CHAPTER 224: CHAPTER 224- VIOLENT

The battlefield had become a storm of chaos and flickering light. The swarm of spectral dragonflies, once Leo’s servants now danced under Julian’s command, moving in unison like extensions of his own will. With every flick of Julian’s fingers, the air shimmered as the swarm dived toward Leo, wings buzzing with lightning-charged precision.

Leo snarled, summoning a burst of divine energy that shattered the first wave in an instant. "Pathetic insects! You think my creations can be turned against me?"

He spun, lashing out with bladed limbs that cut through dozens more. The air exploded with fragments of burning chitin and crackling mana. But for every one that fell, another replaced it until Leo’s vision was drowned in a glittering storm of wings and sparks.

Julian took the opportunity, his shadow surging beneath Leo’s feet, lightning running along his arms. "Now!"

Dozens of dragonflies dove simultaneously, converging into a spiral of energy that detonated right in front of Leo. The explosion rocked the ground, sending shockwaves across the field.

But when the light faded, Leo was still standing, his armor cracked but glowing with blinding white energy. His smirk was feral. "You think tricks like that will stop me?"

In a blur, Leo lunged forward. His right claw slashed across Julian’s defense, the impact so strong it cracked the barrier of lightning-shadow that guarded him. Julian staggered back but retaliated, drawing his blade and parrying a second strike just in time. Sparks exploded with each collision, the sound of their clash echoing like thunder.

Julian ducked under a sweeping kick and countered with a quick upward slash, lightning trailing the edge of his sword. Leo blocked it with his armored arm, but the force sent him skidding backward. He grinned, his eyes blazing.

"Good. You’ve stopped running."

Julian exhaled sharply, tightening his grip. "I wasn’t running."

Then he vanished.

A streak of blue light cut through the air as Julian appeared behind Leo, blade aimed for his ribs, but Leo twisted, blocking with one of his insectoid limbs. Metal screeched. Sparks flew.

They moved faster than sight, Julian darting, striking, fading into shadow and lightning, Leo retaliating with claws, wings, and divine pulses. The ground beneath them cracked open, scorched from the relentless exchange.

Each time their blades met, the air shuddered.

Each strike was a desperate bid to dominate the other.

Julian’s expression was calm but fierce, his eyes locked, calculating every motion, every flaw. Leo’s grin was savage, the thrill of battle intoxicating him even as blood trickled from his wounds.

Leo roared, his body shifting further into that grotesque insectoid form, his carapace gleaming with a dark, divine sheen, his limbs splitting into jagged, bladed claws that tore the ground apart with every move. He lunged at Julian like a living storm, slashing and stabbing with inhuman speed.

Julian barely kept up, his lightning flickering around his armor as he dodged each strike by mere inches. Every blow that missed him left deep craters in the stone. The air grew heavy, thick with killing intent and venomous mist from Leo’s attacks.

Leo’s grin widened. "What’s wrong, Julian? Running out of tricks?"

He didn’t wait for an answer, his claw thrust forward, piercing through Julian’s chest. The impact cracked the ground, and Julian coughed, blood spraying as his body went limp.

Leo’s laughter echoed through the battlefield. "It’s over. You fought well... for a mortal."

But then—Julian’s body dissolved into smoke.

Leo’s eyes widened. "What—"

Before he could finish, a cold whisper came from behind him.

"Checkmate."

A blade of lightning and shadow pierced clean through Leo’s back, the energy crackling as it burned through his exoskeleton. Leo staggered, growling in disbelief, glancing down at the sword that emerged from his chest.

He turned his head just enough to see Julian standing behind him his expression calm, his eyes sharp with fury and focus.

"You should’ve known better," Julian said quietly, twisting the blade. "Shadows don’t die that easily."

Leo roared in rage, his entire body flaring with divine energy. A massive pulse erupted from him, forcing Julian to leap back as the explosion of raw power tore through the area. The shadow dissipated instantly, the ground beneath them shattering from the shockwave.

Leo clutched his wound, panting, his face twisted with fury. "Enough of your tricks! You think deceit makes you strong?!"

Julian steadied his breathing, lightning arcing across his blade once more. His tone was cold and deliberate. "No. A sharp mind does. You should try it sometime."

Leo’s glare deepened, and his aura erupted again—hot, violent, unstable. "Then let’s see how far that can save you... before I rip it out of your skull!"

The air screamed as they charged at each other once more, light and darkness colliding in a storm of power and hatred.

The battlefield erupted once more in a violent clash of power and fury.

Julian dashed forward, lightning surging around his body like a storm given form, while Leo lunged with the speed of a beast, his insectoid limbs slicing through the air.

Their blades collided—clang! clang! clang!—each strike heavy enough to send shockwaves through the ground. Sparks of lightning and fragments of divine energy exploded every time they met, painting the ruins in blinding flashes of blue and gold.

Julian slashed diagonally, lightning coiling around his sword, but Leo twisted his body midair, letting the blade scrape across his armored shoulder. Blood and ichor splattered, sizzling on the ground. Yet before Julian could follow up, Leo’s claw lashed out and struck across his chest, the impact sending him skidding backward through debris.

"Not fast enough!" Leo shouted, his voice booming.

Julian gritted his teeth, pain flaring in his ribs, but he didn’t stop.

He vanished in a blur, reappearing beside Leo and delivering a clean upward slash that cut through Leo’s abdomen. Leo staggered back, growling, but instead of retreating, he charged again, impaling Julian’s shoulder with his bladed arm.

Both of them grunted in pain. Blood dripped, sizzling as it met the lightning around Julian’s armor.

Julian’s lightning flared brighter. Leo’s aura pulsed darker.

Then, another explosion of motion. Their fists, claws, and blades collided in a blur too fast for the eye to follow. Each hit drew blood. Each movement came with a price.

Julian landed a stab that pierced Leo’s side—Leo retaliated with a claw to Julian’s gut. Julian swung again, cutting across Leo’s cheek, Leo slammed his knee into Julian’s ribs, cracking bone.

They roared in unison, a mix of agony and fury, refusing to back down even as their strength began to fray.