The independent space trembled as thunder roared and lightning flashed, illuminating the vast arena where Leon and Odin clashed. The magically constructed dimension was expansive enough to accommodate their explosive battle without feeling restrictive, its boundaries shimmering with contained power.
Leon stuck to his usual strategy, opening with the Chidori to test Odin's reactions. His enhanced body, tempered by the Gates of Nine Hells, allowed him to execute this technique with deadly precision, speed, and a devastating impact that had left many dragon kings stunned in past battles.
Yet, this opponent was profoundly different.
Odin started with basic techniques, engaging Leon in close combat with remarkable, almost casual ease. As the fight progressed, the Thunder Dragon King shifted to a purely passive strategy, relying on deft dodges and minimal defensive maneuvers that were somehow perfectly sufficient.
What truly unnerved Leon was how Odin managed to keep up with his Godspeed-enhanced velocity and evade each strike of the Chidori with impossible, precise timing.
Even as the violent lightning arcs came dangerously close, searing and blackening parts of Odin's elegant robes, the dragon king himself remained completely unscathed.
Despite his genuine admiration for Odin's skill, a thread of frustration began to creep into Leon's mind.
"Your attacks are sharp and focused," Odin remarked calmly, his body blurring as he dodged another sizzling arc of lightning. "If I weren't so nimble, I would've been taken out by that Lightning Thrust of yours long ago."
"Come on, old man," Leon retorted with a fierce grin, not breaking his offensive rhythm. "Give me a little credit! This move has been the recurring nightmare of several dragon kings for years."
"True," Odin replied, his sidestep so effortless it seemed to defy physics. "But don't forget—while a fierce offense can be the best defense, neglecting the fundamental balance can leave even the strongest warrior vulnerable."
As he spoke, Odin suddenly stopped his evasive motion. He sidestepped Leon's next thrust not by leaping away, but by shifting his center of gravity a mere inch, and then countered with a simple but devastatingly powerful Iron Mountain Lean.
The force of the impact was colossal, a concussive wave of air that sent Leon flying backward like a discarded doll. He crashed into the reinforced wall of the arena with a sickening crunch, the impact creating a spiderweb of cracks that radiated outward from his body.
The audience, both in the arena and watching through remote recording stones, erupted in a unified gasp of astonishment.
"I thought the Lightning Thrust was one of Leon's signature, unbeatable moves," one observer said, his voice laced with disbelief. "Didn't he use it to take down several dragon kings in previous battles?"
"Yeah, but look! He couldn't land a single clean hit on Odin," another chimed in, pointing at the display. "And then he got countered by something as basic as an Iron Mountain Lean!"
"Do you think this whole fight will end in under ten minutes? It's looking less exciting than we thought..."
"Impossible. This is just the beginning. They're still feeling each other out."
In the VIP viewing area of the Twilight Tower, the assembled dragon kings and other powerful figures remained composed, utterly unimpressed by what they correctly assessed as a mere warm-up.
It was clear to anyone familiar with high-level combat that both Leon and Odin were still probing, testing each other's limits and reactions.
Even Leon's violent crash into the wall seemed, to the discerning eye, to be a calculated part of his plan.
Jumping down from the crater his body had made, Leon dusted off the stone debris from his shoulders and stretched his arm experimentally. His expression was calm, almost analytical, as though the world-shattering hit hadn't fazed him at all.
Odin, observing Leon's unshaken demeanor, immediately understood what had happened. A faint smile touched his lips.
"So you weren't neglecting your defense after all—you deliberately created an opening, didn't you?"
Leon smiled, not bothering to deny it. "That's right, old man. You're as sharp as they say."
Odin chuckled softly, a sound like distant thunder. "And how did you find the strength of my strike?"
"Very strong!" Leon replied earnestly. "If I hadn't braced and channeled magic to reinforce my body the moment I hit that pillar, I'd probably still be spinning through the air. Your attack was so deceptively fast, I almost didn't react in time."
The first part of Leon's response was an honest compliment, but the latter half was a polite exaggeration. Odin, with his centuries of combat experience, could tell that Leon had been fully prepared to counter the attack if he had chosen to.
