Chapter 254: Prediction
"Jejejejeje… I've never understood humans, always doing such brainless things."
Maugrier was a bit stunned when he noticed Leonel running back toward him. He had suffered no small loss at Leonel's hands just earlier, he had even felt the scent of death. If it wasn't because this boy was too inexperienced in combat, failing to take proper account of their combat environment, he would have died here.
But, he could have never expected that Leonel would come rushing back after he was prepared. He had been gloomy previously, thinking that he would have long since lost track of Leonel. But it seemed like he would have his chance at revenge after all.
"Wall."
When Maugrier realized that Leonel hadn't even paused his steps, he grew serious. He had no intention of facing up against Leonel directly.
One shouldn't mistake Maugrier's reaction as fear… After all, he was an archer. It was only normal that Leonel would be able to force him to suffer a loss in close combat. Now that he was prepared, he could almost already see Lenoel's corpse!
What this #62 ranked Demon Lord didn't know that while he saw Leonel as easy prey, Leonel saw him as a fighting dummy, ready to help refine his skills.
While others could only see shadows in this place, Leonel saw everything reflected into his mind perfectly. He could see the shadow-like Maugrier sneakily drawing his bow, he could see the vanguard of shield warriors blocking his path, he could even see the dark insects crawling along the ground.
Nothing escaped his notice.
Leonel's Force bloomed.
BANG!
Seven shield warriors stood shoulder to shoulder, slamming their tower shields into the ground and blocking Leonel's path forward. At this moment, it became clear that Maugrier didn't care about the other escaping warriors. Killing one Leonel was worth far more than killing a thousand such knights.
Leonel's memories flashed.
In his mind, he saw a valiant man with dark blond hair that whisked along his face and jaw like the mane of a lion.
He wore heavy bronze armor, his every step causing the earth to quake. His heavy spear bent beneath the weight of its own blade, making it exceptionally top heavy. Yet, the valiant man outstretched it with a single hand, bearing the entire weight with his strong wrists.
Leonel could sense the overbearing aura of the man. Even if he stood against an army of thousand alone, he would face it with a jovial laugh.
When this man walked, the earth shook. When he laughed, the clouds dispersed. When he attacked, the skies split.
Leonel's back flexed, his image and the image of the man in his mind fusing into one. The crackling booms of his tendons reverberated through the night sky. Maugrier didn't even have time to draw back his first arrow.
BOOM!
Leonel's body and spear drew a line in the air. For a moment, their momentum became one.
It was once again a pierce. However, compared to the fluttering speed of the primitive woman, this pierce was indomitable. It was as though it would sheer through any obstacle before it, not even pausing before the might of a God.
Leonel's spear tip tore into the middle tower shield.
As though it was slammed by a canon ball or punched by a goliath, a massive dent appeared at its center.
The shield warrior cried out in pain as he felt the arm supporting his tower shield bend against the distorted metal. It was as though his arm was molded into a semi-sphere, grinded into complete mush.
A gap appeared amidst the shield warriors as their fellow soldier was sent flying. Like a bullet leaving a barrel, he tore through the night air, crashing into the reserve warriors by Maugrier's side.
Despite the shock, Maugrier was still a Demon Lord. He didn't hesitate to loose three arrows in quick succession when he saw that the situation was bad.
However, what Leonel feared the least were projectiles with predictable trajectories. The battlefield reflected in his mind. Before Maugrier even released the first arrow, Leonel already knew where it would land.
As though he was a ghost, Leonel shifted away with simple steps.
His memories flashed once more. He saw a woman of strong features. Despite the fact she wasn't the most beautiful, she had a charm that gripped the hearts of men. But, she also held a spear that took the hearts of men.
Her speed was so blinding that the last thing her enemies sensed before their death wasn't pain, nor the sight of her figure, but rather the fragrance of her fluttering hair.
A rich smell of apple. It assaulted Leonel's senses again and again as though she was right before him at this very moment.
Her spear was as light as a feather and as flexible as a whip. She reaped lives with a thought and traveled through the world unhindered.
Leonel's toe lightly descended to the ground the moment he dodged the last spear. For an instant, it seemed as though he would flutter to the ground like a leaf, but in the next instant, he vanished.
His movement speed was impossibly quick. His body shot forward like a streaking arrow, appearing before the line of protection before Maugrier.
He braced his spear against his body before sweeping it out horizontally from himself.
His spear became like the whipping tail of a mighty beast. It left an arc of blood in the air, sheering apart half a dozen demons at the waist. Such carnage was something even Leonel had never seen before.
In the past, he always killed his opponents with a simple pierce. The blood was minimal and the wound was small.
This was the most powerful attack of the spear currently in his possession. Its exceptionally long blade was purposely designed for this expressed purpose.
And now… There was no one but Maugrier before him.
Maugrier reacted quickly. In the face of death, his expression, hidden beneath his hood, remained calm. Demon Lords weren't fish on a chopping block. No matter how much improvement Leonel had made, it wasn't enough to treat such a character so casually — especially when it had only been half a month since his battle with Gorgo.
The twang of a bow string being continuously pulled and released caused Leonel's ears to twitch. Maugrier's actions were so fast that Leonel's eyes, even with the support of his Mage Art, couldn't keep up.
The distance between the two was just 10 meters. To take on the full barrage of arrows at this distance, anyone else would have had their deaths guaranteed.
But, while Leonel's eyes couldn't keep up, that didn't mean his Internal Sight was in the same situation. The trajectory of Maugrier's arrows had already been projected into his mind.
Just when Leonel was about to dodge just as easily, his expression change.
The trajectories he had predicted were off!