The hunched monster twisted slightly, one of the grotesque mouths on its back gaping open before spewing a stream of green, jelly-like liquid straight at Leo. Not knowing whether his shield could withstand such an attack, he decided not to take the risk. He leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the toxic-looking substance as it splattered against the ground, hissing upon contact.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the creature lunged again, charging at him with reckless force. Leo barely had time to brace himself before the monster slammed into his raised shield, sending him flying backward like a ragdoll.
His back hit a tree with a sickening thud, and the impact drove the air from his lungs. Gasping, he struggled to regain his breath, but the abomination gave him no time to recover. It was already rushing toward him, eager to finish the job.
Leo forced himself to his feet as fast as he could and dove to the side just as the creature crashed into the tree. The thick trunk splintered from the force.
A smirk played on Leo's lips. "I left a gift for you."
When he had stumbled against the tree earlier, he had planted a trap. The moment the monster struck, the trap triggered—an explosion of energy erupted around it, ensnaring the monster.
Not wasting a second, Leo jumped onto its back and drove his sword deep into the pulsating flesh. He activated its enchantment, and flames burst to life, spreading hungrily across the creature's body.
A deafening, multi-layered scream tore through the air as the abomination thrashed wildly, its many mouths shrieking in agony. It bucked, trying to shake Leo off, but he held on as tightly as he could.
Then, the twisted mass of flesh on its back shifted unnaturally. One of the mouths turned toward him.
Leo's eyes widened. 'It can move that mass?!'
With a powerful kick against the creature's spine, he launched himself off just as another stream of green liquid shot from the mouth, passing right through the spot he had occupied a second before.
He landed on the ground, rolling to regain his footing. His sword was still embedded in the creature's back, but the enchantment had burned out.
"Now what?" he muttered, assessing the situation.
The monster turned toward him, all its heads aligning at once. Then, with a sickening gurgle, they all fired at him—a spread attack of toxic green liquid. The attack covered a wide area, leaving Leo with no room to dodge.
Reacting instantly, he pulled out his cane and traced a circle on the ground. Just before the attack reached him, he activated Dome. A translucent barrier flared to life around him, and the incoming projectiles slammed against it, stopping cold.
Leo's mind worked quickly. 'The Dome stopped it. That means it's a magical attack.'
To be safe, he also activated his magic shield.
The monster didn't give him time to analyze further. It charged again, its massive form barreling toward him with terrifying speed. Leo knew the dome wouldn't stop a physical attack, but he didn't move.
As the creature closed in, he raised his hand. The sword still lodged in its back suddenly shifted.
"I can't use telekinesis on living creatures because of the mana surrounding their bodies," Leo said, a smirk forming. "But I can use it on the sword stuck in your back."
The weapon jerked inside the monster's flesh, carving deeper wounds as it moved. The creature lost its balance, stumbling forward uncontrollably.
Leo took a single step to the side, easily dodging the unbalanced monstrosity. The monster crashed headfirst into another tree.
Not wasting the chance, Leo lunged forward and grabbed the hilt of his sword. Flames instantly roared back to life along the blade. With a forceful yank, he tore it free, slashing a deep, fiery wound across the abomination's back before sprinting away to create distance.
The creature let out another shriek, green blood oozing from its wounds. But instead of weakening, its body began to shift. The grotesque mass on its back twisted and churned, merging together in an unnatural transformation.
The wound sealed itself as its shape contorted.
Within moments, a new form emerged.
Now, from the monster's back, a second humanoid figure had grown—fused at the waist like a deformed rider. It had three arms and two faces, each contorted into a disturbing grin.
A wet, tearing sound echoed through the forest. From one of the upper figure's hands, a jagged, bone-like blade burst forth, extending into a weapon.
Leo's grip tightened on his sword as he eyed the abomination. It had just evolved.
The creature was now thinner, its form more streamlined. It locked eyes with Leo for a brief moment before charging again—this time, even faster than before.
A relentless flurry of attacks rained down on him. Leo blocked each strike with his sword and shield, barely keeping up with the onslaught. In the middle of the exchange, he redirected one of the creature's strikes to the side and leaped toward its flank.
But before he could capitalize on the opening, one of the upper figure's hands twisted toward him, a fireball forming in its palm.
'Magic?'
Leo had only a split second to react. He raised his shield, bracing for impact, when the creature's other free hand suddenly aimed at the ground. A dense mist began to seep out, rapidly thickening until it swallowed the battlefield. Within moments, visibility dropped to zero.
Leo activated Moonlit Gaze just in time to spot two fireballs streaking toward him from inside the mist. He dodged, rolling to the side, just as the creature lunged at him again. Even with its limited intelligence, its frustration was clear—it had expected the mist to blind him completely, and now its many faces twisted with rage.
It continued its relentless assault, unaware that Leo was subtly guiding it toward another trap.
Then—boom!
The moment its foot landed in the designated spot, the trap exploded.
Leo didn't waste the opportunity. He sprang forward, launching a direct attack. The creature raised its bone-blade to block, but the attack never came.
His sword vanished.
In its place, a Mana Surge Snare spell paper appeared in Leo's free hand. He shoved it straight into the creature's mouth and withdrew his hand, leaving the spell inside.
The lower face contorted in shock, seemingly unsure of what had just happened.
