"Yukino!"
Seeing Yukinoshita Yukino swallowed by the towering pillar of light, Mrs. Yukinoshita and Yukinoshita Haruno both trembled, almost collapsing on the spot.
However, Sharon, who had activated the exorcism ritual, had a grim expression, without a hint of joy at defeating her opponent.
"Swish!"
Just as the soaring pillar of light was about to engulf Yukinoshita Yukino, Leo finally moved.
Three pairs of demon wings spread behind him, and magic power dozens of times stronger than Yukinoshita Yukino's surged around him. Leo suddenly appeared in front of Yukinoshita Yukino and extended one hand towards the rising pillar of light below.
The next second, a Magic Circle transformed into the most solid barrier, rotating and unfolding like a mandala flower, blocking the towering pillar of light.
"Boom!"
The pillar of light crashed onto the rotating Magic Circle barrier, like a surging torrent of light striking an unmoving reef, creating a roar and constantly splashing light flowers, illuminating the entire ice and snow world.
The torrent of light could not break through the Magic Circle barrier; it could only surge from both ends of the Magic Circle barrier like a divided flood, completely unable to reach Leo and Yukinoshita Yukino, who were protected behind the barrier.
Leo maintained his posture, holding out one hand to block in front of Yukinoshita Yukino, while glancing at Sharon on the ground.
Then, Leo raised his other hand.
"Buzz!"
Vast magic power surged in his raised hand, quickly forming a dazzling magic bullet, like a miniature neutron star.
"Go."
Leo flicked the magic bullet from his hand as if playing marbles, making it transform into a red light that suddenly pierced through space and struck the Light Magic Circle unfolding below.
"Bang!"
This time, there was no deafening roar, nor an extraordinary scene of destruction. The magic bullet, like a sharp knife, a bullet that broke the balance of the spell, caused the Light Magic Circle to collapse the instant it struck, disintegrating on the spot like a shattered mirror.
The constantly rising power of light gradually dissipated, and the pillar of light slowly dimmed until it completely vanished.
"Swish!"
At this moment, Leo placed a hand on Yukinoshita Yukino's shoulder and, with a flash, brought her to Mrs. Yukinoshita and Yukinoshita Haruno.
"Yukino!"
"Are you alright?!"
The two looked at Yukinoshita Yukino, who had not yet reacted, with expressions of pleasant surprise.
"I..."
Yukinoshita Yukino looked at the lingering panic on her sister's and mother's faces, opened her mouth, and for a moment didn't know what to say.
"Alright, let's talk about anything later."
Leo released Yukinoshita Yukino, pushing her towards Mrs. Yukinoshita and Yukinoshita Haruno, before flashing again and appearing in front of Sharon.
"You hit quite hard, didn't you?"
Putting away the three pairs of demon wings behind him, Leo landed on the ground, facing Sharon from a distance.
"I've never even seen that move before. I didn't expect you to still be hiding something like that."
Leo spoke as if making small talk, his face relaxed, but his eyes devoid of any emotion.
This demeanor undoubtedly made alarm bells ring in Sharon's heart.
However, on the surface, Sharon still smiled lightly.
"This was originally meant for you, but the higher-ups wouldn't allow me to attack a true pure-blooded demon, lest I break the delicate balance currently being maintained."
Sharon's words turned Leo's relaxed expression into a half-smile.
"So you used it against my Retainer?" Leo said casually, "Because killing a Familiar Demon won't break the tacit balance maintained by the three factions, right?"
"You taught me that," Sharon met Leo's gaze and said, "Just as you can kill an insignificant low-level Fallen Angel without any qualms, I can also kill an insignificant low-level demon, can't I?"
"That's true," Leo nodded, then said, "Then you must have also prepared yourself for retaliation, right?"
The moment these words left Leo's mouth, Sharon leaped backward without hesitation.
"Bang!"
Just as Sharon leaped backward, an incredibly powerful magic bullet appeared out of thin air, landing at an astonishing speed on the spot where she had stood a second before, shattering the ground there.
A violent shockwave immediately erupted in all directions, the ground fractured inch by inch, and countless rubble flew, creating a crater with a diameter of ten meters, a shocking sight.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" ... Leo stood still, calmly extending one hand, from which magic bullets continuously shot out, attacking Sharon. As Sharon frantically dodged, they either hit the ground or the ubiquitous icebergs, shattering both the ground and the icebergs, kicking up dust and shattered ice everywhere.
