Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Léonard's eyes shot open, and he took a deep, shuddering breath as if he'd just come back to life. Around him stretched an infinite expanse of pure white, an empty, boundless void without horizon or edge. No sound. No shadows.

He sat up slowly, staring at his hands. The wounds that had torn him apart moments ago were gone. His body was whole, unscathed. Even his clothes were pristine. Yet the phantom pain lingered, etched into his memory.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from all around him, smooth and mocking, reverberating through the endless void:

"Finally awake, Sleeping Beauty ?"

Startled, Léonard looked around, his voice sharp with confusion:

"Who ? Who just spoke ?"

The voice replied calmly, almost amused:

"Behind you."

Léonard spun around abruptly and froze. A few meters away, he was sitting on a simple chair, hands casually tucked into his pockets, watching him with a knowing smile.

This other Léonard looked exactly like him, every detail perfectly mirrored, except for one thing: his eyes.

They were vast, unfathomable, and shimmering with countless stars, as though the entire cosmos rested within them.

Léonard asked, "Who are you ?"

The second Léonard replied calmly, "I am You, and You are Me."

Léonard's face tensed as confusion washed over him. "W-What ? You mean… you're my subconscious ?"

The second Léonard's smile faded as his expression turned uncharacteristically serious. He remained silent for a long, unnerving moment, his starlit eyes locked onto Léonard's.

Léonard's own face fell into a look of intense concentration, every fiber of his being focused on the unsettling figure before him as he waited for the answer.

Suddenly, the second Léonard burst into laughter, doubling over in his chair, tears streaming from his starlit eyes. "Hahaha! The look on your face, absolutely priceless! Majestic, even."

Léonard stared at the other version of himself, completely confused and tense, his fists slowly clenching.

The second Léonard straightened up, wiping his eyes with an exaggerated sigh. "Idiot. I've got nothing to do with your subconscious. I'm your Null-Class demon. Did you forget already ?"

Léonard froze, his breath hitching as the words sank in. "Null-Class… demon ?"

Léonard's eyes widened as the memory came rushing back. After the events of the demon invasion, he had indeed acquired the Demon Mode of a Null-Class.

His breathing grew unsteady, realization dawning upon him. The pieces clicked together, and he whispered, almost to himself, "So… you're the manifestation of that power."

The second Léonard grinned, leaning back casually in his chair. "Bingo. Took you long enough to remember, genius. I've been sitting here, waiting for you to wake up."

Léonard's fists tightened, his expression hardening. "If you're my Null-Class demon… what do you want from me ?"

The second Léonard stood up, his movements eerily fluid, as if gravity itself didn't hold him. He smirked, his star-filled eyes glinting with mischief and power. "What I want ? Oh, it's simple, Léonard."

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a chilling murmur. "I want you to use me."

Léonard asked, "Why ?"

The second one sighed. "Because you're two steps away from dying thanks to that lackey of that damn clown from Alagadda."

Léonard said, "Huh ?"

The second replied, "Forget it. Look, I want to take control of your body, but I need your permission. Damn it, I've never been this weak in my entire existence."

Léonard asked, "But why would you want to help me ?"

The second replied, "I don't want to help you. I want to survive. You and I are bound. If you die, I die."

Léonard thought for several seconds before sighing. "I'll let you take control of my body temporarily."

The second jumped off the chair and stretched. "Perfect. I'll deal with that crybaby who's been whining ever since you saw its ugly face."

Léonard hesitated. "Wait, what are you going to do ?"

The demon turned to him with a wide grin. "Me ? I will hit him until he becomes autistic."

---

SCP-096 continued pounding against the magical shield, the cracks spreading wider and deeper with each blow. The force of its strikes echoed like thunder through the warped, desolate landscape. Inside the shield, Léonard stirred, his body trembling from the immense strain of his injuries. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, and their whites began to darken, shifting to an endless black scattered with shimmering stars, as if the cosmos itself had claimed his gaze.

