Chapter 46 | Hand Extended

The clamor of steel on steel and the distant cries of battle were muffled. Inside his helmet, all Leon could hear was the rush of his breath and the steady drum of his heartbeat. His left hand pressed against Mason's shoulder as they surged in formation to engage their first enemy.

Leon stole a glance over his shoulder. Nyra's vora fanned out behind them, off to the right, their formation tight and following them. His fingers curled tighter around the spear shaft until his knuckles ached beneath his gauntlet.

"Get ready!" Mason said, his voice tense with anticipation.

Leon flexed his left arm to brace for what was to come. He drew in a slow breath, held it, then let it ease out.

Inhale. Pause. Exhale. Each breath carved space into the chaos in his mind, thinning the noise, and slowing the moment.

The world blurred at the edges. Sounds faded to a low hum, and everything seemed to move in slow motion. His perception sharpened and focused.

A glow kindled around his iris, deep blue and brightening. The mana in the air stirred, thickening, and swirling closer. It shimmered faintly around him and his vora, drawn to their bodies like mist before a storm.

Leon channeled it.

Mana surged into the spear, and the embedded circuits flared to life. A pulse. Then another. The dull blade, ignited with blue light—brilliant and cold, a silent promise of his first true taste of violence.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

BAM!

The crash exploded like thunder. Mason's shield hammered into something solid. Leon barely caught the sound before Mason's muscles tensed under his hand, jerking to a sudden stop. Leon's shoulder slammed into Mason's back, the momentum snapping to a halt.

Bodies collided, boots skidded on dirt, and metal rang as they crashed into the side of the enemy vora attacking Vora One. The impact jarred through Leon's body, rattling his teeth despite the helmet's padding.

The response was fast. A spear, glowing with raw energy, shot between Mason's and Ravi's shields and struck Lena's left arm. Blue energy crackled across her armor on impact.

"I can't move my left arm!" she screamed, panic rising in her voice as her arm dangled at her side.

Without hesitation, Leon snatched the spear as it began to retract, gripping it tight in his hands.

"TALIA!"

From his left, Talia lunged forward, driving her spear straight into the enemy soldier gripping the other end. Leon felt the spear suddenly go slack as the enemy's grip faltered. With a grunt, Leon yanked hard and the spear slid free, the spear's mana circuits dimming in his grip.

"BREAK!" he shouted.

The shield bearers shoved forward, muscles straining and breaths ragged. Spears jabbed violently, swords sliced with brutal force. Talia, Varen, and Malco joined the fray. The enemy, outnumbered and desperate, staggered under the relentless assault. 

Leon grabbed Lena's shoulders, yanked her around, and pressed his helmet against hers.

"What's wrong with your arm?" he asked.

"I don't know," Lena snapped, fear and frustration thick in her voice. "It's the damn armor… like it's freezing up. I can't move it."

Leon's mind flashed to the recruits lying motionless on the ground during the battle's opening moments. No one had told them what happens when you get hit. They were just thrown into this exercise without a warning.

"Stay behind Ravi," Leon ordered.

Lena nodded, clutching her limp arm, and moved.

Leon turned back to the fight and headed for Mason. The formation had broken into chaos. Blades clashed, boots scraped, and shouting filled the air. But their training held. Stick to a shield bearer and never fight alone.

Mason fought just ahead, shield raised in one arm and a sword gripped in the other. He was locked in combat with a recruit armed with only a sword. Without a shield to slow him down, the enemy moved fast, slipping around Mason's wide swings and dancing along the edge of his guard. He darted in, aiming for Mason's exposed side.

Leon didn't hesitate.

He drove his spear into the recruit's back. The dull blade didn't pierce the armor, but the impact was enough. It shoved the enemy forward, crashing him into Mason. The recruit stiffened, then collapsed.

Mason grunted, shoved the body off, and caught his breath.

"Thanks," he said, they scanned the area ready for the next fight.

Jake Sinclair's POV

Jake walked at the front of his vora, headed straight for what was left of Group A. His breathing was slow and calm. Not a hint of tension in his muscles.

He didn't feel pressure. He felt bored.

Training was supposed to push him, but so far, it hadn't. He had grown up with weapons in his hands and drills before breakfast. He was born for this, trained at a young age to lead men into battle.

The saturation chamber. The tutors. The modifications. The mana methods.

He had every edge available.

Some of the other recruits kept up, sure, but that was expected. They were Fulgari after all. Anything less, and they didn't deserve the title.

He thought the combat exercise might finally give him a challenge. Just to make it fair, he grabbed a spear instead of a sword. He was better with blades, but that felt too easy.

At first, Group A's front line impressed him. They counter-charged, fast and aggressive. If he were in their shoes, he might've done the same.

But once his group broke their vanguard, the rest folded quick.

