I Guard The Book That Slays Gods

Silence stretched between them.

Raiden's eyes narrowed as he watched Leo's direction, adjusting his stance while Leo repositioned his gloves.

Levi positioned himself before them, cocky grin in place, as the others looked on from the mountains encircling the field.

Raiden breathed in slowly, pressing his palms to his head to drive away the drowsiness and steel himself for action.

His gaze swept frantically as his thoughts scattered. He had to find a way to survive this because once Leo unleashed his mana zone, the fight would be finished.

"I'll count to three, then you fight," Levi announced, wearing that familiar smirk.

The instant he spoke, Raiden's lips curved upward. "I just don't have to give him time," he whispered, eyes on Levi as he began funneling mana into his legs and fists.

"One!"

As soon as Levi called out, before he could even withdraw, Raiden exploded forward at Leo, his crushing footfalls launching sand into the air and choking the atmosphere with dust.

Leo's eyes dilated as he glimpsed Raiden's fist streaking toward his face, moving faster than he could counter.

Raiden smiled when his fist slammed into Leo's cheek, the impact wrenching Leo's head to the left. He understood the lethal potential of his strikes, yet he had to bring this to an end.

Before the strike's momentum could launch Leo away, Raiden caught him by the collar, dragging him forward as he hammered calculated hits into his chest, gut, and throat.

In that instant, Leo's eyes became hollow and dazed. He collapsed to his knees, blood trickling from his nostrils, coughed red, and toppled face-first into the earth.

Everyone reeled in bewilderment, especially Levi, who had been sent sprawling by the force of Raiden's charge. The assault happened in a blur—all they perceived were crushing winds and scattered blows before Leo collapsed, barely breathing, in under a minute.

[ALERT]

[MANA SOLIDIFICATION SUCCESSFUL]

[+5XP]

[CURRENT STATUS: NUMBER 6: LEVEL- 75 /100 XP.]

[STAMINA: +5

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: +5

DRAGON MANA POOL: 1100/5000

SOUL OF DRAGON: 65%

HEART OF DRAGON: 65%

MOON DRAGON'S VEIN: 55%]

Raiden exhaled and crouched over Leo to feel for a pulse, but the instant he did, stabbing pain ripped across his cheek, and he pressed his hand to it, grinding his teeth.

Before he realized it, blood coated his hand, and he glanced down to discover a slender cut running across his chest.

Raiden raised an eyebrow, startled. Leo hadn't made a single movement throughout the fight. How was this possible?

His hands held no weapons, no blades. Bewilderment weighed down his expression.

"What happened?" he said under his breath, rushing to study the wound before it closed up entirely.

"This is a rough cut. Can't be from a blade." His eyes suddenly widened as understanding hit. He seized Leo's left hand, studied his knuckles, and broke into heavy laughter.

In the midst of the barrage, Leo had managed a strike faster than Raiden could register despite his unnatural speed, powerful enough to rip through his skin.

Raiden couldn't suppress his reaction to that discovery. With ordinary strikes, Leo would have dominated the fight completely.

While he remained crouched, his laughter gradually fading, the others started hurrying in their direction.

Speed was the first to arrive. He knelt beside Raiden and began checking Leo's condition too.

"At least he's alive," Speed whispered, then glanced at Raiden to find his wound had already closed up.

"Are you hurt? What was so funny?" Speed questioned as Raiden got to his feet with that same smile.

"He was cleverer than I expected."

Levi moved in to examine Leo, MK following close behind. Meanwhile, Raiden's gaze roamed the surroundings as the dust finally settled, revealing everything clearly.

On the peak to his left, Noelle and Ash held hands while watching him with expressions he couldn't interpret. Across from them, Soul's crushing dark aura engulfed her and most of the mountainside in blackness.

Soul offered him a bright smile, raising her hand in greeting. Raiden gulped, startled by how dramatically her aura had expanded in such a short time. He forced a strained smile and waved back.

No matter how much his own power had increased, he couldn't afford to dismiss Soul. Her strange and formidable ability meant she would inevitably become important to him.

While Speed and Levi helped Leo back to the tent, Raiden walked toward Soul with his hands buried in his pockets.

