Leo’s head swam, his vision blurred, but he forced himself to his feet. He steadied himself, Amara appeared, her expression a mix of shock and urgency. ’’Hero!’’ she exclaimed, her voice trembling. ’’That’s a Level four hundred Duke, one of the Demon Queen’s most loyal servants!’’
He looked at the purple-haired woman with a smirk as he replied, ’’What about it? I will beat him up and show the queen that she shouldn’t mess with me.’’
Amara’s eyes widened in shock, but Leo wasted no time dashing toward the Demon Duke, who was charging at him. The two collided, their fists swinging in unison. Just as they closed the gap, his lips curled into a grin.
With lightning speed, he ducked under the Duke’s powerful punch and he drove his fist deep into the man’s gut, the force of the blow leaving the enemy gasping. But Leo quickly backed off and started casting Thunderbolt.
Explosions erupted, which washed over the Demon allowing him to dash in and land several Supernova Punches. The loud booms rang out, but the man started blocking most of the attacks before countering.
The sight of the Duke’s fist inches from his face surprised Leo. When it connected, his world went dizzy as he crashed across the ground until coming to a stop while his ears rang. ’Ah fuck, I need to be careful. This opponent is something different.’
Following that, he looked up as the Demon was approaching with a smile, but he noticed the look of pain on his face, ’So I hurt him in the end,’ he thought while readying himself.
Leo unleashed a barrage of Thunderbolts and Fireballs, each one crashing into the Demon Duke with explosive force. But to his surprise, the attacks seemed to have no effect this time, as he blocked the spells.
Undeterred, he charged forward, preparing to land a decisive punch. However, just as his fist flew toward its target, the Duke’s sinister smile widened, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished, disappearing without a trace.
Seconds later, a sharp pain shot through his body as the man punched through his stomach but he gave the Demon a bloody smile, ’’Got you motherfuck!’’ he exclaimed.
He pulled the Duke close and head-butted him before landing a dozen closer Supernova Punches that rang out like thunder. The sudden attacks sent the enemy flying, but Leo noticed him pull out something and vanish.
’Did he just escape? What the fuck!’ he thought while looking around, baffled.
After that, Leo flew back to Greenslade, where he met Amara and Octavia at the gate. The two women looked worried, but he waved them away when landing, ’’I’m fine, what just happened?’’
’’A teleportation amulet, maybe? I heard the Demon Queen gives them to her loyal servant,’’ the princess revealed.
’’Send the soldiers out to clear out more monsters. I’ll go hunting once I’ve eaten,’’ Leo informed the two. ’’I need to get some energy and let my regeneration heal the injuries.’’
Following that, he took off and flew toward a massive tree just outside town and landed on the branch that overlooked the surrounding landscape. While sitting down, he wrapped a cloak around himself while pulling out a Beast Stew meal and some Moonshadow Stout.
Leo started eating while watching over the rolling hills and odd patches of trees littering the landscape. He was enjoying the stew as it was piping hot but delicious, causing him to think, ’This food is nice. I’ll buy more when I run low.’
Soon, the sun started to set and cast a beautiful pink glow over the land. He noticed deer-looking monsters passing by and didn’t attack them, as there was no hostility coming from the creatures.
Leo felt his body growing weaker, the brutal fight with the Demon Duke taking its toll. His muscles ached, and he felt drained. Recognizing that he couldn’t continue any longer, he pulled out some cushions and a cover from his pack.
’I’ll be safe up here. I’ll summon the Blood Griffin,’ he thought before summoning the monster that covered him with its wing.
With a soft sigh, he curled up on a sturdy branch, as though he were in the comfort of his bedroom. Despite the chaos surrounding him, exhaustion overtook him, and he drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
As he slept, the calm night sky suddenly shifted. Dark clouds rolled in, blocking out the stars. A sharp wind picked up, rustling the leaves and whipping through the trees. Thunder rumbled in the distance, growing louder by the minute.
Then, with a sudden crack, lightning lit up the sky, followed by a torrential downpour. Rain hammered the ground, drenching everything, while the wind howled. What had started as a peaceful night had transformed into a raging storm.
When Leo awoke the next morning, he couldn’t help but laugh, realizing he had fallen asleep outside. Everything was wet and the Blood Griffin screeched, only for him to see that its wing covered him from the rain.
He smiled before speaking. ’’Thanks, girl, now go rest and have something to eat.’’
Leo banished the creature back to the Monster Realm before leaping down to the ground below. As he landed, he noticed the thick fog that obscured his vision, making everything seem unclear.
Without waiting, he took off and started hovering in the sky, only to see the fog covering everything. Leo didn’t know where to go, so started flying around while looking for any monsters.
’Let’s clear out the Duskwood Empire. Maybe we’ll head to the elf homeland,’ he thought while blasting a group of Wild Orcs rushing through the trees.
Following that, Leo spent hours leveling up, and once he couldn’t find any more hordes, he flew back to Greenslade. When arriving back at the town, he noticed hundreds of soldiers rushing around.
The town people were looting the monster corpses outside the wall, while Amara and Octavia watched this from the top of the wall. Leo decided to head for the inn so he could eat before sleeping some more.
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