Star-like tattoos started to etch themselves across his body, glowing faintly, their patterns intricate and alive with celestial energy. His wounds, which had been oozing blood moments before, now began to seal themselves, the pain receding as strength coursed through him. Léonard rose to his feet, his movements deliberate and powerful, radiating an aura of raw, otherworldly energy.

SCP-096 hesitated for a fraction of a second, its movements pausing as if sensing the shift. But before it could react further, Léonard's fist clenched, his muscles surging with newfound power.

In an instant, Léonard struck, a thunderous punch that shattered the Song Wall, obliterated his crumbling shield, and surged forward like a comet. The blow connected directly with SCP-096's head, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. SCP-096's skull cracked audibly as it was launched backward, tumbling through the desert sand like a ragdoll, carving a massive trench in the ground before finally coming to a stop.

Léonard stood tall, cosmic energy pulsing through him, his star-filled eyes fixed on SCP-096 as the creature began to twitch and rise again, its relentless nature refusing defeat. "Let's see how far you'll go, Shy Guy," Léonard muttered.

SCP-096 let out a blood-curdling scream, a sound so piercing it made the very air tremble. It lunged at Léonard with unrelenting fury, its claws tearing through the desert sands as it closed the gap between them in a blink. Léonard didn't flinch. Instead, he surged forward, his star-lit tattoos glowing brighter, fists clenched, ready to meet the unstoppable force head-on.

The collision was cataclysmic. Léonard's punch crashed into SCP-096's chest like a meteor, the impact creating a shockwave that split the ground beneath them. SCP-096 staggered but retaliated instantly, its elongated arm swinging like a whip. Léonard ducked just in time, the strike narrowly missing his head but creating a deep fissure in the earth behind him.

With fluid precision, Léonard delivered a flurry of punches to SCP-096's torso, each strike glowing with celestial energy, each one accompanied by a thunderous crack. SCP-096 reeled but quickly adapted, its claws slashing at Léonard's defenses. One claw raked across his side, tearing through his shirt and drawing blood, but Léonard barely reacted, his focus unbroken.

SCP-096 lunged again, its jaw distending unnaturally as it attempted to bite him. Léonard sidestepped and drove his knee into its stomach, sending it skidding backward. "You don't quit, do you?" he muttered under his breath, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

SCP-096 recovered instantly, roaring louder than before. It charged, its speed blurring its form. Léonard braced himself and caught SCP-096's claws mid-swing, the sheer force pushing him back several meters, his feet carving trenches into the sand. Using the momentum, he spun SCP-096 around and hurled it into a nearby boulder, which exploded on impact.

Before SCP-096 could rise, Léonard was already upon it, landing a downward punch directly on its face. The ground beneath them cratered from the force, but SCP-096 retaliated with a wild backhand, catching Léonard across the chest and sending him flying. He slammed into the side of a jagged rock formation, coughing as the impact knocked the air from his lungs.

Léonard rose again, his celestial tattoos glowing brighter, as though feeding off the intensity of the battle. SCP-096 charged once more, and the two clashed in a brutal exchange of blows. Their strikes shook the air, each punch landing with a force that could crush mountains. SCP-096's claws tore at Léonard, leaving deep gashes, while Léonard's fists glowed with raw energy, smashing into the creature's body with enough power to fracture the ground beneath them.

The battle became a whirlwind of chaos, neither side relenting. SCP-096's monstrous resilience clashed with Léonard's unyielding determination, their forms a blur of motion as they exchanged devastating attacks. SCP-096 managed to grab Léonard by the arm and fling him across the battlefield. Léonard tumbled through the air but landed in a crouch, the impact creating a crater.

Breathing heavily, Léonard wiped blood from his mouth and glared at SCP-096, which was already charging at him again, its face contorted in unending rage. He tightened his fists, the cosmic energy surging around him in a brilliant glow. "Still standing, huh?" he said, his voice grim.

The two collided once more, fists and claws meeting in a dazzling explosion of energy and fury, the battlefield around them a wasteland of destruction. Despite the power surging through Léonard, SCP-096 remained unyielding, its singular purpose driving it forward. As the fight raged on, it became clear, this wasn't a battle to be won, but a battle to survive.

