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C273 - Enter

Leonel sucked in a cold breath.

If Monet had managed to get close to Modred, this was either a good thing or a bad thing. Something like betraying Leonel and siding with the demons was impossible. After all, doing so would put Monet's life on the line as well. Unless… unless her Zone detection treasure made a mistake.

Leonel had already learned the hard way that such treasures tended to be unreliable. Had it not been for his luck until now, he probably would have fallen in a Zone already simply due to lack of information.

If Modred's detection treasure informed her that the main quest was to save King Arthur, this could be a good thing. However, if for whatever reason it was off in its assessment, then Monet might become an enemy Leonel had to fight against.

'… This might be a problem…'

Leonel looked through the rest of the opposing armies.. He immediately found the remaining three who had entered with him.

'Big Buddha… Little Nana… Violet Rain…?'

Leonel was stunned. Could it be that adorable little girl was all alone now? What happened to the rest of the Adurna family? Did they all really die?

Leonel knew that there was an escape ticket to leave Zones. However, he couldn't imagine that a family would leave their little sister behind like this. There had to be another explanation.

On the other side, the fact that only Monet, BIg Buddha and Violet Rain stood on the side of the demons likely meant the others were dead, including Badger's partner, Mayfly.

Leonel didn't know how to feel about this. Though he had no love lost to the Slayer Legion, Mayfly had been among the two who came to save him. Though he didn't really need such help at that time, sometimes the thought was as important as the action.

The two armies faced each other, the tension towering into the air.

King Arthur sat upon his horse with a stoic expression. A strong dignity scrunched his brows.

The version of him now was completely unlike the enraged monarch he had been before. Rather, he had once more regained his bearing, facing off the enemies of humanity with a valiant momentum.

On the opposite side, Modred stood. Unlike King Arthur, her demeanor didn't hold any dignity. This wasn't to say that her momentum lost out, but rather than her method of showing her majesty was much different.

While King Arthur was incomparably serious, surrounded by six of his originally twelve Knights, she was completely indifferent. It was as though she didn't put Camelot in her eyes at all.

"DRAW!"

King Arthur's mighty roar was met by the sounds of unsheathing blades. Their movements were as one, causing the sharp, metallic resonance to fuse into one, piercing toward the rumbling, black clouds above.

At that moment, the pillar of light to Modred's back suddenly shuddered, splitting in two and slowly opening.

Modred's indifferent expression curled into a smile. It carried a hint of seduction and teasing. It was the kind of expression that a daughter should never give a father. But, those who were aware of the relationship between Modred and King Arthur were few and far between.

"There's no need to fight, now is there? We can simply enter together and leave the rest up to fate."

Modred's delicate voice should have made them sigh a breath of relief, but it instead made their rage bubble up.

No need to fight? They had known nothing but battle for nearly the whole of this last month. Now, they finally met the enemy that was the cause of all their frustrations but she actually said that there was no need to fight?!

It was as though they had met the enemy of a lifetime, but could do nothing but watch as they basked in their own success. The worst part was that they knew they had no choice but to play along with this enemy's wishes.

King Arthur's jaw set, but he didn't flare up. His cold, blue eyes flashed with a hint of killing intent.

Their army had been worn down during this travel. Entering the Gates in this condition would no doubt put them at a great disadvantage. Modred definitely knew this. There was no need for her to put her own people at risk. It was more important to enter.

Without another word, she turned, leading the Demons into the wide expanse. She didn't even protect her back. This not only showed her disregard for Camelot, but also how little she cared about the lives of the demons who served her.

While they had to worry about the emotions of humans and protecting their lives, Modred didn't have to care for any of this.

King Arthur calmed the rage in his heart. They had already sacrificed so much to get here. THey couldn't afford to sacrifice any more.

He swept a glance over the would-be battlefield, but he didn't find a hint of Leonel's shadow. This realization caused him to frown.

He waved a hand. "Gawain, stay back and guard the Gate. Only enter at the last moment and make sure you're the last to do so."

One of the knights by Leonel's side nodded. He was King Arthur's nephew, a Knight of the Round Table, Sir Gawain.

The relations between the knights were quite complex. Gawain was Lancelot's best friend, however Lancelot wasn't present. Due to the complexities of Arthur and Lancelot's relationship, Arthur had no choice but to walk a fine line. As such, his compromise was forcing Lancelot to remain back and defend while Gawain was allowed to come.

Unfortunately for Arthur, Leonel had no intention of being left out at the last moment. The moment Modred turned toward the Gate, he had already begun moving through the ground. In this situation, he couldn't afford to continue being cautious.

Maybe it was a bit expected, then, that Modred's steps would pause just when she was about to enter the Gates.

"Hm?"

Her delicate brows arched, seemingly sensing something.

Her gaze swept forward, landing on the precise piece of land Leonel was running beneath.

Leonel's eyes narrowed when he sensed he had been locked onto, but he didn't change his direction nor slow his pace. In fact, he kept running beneath the ground. He was too far beneath the ground to be easily dealt with. Only an Earth Magus could disrupt him greatly.

Modred's eyes twinkled as though she had found an interesting toy to play with. She could tell that Leonel had sensed her, yet he actually continued undaunted.

By now, Modred wasn't the only one who noticed the oddity.

Those of Camelot immediately knew who it was. They all knew Leonel was an Earth Mage, who else could it be but him?

Modred chuckled and didn't mind it anymore, stepping into the gate.

The moment she vanished, Leonel had already cut deep into the demon army, shuttling through beneath their feet with the greatest speed he could muster.

King Arthur's jaw clenched. He could have never imagined that Leonel would be so brazen. But if he thought about it, what had Leonel done to now that wasn't a slap to his face?

"Forward!"

He already knew it was too late to stop Leonel, but there would be plenty of chances to get rid of this potential trouble during the trials as long as they were anything like the last time he entered.

Toward such an attitude, Leonel could only shake his head. He really didn't want to save such a man, but he had no choice if he wanted to keep his own life.

Shaking his head, Leonel launched himself out of the ground, not minding that he appeared in the midst of several Demons. His speed was too fast. Now that he wasn't a member of Camelot anymore, what could restrict him from using his Light Elemental Force?

In the blink of an eye, a streak of blinding gold appeared beneath Leonel's feet and he entered the gate.

To be continued