Leon knew exactly why confidence settled so easily in his chest. It wasn't arrogance.
It was the simple truth. No one in this place could defeat him.
Not the entity hiding in the hollowed void, not the rank nines crawling out of the shadows, not even the ones above them.
The only reason he had held back from the beginning was because this was still a trial.
Contribution mattered. Rewards mattered. And every member of his squad deserved to leave this place with more than they'd arrived with.
So he'd limited himself to nothing more than quiet observation while the others carved their own marks into the chaos.
But now that they had all delivered, nothing held him back. The lunatic was handled. Eleanor was saved. His team had proven themselves.
So why stop at simply clearing the trial?
Leon's eyes narrowed as the idea slid into focus.
Why not take the hollow itself?
Why not make every creature here bow to him?
