(Planet Tithia, Three Days After Juxta's Fall, Leo's POV)
For three days following Juxta's destruction, Leo worked without rest, burning through sleepless nights to ensure the success of the evacuation's first phase, which focused on relocating the Cult's highest priority assets and personnel.
The plan had unfolded with near-perfect precision during the first two days, each operation executed like clockwork under Chaosbringer's supervision.
However, on the third day, just as phase one reached its halfway point, progress came to a grinding halt not because of enemy interference, but because of the stupid elders of the Council, who were instigated by the First Elder to stir trouble.
As upon his insistence, across several Cult planets, the Council forces began to meddle with Chaosbringer's men to obstruct Leo's orders, throwing the entire operation into confusion at the worst possible time.
"Lord Boss, you must do something about these damn Elders. They make everything a hundred times more complicated than it needs to be. We are on the clock and every second matters. Please, solve this problem as soon as you can."
Chaosbringer's voice came through the crystal communicator, sharp and impatient, as Leo immediately rose from his seat, ending the call mid-sentence.
Within minutes, the engines of his craft roared to life. The vessel tore through the clouds above Ixtal and entered hyperspace, and before long, he landed on Planet Tithia with his temper already boiling.
Ever since Charles's death, there had been a faint layer of killing intent clinging to him that refused to fade, like a second skin of hatred and grief.
But as he stepped out of the craft and made his way towards the First Elder's residence, that quiet malice grew into a palpable storm—a suffocating and oppressive aura that pressed down on every soul in its reach.
*BANG!*
The moment his boots touched the soil outside the First Elder's house, he kicked open the gate, the impact sending splinters of metal and stone scattering across the floor as the guards at the entrance rushed forward in alarm.
"Lord Shadow Dragon, please wait!" one of them stammered, holding out his arm in panic. "We must announce your arrival first! The First Elder is in a private meeting with the Second and Third Elder's, you cannot enter without—"
Their words died in their throats as Leo turned his head toward them, just slightly.
The pupils of his eyes narrowed into slits, the whites dimming into a shade of cold gray, as faint purple veins of light pulsed beneath the surface, flickering like lightning trapped inside his gaze.
For a moment, the world seemed to slow.
The guards felt it.... an invisible weight that seized their lungs and squeezed the air from their chests.
Their vision blurred, their knees trembled uncontrollably, as the sheer force of that look pinned them in place.
It wasn't merely intimidation, it was primal dread, a sensation that screamed at every nerve in their body to kneel before a predator they could never defy.
One of them dropped his halberd with a metallic clang.
The other backed up two steps, eyes wide, his throat constricting as cold sweat ran freely down his face.
Leo didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
That single glance was more than enough to silence the entire courtyard.
As he stepped past them, his aura rolled forward like a silent tide, making the torches lining the walkway flicker and dim.
The guards didn't move again until his footsteps had vanished into the mansion's corridor, and even then, they could still feel the echo of his gaze on their backs, cold as the edge of a blade.
"Wh--what the hell was that pressure?"
One of them spoke, his face white as ash.
"Do... d--do we follow him in? Can we?"
Another asked, as he looked around and realized that although every single one of them knew that they should probably follow the Shadow Dragon in, they did not have the courage to do so.
*Step*
*Step*
*Step*
Leo's footsteps echoed through the corridor, each one heavier than the last, as he made no effort to conceal his presence.
He walked straight ahead, unhurried yet unstoppable, until he reached the final door, the one behind which the First Elder was currently holding his meeting.
There, standing guard outside, were several dozen elite soldiers from the joint security regiments of the First, Second, and Third Elders, their concerned gazes falling on his haggard appearance, as they moved to politely block his way.
"Move. And open the door."
Leo ordered as he approached, his tone calm but stripped of all warmth, like a verdict already passed.
The guards exchanged uncertain glances, their fingers tightening around their weapons. Though trained to face beasts and assassins, the oppressive weight of his aura felt like facing something far worse, almost as if they were staring against something ancient and wrong.
*Gulp*
Several of them swallowed hard, their armor creaking faintly as they shifted uneasily under the weight of his gaze.
"My Lord," one of the senior guards finally managed, his voice trembling despite his attempt to keep it steady. "Please wait until the First Elder's meeting concludes. This door is sealed by high enchantment... it cannot be opened from the outside. Even if I wanted to let you through, I —"
He never finished the sentence.
Leo brushed past him without a word, his shoulder colliding into the man with enough force to send him staggering back two steps.
The guard looked up, startled, as Leo unsheathed one of his daggers with a soft metallic scrape, the silver edge catching the ceiling light from above.
"My Lord, please calm down—"
Another urged, however, before he could even complete his sentence, Leo drove the blade straight into the door's centre.
*THRUMM*
The enchanted barrier flared to life instantly, runic sigils spiraling across the wood as a translucent blue shield expanded to block the intrusion.
The dagger's point met strong resistance, mana clashing with mana as sparks erupted like embers between steel and spell.
The guards shouted in alarm.
"My Lord, please stop! It's bound by triple-layered seals! You'll never be able to break it, not even Monarch's can—"
But Leo didn't stop.
He pressed harder.
The dagger began to hum violently, vibrating in his hand as he poured more mana into it, his aura flaring into a storm that flooded the hallway.
*FSSHH*
*FSSHH*
*CRACK*
The ceiling lights blew out one by one, drowned by the pressure radiating from him, as the very air turned thick with killing intent.
Soon, cracks began to form along the runes— thin at first, before then spreading like fractures through the barrier.
The guards stumbled backward, shielding their faces as the pressure made the veins in their foreheads bulge. One dropped to a knee, gasping for air. Another clutched his chest as though an invisible hand was squeezing his heart.
Then—
*CRACK!*
The barrier shattered with a deafening burst, shards of blue mana scattering like broken glass, as his dagger sank through the door at last, biting deep into the enchanted wood.
Leo twisted it once, then dragged it downward in a single, clean motion as the enchanted oak split open like paper, splinters flying across the corridor as the seals ruptured completely.
The light from within the chamber spilled out in a flash, revealing the stunned faces of the First, Second, and Third Elders as they turned sharply toward the door, only to see Leo step through the wreckage with calm, deliberate steps, his expression unreadable beneath the flickering ceiling light.
Behind him, the soldiers stood frozen, pale and trembling, their eyes wide in disbelief.
None spoke. None dared to.
They had seen men break enchantments before, but never with raw will alone.... never quite like this.
And as the broken door swung open and the dust settled, the only sound that followed Leo inside was the faint metallic ring of his dagger sliding back into its sheath.
As with it came the unmistakable truth that echoed in every trembling heart in that corridor:
The Shadow Dragon was done being patient.
(More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)