Jake's eyes drifted to the enemy's commander limping in the distance, one leg dragging. The probing vora he sent earlier must've hit harder than he thought.

Aside from one decent vora, the rest of them weren't as skilled.

He watched the last of his probing vora go down, a spear driving into the man's back. Jake rolled his neck and sighed.

Enough.

"Vora Two, back up Three on the left. One, with me. We're taking the flag. Five, hold back and wait for my signal." His voice were calm and confident.

No one hesitated and they moved without another word.

Jake started forward at a steady jog.

Two enemies stepped out to meet him; one big, shield raised, and the other close behind with a spear. They ran straight at him.

Jake didn't speed up.

He kept his pace, watching and counting his steps.

When the shield came close, Jake planted his right foot and slid his left forward. He shifted his grip on the spear—left hand up, just ahead of the right—then drove the tip into the shield with a heavy thrust.

The shield hummed with mana.

Jake didn't care.

The spear-wielder moved to flank him on the right.

Perfect. He thought.

Jake let the momentum of the clash carry him, pivoting hard on his left foot. He pivoted off the shield's resistance, using it to whip the spear around. Blunt end slammed into the spear-wielder's gut.

The recruit folded with a grunt, and flew a few feet back.

His vora passed them and continued on to their target. He glanced at the shield bearer who was now behind him after taking a few steps to stop his charge. The recruit with the shield took a step forward and Jake shifted his stance to point the spear towards him.

"Ma—kff!—Mason—!" the spear-holder gasped, hand pressed to his stomach, "go… hnnngh… help Damon!"

The recruit named Mason hesitated for a second before nodding and running after Jake's vora.

Jake lowered his spear, eyes settling on the recruit still struggling to stand.

That's the Nullari… Leon, right? His memory recalled the recruit he had bumped into a few times.

He frowned. 

He had hoped for a challenge. Instead, he was stuck finishing off the weakest in the entire dravora.

Jake strolled forward, bored again. 

Leon got to his feet, shaky, and leveled his spear at him with both hands.

As Jake advanced, Leon backed away with every step.

"Pfft." A scoff slipped out.

Elite track, and he's backing off? Pathetic. Father was right, he thought. These Lower Levels only think about saving themselves.

Jake spared a glance at his vora, who were mopping up the remaining enemies.

At that moment, Leon stopped backing up.

Oh? Jake arched a brow.

He raised his spear in one hand and closed the distance, casual and relaxed. When he got within striking range, he waited to let Leon swing first.

He didn't have to wait long.

Leon lunged, spear tip aiming high. Jake dipped his head down to the right and rolled his left shoulder forward; the blade slid on the back of his shoulder. He knocked Leon's spear aside with his left forearm and thrust his own upward in a clean counter.

But before it could land, Leon let go of his weapon and dropped flat on his butt.

Jake paused mid-motion, blinking.

Did he just—?

He stared down in disgust. No one let go of their weapon mid-fight. No one who had any self-respect.

He slashed down, but Leon rolled away, scrambling toward a recruit motionless on the ground. Still crouched, he grabbed a discarded shield.

Jake straightened and moved after him. He took a step, then Leon lunged.

Shit. 

Jake tried to backpedal, but his heel got caught on a recruit on the ground. He fell back, barely catching himself in a roll.

Leon didn't stop and was already charging again.

Jake sidestepped and struck out, catching Leon's left arm. The limb went limp but it didn't matter. Leon kept coming.

Jake couldn't retract his spear fast enough. The shield slammed into him, pinning his spear against his chest and driving him backward. Again, his foot hit the recruit on the ground and fell.

Only this time, Leon was falling with him.

Jake snarled as he wrapped his arm around Leon's back, wedged his leg between Leon's, and twisted his body. The move sent Leon crashing onto his back and Jake landing on top.

He rolled off, rose quickly, and stabbed into Leon's right leg.

Jake went in for another strike, but Leon rolled away again.

He chased, thrusting at Leon's. The spear struck his shield arm, forcing him to drop it, but Leon kept rolling, trying to put distance between them.

Jake narrowed his eyes.

Leon used his head to brace against the ground and pushed with his only working leg to get onto one knee.

The sight gave Jake pause.

He had never seen someone fight like this. So desperate. So broken and still moving. Still resisting.

There were no weapons or backup around Leon. Just raw defiance.

Jake stepped forward and kicked Leon back down, planting his boot on Leon's chest and raised his spear.

Leon struggled underneath Jake's leg.

Jake gripped his weapon with both hands, drove it downward—

BEEEEEEP!

He froze.

His spear hovered inches from Leon's visor.

Jake glanced up and saw his vora had taken out the enemy commander.

He lowered his weapon and stepped off Leon's chest. For a moment, he stared down at the beaten recruit, then extended a hand.

Leon hesitated… then took it.

Jake pulled him up.

He said nothing, just turned and walked away, removing his helmet.