The Ancient Battlefield within Eligos Territory was filled with all kinds of bloodthirsty creatures.
Since this place had once been used by the Eligos family to train soldiers, the creatures here weren't just ferocious—they were downright eerie.
When night fell, and the girls arrived after finishing their individual training and dinner, dragging their exhausted minds behind them, the first thing they saw was the countless pale figures drifting through the sky above.
"Th-Those are… what exactly?"
At that moment, whether it was the usually cold and aloof Yukino, the ever-arrogant Utaha, or even the gentle Asuna and Mahiru, all of them turned pale at the same time.
"Oh, those?"
Leo was naturally present. He even yawned, looking like he had just woken up, and answered casually.
"They're the resentful spirits of soldiers who died here."
The instant those words came out, the girls' faces—faces that hadn't gone pale even after a full day of Spartan training—turned completely white.
"Th-Those are ghosts?!" Asuna screamed, spinning around as if she were about to run.
"Hey, what are you scared of?" Leo grabbed her by the arm and said impatiently. "They're just ghosts. This is the Underworld, you know. It's where the dead are supposed to gather. A bunch of unwanted spirits wandering around a special place like this—how is that strange?"
"You seriously think that's normal?" Utaha's lips twitched as she stared at Leo like he was a monster. "What kind of sane person thinks running into ghosts is normal? We're not exorcists!"
"But you are devils," Leo shot back. Then he glanced at the silent Yukino and Mahiru, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're scared of ghosts too?"
Their bodies trembled violently—far worse than they had during training earlier that day.
"Ohhh…"
A playful smile crept onto Leo's face.
He remembered now. None of the girls here were actually good with ghosts.
Yukino might look cool and composed, but she was the type who got scared even going into a haunted house—let alone facing real ghosts.
Mahiru had been lonely for too long. She was actually afraid of the dark; even a nighttime power outage could make her shake in fear. Encountering ghosts was far beyond her comfort zone.
As for Asuna, the thing she feared most in the death game was undead-type monsters. She who was known as the "Clearing Demon" had fled in panic from floors filled with undead. Forget seeing ghosts at night—she'd be terrified even seeing them in broad daylight.
And Utaha? No matter how sharp-tongued or bold she acted, she clearly wasn't immune to the fear ghosts inspired.
"Well now, this is a problem," Leo said cheerfully. "I didn't plan on keeping you in there all night, but I was thinking two or three hours would be good—enough to really experience combat."
"But if you're this scared of ghosts… that makes things difficult."
"Very difficult," he added thoughtfully.
That teasing tone immediately filled the girls with a sense of impending doom.
Sure enough, the next words they heard were—
"Decision made. From now on, you'll stay in there for four hours every night. And I won't accompany you—I don't want to interfere with your training."
The moment Leo said that, the girls' faces turned deathly pale all at once.
"No no no no no!"
Asuna completely lost her composure. She clung tightly to Leo's arm like her life depended on it and screamed.
"Anything but that! Please! President! Let's train somewhere else!"
The others also protested fiercely.
"I think we could go to the Familiar Forest instead! We can do combat training there too!" Yukino said, trying to sound calm.
"I'd rather fight the Old Maou Faction terrorists again than deal with a bunch of ghosts!" Utaha declared flatly.
"I-I'm not scared," Mahiru insisted stiffly. "I just think fighting ghosts is too absurd. I can't accept it."
The three girls exchanged a look—and then, unbelievably, all spread their devil wings at once, preparing to fly away.
Unfortunately, Leo caught all of them, one in each hand, and hauled them back.
"What's with this fear? This cowardice?" Leo said sternly, though his eyes were full of amusement. "You're devils. You don't fear angels or fallen angels with light power—so why fear mere ghosts?"
"Do you know that sometimes, during devil contracts, we even take souls as payment? Are you scared of that too?"
"That's not the mindset a proper devil should have. It needs to change."
With that, Leo dragged the girls toward the Ancient Battlefield.
"No! Don't go in there!" Asuna's face turned green as she clung to Leo desperately. "I can't do it! My Holy Sword definitely can't cut something like that!"
"L-Let go of me, senpai!" Mahiru struggled, panic obvious in her voice. "Humans don't walk toward ghosts after seeing them! That's not normal!"
"That's exactly why I keep saying—you're devils," Leo said helplessly. "And honestly, you two are the ones who least need to fear ghosts."
Whether it was Asuna's Holy Sword or Mahiru's Holy Cross, both were extremely effective against ghosts. Just releasing a holy aura would send spirits fleeing in all directions.
And yet these two were afraid to even get close?
This was an insult to the Holy Sword and the Holy Cross.
"Don't get any closer!"
"This is illegal!"
As the Ancient Battlefield drew nearer and the countless ghosts seemed to stir and drift toward them, even Yukino and Utaha could no longer stay calm, shouting out in panic.
To be honest, seeing how terrified the girls were did soften Leo's heart.
Especially watching the usually gentle and composed Asuna and Mahiru clutching him tightly, faces white, eyes shut tight—he almost gave up, thinking it might be better to change locations.
But in the end, he hardened his resolve.
"If you're scared even of ghosts, what will you do when you face the reapers of the underworld in the future?"
Thinking of what was yet to come, Leo firmed his decision.
"It's understandable for girls to fear ghosts. But for the sake of your future, this weakness must be overcome."
"So don't blame me."
"When you come out of the Ancient Battlefield, I'll prepare a surprise for you."
With that, Leo grabbed the girls by the backs of their collars and threw them straight toward the sea of ghosts.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh—!"
Even more piercing screams than during the daytime Spartan training echoed through the Ancient Battlefield, instantly sending the ghosts into a frenzy as they swarmed toward the girls.
Soon, screams rang out again, followed by raging blizzards, countless swords, multicolored barriers, and violent purple flames erupting all at once. With a ferocity never seen before, they desperately attacked and defended against the ghosts coming from every direction.
"Grrr…"
"Roar…"
The massive commotion stirred the other creatures of the Ancient Battlefield. Some watched cautiously; others rushed in directly, plunging the entire battlefield into chaos.
Leo hovered in the air, his eight devil wings spread, arms crossed as he watched.
"I hope they'll be okay."
That was all he could do.
Four hours passed quickly.
When the time was up, Leo immediately flew into the battlefield.
Lightning crackled around his body as he charged in headfirst.
"Boom!"
In an instant, countless bolts of lightning exploded outward, driving back the ghosts and all the creatures that had gathered there.
A short while later, Leo emerged from the battlefield with the four girls and returned to the camp.
Their clothes were in tatters, large patches of skin exposed—some in places that really shouldn't have been—but they showed no reaction at all, standing there in a daze.
"Uh…"
Leo waved a hand carefully in front of them and lowered his voice.
"Y-You girls okay?"
His cautious question was met with total silence.
They remained motionless, eyes vacant, like their souls had been left behind in the Ancient Battlefield. Their faces looked completely drained of color, making Leo's heart sink.
"Did I push it too far…?"
He was genuinely worried now.
Before he could do anything else, the girls slowly lifted their heads and looked at him.
Those eyes.
Those expressions.
Pure killing intent.
"Um… I'll go get that surprise ready for you now!"
Leo instinctively took a step back, laughed awkwardly, and bolted.
"Don't run!!!"
The girls' furious shouts soon echoed through the night sky, bringing an energy that absolutely didn't belong to such a lonely night.
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