The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 57

Frenzy of Derailment

[So damn charismatic…]

“Behind…!!”

Shouting like that, Leonardo popped open a potion and put it in his mouth. Then, he thrust his sword into the belly of the monstrous figure that had rushed at him from behind.

“I said watch your back!! There are monsters everywhere!!”

Saying that, Leo grabbed Aria and jumped down. Thanks to the potion, his mana was restored, making his movements even more agile and swift.

“Are you out of your mind?! Where did you even get that potion!?”

“And what about you!? Are you just going to stand there when you’re in that state, claiming you’ll fight?!”

$

As the spirits were moving Aria, they woke her from unconsciousness. They explained the situation to her and asked for her opinion.

This was because spirits sometimes considered the emotions and thoughts of highly sensitive humans more important than life itself.

[What do you want to do, Aria?]

“…I’ll go help Leo.”

[It will be dangerous.]

“Leo will be in danger too.”

[I see.]

With that, the spirits told Aria how she could help Leo.

She was to go to a potion shop near the city, gather some high-grade potions, and then run along the shortest route the spirits provided to assist him.

$

And now, back to the present.

“Leo was the one who lied! You get that, right?!”

“Yeah, I get it, but keep quiet!! We need to get out of here first!”

A childish argument.

Even in a life-or-death situation, the boy and girl were busy having a childish quarrel. If it weren’t for the corpses around them, it could have looked like a fresh, innocent lovers’ spat.

[Are you two still bickering even on the verge of death?]

At his current level, there was no way he could kill the Clay Shaper.

Physical attacks were meaningless due to its ability to reshape its body, and even if it suffered damage from magic or aura, it would just transform again to restore itself.

Moreover, the Clay Shaper’s unique magic wasn’t regeneration but restoration, making it efficient in mana usage. The area was full of corpses that could replenish any mana it might lack.

It could even alter its body’s constitution to counteract status effects like burns or poison.

<…The only ways to win are to cast a curse that destroys its mind or to obliterate its body in one instant.>

The opponent was a top-tier in black magic. Rather than attacking with mental-type magic, he had to worry about getting countered instead.

To blow away such a monster in one go would require at least a 6-star aura user at Gladio’s level or a grand mage with power equal to a Master of the Magic Tower. Without such firepower, it was impossible.

[…So, did you pick a fight with Aria because you thought you had a chance?]

In that despair, the Sage began his sermon.

[Don’t be deluded. Since when have you ever fought by the book?]

It was a scolding from the teacher who had watched the boy’s life from the sidelines.

[You’re the most peculiar student among all the ones I’ve trained.]

The method by which the boy had grown stronger and honed himself.

[Leo, you never take shortcuts when it comes to effort. You always push yourself to the brink of death, yet you never stop working hard.]

It was something he’d often heard from others.

But he didn’t trust their words. He had dismissed them, thinking that they hadn’t seen everything about him.

However, there was trust in that old man’s words.

The words of that Sage, who had taught him and been with him through every moment of his new life, could be trusted.

[But when it comes to using that power you’ve gained, you employ every trick in the book. You’ll do whatever it takes to find a shortcut to solve problems, enough to make even a demon shake its head in disbelief.]

That was the method by which Leonardo had used the power he’d gained—the way he fought.

[You’re the only weirdo who can manage to reconcile such contradictions. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. The weather’s nice, so take a moment to look at the sky and reflect.]

A smile crept across his face at what was hardly a compliment.

<…What do you mean, nice weather? The clouds are blocking even the sunlight…>

At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind.

The thick cumulonimbus clouds were obscuring the light of hope, like the sun.

“Miss.”

At some point, Leo and his group had taken refuge in a suitable building, but considering that superhuman monster, it wouldn’t be long before they were caught.

But now, it didn’t matter.

“I’ve thought of a way to win.”

“…Win?”

“Yes, as long as we both keep our promises.”

The core of this plan was trust.

“I’ll engage that black magician head-on. During that time, no matter what happens, Lady Aria, you must not participate in the battle.”

Aria’s expression twisted. Wasn’t this no different from what had happened before? Anticipating this reaction, Leo added something more.

“In return, I promise I won’t die either. As you mentioned earlier…”

Leonardo smiled as he spoke.

“Somehow, I think I’m meant to stay by your side for the rest of my life. So, I don’t think I can afford to die.”

Finally, the two made a promise.

The operation began.

$

Despite the sudden ambush, the Clay Shaper wore a rather relaxed expression. From the battles up until now, the Clay Shaper was certain.

‘They don’t have a means to kill me.’

The only way to kill it was with an attack on the scale of a natural disaster, one that would incinerate it completely in less than a second, leaving not even a single fragment behind.

Even if a grand mage like the Masters of the Magic Tower came, it was confident it wouldn’t die.

