At the very moment their feet left the ground—
Leo smashed a fist into the ground!
"Boom—!!!!!"
An earth-shattering roar!
Dazzling golden light exploded, instantly swallowing the entire ant swarm!
The shockwave rippled outward like a ring of destruction; wherever it passed, the ground was overturned layer by layer, and grass and trees were torn to shreds!
Under that terrifying punch, the dense swarms of ants couldn't even last a second before being completely annihilated!
The dust cleared.
A massive crater over thirty meters in diameter appeared on the ground!
Leo stood at the bottom of the crater, his right fist slightly red, without a single speck of dust on him.
Sophia and Shizuku descended from the air, landing steadily at the edge of the crater.
A warm sensation emanated from the tattoo on the back of his hand.
[Rank: Level 67 (68%) → Level 68 (3%)]
Leo withdrew his fist and said calmly,
"No matter the numbers, it's useless against me."
No sooner had he spoken—
"Bang!"
A loud crash echoed from the direction of the Ruins!
A giant red figure flew out of the Ruins like a cannonball, slamming heavily into the ground not far from the trio!
"Boom!"
The ground shook, and dust filled the air.
As the dust settled, the three of them clearly saw the figure.
A massive blood-colored gorilla, over six meters tall, its entire body covered in writhing tentacles.
A fist-sized red sarcoma was embedded in its forehead, squirming incessantly as it let out a low growl at the three of them.
Leo narrowed his eyes.
"Is this the Test Subject?"
Looking at that familiar red sarcoma and the traces of infection, he understood instantly.
"As expected, it's related to the Doctor. Only he could create such disgusting things."
A cold voice drifted from the direction of the Ruins.
"Hmph! All of you are going to die here!"
Ian, Killian, Zachary, and Layard stepped out from the entrance of the Ruins.
Ian stood at the front, a hideous smile plastered on his face.
"To think you'd dare interfere with our plans—"
He raised his hand and pointed at Leo.
"Bloodworm Demon Gorilla! Go! Kill them!"
The Bloodworm Demon Gorilla let out a deafening roar, its massive six-meter frame charging toward Leo!
Its tentacles danced wildly in the air like a blood-red tide!
Without turning his head, Leo said to the two behind him,
"Leave it to me."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Black, living, stripe-like patterns instantly began to spread from his neck!
The patterns crawled over his entire body like vines, winding and snaking until they formed a complex and mysterious design!
"Shivering Soul," activate!
A dark red wave of energy surged into the sky, centered on Leo!
The ground beneath his feet cracked violently, spiderweb-like fissures spreading frantically in all directions!
The surrounding grass and leaves were swept up by the energy wave and torn to pieces mid-air!
The near-suffocating Nen swept through the surroundings like a tsunami!
He didn't care to waste time with these people; death was their best destination.
In the distance, Ian and the other three froze instantly.
That aura, that pressure, that fear like facing the abyss—it made them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their blood freezing in their veins.
"Wh... what kind of monster is this..."
Zachary muttered.
Killian's glasses almost slipped off; his hands were shaking.
Layard's back was already soaked in cold sweat, and he silently took a step back.
The Bloodworm Demon Gorilla had already reached Leo!
Its massive fist, carrying enough power to shatter a small mountain, smashed down toward Leo's head!
Just as the fist was about to hit Leo—
"Convert."
The black patterns on Leo's body squirmed slightly, light flowing through them.
Strength, enhanced.
He suddenly exerted force with his feet!
Bang!
The ground exploded once more!
His figure vanished from the spot as if teleporting!
In the next instant, he appeared by the Bloodworm Demon Gorilla's head!
He raised his right leg high, Nen condensing at the edge of his foot into a dazzling golden blade of light—
A whip kick, sweeping across!
Target: The red sarcoma on its forehead!
The Bloodworm Demon Gorilla had no time to react at all.
Its movement was still stuck in the "punching" state; its head's defense was completely wide open.
"Bang—!!!"
A dull thud so heavy it could stop a heart!
The head of that massive six-meter frame exploded like a ripe watermelon!
Red and white matter splattered everywhere! Shards of bone, brain matter, and blood mixed together, drenching the ground!
The Bloodworm Demon Gorilla's fist stopped in mid-air, never to descend again.
Its massive body stiffened for a second, then crashed down!
"Boom!"
The ground shook, and dust filled the air.
From the start of the engagement to its end, barely two seconds had passed.
An intense warmth pulsed from the tattoo on the back of his hand.
[Life Energy +28%]
[Rank: Level 68 (3%) → Level 68 (31%)]
Leo retracted his leg and lightly shook off the blood on his foot.
He turned his head and looked at Ian and the other three in the distance.
Their eyes met.
In that instant, all four felt a chill surge from the soles of their feet straight to their skulls.
That gaze was cold and calm, yet it carried a suffocating pressure.
Like an ancient Vicious Beast sizing up a few ants.
Ian's pupils constricted violently, and he shouted almost instinctively,
"Run!"
The four snapped out of it, turned simultaneously, erupted with Nen, and fled frantically in four different directions!
Leo's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Quite smart."
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
"Unfortunately—"
The ability activated once more.
"Convert."
Agility, enhanced to the maximum!
He suddenly exerted force with his feet!
"Bang!"
The ground exploded! His figure instantly vanished from the spot!
Ian was running frantically.
He didn't dare look back or stop; he only wanted to get as far away from that monster as possible.
Suddenly, a terrifying aura approached from behind!
Before he could even turn his head, a large hand had already clamped onto it!
"No—!"
Bang!
The skull exploded.
The corpse slumped to the ground.
Leo shook the blood off his hand and turned to chase the next target.
Three seconds later.
Killian was running for his life.
His ability allowed him to shrink or enlarge objects after touching them for three seconds, but facing a humanoid Vicious Beast like Leo, he probably wouldn't even last one second.
His mind was a total blank, with only one thought remaining.
Run! Run faster!
But he noticed nothing.
A slight breeze brushed past.
And then, he lost consciousness.
Leo stood behind him, withdrawing the hand that had just snapped his neck.
Killian's corpse slumped down, his face still frozen in his mid-run expression.
Another four seconds passed.
Zachary's chest was pierced by a single punch.
Leo pulled back his arm, and Zachary's corpse fell, his eyes filled with resentment and fear.
The tattoo on the back of his hand pulsed with warmth repeatedly.
[Life Energy +19%][Life Energy +18%][Life Energy +22%]
[Rank: Level 68 (31%) → Level 68 (90%)]
In less than ten seconds, all three were dead.
Leo turned his head and looked at the last person.
Layard was fleeing frantically.
His mind raced, with only one thought in his heart.
'It's over! This person is too terrifying!'
'I was killed by those idiots!'
'I hope they can stall for longer so I can successfully escape the Secret Realm!'
He ran desperately, giving it his all.
And then—
He stopped in his tracks.
Leo stood right in front of him, hands in his pockets, his expression indifferent.
Layard's eyes widened, his legs turned to jelly, and he almost collapsed.
Leo looked at him and spoke slowly,
"They are all dead."
His tone was calm.
"I hope you'll be sensible. Tell me everything you know about the Doctor and whatever else you have."
Layard lowered his head.
There was a long silence.
Then, he let out a miserable laugh.