Chapter 183: A Sacrifice for Advancement
“We won! We won!!”
Thunderous cheers erupted from Leon's subordinates both inside and outside the fortress.
Faced with an enemy force that had loomed over them like dark storm clouds pressing down upon the city, they had managed to repel the attackers and even kill the enemy's supreme leader while suffering only their current level of losses.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
Leon, however, did not join the celebration.
On one hand, the weakness brought on by blood loss had yet to subside.
On the other, although killing the Earl was certainly a feat worthy of celebration, there were still countless problems waiting to be dealt with afterward. He needed to suppress his excitement and think through them calmly.
Moreover...
There was one matter that greatly concerned him.
As he watched the Earl breathe his last, he somehow felt an indescribable sensation throughout his body.
The powers of his two Blessings had continued surging ever since he had used them, refusing to settle completely.
The reaction was especially pronounced with the Supreme God's Blessing.
The feeling resembled the sensation he had experienced when a Witch's Blessing advanced in rank.
However, Leon still couldn't be completely certain that this truly was a sign of advancement.
Weiss had once told him that the key to advancing the Supreme God's Blessing likely lay in changing the future course of the world.
At present, no one could determine just how great an impact killing the Earl—a central figure among the eastern nobility—would have on history.
“Leon...”
As Leon walked back into the fortress, Weiss stepped forward, intending to support him.
The others couldn't clearly tell how poor Leon's condition really was.
But through the Exhaust Blood Blessing, Weiss could sense it.
After pushing Time Acceleration to its limit, releasing such an enormous amount of blood, and then wielding that massive greatsword throughout the battle...
Leon was actually far weaker than he appeared.
However, before she had taken more than two steps, Rena hurried through the crowd and threw herself into Leon's embrace.
Earlier, when she had watched Leon charge alone into the sea of enemies, her heart had nearly stopped.
Now that he had returned safely...
She instinctively wanted to feel with her own hands that he was truly still alive.
“...”
Weiss immediately stopped walking and silently watched the scene before her.
For some inexplicable reason...
It felt as though someone had suddenly gripped her heart.
Leon wrapped his arms around Rena in return, gently patted her back, buried his face in her hair as he took a deep breath, then softly rubbed her head to comfort her before finally letting go.
“Hurry and treat the wounded. Bring our brothers' bodies inside and lay them to rest. Move all of the enemy corpses into the Labyrinth for processing... except for the Earl's body. Do not damage it. I'll handle it personally later.”
“Simon, take your squad to the mountain road. Monitor the remaining enemy forces and make sure they all leave Arend Island. Report to me immediately if anything happens.”
Leon rapidly issued a series of orders.
“Leon, shouldn't you get some rest first?”
Rena looked at him worriedly.
“Before that, there are still a few things I need to take care of.”
Leon paused briefly before continuing.
“You'll probably need to excuse yourself for a while. Can I leave returning those Magical Beasts outside to the Labyrinth to you?”
Rena immediately understood.
“You're going to... deal with Ophelia...”
Leon nodded.
“You're planning to execute the Earl's daughter and Bishop Beckett?”
Hearing their conversation, Weiss spoke up.
Leon turned toward her and nodded again.
Now that the Earl was dead, there was no longer any reason for either Ophelia or Bishop Beckett to remain alive.
He had already obtained nearly all the intelligence he needed from them.
Before abducting Ophelia, Leon had considered forcing her to betray the Earl, allowing her to share the infamy of murdering her own father. If successful, perhaps she could have helped him stabilize the Underworld after the Earl's death.
However...
Ophelia was, after all, the Earl's daughter.
Like her father, she had never truly regarded Leon as an equal.
After she refused him, she lost any further value to Leon once the Earl died.
The infamy of betraying and murdering the Earl would soon spread everywhere.
There was no longer any benefit in supporting Ophelia.
On the contrary, it would only give her the opportunity to unite the Earl's remaining cadres under the banner of revenge.
After all...
The murder of one's father was an irreconcilable hatred.
Given that Ophelia possessed a personality so similar to the Earl's, as long as she remained alive, she would almost certainly seek revenge.
Leaving her alive would only create future trouble.
The same applied to Bishop Beckett.
His abilities were undeniably formidable.
But Leon had already witnessed his absolute loyalty to the Earl.
Given the Earl's personality, for Beckett to be regarded as his most trusted confidant, their relationship had to extend far beyond simple mutual interests.
He possessed both the motive and the capability to avenge the Earl.
Even if Beckett voluntarily offered to swear loyalty to Leon instead...
Leon would never trust him.
Now that the Underworld Emperor had fallen, the entire Underworld would inevitably descend into chaos.
As the man branded with the infamy of murdering the Earl...
Leon himself would very likely become the target of everyone.
Having become entangled in such hatred...
There was no longer any possibility of turning back.
From now on, he could only continue walking this road to the very end—
Growing stronger.
Eliminating his enemies.
Securing his footing.
Only then would he have any chance of surviving amidst the endless feuds of the Underworld.
Leon did not regret his decision in the slightest.
It had been a choice he made with his own hands.
On the contrary...
He even felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
Freed from the Earl's control, he could finally begin looking toward the future of his own enterprise.
Before that...
He needed to eliminate every remaining source of trouble.
“Then... could you perhaps...”
After hearing Leon's decision, Weiss hesitated before lowering her voice.