Sharon also pulled out her exorcism pistol, preparing to pull the trigger at Leo, but before the Light Bullets could be fired, the magic bullets attacking her suddenly changed. They seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, pausing and turning, creating unpredictable trajectories that instantly surrounded Sharon.
"Explode!"
Leo clenched his outstretched hand into a fist.
"Boom!!!"
The magic bullets surrounding Sharon immediately exploded like detonated bombs, creating an earth-shattering roar and igniting a blaze.
This was a much more violent explosion than any before, causing incredibly astonishing destruction. The blast even swept towards the three women of the Yukinoshita Family, causing them to cry out in alarm.
The ground trembled, and smoke and dust rose, like wolf smoke, lingering for a long time.
Leo, bathed in the incoming wind and waves, let his clothes and hair fly wildly. After a while, he lowered his outstretched hand.
"Did she escape again?"
Muttering calmly to himself, Leo casually released magic power, dispersing the smoke and dust, revealing a massive crater in everyone's sight.
"Gulp..."
At this moment, let alone Mrs. Yukinoshita and Yukinoshita Haruno, even Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but swallow.
Looking at the man standing before the crater, who remained completely at ease despite the fierce wind and the shocking scene, the three women of the Yukinoshita Family felt their hearts tremble, unable to speak for a long time.
Leo, however, looked at a pool of blood and a torn piece of nun's habit in the crater, then turned and left.
"Don't look, that woman isn't so easy to kill."
Arriving in front of the three women of the Yukinoshita Family, Leo, seeing that they hadn't recovered for a long time, directly woke them up.
"Let's go back first. There's no point in staying here any longer."
Saying this, Leo, without waiting for the three to reply, took the lead and walked towards the Yukinoshita Family residence not far away.
The three women of the Yukinoshita Family looked at each other, and in the end, none of them could speak, falling into silence.
"Let's go," Mrs. Yukinoshita glanced at Leo, who was leisurely walking away, then at the silent Yukinoshita Yukino, and said with a complicated expression, "We... should have a good talk."
Yukinoshita Yukino nodded silently, causing Yukinoshita Haruno beside her to show a complicated expression as well.
The three then followed Leo's footsteps and returned to the Yukinoshita Family residence.
As for this place, although it caused a great commotion, for some reason, no one came to investigate, and it remained there, scarred and silent, telling everyone what it had endured...
"Cough...!"
In a secluded, deserted alley, with a painful cough, a splash of crimson blood bloomed on the ground and wall.
Sharon, tattered and bruised all over, appeared there, leaning against the wall, coughing up mouthfuls of fresh blood.
"...These injuries, they're not good."
Sharon slumped against the wall, sitting on the ground, feeling the intense pain throughout her body, and squeezed out words with a pale face.
She felt her consciousness already beginning to blur, and her vision was stained red by the blood flowing from her forehead, making it impossible to see other colors.
Realizing the danger, she tried to heal herself, but found that she had exhausted her last ounce of strength just to escape here.
If this continued, she would surely die from excessive blood loss, without any chance of survival.
"Am I really going to die here...?"
Sharon muttered to herself, her consciousness hazy, but without any fear on her face.
There was no fear of death in her heart, only resentment at being defeated so easily.
"He's become even stronger than I imagined... It's truly infuriating."
Why did this happen?
What had changed him so drastically?
Was she truly going to die here, never to defeat him?
"Ugh...!"
The sudden surge of resentment in Sharon's heart forced her to regain some consciousness. Biting her bloodied lip, she was about to get up.
Just then, a voice entered Sharon's ears.
"I advise you not to move around too much for now, to avoid losing more blood."
It was a male voice, somewhat similar to Leo's, seemingly frivolous yet casual.
"...Who?"
Sharon steadied herself and saw a figure had approached her at some point, standing right in front of her.
She couldn't see the person's face clearly, but she could feel a familiar sensation from them.
This feeling...
"Those warriors who inherited the bloodline factors of the Dragon-Slaying Hero?"
Sharon recognized the person's identity.
They were warriors, like herself, belonging to the Church.
Only...
"Right now, I'm not fighting for God, but for myself."
The person said, smiling.
"I've come to invite you, Sharon Holygreil."
"Will you come to our side?"