After receiving the message from June, Leon couldn't remain still any longer.
He had been ambushed twice already—both attempts targeting his life.
No matter how pitiful the girl's past might be, no matter how tragic her background, that alone wasn't enough to earn his forgiveness.
Twice was more than enough.
With a grim expression, Leon activated Tenseigan Mode, followed by Hyper Dying Will Mode, and then ignited the Dying Will Flame.
His entire body surged with tremendous power as he shot into the sky like a blazing comet, a streak of light tearing through the air as he rushed toward June's current location.
He had sent him his position—an isolated mountain range far outside Orario. The terrain looked strange, almost unnaturally hollowed out. It didn't take much imagination to guess what this was. A secret base. Most likely one operated by Filvis and Dionysus.
If it truly was their base, Leon welcomed the opportunity. He would reduce it to ashes.
In the past, he had refrained from acting against Dionysus out of caution. The divinity of a god wasn't something to take lightly.
But now… things were different.
Now, he too wielded a fragment of godly power—enough to go toe-to-toe with the divine. Dionysus was no longer untouchable.
In fact, Leon hoped he would be near Filvis. That way, he could end both of them in one clean strike.
With a sharp breath, he increased his speed again. Wind howled past him, trees bent under the shockwaves, and birds scattered in a panic. In mere minutes, he arrived at the mountainside June had marked.
Without pause, Leon used Veins of Light, sensing the terrain through threads of light. In an instant, he mapped the interior.
"A labyrinth... this place really is hollowed out."
A network of narrow, maze-like passages ran through the mountain. His brows furrowed as he picked up signs of life.
"Dionysus… not here."
"But there are adventurers... quite a few of them. Are these people from Demeter's familia?"
June's transmission confirmed it. The image relayed by the veins of light showed multiple adventurers trapped in the mountain's belly, clearly imprisoned.
Leon narrowed his eyes. It was time.
In a flash, a pair of gloves appeared on his hands—the Vongola Gloves, his signature weapon. As the flames ignited from his palms, the gloves transformed into their combat form, their sleek surface glowing with an ominous brilliance.
Soft flames supported his movement, while explosive hard flames concentrated into a focused beam. The result was a compressed torrent of power—an overwhelming surge of destructive energy.
With a deafening roar, the attack struck the mountain.
The explosion was cataclysmic. The earth trembled. Stones cracked. A shockwave rippled across the land. The violent impact echoed all the way to Orario, making the towering walls of the city quake. Citizens looked up in fear, sensing the raw destructive force from afar.
But Leon didn't have the luxury to care.
The X-BURNER had done its job. A massive gash had been ripped through the mountain, cutting straight into its heart. Leon flew into the gap, bypassing the entrance altogether.
In his path, a grotesque cavern opened up—its interior lined with sickening green flesh-like growths, like the mountain had been infected by some parasitic organism. It reeked of death and alchemy.
Inside, two figures were locked in a strange battle.
June was darting around like a shadow, weaving dark magic in rapid succession to bind Filvis in place. Filvis' expression was twisted with irritation. She wasn't truly fighting—just dodging and trying to escape.
"Damn it, what's with this little monster?! Where did she come from?! Why does she have such terrifying magical output?!"
Filvis couldn't make sense of it. She desperately searched her mind for any information about June, but nothing came to her.
Demeter's familia was supposed to be a disposable pawn in Dionysus' greater plan. After Ishtar was forced to return to heaven and her faction crumbled, Dionysus had pivoted. He had dispatched Filvis to target Demeter as a backup vessel for his ambitions.
She had expected an easy assignment. But after confronting Demeter, she had been drawn back to this base—only to be trapped by June.
Despite his childlike appearance, June's magic output was monstrous, comparable to a level 7 adventurer. His body was freakishly durable too. While he couldn't kill Filvis, he could stall her—indefinitely.
Now, with the mountain under attack, Filvis' instincts screamed at her.
If I don't escape now… I'll die here.
Her fear wasn't unfounded.
Just three minutes after the explosion, Leon burst into the chamber.
"It's you!" Filvis shouted in shock as her eyes locked onto him.
Behind her mask, her pupils contracted in alarm. Her thoughts spiraled.
This guy is with him…! That means… this whole thing was a trap!
Despair flooded her chest.
She already had her hands full with June. Now, Leon—a combatant on par with her, if not stronger—had arrived. The odds were impossible.
Today… she would not leave this place alive.
Leon didn't bother replying.
In a blur, he vanished.
Filvis immediately went on high alert, but it didn't matter.
She never saw it coming.
A split second later, a flaming fist struck her left cheek. The mask she wore shattered to pieces. The force of the punch hurled her across the chamber like a ragdoll, slamming her violently into the cavern wall.
The shock echoed again.
But Leon wasn't done.
Dozens of brilliant spheres of light materialized around him—condensed orbs of magical energy. With a wave of his hand, the lights shot forward like meteors, bombarding the crater where Filvis had landed. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹~𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮~𝚗𝚎𝚝
The roars of impact rocked the mountain from within.
Back in Orario, the eruption had caused a stir.
Adventurers across the city had taken notice.
High atop the wall, members of the Loki Familia gathered.
"That direction... the Demeter estate isn't far from there." Finn murmured, eyes narrowed as he watched the distant plume of smoke.
"Yes." Shakti nodded in agreement. "We can't afford to let the Demeter Familia get caught in anything suspicious."
Shakti turned to Finn and said, "Bring a small unit with you. We'll investigate."
Finn smiled faintly and gave a sharp nod. "Understood."
His eyes swept behind him. "Bete, Gareth—you're with me."
He paused and said, "Riveria, Ais, stay here. If this is a trap, we can't afford to leave Orario undefended."
He was cautious, and rightly so. This could be an enemy ploy to lure them out.
Three level 6s were more than enough to handle most threats. If it was worse than that... well, they would adapt.
With grim resolve, Finn and the others rushed out—toward the burning mountain, and toward whatever danger lay within.