite his evident disability, Leo knew that he couldn''t afford to hesitate.


    If he faltered here, it was going to be all over for him, and hence, mustering all the strength in his body that he had left, he turned swiftly, throwing one dagger towards Denver, and then, without missing a beat leapt towards Lady Vivienne.


    *Block*


    Denver blocked the daggering for his head with ease, as he swatted it away with his sword.


    However, to block the dagger, he paused for a split second, giving Leo just enough time to leap towards Lady Vivienne, unopposed.


    "Watchout–" Denver shouted, however, it was a shout of courtesy more than a shout of worry.


    He did not actually worry about Lady Vivienne''s safety and had faith that she would manage toe out of this situation unscathed.


    However, this assumption was unfortunately wrong.


    "DUMPY USE MANA NULLIFICATION NOW—" Leo shouted, at the top of his lungs, as just as both his legs left the surface of the ground, Vivienne activated her defensive spell, the [Radiant Shield].


    Golden light erupted around Vivienne, the radiant energy swirling in intricate patterns as her [Radiant Shield] formed all around her.


    The golden aura spread outward, epassing her in a protective barrier that shimmered like liquid sunlight.


    As the barrier took hold, her lips curled into a smirk of triumph, as she feltpletely confident in the imprable wall of magic that surrounded her.


    With her spell having been sessfully casted, she did not worry for the approaching Leo, as below her, Leo hurtled through the air, his dagger gripping tightly in his hand.


    Leo''s entire body moved with precision through the air, every muscle coiled and taut, ready to strike with lethal intent.


    The moonlight reflected off his de, casting a fleeting gleam as he closed the distance between himself and Vivienne in a blink.


    The cold night air stung against his eyes and neck through the gaps in his face-mask as he made the leap, but he ignored it, his focus locked entirely on his target.


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    Each beat of his heart echoed louder in his ears as he pushed himself forward, as with every breath that he took, he came closer and closer to his target, however, the barrier ahead of him still shimmered with unyielding strength.


    ''If this fails…. I''m dead'' Leo thought, as when he reached the peak of his jumping trajectory, he looked into the eyes of Vivienne who had a smug smile stered all over her, with her barrier still holding strong.


    Then, as he began his descent, preparing to strike at her heart, Leo mentally prepared for the worst, as he no longer hoped for any miracles toe through.


    However, miracles did arrive for him right when he needed them, as just as he began his descent, reaching his peak velocity to strike, something began to shift.


    The golden shield flickered, its shimmering surface rippling unnaturally.


    Vivienne''s confident smirk faltered, her eyes narrowing in confusion, as she did not understand what was going on?


    It was as if the flow of mana from her body to sustain the spell was suddenly disrupted by an unknown phenomenon, and as a result she found herself unable to maintain the barrier.


    The closer Leo came, the more unstable her barrier grew, as the intricate patterns creating the golden veil began to unravel like threads of fabricing apart.


    "What is happening?" she whispered, panic creeping into her voice, as her gaze darted to the edges of her shield, where faint wisps of energy began to dissipate into the air.


    Leo could see it now—the change in her expression.


    Her previous confidence gave way to nervousness, and then, as the dagger''s tip neared the golden surface, the nervousness in her eyes turned into outright horror.


    "No!" Vivienne screamed, her arms iling as the second Leo''s dagger touched the weakened barrier, the spell crumpled like broken ss, leaving herpletely exposed to his strike.


    Her wide, terrified eyes locked onto Leo''s as his dagger drove forward, unstoppable and precise, however, she could do nothing about it.


    On the contrary, with a predator''s gleam in his eye, Leo plunged the de into her chest, piercing her heart.


    [Kill Strike]


    He hissed coldly, his voice barely above a whisper but filled with finality, as he put an end to the master mage''s life with his most powerful move.


    *BOOM*


    The moment the dagger struck, a surge of dark energy erupted from the de, detonating with devastating force.


    A massive circle was blown clean through Vivienne''s chest, her body jerking violently from the impact, as blood sprayed in all directions, with the st reducing the master mage''s life to nothingness.


    *Plop*


    *Spray*


    Bits of flesh and blood that Leo had blown off her body hit the floor before her, as her lifeless form tumbled from the air, her expression frozen in a mix of shock and fear.


    A momentter, she hit the ground with a sickening thud, her once-pristine robes now soaked in crimson, as the light that had once always surrounded her, was now gone.


    *Land*


    Landing on top of her, Leo revelled in the glory of his kill, as he looked towards Dumpy with evident pride in his eyes.


    Clutching his hands, Leo felt the primal blood rush course through his entire body as he screamed at the top of his lungs with exhration evident in his voice.


    "NICE ONE BOY!" he said, his words of appreciation genuine, as Dumpy felt his chest swell in pride as he heard those words.


    For the first time in his life, he had received a heartfeltpliment from his esteemed Lord Father, and hence, Dumpy felt as if he were on cloud nine.


    On the other hand, Denver stood frozen, his broadsword hanging limply at his side, as he stood with his eyes wide in disbelief and jaw hanging open, as no words seemed toe to him.


    "No…" he muttered finally, the word barely audible, as he trembled with denial.


    The unshakable image of Vivienne—the master mage, untouchable and proud—shattered before his eyes.


    His chest heaved as anger and grief surged through him, as he failed to process the news of her death in a logical way.


    The image of Leo standing tall above her, blood dripping from his dagger, burned itself into Denver''s mind like a brand.


    "You…" Denver growled, his voice low and filled with unrelenting rage.


    "You''ll pay for this." He said, as he charged towards Leo, like a mad beast.


    "I will? Or you will?" Leo said, as with his limp evident, he shifted towards Denver, ready to take him out next.