SCP-096's relentless form lunged at Léonard again, its scream splitting the air like a jagged blade. Léonard's tattoos pulsed with energy, but this time, something new began to awaken within him. As SCP-096's claws swung toward his chest, Léonard raised his arm, and a torrent of fiery energy erupted from his tattoos, wreathing his entire body in flames that shimmered with the brilliance of a dying star.

The claws stopped just short, as SCP-096 recoiled instinctively from the searing heat. Léonard smirked, his body blazing like a beacon in the endless desert. "Let's turn up the heat," he growled, before charging at SCP-096 with blinding speed.

The flames enhanced his every movement. His punches struck with volcanic force, each blow accompanied by a fiery explosion. When his fist connected with SCP-096's torso, a burst of fire engulfed the creature, sending it hurtling backward and skidding across the battlefield. SCP-096 shrieked in rage but charged back immediately, unrelenting.

SCP-096 lunged, its claws extended, but Léonard countered by slamming his flaming fists into the ground. A wall of fire erupted between them, forcing SCP-096 to leap through it. As it emerged, Léonard was already waiting, his body a blur of fiery motion. He ducked under SCP-096's wild swing and delivered a spinning kick, his leg cloaked in roaring flames, directly into its side. The impact sent SCP-096 crashing into a crumbling rock formation, which disintegrated under the force.

But SCP-096 was undeterred. It tore through the wreckage, its pale skin now scorched but unyielding. It barreled toward Léonard, slashing wildly. Léonard blocked with a fiery forearm, but the sheer force of the attack pushed him back. SCP-096's claws tore into his shoulder, leaving deep, smoldering gashes. Léonard gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as the flames around him roared higher in defiance.

"Not bad," Léonard muttered, wiping blood from his lip. He clenched his fists, and the flames began to spiral around his arms, condensing into orbs of molten energy. With a roar, he hurled one of the fireballs at SCP-096. The explosion was deafening, engulfing SCP-096 in a massive inferno. The ground trembled, and a shockwave rippled outward, carving deep trenches into the sand.

Before the smoke cleared, SCP-096 burst forth from the flames, its rage undiminished. It collided with Léonard, driving him backward with an unrelenting assault of claws and strikes. Léonard countered with fiery punches and kicks, each strike meeting SCP-096's with bone-shattering force. The desert around them began to burn, the sand melting into molten glass where the flames licked at the ground.

SCP-096 managed to seize Léonard by the waist and hurled him into the air. Léonard spun mid-flight, his body wreathed in flames, and extended his hand. A massive lance of fire erupted from his palm, streaking down toward SCP-096. The creature leapt to the side, avoiding the worst of the impact, but the explosion sent shards of molten glass flying in every direction.

Léonard landed in a crouch, his feet creating twin craters in the scorched ground. He stood slowly, flames flickering off his body as he stared down SCP-096. The creature charged again, its claws slicing through the air, but this time Léonard met it head-on. Their blows collided with the force of tectonic plates shifting, each strike sending shockwaves through the battlefield.

SCP-096's claws raked across Léonard's chest, drawing fresh blood, but Léonard retaliated with an uppercut wreathed in flames that sent SCP-096 reeling. He didn't relent, following up with a barrage of fiery punches that struck like meteors. SCP-096 roared in fury, its movements becoming even more frenzied as it struck back with reckless abandon.

The desert was now a battlefield of fire and destruction. Pillars of flame rose into the sky, the ground littered with molten craters and shattered rock. Léonard, his body burning brighter than ever, faced down SCP-096, whose rage only seemed to grow stronger with each blow.

As they clashed again, the intensity of their battle reached a fever pitch. The flames surrounding Léonard spiraled into a vortex of searing heat, and for a moment, it seemed as if the entire world had been engulfed in fire. But SCP-096 emerged from the inferno, unyielding, its claws poised to strike.

