Despite Payne's new evolution, the man barely looked any different than the last time they fought. He only seemed a bit taller, and somehow, his wings became so bright that it almost hurt to look at them. It was like gazing straight at the sun.

This could be annoying, Leo noted. At least he doesn't have any armor anymore. That's a point for me.

"You wish to die first. Very well, the traitors can wait," Payne said, drawing his shortswords. "I have been waiting for this. This time, I will show you no mercy."

Leo snorted, quirking an eyebrow. "Mercy? I doubt that's even a word in your vocabulary. Besides, weren’t you the one to run away the last time we fought? I saw the fear in your eyes, and today, I will make you feel it tenfold. Only one of us will walk out of this alive."

The other man snarled as his swords lit up in a golden glow. "On that, we can agree. Luck won't save you this time around." He then glanced at the female Winged Emissary beside him. "Commander."

The woman nodded and flew toward the safe zone. Leo let her. Unlike the one he had killed a minute ago, she kept her eyes on him, her body tense and ready to react in case of an attack. His previous tactic wouldn't work here.

Your turn will come soon, he commented, opening the link in his mind. Nyx, I have Payne and his people here. One Winged Emissary and about fifty Blessed left.

'We will be there soon,' the feline answered instantly. 'Good luck, and give him hell.'

Oh, I will. He took a deep breath as Essence slithered along his blades, covering them in a thin protective layer. Shadows followed, improving the makeshift reinforcement. And finally, the black flash of Kiss of Death washed over his weapons. Hopefully, this will be enough.

"Ready to die?" Leo looked Payne in the eyes.

"I should be the one asking that," the man replied calmly. "Shall we, Nikra's dog?"

"That’s the best you got? Oh well. Come on then."

The moment the last word left his mouth, they both rushed forward, meeting in the middle in a shower of sparks. Neither gave any ground, pushing against each other’s weapons in a test of strength.

Almost equally matched.

Leo growled, activated a bit of Reinforcement, and broke the stalemate. Payne stumbled back but managed to recover in time to defend from the next slash. They clashed again and again, testing and prodding the other's weaknesses and openings.

And it all took barely a few seconds.

Let's kick it up a notch.

As they separated after another exchange, he filled his body with Essence and used Blink for the first time during this battle. As expected, Payne once again reacted in time and spun around to defend his back. Only this wasn't all Leo prepared for today.

The moment their weapons connected, a tiny spark of Essennce left his blade and imprinted itself onto his enemy's sword. He then utilized Blink again to appear at Payne's back and continued his onslaught.

Like always, the Serafin turned in time to block, but the sword in his right hand was suddenly knocked off course by an invisible explosion. The man's eyes widened, and he barely managed to lean a bit back when a blade cut across his chest, spilling blood.

I knew improving Phantom Erasure would be worth it.

Leo, hoping to use the momentary distraction, allowed his shadows to dive out of the ground. At the same time, he flashed forward, his eyes zeroing on a highlighted spot on Payne's shoulder. Death Touch was finally active.

Of course, life would have been far too easy if the fight ended like that.

A millisecond, maybe less, before Leo's blades could cut his enemy open, the Serafin's body exploded in a flash of light. The discharge sent him flying across the battlefield while his shadows faded into nothingness.

Ouch. He winced, feeling the burn over his chest. It was far from what he had to deal with after the last fight, but it was still annoying. This was similar to that bubble he used last time, only far faster...

Leo stood up and narrowed his eyes at Payne, who finally decided to use his wings and claim the sky for himself. To make it even worse, the deep wound on his chest also healed without leaving even a single scar behind.

Not good. Not good at all.

"To push me this far already," he heard the winged man mutter. "So be it. Enough wasting time."

Payne flew higher before enveloping himself in his wings. Despite that, he didn't fall. Golden Essence began to gather around him, infusing the feathers on his wings with so much energy that this time, Leo had to look away to avoid blindness. The Ruination technique forming in his hands also faded as his focus faltered.

Shit. He cursed and fuelled more Essence into Reinforcement instead. Limit Break also activated as he fired as many shadow projectiles as possible at the man in the sky.

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None of them did anything. Hell, it looked like Payne was somehow absorbing his attacks.

Got to hit him with something stronger.

Yet, just as he was about to summon more Ruination Essence out of his soul, Payne's form began to spin. Within a few seconds, he became a whirlwind of light, a tornado that grew stronger with each rotation.

And then, the supernatural disaster descended upon the earth.

That's my cue.

Fueled by almost every utility ability he possessed, Leo sprinted at full speed. Behind him, the tornado gave chase, obliterating everything in its path. Meanwhile, something strange began to form in the air above—tiny magic circles, at first only a few, then dozens, and soon hundreds.

The golden circles flashed once, then twice, before locking onto him. Within a second, they unleashed beams of light that exploded the moment they touched the earth.