“Besides, these materials are top-tier.”

Especially that girl with the blood of a hero flowing through her veins—she could become a masterpiece. Perhaps she could even be used as a bargaining chip with the Reinhardt family.

“Top-tier, my ass. You want to die?”

The one who stopped that sadistic killer was a knight of that family.

“Ah, don’t be so disappointed. You’re top-tier as well…”

“Screw you.”

Boom!

A water pressure bomb shot forth. Even if it was just water, with enough pressure, it could have the destructive power of a bomb.

At the same time, the explosive force of the water wrapped around the Clay Shaper’s body again. The giant orb of water became a prison, trapping the Clay Shaper inside.

“Suffocating me… It’s a good idea. I’m sure Jehad was killed in a similar way.”

But the Clay Shaper spoke calmly, exhaling while still inside the water.

“But I can create gills, you know.”

In an instant, the Clay Shaper began breathing through gills like a fish, causing his bloated body to expand until it burst the water prison.

“Is that so?”

By then, Leo had already completed a magic circle for an electric attack in his hand.

“Then try withstanding this.”

Leonardo hurled an electric blast at the Clay Shaper, whose body was still wet. The surrounding monsters were also caught in the electric shock due to the moisture.

“You look like the insides of an electric eel, but it seems you’re not immune to electricity?”

“Do you really think it worked?”

The surrounding monsters had already fallen, but the Clay Shaper regenerated the charred area where the electric blast had hit, as well as any burns.

“That noble lady—where did she go? Didn’t she come to rescue you?”

“Who knows? If I just replenish my mana, I can kill a perverted bastard like you myself.”

As he spoke, Leo pulled out an empty potion bottle.

“You? That would be a stretch. You know that better than anyone.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Leonardo tossed the empty potion bottle and simultaneously drew his sword. A series of quick strikes followed, his blade aimed at the Clay Shaper’s chest.

“No surprises here. So predictable.”

A hand sprouted from the Clay Shaper’s chest, grabbing Leo’s sword. At the same time, its other arms reached out to morph Leo’s body.

“Ugh…”

But a true reversal lies in overturning what is expected.

“What’s wrong? You pull similar tricks yourself.”

The black stone of Leo’s sword extended, slicing through the Clay Shaper’s chest. Simultaneously, a second blade, formed from a rock magic spell in his other hand, severed the Clay Shaper’s arms.

“Guess that kind of taste is why you’re so tacky.”

Leo taunted as he widened the distance between them, causing the Clay Shaper’s expression to twist in anger.

“…That’s strange. No one’s ever called me tacky…”

“Of course not. You’ve killed anyone who dared to say it.”

Confronted with the cold truth, the Clay Shaper’s face contorted with a rage not seen before as he charged at Leo.

“I’ll leave nothing but your head intact, you…!”

In that instant, the Clay Shaper’s body was sliced apart as if it had been clumsily butchered at a meat shop, despite neither magic nor sword strikes hitting him.

“…Wha… What… how…?”

The answer was in the thin, sharp threads that had been connected around them. Although they had been invisible due to their slenderness, the blood seeping into the wires now made them visible.

“You said it yourself. The reversal is what matters.”

While he had been attacking earlier, Leo had discreetly connected thin, sturdy wires of black stone to the surrounding walls. He then used aura to create slight vibrations, making it easier for anything that approached to be sliced apart.

“This bastard…! How dare you crawl up to me!!”

With his severed throat, the Clay Shaper let out a bizarre scream. In response, the monsters in the distance began to rush toward him, as if answering his call.

[They’re coming. Five of them.]

Leo gathered the wires again, swinging his black stone blade. Although it had the shape of a sword, its movement was more reminiscent of a whip.

The soft, dark blade sharply sliced through the monsters’ bodies simultaneously. Unlike the Clay Shaper, these monsters lacked the regenerative abilities of someone like Jehad.

“Just like this…!”

Leonardo launched a fire spell in a straight line toward the Clay Shaper. It was the most powerful fire spell he could muster.

[Fire Storm]

A fiery whirlwind engulfed the Clay Shaper and the monsters, soaring into the sky.

[…Are you okay?]

“…Yes. I still have some mana left for…”

Clang!!

Amidst the smoke and steam, the Clay Shaper’s tendrils lashed out. Leo barely managed to sever them with his sword.

“This is ridiculous. What did you think I was?”

As the mist cleared, the Clay Shaper appeared, his body completely restored.

“You think you can kill me with just fire magic… And using that right after water magic? Don’t you know the basics?”

More tendrils flew at him, and though they were cut, the split tendrils continued their assault, drawing in flesh from the scattered corpses around to aid in the Clay Shaper’s regeneration.

“No, I know. That’s exactly why I did it.”

