Leonel didn't wait for Lamorak's response. He had already taken a step forward and nocked his first arrow.
Bronze Runes lit all across his body, a halo of violet-bronze hanging above his head. At the same time, a crown etched itself across his forehead, making him look no different from a holy king.
This experience taught Leonel something very important. His Soul Force stamina wasn't just about the amount of Soul Force reserves he had, but also about how quickly he was able to replenish it.
The slow spinning of his Two Stars wasn't meaningless. At all times, they were siphoning Force from the surroundings and converting it into Soul Force for his use. The reason he had ended up in such a sorry state before was because he had used up his Soul Force faster than his constitution could replenish it.
Once his Soul Force dried up, the power balance of his Ethereal Glabella broke, causing his Stars to lose their impetus to spin. As a consequence, he needed far more Soul Force to allow them to begin to spin once more.
However, the instant they began to move once again, Leonel didn't have to wait for the rest of his Soul Force to recover. He could entirely rely on his Stars to replenish his Spirit Pressure faster than he was using it.
Leonel activated 'Hot Streak' without a second thought, firing out five shots before Lamorak could even understand the change to the situation.
Five mages found a bloody hole to their forehead before they registered any pain. Their dazes became dull, falling down in a heap of their own flesh.
Lamorak was stunned by the sudden change before his eyes turned a furious shade of red.
"BOY!"
Leonel's expression turned cold.
"I have long since been tired of you."
These were the second time Leonel spoke these words. But, compared to the first time, he meant them even more.
He watched Lamorak pick himself up and charge toward him with a cold expression. As though he didn't realize the danger he was in, he continued firing. It felt as though every step forward Lamorak took, another one of his people would fall. No matter how much he raged and shouted, Leonel didn't seem to hear any of it.
"You… You monster…"
Lamorak steps had almost reached Leonel, but his spirit was tired. He hadn't held back at all while trying to kill Leonel just now. It could be said that he was already a spent force, yet Leonel was actually alive.
It seemed like it was all a joke. He, a Knight of the Round Table, wasn't able to kill someone who couldn't even move to defend themselves.
Leonel almost laughed at Lamorak's words.
"Monster? When did I ever target any humans? How many demons have I kill in comparison to humans? Now you want to surround me, pray on me, kill me, and then call me a monster when I retaliate?
"There was a point in time where I saw you as a rival to surmount. You have no idea how many thoughts I've spared toward you in just the last month. But, you've disappointed me.
"I realize now that being powerful doesn't make one worthy of respect."
Leonel smiled. It was a smile of relief, the kind one could only smile after a great burden had been taken from their hearts.
His loss to Lamorak had been weighing on his mind for a long time. But, he finally felt that weight lifted from him today.
Leonel met Lamorak's gaze. He could see that the latter's gaze was still reddened to the point of irrationality. Even if he heard Leonel's words, it was unlikely that he had recognized his faults. But, Leonel no longer cared.
He fired a last arrow, slaughtering the last of the humans before turning his attention back toward Lamorak. However, Leonel was stunned to realize that this Grand Knight wasn't even moving toward him anymore.
He looked toward Leonel like a wounded beast. Then, did something that left Leonel not knowing how to feel.
Lamorak stared toward Leonel with bloodshot eyes. His Force surged, building up toward his head.
In the next instant, his head exploded. It was a level of gruesome that couldn't even be explained.
Blood and brain matter fell from his headless shoulders. And, not long later, his body slumped to the ground, keeling over.
Leonel stared forward for a long while, not knowing what to say or do.
In the end, he could only shake his head and sigh.
Was it something about this world that made people act like this? He really wished he could do something about it…
When Leonel regained his bearings, his gaze turned cold as it swept toward the one person he had left alive – Big Buddha.
By now, the large man had long since stopped laughing. His gaze looked dull, he only slightly trembled when he noticed that Leonel was looking toward him.
"Was it worth it?" Leonel asked.
He didn't know why he asked. He didn't expect to get anything out of it, yet he did so anyway.
"Ha…" Big Buddha chuckled. "… You're alive, how could it be?"
Leonel shook his head before piercing Big Buddha's throat with an arrow. He looked up toward the ceiling of the castle and sighed.
**
At that moment, within the Merlin Trial grounds, everyone was waiting silently.
Those who hadn't gone had made a strategic choice. After all, not going was essentially like gaining a free 24 hours of rest. Such a break was incredibly rare during the trials. Obviously, the recovery rewards simply weren't enough, especially for those who chose to use the energy more toward cultivation rather than toward healing themselves.
Like this, many kept to themselves. Some tried to pry into the Segmented Cube Leonel left behind, but it was too difficult to cross the void to reach it. Plus, even if they did, they thought that since Leonel dared to leave it here, it was likely something they couldn't pry into all that easily to begin with.
Soon, the time limit approach and many began to go on alert again. Those who had lived through the Random Event should be coming back any time now.
'That boy, he's probably dead, right?'
Most were thinking along these lines. Though the choice to go wasn't made public, it was pretty obvious by those who were here.
Two top four Demon Lords had gone along with seven other lower ranked Demon Lords. On top of that, there was Lamorak who had clearly disappeared as well and he had even taken what seemed like a small troop of humans. That boy was finished.
King Arthur looked up from his meditation with indifferent eyes. He wasn't thinking about whether or not Leonel survived, this was a foregone conclusion in his mind. He was thinking about how he would get his hands on the Segmented Cube afterward.
Unlike others, this wasn't a matter of greed for him. It was rather about the little girl.
King Arthur knew Pope Margrave well and he had information channels monitoring The Church. This little girl seemed to be very important to the Pope, he just didn't know why. Since he couldn't understand, it was better that he controlled this card in his hand.
As he was lost in thought, a small flash of light swept through.
<Random Event Complete>
<Winner: Defending Team>
<Trial Grade: Perfect>
At that moment, dozens of pairs of eyes landed on a young man who appeared with an indifferent expression, his clothes ripped and covered with blood. He held his bow in his hand and swept an unperturbed gaze over those stunned gazes.
Leonel had returned.