(A few days later, The Time Stilled World, Leo’s POV)
It took a few days for Leo to fully adjust to the changes in his new body, as he spent that time familiarizing himself with the enhanced strength, smoother mana circulation, and greater stability that came with ascension, until eventually he reached a point where every movement felt natural again and his confidence in his combat ability returned completely.
Only after achieving that state did he set out to meet Moltherak, whereby this time he no longer needed a transport craft to get there, as unlike before, he no longer needed assistance for flying.
*Thud*
Leo landed on the ancient floating island without hesitation, touching down with a steady smile as he walked toward the central chamber where Moltherak’s soul usually rested, his steps relaxed now that he no longer felt out of sync with his own power.
*Push*
He pressed open the massive doors to the chamber, the panels sliding aside with a heavy echo as he stepped inside, only to find Moltherak already awake in the form of a towering red dragon, observing him with calm and curious golden eyes.
"Boy, you are back... and you have somehow learned to contain the unrest in your aura."
Moltherak observed quietly, his gaze assessing every detail of Leo’s posture and mana flow as Leo returned the look with a confident smile, pleased that the ancient dragon noticed the improvement in him immediately.
"Yeah, it was a long and arduous road toward becoming a Monarch, but somehow I made it all the way."
He replied, as Moltherak’s gaze sharpened ever so slightly.
"I felt your unstable aura when you ascended, boy. It was quite strong."
Moltherak noted, his tone measured and neutral, neither mocking nor praiseful, as he simply stated what he sensed with clarity.
"But just to be sure, let me feel it once again. Hit me with the strongest killing intent you can muster.
Let us see what you truly hold now."
Moltherak instructed, as Leo smirked at the request, bending his knees slightly as his expression sharpened in tandem with the surge rising within him.
"Alright... you asked for it."
He said, before releasing his killing intent in its entirety as the floating island trembled beneath the weight of what poured out of him.
*Tremble*
The chamber quivered as his killing intent erupted outward like a tidal wave of bloodlust, heavy enough to warp the edges of the room while the air groaned under a force far too colossal for any normal mortal to withstand.
*TRR–*
*TRR–*
If not for the ancient enchantments anchored deep beneath the island, the stone floor beneath him would have splintered instantly, cracking apart like brittle glass under a hammer, for no ordinary ground could have endured the brutality of what he released.
However, thankfully, the floating island was a special structure that was designed to withstand even Moltherak’s aura, which made Leo’s effort feel light in comparison.
*Whoosh*
Nonetheless, although not as powerful as Moltherak’s aura, his killing intent still bellowed in a deep crimson shade around him, as it pulsed and weaved with the lethality of something that should not belong to a mere Monarch.
’What insane strength...’
Moltherak noted without blinking, his golden eyes reflecting the red haze as it crashed against his colossal soul form.
Outwardly he remained indifferent, unmoving, his expression placid and bored.
Yet inwardly something stirred.
For the first time in thousands of years he felt a quiet jolt of excitement rising through his ancient consciousness, as he couldn’t help but acknowledge Leo for the genius he was.
’This is not the aura of a Nascent Soul.’
He thought silently, as a rare pulse of disbelief flickered through his mind.
’This is the killing aura of a calamity, maybe of a Berserk Dragon who has already erased many worlds.’
He thought, as he felt an old instinct rise from a distant past where such beings had roamed the stars freely.
Still, he let none of that show on his face, as he swallowed the reaction with the practiced discipline of a being who once stood at the peak of cosmic battlefields.
As only when Leo had finally reined the aura back in, compressing the crimson storm into the quiet hum within his chest, did Moltherak incline his head in a slow, steady gesture.
"Just as I expected," he said calmly, though a faint glimmer passed through his eyes as he recalculated his understanding of the boy, "you have strengthened your killing intent manyfold."
His long tail curled slightly behind him, a subtle sign of unease only a dragon would recognize, as he studied Leo with renewed scrutiny.
"But what I do not understand," Moltherak continued, his tone turning sharper with genuine curiosity, "is how you managed this in such a short span of time. Killing intent of this depth does not grow through effort. It is forged through slaughter, through extinction, through the taking of billions of lives."
He let the words hang in the air, tasting them, as if trying to match Leo to a category that no longer existed.
As Leo chuckled at the comment, before rubbing the back of his head as though brushing off something trivial.
"Well," he said lightly, grinning at the ancient dragon’s scrutiny, "about that part... I may or may not have gone on a rather extensive killing spree recently."
He admitted, as Moltherak’s eyes narrowed, the golden glow in them sharpening.
"How extensive?"
He asked, as Leo exhaled softly before folding his arms, as he spoke with a casual honesty that made the words feel even heavier.
"Rough estimate? Around two billion enemy soldiers. Maybe a little more, depending on how you count the ones who died from the collateral damage."
He said, as Moltherak’s pupils contracted ever so slightly, the dragon falling silent as he processed the scale, while Leo shrugged with a faint, unapologetic smile.
"That probably explains the killing intent..... I mean, I took your advice on how to strengthen my aura and decided to become a true galactic killer!"
He said, as Moltherak looked at him like he was some sort of a freak.
’I told you to go on such adventures after you’re a King level warrior.... Not a mere Nascent Soul...’
He thought, as he shivered just thinking about how Leo had killed 2 billion enemies at such a low tier.