Vol. 5 Ch. 18

Leon hadn't forgotten his true purpose in sparring with Odin: to challenge a powerful opponent and push himself closer to understanding

Hyper Perception

.

He was eager to see Odin unleash his full strength.

After several exchanges, both combatants had a clear sense of each other's abilities. The warm-up was over; now it was time to fight with everything they had.

Their gazes locked, and in the next instant, both vanished.

When they reappeared, their lightning-fast movements clashed midair. Fists collided, sending a ripple of blue lightning outward from the point of impact.

Odin, using his dragon wings to generate extra force, shoved Leon downward.

BOOM!

The two crashed onto a stone platform below, sending thick clouds of dust into the air.

When the dust settled, Leon was crouched with his arms crossed defensively in front of him, while Odin’s iron fist pressed firmly against the intersection of his forearms.

A faint golden aura shimmered around Leon, protecting him from the brunt of the attack.

“

Ninth Gate, Seventh Seal: Twilight’s Aegis

,” Odin murmured, recognizing the technique.

“As the only defensive skill in the Nine Gates, it’s clearly a precursor to the ultimate

Night’s End

technique,” he added.

“Impressive, young man. Opening the Seventh Gate at your age is no small feat.”

Odin withdrew his fist and nodded approvingly. “But I’d wager you’ve progressed beyond just the Seventh Gate, haven’t you?”

Leon lowered his arms and smirked. “You flatter me, old man. I’ve practiced a lot, but as for how many gates I can open… let’s keep that a secret for now.”

A clever answer—polite yet leaving room for speculation.

Low emotional intelligence might have phrased it as,

“Try me, and I’ll open all nine gates and destroy you.”

But Leon wasn’t here to fight to the death.

From the observation area, Rosvisser and Isha were carefully watching the battle.

“Do you think he’ll lose control and open all nine gates?” Isha asked lightly, her tone playful but with an undertone of concern.

Rosvisser shook her head, frowning slightly. “No. It’s only been two years since the last time he opened all nine gates. His

Heartshield Dragon Scale

hasn’t fully recovered yet.”

Satisfied with her sister’s answer, Isha refrained from commenting further.

Back in the arena, the battle continued fiercely.

Lightning roared as Leon’s twin

Thunder Wolves

raced from his palms, their glowing forms streaking toward Odin.

Odin, unfazed, unleashed a gale-force wind from his wings, amplifying a lightning arc that shot forward like a razor-sharp blade.

Grade A Lightning Magic: Stormbreaker Slash.

The moment the ranged attacks collided, the resulting shockwave rippled outward, distorting the air with its intensity.

Before the aftershock could dissipate, Leon and Odin charged at each other again, resuming their close-quarters combat.

However, Leon quickly realized that Odin’s aerial advantage made him frustratingly elusive. Every time Leon forced an opening, Odin would use his wings to reposition, evading Leon’s strikes with ease.

Recognizing this, Leon shifted tactics. He timed a powerful kick to Odin’s chest, using the momentum to launch himself backward and create distance.

Odin skidded several meters but remained unharmed. Dusting off his chest, he smirked.

“Trying to distance yourself, are you? Planning to switch to ranged attacks?”

Landing smoothly, Leon adjusted his stance. His eyes briefly flickered to the dragon markings on his arm, confirming that his magic reserves were still strong enough for a prolonged fight.

“Old man, your mastery of lightning magic is legendary,” Leon said. “Let’s see if I can learn a thing or two from you.”

Odin chuckled, raising his hands. “Very well, then. Let’s see how you handle this, boy!”

Magic surged around Odin as dazzling arcs of lightning enveloped his body, their brilliance illuminating the arena.

Leon’s eyes widened slightly. “The efficiency of his mana control and concentration… it’s on another level. Truly worthy of a lightning magic master.”

Steeling himself, Leon began to gather his own magic. But before he could execute his next move, a massive blue magic circle materialized beneath his feet.

“Damn it!” Leon cursed, attempting to jump away.

He wasn’t fast enough.

The moment he leaped, a lightning strike from above caught him mid-air, cutting off his escape and forcing him back into the magic circle.

Landing with a grunt, Leon examined the glowing trap. He tried to approach from a different angle, but another lightning strike intercepted him perfectly.

Seeing no way out, Leon turned his gaze toward Odin.

“Did he set this up during our earlier exchanges?”

It dawned on Leon that Odin had managed to counter his relentless assault while secretly laying the groundwork for the trap.

“Young man, don’t give up now!” Odin called out, his voice echoing through the arena.

With a sharp clap of his hands, the magic circle flared brighter, and bolts of lightning rained down in rapid succession.

Grade S Lightning Magic: Lightning Prison Annihilation.

Leon was forced into a defensive scramble, dodging each strike with near-impossible agility.

Watching from a distance, Odin muttered to himself, “Impressive. Most would have been hit by now. Let’s see how he handles this.”

Raising his hand, Odin summoned a second identical magic circle above Leon’s position.

With overlapping formations, the frequency of lightning strikes doubled, creating an unrelenting barrage that left no room to breathe.

In the Twilight Tower’s observation area, the dragon kings were abuzz with conversation.

“Isn’t Odin being a little too aggressive? If the boy’s morale breaks, what’s the point of this duel?” one commented.

“The kid failed to detect Odin’s trap. That just shows his lack of experience. Can you really blame Odin for exploiting it?”

“Come on, who could possibly spot a setup like that? Odin’s been alive for over two thousand years. That kind of battle wisdom comes with age!”

One of the dragon kings, a boisterous elder named Morgan, gestured animatedly at the recording stone.

“My gods, look at that! That’s

Lightning Prison Annihilation

! Only Odin could pull off something like this on the entire Meir continent!”

Another dragon king rolled his eyes. “Would you stop hyping it up? We get it. Odin’s your drinking buddy.”

Morgan laughed. “I’m just saying! This technique isn’t even showing its full power yet. Things are about to get even more brutal!”

Isha ignored Morgan’s antics, her sharp eyes fixed on the recording stone. Though she found Morgan’s commentary grating, she couldn’t deny the truth in his words. Once caught in Odin’s

Lightning Prison Annihilation

, escape was nearly impossible.

Rosvisser’s hands tightened around the fabric of her skirt. Normally calm and composed, she couldn’t hide her growing anxiety.

Leon had never been so cornered in a fight. His usual strategy of overwhelming his opponents with sheer power wasn’t working here. Against Odin, who combined strength, strategy, and precision, Leon was truly in a desperate struggle.

Inside the trap, Leon dodged another bolt, his breathing heavy as sweat dripped down his face.

“Come on, Dad,” Noa whispered, her voice trembling. Her blue eyes were filled with worry as she watched from the observation area.

“Please… don’t fall.”