Chapter 80: Leon!!
Even though Leon had only punched him with his fist, his raw strength was so ridiculously high that it had dealt a massive amount of damage to Teon’s body.
The punch alone felt like Teon had been hit head-on by a fast-moving, high-speed train, and the sheer agony spreading through his chest was more than anything he had felt in a very long time.
For an S-rank guildmaster who had spent years dominating battlefields without suffering a single clean hit, the sharp, blinding pain was a shocking reminder of his own mortality.
He struggled to catch his breath, his mind racing as he stared at his youngest son through the haze of rising smoke, wondering how such a thing was even possible.
’His talent doesn’t seem to be the strength type, so how is he so impossibly strong as well...?’ It defied all established logic of player abilities, as Leon possessed both a powerful shield, sword, and overwhelming physical power all at once.
Leon looked down at his bleeding father with cold, emotionless eyes, stepping forward slowly on his bare feet as he said, "I could have killed you many times just now, but I decided not to. You want to know why?"
His voice was entirely calm and steady, echoing off the ruined, scorching pillars of the reception hall like a death sentence.
Teon gnashed his teeth in pure, stubborn rage, blood trickling down his chin as he glared up at the young man with defiance.
"You...? Killed me many times over? Like hell you could. Hehe." he muttered, forcing a bitter laugh.
His S-rank pride refused to accept the reality that he was completely at the mercy of the outcast standing before him.
Leon didn’t bother arguing or raising his voice in response to the old man’s pathetic denial. Instead, Leon swiped his sword through the air in a lightning-fast flash, the motion so swift and subtle that it barely registered as a movement to the human eye.
But to Teon’s utter surprise, nothing seemed to happen after the swing, and no visible wave of energy cut through the space between them.
As soon as he had that arrogant thought, however, he suddenly felt a strange, intensely hot sensation on his left shoulder.
The feeling was sharp and burning, cutting straight through the heavy numbness of his injuries like a red-hot needle piercing through thin fabric.
His eyes widened in sudden, horrifying realization, and he slowly looked down at his left hand that was still clutching his injured flank.
Right where his arm met his shoulder, a thin red line slowly spread across his skin and armor, glowing faintly with lingering thermal heat.
Before he could even register what was happening or process the sheer speed of the invisible attack, his left arm suddenly dropped to the ground with a soft thud, separated cleanly from his shoulder.
The cut was so smooth and precise that the severed limb landed on the ash-covered marble floor before a single drop of blood could even leak out from the cauterized wound.
Teon froze completely in place, his breathing halting in his chest as he stared down at his severed arm lying on the hot floorboards before him.
Blood sprayed out from his shoulder like a geyser, splattering across the ground.
Teon stood frozen in absolute disbelief, his eyes wide as he could only stare at his severed arm lying motionless on the hot floor in complete and utter shock.
He could feel intense, blinding pain coursing through his shoulder where the clean cut had been made, sending violent shockwaves through his nervous system.
Yet, despite the agonizing burn of the wound, the single emotion he felt the most in that horrifying moment was pure, overwhelming shock at what had just transpired.
"W-what..." he mumbled shakily.
The word hung in the dusty air, heavy with the weight of a legendary S-rank player who had just realized he had been completely outclassed and maimed by his own discarded child.
Leon’s lips, however, curled into a sinister, dark smirk as he watched his father bleed, his dark eyes sparkling with a cruel sense of satisfaction.
He looked down at the old man with absolute contempt, his voice dropping into a cold, lethal tone as he said, "All throughout this last year... I’ve only been driven by one thing. That is the urge to crush you, and crush you thoroughly."
He chuckled softly under his breath, a low, terrifying sound that echoed through the scorched, smoke-filled reception hall.
He shook his head slowly, looking at the wounded patriarch as he added, "If you die without even using your full strength, then that wouldn’t be a thorough crushing, would it?"
Teon’s face turned unimaginably ugly, twisted in a grotesque mixture of humiliation, rage, and agony.
He completely forgot about the sharp pain radiating from his bruised flank, shifting his remaining hand to clutch tightly at his spurting shoulder socket in a desperate attempt to staunch the heavy bleeding.
His vision blurred with pure rage as he stared at the young man standing before him, his throat raspy as he muttered through grit teeth, "You... you bastard..."
The words spilled out of his mouth alongside cold sweat and blood, laden with all the hatred and disbelief he could muster.
Leon scoffed loudly at the feeble insult, his face expressionless and unbothered as he held his ground amidst the burning ruins of the headquarters.
He raised his head slightly, his sharp eyes flashing with disdain as he said, "I’d rather be a bastard than a son to you."
Without a single second of hesitation, he pointed his golden blade directly at Teon’s exposed neck, the edge of Excalibur crackling with divine, golden sparks that illuminated the patriarch’s terrified face.
His voice sliced through the heavy air with absolute, unyielding authority as he demanded, "Now summon Asura, or die!"
"Leon!!!" A loud, furious shout suddenly came from behind him, echoing wildly through the destroyed main entrance of the building.
The scream was laced with raw desperation and rage, cutting straight through the sound of crackling fires and crumbling stone walls.
Leon’s gaze snapped instantly to where the voice came from.
Through the thick, billowing clouds of dark gray smoke, he found Yeon charging directly at him with fury written across his face.