And yet, none of them could reach him. With Reinforcement and Limit Break burning in his veins, the lasers moved almost in slow motion. He danced between them without any effort, and Payne—who still tried to chase him in the tornado form—could do nothing to change that.

This was the gap between them, a gap that didn't exist the last time they fought.

What happened? Leo had to wonder as he continued to dodge. You had the Supercluster to your disposition for the entire time, and yet there is a five-level difference between us. What were you doing all this time?

Payne might have had the elemental advantage, but his attributes were just too low. Last time, the man's strikes hit as hard as a mountain. Now, Leo could overpower him with just a bit of Reinforcement.

You can't keep it up forever. He thought, glancing at the tornado behind him. Someone has to give sooner or later, and it won't be me.

Nonetheless, the chase continued, destroying everything around Buckingham Palace. At this point, the area looked no better than the leftovers of the Tainted Wasteland in Wolford. Honestly, it was lucky that the few deserters managed to escape before Payne killed them by accident.

It's slowing down.

Ever so slowly, the tornado became smaller, while the magic circles disappeared, one after another. Payne obviously also noticed that his technique was running out, so he abandoned the chase, turning back toward the safe zone.

Oh no, you don't.

While continuing to avoid the light beams, Leo filled his left hand with Ruination Essence. He sacrificed more energy than necessary, hoping to make up for the lack of proper form, and fired.

The incomplete Obliterate surged forward with a boom. A pained scream filled the area as the light tornado disappeared within a blink, revealing Payne, who collapsed to his knees, still quite far away from the safe zone barrier.

The man now sported a hole, one starting in the left wing and ending on the other side of his shoulder. Ruination consumed everything in its way, be it the reinforced feathers or the flesh and bones behind them.

Leo wasted no time and let his much faster affinity finish the job.

Multiple Eruptions burst out of the ground, but before they could skewer their target alive, a golden dome blocked their path. A moment later, the last Winged Emissary landed before Payne. The remaining Blessed also stepped out of the safe zone.

"So that's how it is." Leo shook his head. "You would protect him even after he lost? Don't you want to be free? Break from a madman's control?"

Of course, nobody answered. Those people were too far gone. Brainwashed to serve Geron's pet to their death.

"So be it."

A quiet whistle was the only warning they got before an arrow the size of a javelin struck one of the Blessed at the front. The projectile emerged from the man's back and continued onward, killing another two on the spot.

A few screamed, breaking the formation, but they still refused to back down. Leo could have respected that if they had at least done this out of their own free will.

He sighed. "How nice of you to join me."

Just as he said that, Lily and Nyx landed by his side, the former with a giant glowing bow in her hand.

"Nice shot," he added.

His sister grinned without looking away from the small army before them. "My practice paid off." She then frowned. "Though I was aiming for Payne, so yeah..."

Leo snorted. "Happens to the best of us."

"Waste of time," Nyx grumbled and shot forward, shadows following in her wake. "Kill them before they try to run!"

Lily glanced at him, her grin growing even wider. "You heard the kitty. Go finish this. We will take care of those cunts."

With that, she jumped in the air, her wings carrying her forward as she swapped her bow for two daggers. She went right for the last Winged Emissary, forcing the woman to abandon her assault on Nyx. Now, the Blessed were the only ones to stand against the feline.

Yeah, good luck with that. Leo shook his head and also sped forward. A few Blessed turned in his direction, moving to intercept, but he just flashed between them before doing it again, leaving them in the dust.

After the third use of Blink, Payne appeared in his sight. Two Emissaries helped the man to his feet while golden Essence surrounded the wound in his shoulder.

Leo performed another Blink and sliced off the head of the nearest enemy. The second Blessed managed to turn in time, raising his sword to block the incoming blade.

It was all for nothing.

With strength alone, Leo cut through the inferior weapon and then through the man's neck. He then used the forward momentum and spun around, letting his folded tail finish this battle once and for all.

"You dare!?" Payne screamed as he raised his sword in the last second and deflected the deadly limb. "I won't fall here, you hear me!"

Leo ignored the madman's shouting and pounced again, pushing all of his power into the next slash. Reinforcement, Limit Break, and Kiss of Death activated at full power within a millisecond, ready to finish the final target.

And yet, Payne raised to his full height, his swords stopping Leo's weapons just an inch away from the man's throat. Their eyes connected, violet meeting gold that became as bright as miniature suns.

"I'm not done yet!" The Serafin roared, and light exploded out of his body. This time, it barely pushed Leo away, but when the explosion settled, it revealed something concerning.

Payne's wings disappeared as golden lines spread across his body. They all formed symbols—symbols similar to the ones produced by the Cerevod. They weren't exactly the same, but the style was almost identical.

Right... Cerevod originally came from Ger.

The Serafin's injury from the Ruination technique was also gone—the flesh around it raw and scarred. Whatever the man did, it healed him completely, bringing them back to the starting point.

Well, not really. More like round two.

"Bring it on."