Léonard wiped the blood from his lip as SCP-096's roar shook the desert once again. His tattoos pulsed wildly, his body radiating both heat and raw power. The ground beneath his feet cracked with each step as he stared down his relentless foe, determination etched across his face.

SCP-096, its pale skin now charred and cracked in places, charged forward with the same feral intensity as before. Its claws swiped toward Léonard, but this time he was faster. Flames erupted beneath his feet, propelling him forward like a comet. With a deafening roar, Léonard collided with SCP-096 mid-air, delivering a fiery punch to its torso that sent it hurtling across the battlefield.

SCP-096 landed hard, carving a trench through the molten sand, but it immediately rose, its body unbroken. Léonard gritted his teeth. "Time to end this," he growled, his voice echoing with a supernatural resonance.

Raising his arms, Léonard summoned every ounce of power coursing through his body. The stars within his eyes glowed brighter, and the tattoos on his skin ignited in a blinding light. He slammed his fists into the ground, and the earth beneath him split open. From the rift emerged two enormous hammers, each one forged from molten rock and starlight, crackling with power. The sheer weight of their presence caused the air to tremble.

SCP-096 howled and charged at Léonard once more, its speed as terrifying as ever. But Léonard swung the first hammer, its massive head colliding with SCP-096 and sending it careening into the sky like a ragdoll. Before the creature could recover, Léonard launched himself into the air, gripping both hammers tightly.

As SCP-096 flailed, Léonard brought the hammers together with unimaginable force. The two titanic weapons slammed into SCP-096 from opposite sides, trapping it between them in a fiery explosion that lit up the desert. The impact was cataclysmic; the ground split further, molten sand spewing upward in geysers, and a shockwave radiated outward, leveling everything in its path.

When the dust settled, SCP-096 lay motionless on the ground. Its once-tough flesh had been completely obliterated, leaving behind a charred, skeletal frame. The creature's hollow eye sockets stared upward at Léonard, who hovered above, flames licking at his body.

For a moment, there was silence. Léonard watched cautiously, gripping the hammers, ready for another attack. But then, something unexpected happened. The charred remains of SCP-096 began to twitch. Slowly, impossibly, its flesh began to regenerate, knitting itself back together. Muscle wrapped around bone, sinew reformed, and pale skin stretched across its frame once more.

Léonard landed on the ground, his hammers dissipating into starlight as he prepared to face SCP-096 again. But the creature didn't attack. Instead, it sat down slowly in the molten sand, its head bowed. Its hands clutched its knees as it curled into a fetal position.

A low, mournful cry escaped its lips, unlike the enraged screams from before. The sound carried a strange, haunting sadness, as if the fight had drained something deeper from SCP-096.

Léonard lowered his fists, his flames dimming. He watched in disbelief as the once-unrelenting creature rocked back and forth, sobbing uncontrollably. Its enormous frame seemed smaller now, fragile even.

"What…?" Léonard muttered, his voice hoarse. He took a cautious step forward, but SCP-096 didn't react. It remained there, weeping into the endless night, broken not by strength, but by something far beyond comprehension.

For the first time, Léonard felt no rage, no fear, only an overwhelming silence.

Léonard noticed blood trickling from his eyes and mouth. He wiped it away with a trembling hand, muttering, "Damn, looks like I went a bit too hard with his body."

He took a shaky breath and raised his right hand, his voice laced with an ominous undertone. "Isn't it ironic? Me, the Firstborn of Father Chaos and Mother Void, now trapped in the body of one of these inferior beings I used to kill and control for fun. With most of my power sealed away."

He sighed deeply, looking into the sky. "Progress quickly, Léonard. It would be amusing to see you reach His level. You, His predecessor… I'll lend you my strength, but don't misunderstand me, I'm here to enjoy this unique… entertainment. Don't disappoint me, Léonard."

As the words left his lips, the flames engulfing his body faded into nothingness. The star-like tattoos etched across his skin slowly dimmed and disappeared. His knees buckled, and Léonard collapsed to the ground, unconscious, his body finally succumbing to the toll of the battle.