“Leave him to me.”
“To you?”
Leon instinctively asked why.
“As I've told you before, the key to advancing Moilai's Blessing lies not only in absorbing Mana from the Labyrinth over many years.”
“There is another requirement.”
“A sacrifice to Moilai.”
“In other words... killing a Transcendent blessed by one of the Four Gods within the area covered by the Labyrinth's Mana.”
“You've already killed the Earl.”
“So... could you allow me to deal with Bishop Beckett?”
“So my Moilai Blessing is already capable of advancing to the Third Tier?”
Leon sought confirmation.
Previously, he and Rena had killed Caron, a First-Tier Transcendent blessed by the War God.
Afterward, both of them had advanced within the Arend Island Labyrinth.
Following Weiss's earlier theory...
Now that he had killed the Earl, a Second-Tier Transcendent, he should likewise have met the requirements for another advancement.
“In theory, you've already broken through that limit.”
“But to complete the advancement, you'll still need to absorb the active Mana within the Labyrinth.”
“That takes time.”
Weiss nodded.
Leon turned to exchange a glance with Rena.
Back then, after killing Caron, they had only advanced after entering the Labyrinth on Arend Island.
Perhaps that was because it was an Active Labyrinth, containing abundant Mana necessary for advancement.
The ritual they had performed within the hidden chamber had likely served to dramatically accelerate the speed at which they absorbed Mana.
“So...”
“You want to use Bishop Beckett as the sacrifice to complete your advancement?”
Leon asked.
“This is for researching Moilai's power.”
“And the strength I obtain will still be at your disposal.”
“With the power of a Third-Tier Witch, I'll be able to refine Mana to even higher purity.”
“And perhaps... my other research will also discover entirely new breakthroughs.”
Weiss looked directly into Leon's eyes.
Leon returned her gaze.
Back when she had belonged to the Rose School, Weiss had willingly accepted permanent disability just to become a Witch and study Moilai's Blessing.
Faced with an opportunity to push her Blessing even further—to move one step closer to the source of Moilai's power—
It was only natural that she would make such a request.
Furthermore...
According to the agreement between them, now that Weiss knew Fenrir's true identity, even though the Earl—the mastermind behind everything—was dead...
Leon still had no intention of allowing her to return to the Church for the time being.
From now on, she would work under Leon.
He wasn't certain how much trust or security Weiss truly felt in this new relationship.
But...
The power she personally possessed would always be the most reliable.
In making this request, Weiss was also considering her own future position.
Of course...
As long as Weiss honored their agreement, an increase in her Blessing's strength would undoubtedly benefit Leon as well.
Just as Leon was still considering the matter...
Rena looked back and forth between the two of them.
She seemed to realize something.
After hesitating for a while...
She finally made up her mind.
“Then... let me do it instead.”
Those words stunned not only Weiss...
But Leon as well.
Until now, aside from having Rena control Magical Beasts to kill Hannah Weisland...
Leon had rarely allowed her to kill anyone directly.
Even feeding human corpses to the Magical Beasts had never been left to Rena.
He had handled it personally in the past.
Now it had all been delegated to his subordinates.
This time, Rena had also controlled Magical Beasts to kill.
However, amidst the chaos of battle, she had not exercised precise control.
She had merely used her flute to awaken the Magical Beasts' hostility toward the enemy.
It was no different from indiscriminately firing into the enemy formation during a chaotic battle.
That was completely different from personally executing a specific individual.
“Leon...”
“We can't turn back anymore, can we?”
Rena looked straight at him.
“If that's the case...”
“Then I'll need power too.”
After killing the Earl...
It was obvious that the road ahead would be filled with endless conflict.
If so...
The one who needed power would not be Leon alone.
Having traveled beside Leon this far, Rena understood better than anyone how vital the power of Blessings truly was—
Whether for supporting others...
Or protecting herself.
After all...
Without the Succubus's abilities helping Leon obtain absolutely reliable intelligence through interrogation...
They never would have found the key to defeating the Earl.
She needed power.
And for that...
She could now accept killing someone.
She was no longer the same Rena she had once been.
Moreover...
When Weiss had made her request...
Rena had suddenly sensed a crisis.
If only Weiss's Blessing advanced to the Third Tier while she remained at the Second Tier...
Although she still didn't know what effect that might have in the future...
She had a feeling it might place her at a disadvantage in certain matters.
“In that case...”
“Why don't we do it together?”
This time, Weiss took the initiative to suggest it.
“Moilai's Blessing offers a great deal of flexibility.”
“There are precedents where a single sacrifice allowed multiple people to advance.”
After Rena spoke up...
Weiss realized she needed to retreat in order to advance.
Compared to herself...
Leon placed absolute trust in Rena.
If Leon were forced to choose only one person...
He would certainly choose Rena.
Leon also knew that using a single sacrifice to advance two people was indeed possible.
He and Rena themselves were proof.
When he killed Caron...
Rena had also controlled the Head-Hunting Rabbits to attack him.
“Rena.”
“What do you think?”
Leon decided to seek Rena's opinion.
“I understand.”
“Miss Weiss's strength will also be indispensable to us in the future.”
After thinking for only a moment, Rena arrived at a rational conclusion.
“To be honest...”
“If I had to do it by myself, I wouldn't be very confident either.”
“So...”
“Let's do it together.”