The battle raged on, a cacophony of clashing steel and guttural roars. Both sides, battered and weary, poured their remaining strength into the final push. Leto, muscles burning, lunged at the enemy leader, his sword a silver streak in the fading light.
The leader, eyes glinting with cold fire, met the charge with a steely thrust of his spear. They danced a deadly ballet, blades flashing, sparks erupting like miniature stars. Leto spun, a whirlwind of steel, deflecting blow after blow, but the leader, fueled by vengeful fury, pressed him hard.
Suddenly, a tremor shot through the earth. The dam, its foundations ravaged by relentless bombardment, groaned in protest. Cracks spider-webbed across its surface, a death knell ringing in the air. The leader faltered, momentarily distracted by the impending doom.
Seizing the opportunity, Leto unleashed a flurry of attacks. His blade, sliced through the leader's leg, the metallic tang of blood filling the air. With a roar of pain, the leader stumbled back, his spear clattering to the ground.
In that split second, Leto moved with the ruthless precision of a predator. His sword, a gleaming crescent, sang through the air, severing the leader's left hand at the wrist. The leader, eyes wide with shock and agony, crumpled to the ground, his scream swallowed by the roar of the collapsing dam.
The ground heaved. Cracks widened into chasms, the air thick with dust and debris. Leto, adrenaline pumping, scrambled for safety. He spotted a gap, a narrow pathway amidst the falling concrete and jagged boulders. With a desperate leap, he cleared the crumbling edge, rolling down the collapsing side of the dam into the waiting forest below.
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He landed hard, sprawled amongst the ferns and fallen leaves. Trees creaked and groaned as the rest of the dam collapsed, the river bursting free in a torrent of foaming water. He watched from the safety of the forest as the water rushed forth, the landscape reshaped in a single cataclysmic moment.
Then, he saw him. The Juton leader, unscathed and grinning, emerged from the dust cloud.
"You did it, warrior!" he boomed, his voice laced with triumph. "You won the war for us!"
Leto's anger flared, a fire fueled by betrayal. The dam's destruction, the needless sacrifice of lives, it all pointed to one chilling truth – he had been played. He was a pawn, used and discarded, just like the Watcher brothers.
"Why?" he spat, his voice raw with fury. "We had already won. Why blow the dam and risk our lives?"
The leader's grin widened, revealing gleaming teeth. "Insurance," he chuckled, the word dripping with disdain. "The leader was unpredictable. Couldn't risk him turning the tide."
"So you sent us to die." Leto's voice trembled with barely contained rage.
"Don't be dramatic," the leader scoffed. "You're alive, aren't you?"
Leto's hand twitched towards his sword hilt. This wasn't his war, not anymore. He was tired of being a tool, a murderer driven by the whims of others.
Before the leader could finish his sentence, Leto lunged. His blade, fueled by righteous fury, found its mark. The leader's head, severed in a single clean stroke, spun through the air before landing with a dull thud.
Leto stood there, the blade dripping crimson, a silent storm raging within him. He looked at the list in his hand, the names of his targets crossed out, testaments to a mission completed. But what did it mean, this victory built on deception and death? Was he playing by their rules, or was he destined to be an instrument of their twisted agenda?
He took a deep breath, the cold air cleansing his anger. He had a job to do, a path laid before him by the Time Father. And so, he turned away from the carnage, disappearing into the depths of the forest, a solitary figure seeking answers in the whispering leaves and the rustling shadows.