"I figured that if my attacks couldn't land, I might as well change tactics," Leon said as he began to walk calmly toward Odin, each step measured and confident.
"I'm not historically great at defense, so I decided to bait you into attacking. It also gave me a perfect chance to gauge your raw strength firsthand."
As he closed the distance, Leon stopped and drew a simple, unadorned short dagger from his waist. The blade gleamed under the arena's magical light.
"Now, old man... no hard feelings about earlier," he said, his grin returning, wider and more dangerous this time.
The moment the words left his mouth, Leon leaped into the air with incredible, explosive speed.
Odin barely had time to register the movement. Leon vanished from his front, his jump so sudden and powerful that the shockwave from his takeoff left the ground beneath slightly sunken and cracked.
Looking up, Odin saw Leon high above him, his right hand glowing with a heavily charged, wildly crackling Chidori. This version was significantly more potent than the earlier probes; the sound of the magic was sharper, more intense, and violent, like a thousand birds screaming in unison.
Leon was going all out.
But Odin remained calm, his feet planted firmly.
"Attacking from the air means you're relying entirely on the momentum of your fall for impact," Odin observed, his voice still steady. "Even if I stand here and defend, you won't be able to deal significant damage without a solid foundation."
Still, Odin decided to test Leon's resolve. Channeling his own vast magic, he summoned a brilliant lightning armor that covered his body in layers of crackling, interwoven electricity, a testament to his title as the Thunder Dragon King.
As Leon's meteoric dive grew closer, Odin thought, If this is just a straightforward plunge, it really is nothing more than throwing eggs against a rock, boy.
But Leon wasn't one to let any opponent down—especially not a legend like Odin.
As he neared the peak of his descent, Leon's left hand also began to glow with a familiar, swirling blue energy.
"Two-handed Lightning Thrust? No... that's not the correct starting stance..." Odin murmured, his analytical mind racing.
Then, his eyes widened in a rare show of surprise. "That's... Thunder Wolf Breakthrough!"
In mid-air, Leon unleashed the Thunder Wolf Breakthrough with his left hand, sending a massive, roaring surge of lupine energy downward. The concussive recoil of the magic acted like a thruster, violently propelling Leon's body even faster, drastically increasing his speed and the potential impact of his final attack.
But he wasn't done. He fired a second Thunder Wolf Breakthrough immediately after, the double recoil accelerating him to a blinding velocity.
The repeated bursts of energy made Leon appear like a brilliant blue meteor streaking toward Odin, a spectacle of pure, controlled power.
With a deafening roar that overwhelmed all other sound, Leon collided with Odin's position. The impact sent up a massive plume of dust and debris, and the resulting shockwave rippled through the entire arena, shaking the very foundations of the independent space. Everyone watching was left in stunned silence.
As the dust slowly settled, the hovering recording stones zoomed in to reveal the aftermath. Leon and Odin had separated, standing at a distance from each other once more.
Leon appeared calm, his chest rising and falling steadily as his gaze remained locked on Odin, studying him.
Odin, meanwhile, showed no visible injuries, but his forearms shimmered faintly with residual lightning, and upon closer inspection, fine cracks were visible in his previously flawless lightning armor.
It was clear that Odin had been forced to concentrate his defensive armor on his arms to absorb the brunt of Leon's devastating attack. Without that quick thinking, he likely would not have emerged unscathed.
"Using the recoil from the Thunder Wolf Breakthrough to accelerate multiple times in mid-descent... a very creative and unorthodox approach. I confess, I would not have thought of it," Odin said, a genuine note of approval in his voice as he nodded.
Leon chuckled modestly. "It wasn't entirely my idea."
"Oh?" Odin's interest was piqued. "Then whose inspiration was it?"
"My eldest daughter, Noah. She gave me the idea during one of our spars," Leon admitted, a flicker of paternal pride in his eyes.
Odin's approval deepened. "Impressive. Well then... it seems I'll have to get serious now. Be ready, Leon."
Hearing this, Leon steadied his stance, his muscles coiling like springs, and gripped his dagger tightly. The air around them grew dense with rising magical pressure.
"Bring it on, old man."