Meanwhile, the upper half began casting another fireball with its left hand while swinging the bone sword with its right.
Leo raised his shield to intercept the fireball, but at the same time, he used Telekinesis to hurl his sword—left a few meters behind—straight toward the creature.
The monster reacted instantly, deflecting the incoming blade with its bone sword before releasing the fireball.
Leo braced himself, blocking the spell with his shield. Then, in one swift motion, he shifted the shield in front of the creature's lower face.
"Time to sleep."
He unleashed the stored energy within the shield.
A massive shockwave blasted the creature backward, slamming it into a tree. At that exact moment, the Mana Surge Snare still lodged in its mouth detonated. The explosion ripped through its body, sending its insides splattering across the forest.
Leo exhaled sharply and approached the remains, his eyes scanning for any signs of movement.
The creature's lower half was nearly obliterated, its torso reduced to pulp, yet the upper part still twitched. Then, as if refusing to die, it turned its gaze toward what remained of its lower half. Flesh and bone twisted unnaturally, merging and reshaping until it took on a new form—a humanoid figure with three arms and two faces.
"When do you want to die?"
Leo could barely remain on his feet. His entire body ached, every muscle screaming in pain. His mana reserves were dangerously low—less than half. Worst of all, his shield had completely emptied, turning from a source of protection into a parasitic drain on his remaining strength.
But there was no time to think, no time to hesitate. He grit his teeth, tightened his grip on his weapon, and charged forward.
The creature responded instantly. With a grotesque twist of its torso, another blade burst from one of its left arms—sharp, jagged, and dripping with the same toxic green liquid that had coated its other weapons. The two clashed in a brutal exchange—blades colliding, attacks parried, and counters met with desperate blocks.
Leo's breath grew ragged. His arms felt heavier with every strike.
He leapt back, trying to gain a moment to regroup, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, his vision blurred.
'What the hell…?'
His heartbeat pounded in his ears as a wave of heat pulsed through his body.
Glancing down, his eyes locked onto his hand and froze. His skin was burning, red marks were spreading across his flesh. Only then did he notice the faint traces of the green liquid, still clinging stubbornly to his skin, hissing softly as it ate its way through.
"Damn… It must have happened when I shoved the spell into its mouth."
The realization sent a cold chill through him. The poison was already spreading and his time was running out.
He exhaled sharply, forcing his focus back on the battle. If he was going to end this, it had to be now.
With a flick of his fingers, the stones around him trembled, then shot into the air. But that wasn't all—beside each stone, an identical illusion materialized, hovering in perfect synchronization. He used Telekinesis and False Image together, it was an attack impossible to dodge.
The creature let out a guttural growl and raised its bone swords, slashing wildly to deflect the incoming barrage. But it was futile—it couldn't distinguish real from illusion. The stones pelted its body, striking with brutal force causing It staggered. The moment Leo needed.
Pouring the last of his mana into a Mana Surge Snare, he attached it to his shield and surged forward, his boots pounding against the dirt. The monster barely had time to react before the shield slammed into its body.
The instant it connected, Leo activated the Mana Surge Snare.
Boom!
The explosion sent a shockwave through the battlefield. Dust and debris burst into the air. His shield absorbed most of the blast, but the leftover force sent a jolt of pain rattling through his bones. His body screamed in protest, but he pushed through it.
The monster was sent flying, crashing against a tree with a sickening thud.
Leo didn't let up. He sprinted forward, his body on the verge of collapse, and struck again—his shield colliding with the creature's body. As soon as it connected, he unleashed the absorbed energy from the previous explosion.
A piercing shriek ripped through the air as the monster convulsed. The bone sword in its right hand clattered to the ground.
But it wasn't dead.
With its remaining strength, the beast lashed out, driving a jagged bone blade straight into Leo's shoulder.
Pain exploded through him.
Blood spurted from the wound, splattering across his clothes. His vision flickered, and a wave of dizziness followed. His left arm hung limp at his side, numb from the impact. The shield slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground—he could barely feel his fingers anymore.
But he didn't need his left hand.
His right hand was all he needed.
With a final surge of willpower, he raised his sword. Flames erupted along the blade's edge, flickering with lethal intensity.
With all his remaining strength, he plunged the weapon straight through the creature's skull.
The steel sank deep, cleaving through both of its faces.
The monster shuddered violently. Its body twitched in protest, muscles spasming in one last attempt to fight back.
Then, after several agonizing seconds It went still.
Leo stood there, panting, barely able to keep his balance. Then, his legs gave out.
With a heavy thud, he collapsed to the ground. His limbs were trembling. His breathing was erratic.
With unsteady hands, he grabbed the shield lying beside him and shoved it into his bag. His fingers trembled as he fumbled through its contents, finally pulling out two vials—one filled with blue liquid, the other red. A mana potion and a healing potion.
The first potions Peter had ever given him. The ones he had never used.
He uncorked them with his teeth and downed them in quick gulps. Instantly, warmth spread through his veins as his shoulder wound began to knit itself back together.
But the poison remained. His fingers curled weakly against the dirt as exhaustion took hold.
He tried to stand. His body didn't answer. His vision swam, black spots creeping in at the edges.
'Shit… I'm losing consciousness…'
His head grew heavy. His eyes fluttered shut. And then—everything went black.