The instant he arrived at the summit, her crushing aura surrounded him. He paused, unsure if his night vision would be effective in her dark energy.

"Get it together. This is Soul, for crying out loud…" he muttered, exhaling slowly.

He braced himself and entered the dark aura. A smile tugged at his lips as he discovered he could see everything clearly, the shadows having no effect on him. Mildly embarrassed by his doubt, he made his way over to Soul and positioned himself beside her.

"Interesting that my aura doesn't affect your vision," Soul observed, her soft golden eyes turning to his. "You should have simply asked me to join you below."

Raiden grinned and gave a casual shrug. "Don't sweat it. Darkness doesn't bother me."

Soul's mood shifted, her expression turning serious. She settled at the mountain's edge, folding her legs against her chest and embracing them.

"There's something I wanted to discuss with you, though I expected you'd want to recover first," she murmured.

Her demeanor worried Raiden; it had been so long since he'd seen her this withdrawn.

He sat down next to her and softly stroked her head. "Go ahead and tell me. I'm here."

Soul raised her eyes to meet his. "Okay," she murmured before looking down again.

"It's my mana zone," she said with a trembling voice. "I'm scared I'll be useless to you when it matters."

Raiden's expression shifted to worry. He looked over his shoulder at the turbulent shadows engulfing half the mountain. If her abilities had progressed this far, why would she doubt herself?

"What do you mean, Soul?"

She kept staring down as she inhaled slowly. "Whenever I use it, the range is massive." She motioned to the field stretching out before them. "Roughly double what you see there."

Raiden found himself confused by her concern. His mana zone barely reached a quarter of the field's size, but that wouldn't stop him from deploying it.

She raised her eyes to meet his, her dark hair cascading over her features. Raiden's hand moved to sweep the locks away from her face.

"With that kind of coverage, I can't keep my concentration." Her face fell even more. "The worst part is what it does to anyone who ends up inside."

Understanding flickered across Raiden's face, his gaze growing tender. "What does it do?"

"It pulls their souls away," she said, voice trembling with guilt. "The moment I figured out how to activate it, I accidentally took five lives."

Raiden noticed the moisture gathering in her eyes as she struggled to conceal her tears.

"I'm so afraid…" she lifted her eyes to meet his. "Afraid that I'll end up killing you and the others when I activate it."

"But I want to be useful too. I desperately want to help."

Raiden wasn't naturally gifted with emotional moments, but he knew how to handle this and turn it into something that would bring them closer.

He wrapped his arms around her in a tender hug, his hand moving softly through her hair while she rested her head on his chest.

"You being here is more than enough," Raiden murmured. "You might not notice, but you inspire every one of us to fight harder than we ever thought possible."

He drew away from the hug and met her tender golden gaze.

"We need you among us, and Speed especially needs his sister by his side."

Her eyes flickered with emotion. "But I want to contribute something real."

He kept his voice even, knowing the exact words she needed to hear. "You can help without using your mana zone, Soul."

His hands gently placed on her shoulders. "That aura of yours rivals any mana zone, plus you're a capable fighter on your own."

"You think so?"

Raiden beamed at her with a determined nod. "Plus, that mana zone of yours will be a game-changer."

"Stop worrying about it."

Soul studied his face briefly, then drew him into a warm hug.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"You don't need to thank me for anything, Soul."

She drew in a shaky breath. "I'm sorry about your eyes," she whispered, hesitating briefly. "But congratulations on the victory."

Raiden wrapped his arms around her while his thoughts shifted to the tactical advantages Soul's mana zone might provide them.

Before long, Soul pulled herself out of Raiden's arms, and her expression fell once more. "Can we talk a bit longer?"

Raiden turned his attention to her, wearing a confused expression. "Um…"

She nodded repeatedly, her expression turning somber. "I'm afraid Ash and Noelle would have a problem with my aura."

Raiden's expression softened with understanding, and he let out a sigh before smiling. "Sure, we'll figure out how you all can live together."

Soul flashed a big grin as Raiden began to pat her. Although it was a bother for him, he knew better than to be on her bad side.