“Still bluffing? There’s no way you could…”

Rumble… patter…

A sound resonated from the sky. Soon, the clouds let out a faint noise, and raindrops began to fall, reaching the ground.

“The signal finally came.”

The Clay Shaper looked up at the sky, bewildered. The clouds above, including those near the Magic Tower, had merged into one massive storm cloud.

“Did you think the lady was just sitting idly by?”

Both the sound and the rain now falling were a result of those storm clouds.

Spirits are intelligent entities born from nature’s mana, and as such, they are far superior to general magic when it comes to manipulating weather.

Right now, Aria was on the tallest building nearby, performing a ritual with the spirits to summon rain. She had done her best during the time Leonardo had bought with his taunts and battles.

“Of course, this strategy would be impossible without the cumulonimbus clouds. You could say the sky decided to help us out.”

As Leonardo spoke, he extended one hand, forming a magic circle for lightning.

“So let’s think about it. That cloud up there is full of charges, with positive and negative ions constantly mixing as the raindrops collide.”

Crackle

“What do you think will happen if I connect this lightning spell to that mass of charged clouds?”

Sweat began to trickle down the Clay Shaper’s face.

“If… if you do that, you won’t be unharmed either…!”

“I know. But…”

Leonardo shot the lightning toward the clouds.

“I’ve been struck by electricity every time I was overpowered.”

Starting with simple lightning spells to the body-strengthening Lightning Excel, he had built up a certain resistance to electrical shocks over time. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to endure the impact of this thunderous strike.

“But you won’t be able to.”

The lightning struck.

—

——

———

A flash of light followed, but the sound hadn’t yet reached him.

This was only natural.

Lightning moves faster than sound. The electricity conveyed through the flash travels faster than the speed of sound.

Soon, thunder roared through his scorched ears, tearing at his eardrums. But it didn’t hurt.

The electric shock had temporarily paralyzed his nerves.

But if he could still hear the sound, it meant he wasn’t dead. And if he wasn’t dead, that meant he had won.

…Leo…

Someone was calling him. They were calling out to him.

…Leo…

He could barely hear it through the ringing in his ears. Even though he wanted to respond, his body wouldn’t move.

“Leo…! Wake up…! Please…! Leo…!!”

His hearing cleared, and his vision slowly returned.

The lady was crying. Whether it was because of the rain or her sobs, Aria’s face appeared even more sorrowful.

He needed to wipe her tears, tell her not to cry.

He needed to wrap her in his coat since it was cold due to the rain.

He needed to tell her that he was okay.

But frustratingly, his body wouldn’t obey.

“…Hold on… Leo…”

The lady took out a potion. It seemed she had prepared it as a last resort for a situation like this.

But with his body paralyzed, even drinking a liquid potion was difficult.

Suddenly, her lips met his. The sensation was strange and hazy, as if it were a scene from a dream.

Aria had held the potion in her mouth. She seemed to be trying to administer it to his paralyzed self in this way.

The potion tasted incredibly bitter, but Aria’s lips were sweet and soft.

He regretted that he couldn’t move his tongue due to the paralysis, but Aria expertly maneuvered hers.

No, “expertly” might be an exaggeration.

Perhaps she felt guilty for doing such a thing to a paralyzed person, as she moved her tongue slowly and gently.

It seemed she was focused on making sure he drank as much of the potion as possible. Even though it was embarrassing, Aria’s face was flushed red with embarrassment.

It was adorably characteristic of her.

“…This…”

A voice rang out. Not the sound of his heartbeat, which was now racing, nor the sound of the kiss, but a grotesque cry.

It was faint, but he noticed a chunk of flesh behind her.

It was only then that he realized.

The Clay Shaper’s body hadn’t just “exploded”—it had been “deliberately scattered.”

The flesh had spread out to minimize the impact of the lightning. The pieces that entered through the windows and doors had withstood the current and were now reassembling.

“…Mmph…”

He needed to speak quickly, to warn Aria.

If he didn’t, they would both die.

But Leo’s tongue was thoroughly paralyzed, and Aria, overly engrossed and flustered, had lost focus.

“…With this…!”

Wham! Thwack…!

At that moment, the raindrops coalesced into sharp crystals. The ice blades flew at the Clay Shaper’s reformed flesh, slicing the meat into pieces.

“This is the most important scene, so back off, you trash. Even trash should know when to step in and when to die.”

It was a truly sly and lilting voice, belonging to the mage who had cast the ice magic.

The very person who had made him spend the past three weeks at the Magic Tower, and at the same time…

“So, it’s you? The one who dared to interrupt my siblings’ love.”

The eldest son of the Reinhardt family—and an idiot.

[Icy Blade]

[Icy Lance]

[Icy Halberd]

Rios Reinhardt stood there.

That day, a chilling killing intent settled in Rios Reinhardt’s eyes.