(XXVI) Ambushed

"Franc!" Leon shouted, spinning around to see the wicked smirk on his brother's face as hundreds of spirit arrows floated above him.

"I always knew there was something wrong with you!" He yelled, licking his lips, his eyes wide with his excitement plastered on his face, "I'm going to enjoy killing you, my little demon brother!"

"You would abandon the commoners you were charged to protect?" Leon asked, glaring at his older brother, "You're nothing, you little shit!"

"Such a foul mouth!" He spat, throwing his arms forward as the spirit arrows launched forward while he laughed, "Let me close it for you, permanently!"

Leon stepped forward as a daemonic paladin landed before him, and a volley of arrows crashed into its back. The monstrosity roared in pain, flailing its grotesque arms as it spun around and screamed.

"Tch!" Franc clicked his tongue, summoning another round of arrows as the monster dashed toward him. 

Leon took advantage of the interruption as he ran away, heading toward a group of commoners as they fled another daemonic paladin that was slaughtering them like cattle. 

Before he could reach the group and engage the enemy, he was forced to stop as another volley of spirit arrows cut him off, causing him to spin around and face his brother again.

"Running away?" Franc asked, covering his face with his hand as he grinned deviously and laughed, "No, my naive little brother, I don't think so!"

"Daveed, James, Maria, Mikaru!" He called through the guild communications, "Protect the commoners! Bella! Come to me!"

"Yes, Milord!" The four called out as they moved in unison to stop the brutal murder of the defenseless civilians as the Shadow Carbuncle jumped from Maria's arms. 

Leon began swinging his two swords in unison with the spirit spear, axe, and mace as he deflected the onslaught of arrows launched by his older brother. 

Bella dashed through the battlefield, weaving through people's legs as she rushed toward her master, who deflected the arrows. She circled around the area, making her way toward Franc, jumping into the air behind him and activating [Darkest Night].

Her body coiled into a small ball as an explosion of smoke erupted from her body, rapidly expanding around Franc as he looked around confused. 

He began firing spirit arrows in all directions, unable to focus his attacks effectively. The Shadow Carbuncle jumped around, avoiding the attacks before leaping forward and activating her only other ability, [Shadow Rake].

Her claws were wrapped in a dark energy and expanded as she leaped forward, dragging her nails across his face, maiming the left side of his face as he fell to the ground, wailing in pain as he clutched his head.

Bella rapidly returned to Leon and jumped onto his shoulder as he turned his back on his older brother, rushing toward the daemonic paladins and his allies. 

His allies struggled as they fought in unison, fighting a single paladin at a time, pushing themselves to end each fight as quickly as possible as the remaining knights rapidly cut down swaths of civilians. 

On the other side of the battlefield, George was engaged with the daemonic pope in a one-on-one battle while Alec defended the nobles without incident. His powers as a Sword Saint were the perfect counter to the daemonic energies that mutated the paladins. 

Leon launched his spirit weapons toward a paladin, deflecting a powerful attack against a civilian. He manipulated the weapons, attacking the grotesque beast and inspecting it while closing the gap.

[Daemonic Paladin]

[Level: 20]

[Rank: B]

[Learnable Ability: Daemonic Spikes]

Leon ran towards the paladin, his eyes narrowed with determination, and a confident grin spread across his face. He quickly twirled both swords, crossing his arms over his chest and pulling the swords behind him.

With a swift leap, he flipped and unleashed a devastating double-overhead slash on the monster. The daemonic paladin was a formidable adversary, but the young man could not back down.

It raised its arm to defend against the attack, but Leon's spirit spear lunged forward and stabbed it in the thigh. The mace smashed against its shin, forcing it to its knee, and the axe cracked the paladin's armored spine. Leon's attacks were precise and powerful, and he knew he had to keep up the momman's.

He backflipped away while conjuring two spirit swords above him before throwing them at the monster, pinning it against the ground by stabbing its other leg and arm.

The paladin was relentless, and it wasn't long before it raised its free arm. Large claws grew from its fingers as it slammed its hand against the ground. Pitch-black spikes with glowing red tips burst from the ground before the daemonic paladin raced toward Leon.

The young man's eyes widened in shock as he dashed forward, narrowly avoiding the spike as it appeared behind him. He repeatedly slashed the spikes in front of him as he charged toward the beast.

Leon's tactics paid off when a notification appeared in the corner of his vision. He had learned the [Daemonic Spikes] Beast Spell.

He jumped into the air with newfound confidence, kicking off a spike and soaring higher into the sky. He raised both swords over his shoulders, and purple energy flew off his blades.

Using the Shadow Carbuncle's position to aim, he vanished into the smokescreen created by Bella's [Blackest Night], covering the daemonic paladin with a thick cloud of smoke.

The young man rapidly descended, spinning his body horizontally and gaining momentum. He disappeared into the smokescreen and unleashed a powerful attack, which dispersed the smoke and created a shockwave.

He appeared kneeling behind the daemonic paladin, his swords outstretched to his sides, and Bella landing on his shoulder. The monster's head began to separate, falling to the ground, and a notification appeared before Leon, signaling his victory in the battle.

[Daemonic Paladin defeated!]

[Due to the large gap between the player and the monster, bonus experience gained!]

[Level up!]

He turned, withdrawing his spirit weapons from the body as it fell to the ground. The body vanished in an explosion of particles before he saw his next target. He smirked and dashed forward, "Come on, Bella! Let's go level up!"

"Yes, master!"