Leon's words hung in the air, turning the heated argument into an awkward silence. The two who had been quarreling stopped and quietly stared at Leon.
It has to be said, being stared at by two people with their eyes closed is rather eerie!
The tension in the air became palpable when the Elder, who had never really clicked with Leon, suddenly slammed his cane down forcefully. "What do you think we're doing here? Playing house?!"
He stepped forward, pointing the tip of his cane at Leon. "You're desecrating the memory of the warriors of the Sacred Order!"
Leon, however, remained calm, even feeling a bit like he might burp.
Seeing the Elder so worked up, Leon said, "Sir, I'm not trying to argue, but look—you haven't managed to eliminate the Hand after all these years. Don't you think it's you who should be apologizing to the fallen?"
Leaning forward slightly, Leon continued in a mocking tone, "May I ask, did you know those warriors were going to die when you sent them on their missions?"
"Did you know they wouldn't be able to accomplish anything?"
"And if you knew all this, why did you keep sending more teams?"
Rubbing his chin, Leon added sarcastically, "I might be overstepping here, but it seems like you've been using these warriors as pawns to fulfill your own dreams!"
The Elder was silent after hearing Leon's sharp words, whether out of anger or something else.
But Leon didn't let up, "Old man, did you ever consider that Matt might end up dead for nothing too?"
This wasn't an attempt to stir up conflict between master and apprentice—after all, Matt and the Elder barely had that kind of relationship anymore.
Leon was simply disgusted by the Elder's way of using people as disposable tools for his own ends, all while feeling self-righteous about it.
If you accomplish your goal, you can at least argue about the means.
But you haven't, have you?
At this, the Elder, likely feeling cornered, swung his cane directly at Leon.
"Let's see what a loudmouth like you can do!"
Leon wasn't intimidated at all. "Come on, come on! What are you looking at? Listen up!"
Leon lifted off the ground, using flight magic to hover in mid-air. His fingers flew, and in an instant, he executed the Shadow Clone Technique.
"Old man! It's not too late to stop now—I don't want to break Matt's furniture."
"Cheap circus tricks!"
The Elder's cane swept horizontally, then stopped abruptly before thrusting forward. With a loud bang, one of Leon's clones exploded.
You have to give it to the old man—he's got some skill. Leon's clones have over 100 HP each, and while their defense is low, it still shouldn't be that easy to dispel them with a single blow.
That cane of his could probably knock out a regular person in just a few hits!
Of course, Leon couldn't use his Spiritual Orbs now—it was just a verbal spat, no need to resort to lethal force. Ebony and Ivory were also off the table, which complicated things.
It was only now that Leon realized how difficult it might be for him to defeat someone without killing them!
Hmm? Maybe not!
"One last warning!"
Leon and his clones surrounded the Elder and spoke in unison.
"Spare me!"
The Elder lowered his body into a stance, gripping his cane like a sword. "Bring it on, you bastard!"
With lightning speed, Leon flashed right in front of the Elder, striking a pose like a flying superhero.
Physical Anesthesia Technique!
His raised fist connected directly with the Elder's nose.
Without so much as a grunt, the Elder fell straight to the ground.
"This technique is really effective!" Leon and his clones gathered around the unconscious Elder, pointing and commenting.
"Not bad for leveling it up this high!"
"It's not like you're giving a lecture to stray cats!"
"Like you've never done it!"
"I haven't! That was him!"
"Oh! Want to exchange tips?"
"Sure, sure!"
"What was your topic?"
"Four ways to catch a rat. And yours?"
"Four ways to turn a stray cat into a pet cat through cute behavior."
"Oh! Impressive, impressive!"
"Not at all…"
…
Matt stood there dumbfounded.
How did… so many Leons appear out of nowhere?!
And his teacher, down in three seconds?
Matt knew Leon was strong, and he also knew Leon wasn't exactly mentally stable, but…
To think his mental disorder could reach this level!
His disorder had split into tangible entities, chatting amongst themselves!
This was too much to handle…
…
Leaving his clones to chat around the Elder, Leon walked over to Matt. "Sorry about knocking out your teacher."
Matt sighed helplessly, "What can I say? He did attack you first. Is he okay?"
"He'll be fine~"
Leon waved his hand dismissively. "He'll wake up in a bit. Don't you remember how I operated on you?"
Hmm? Matt recalled some unpleasant memories.
"Hahahahaha! This is the anesthesia technique! Modern medicine, perfectly safe!"
Matt: I believe you, really.
The clones arguing about Yasuo's item build were so loud that even Leon was getting annoyed, so he pulled Matt a few steps away.
"Matt, what do you think about my earlier proposal?"
Proposal?
Matt was shocked. You weren't joking?!
Hesitating, he massaged his temples and said, "Leon, I know you're strong—probably stronger than both me and my teacher combined. But the Hand is different from the Kingpin. They're more secretive, more ruthless, and have a larger force. Their leaders are also stronger and more cunning."
"And they're very united, and very vengeful!"
Looking up at Leon, Matt said, "If you really go up against the Hand, you have to be prepared for a fight to the death!"
Shrugging, Leon replied, "What do you think I'm here for? I didn't come all this way because I saw in a vision that you'd go hungry tonight."
Before Matt could ask, Leon bluntly stated, "They burned down my house, so we're already in a fight to the death."
"Besides, I was rather fond of that alarm clock…"
After hearing this, Matt fell silent again.
Of all people, why did they have to provoke this guy!
…
While the two discussed the specifics of their plan to infiltrate the Hand, Leon's clones had long since lost interest in the Elder.
What's there to see in an old man? It's not like Black Widow is lying here!
So some of them napped, others listened to music, and two even turned into cats to play a game of PK, with a crowd betting on the outcome—it was noisy!
Leon's idea was to storm the Hand's headquarters and bulldoze everything in their way!
Matt, on the other hand, favored a more conservative approach, suggesting they pick off their enemies one by one.
Just as neither could convince the other, the Elder woke up.
"How about we do it my way? We wait for the right moment, when all the Fingers of the Hand (their five leaders) are together, and we take them out in one go!"
Leon scratched his head—when did the old man wake up?
How much had he heard?
Has he always been this brave?!
**Thank you to the reader: 20201205155257628 for the reward.**
**Hahaha!! I now have two fans!!**
**Comrade Dream-Seeking Magician, things are looking good!**
**(End of Chapter)**