Chapter 222: Chapter 222- Complete

Julian pressed the attack, his movements faster, sharper, more precise than ever. Every strike forced Leo backward step by step, blow by blow. Sparks and ice filled the air as the battlefield turned into chaos incarnate.

Leo’s grin faltered for the first time. His breathing grew heavier, and a faint crack formed across his crystalline armor. Julian didn’t stop, he pivoted, driving his blade upward in a streak of lightning that nearly tore through Leo’s chest.

The beast stumbled back, wings flaring wide to block the next hit.

"You’re slipping," Julian said coldly, lowering his stance. "Or is that all the ’divine power’ you have left?"

For a moment, silence fell between them, just the sound of burning ozone and Leo’s uneven breaths. Then, Leo chuckled. Slowly at first, then louder, until it became a full, manic laugh that echoed through the ruins.

"You think you’ve cornered me?" he said, eyes glowing with a violent, shifting hue. "I was just holding back."

The ground beneath him began to tremble. Cracks spread outward like veins of light as his aura flared wild, uncontrolled, monstrous. The temperature dropped sharply; frost spread across the dirt, crystallizing even the air. His veins darkened, pulsing with a toxic green glow, and his wings transformed longer, sharper, laced with blackened ice.

Julian tensed, instinctively stepping back as the pressure doubled, then tripled.

Leo grinned, his voice a low snarl. "Let me show you... my true form."

His body convulsed, then stabilized. The divine energy inside him erupted, tearing through the limits of flesh and logic alike. When the light faded, Leo stood taller, stronger his aura a storm of venom, frost, and raw power.

Julian’s grip on his sword tightened, lightning coiling around his arm like a serpent.

Leo spread his wings and looked at him with eyes that burned like twin suns. "Now, let’s see you survive this."

Leo’s grin widened, his voice dripping with arrogance as the distorted glow from his body pulsed brighter.

"Do you know how long I’ve waited for this?" he said, his tone low and venomous. "I’ve absorbed everything... and it took ages for my body to adapt to all that power."

The veins beneath his skin shimmered like molten metal, and his armor pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat. "But now," he continued, cracking his neck as a faint hiss escaped his teeth, "it’s finally... complete."

Before Julian could respond, Leo vanished, his movement so fast it blurred. A second later, a crushing impact sent a shockwave through the battlefield. Julian barely blocked the first strike, sparks bursting as his blade met Leo’s claw. The force launched him backward, his boots grinding against the ground to keep his balance.

Leo didn’t let up. He appeared again, above, behind, then to the side each movement accompanied by a sonic boom and trails of toxic frost. His fists and wings tore through the air, the mixture of laser energy, poison, and ice forming a storm of destruction.

Julian gritted his teeth, summoning his lightning to reinforce his defenses. Still, every blow shook his arms, the pressure immense.

Leo laughed amid the chaos, his aura flaring wildly. "This is what happens when perfection meets desperation!" he shouted, launching another barrage.

Julian barely dodged a strike that shattered the ground where he stood. He retaliated with a flash of lightning, slicing through the frost—but Leo blocked it with a single arm, unfazed, his grin widening even more.

"Pathetic," Leo sneered, thrusting his palm forward. "Let’s see how long that confidence lasts when you’re crushed under true power!"

A surge of green and blue energy burst from his hand, and the battlefield was swallowed in blinding light.

Julian steadied his breath, eyes flickering toward Zoe as the dust and energy swirled around them. Through the chaos, his voice entered her mind like a sharp command wrapped in calm focus.

"Zoe," he said through their link, his tone firm yet measured, "follow my lead. Attack from the directions I call, don’t let him predict you."

The black wolf let out a low growl, her crimson eyes glowing brighter in response. Understood, her voice echoed faintly in his mind, laced with determination. ’I’ll tear him apart when you give the word.’

Julian smirked faintly, lightning flickering across his shoulders. "Good girl."

Without hesitation, Zoe leapt forward, her movements like shadows darting through the fractured ground. Julian surged alongside her, matching her rhythm perfectly, they moved as one. When Julian’s hand flicked subtly to the left, Zoe instantly shifted, lunging at Leo’s blind spot. The synchronization was flawless.

Leo blocked Zoe’s first strike but frowned when Julian’s blade came from the opposite side, the two attacks converging in a perfect pincer. Sparks exploded as claw met steel, then lightning laced through the wolf’s shadowy mane, amplifying her attack.

"Tch—smart," Leo muttered, stepping back as frost erupted beneath his boots to push them away. "So the dog listens, huh?"

Julian spun his blade, his eyes locked on Leo, voice cutting through the roar of energy. "She’s more than that."

Zoe growled in agreement, circling behind Leo again.

"Let’s show him," Julian said quietly. "Move—pattern Delta."

The wolf dashed to the right in a blur, Julian to the left, lightning and shadow converging once more as their coordinated assault began anew.

Leo snarled, his grin splitting wide as energy crackled around him. "Fine then, let’s see how long you two can keep that rhythm!"

In an instant, he vanished, his speed tearing through the air like a sonic burst. The ground beneath him shattered as he reappeared in front of Julian, his fist colliding with the latter’s blade, sparks and lightning scattering in all directions. The impact sent a shockwave that threw dust and debris into the air.

Julian barely managed to block, sliding backward across the cracked terrain, his boots carving deep lines into the stone. Zoe lunged in to intercept, her fangs glowing with dark energy as she bit toward Leo’s shoulder.

But Leo was faster, he twisted, grabbed Zoe by the fur of her neck, and hurled her aside. Before she even hit the ground, Julian’s daggers launched from his inventory, spinning toward Leo like a metallic storm.

"Tch—tricks again?" Leo growled, his exoskeletal arm flaring with light as he swung, deflecting the blades midair. He countered instantly, firing beams of condensed energy from his palm.

Julian raised his arm, lightning forming a barrier just in time, the explosion lighting up the battlefield. The clash of energy illuminated their faces, Julian’s expression sharpened with focus, Leo’s twisting with wild delight.

Zoe recovered and howled, shadows rippling from her paws as she rejoined the fight, lunging low while Julian struck from above. But Leo matched them blow for blow, weaving through their attacks with unnerving precision. His movements were brutal yet calculated, every strike meant to kill, every counter pushing them closer to the edge.

The air grew thick with power lightning, poison mist, frost, and shadow colliding in blinding bursts. Each impact echoed like thunder, each dodge a razor’s breadth from death.

Julian gritted his teeth, panting, his eyes burning with electric fury. "You’re persistent for someone who’s supposed to be divine."

Leo laughed, slamming his foot into the ground, causing frozen spikes to erupt in a circle around them. "Divine? No. I’m evolution itself."