212 THE INHERITED GRUDGE
The mages were closing in, their spells ready to unleash destruction. The chains summoned by the magic arraye were finally upon them.
"Are we going to die here?" Sujira asked, her voice tinged with despair as she looked up at him.
"Maybe," Leo replied, a faint, desperate smile crossing his face.
Without warning, Sujira leaned forward and kissed Leo lightly on the cheek.
"What was that for?" Leo asked, caught off guard.
"For buying me the tigress," she replied softly.
The mages were nearly upon them. Sujira, summoning her remaining strength, prepared to transform once more. But Leo stopped her, his grip firmly on her arm.
As the attackers lunged, the magic chains finally caught their prey but it was not against Leo and Sujira.
The glowing iron chains of the arraye shot out, ensnaring the mages instead.
"What the hell is going on?" Milwe shouted, his voice filled with anger and disbelief. "How did he take control of our arraye?"
Mendiace's eyes widened in shock, his confidence shaken.
Sujira turned to Leo, her face a mixture of awe and confusion. She opened her mouth to ask but stopped herself.
Leo answered her unspoken question anyway. "This kind of arraye is common in Sodom City. Every damn family uses it. I've played with fucking setups like this for fun."
The magic array felt oddly familiar to Leo, a design he encountered before. As the battle raged around him, he opened his control panel, his mind moving swiftly across the interface.
"This pattern… It's almost identical to the arrays back in Court La Mood and even Eoloth," he muttered to himself.
Analyzing the structure, he quickly realized it wasn't just similar—it was practically a copy. Exploiting his familiarity with such designs, Leo began reprogramming the array to hijack its control.
It wasn't an easy task. The magic array was complex, and the mages attacking them weren't giving him much time.
Luckily for him, Sujira leapt into action, fighting relentlessly to buy him precious seconds.
With each stroke of her shadow-infused blade, Sujira deflected attacks and created openings. But the overwhelming numbers took their toll, and even her shadow forms couldn't hold out forever. She sustained multiple injuries, her blood staining the battlefield as she fought on.
Finally, with a decisive input, the array's control shifted into Leo's hands.
"Done," he murmured, a flicker of triumph crossing his face.
He glanced up just in time to see Sujira stumble, her body battered and exhausted. She had endured so much to protect him, and her sacrifice hadn't been in vain.
Milwe and Mendiace exchanged stunned glances as the mages they'd brought were captured by their own trap.
"Let's go," Leo said, pulling Sujira with him as he started to leave.
But before they could escape, a dark force manifested above them. A massive, malevolent hand descended from the sky, its claws glowing with destructive energy.
Sujira reacted instinctively, transforming into shadows again. This time Leo was too slow to stop her. Her clones danced and wove through the hand's magic, slicing through its power with precision.
"Strikes of Shadows"
After an intense struggle, the summoned hand shattered. The fragments of its magic faded into the air, but Sujira's shadows returned to her body, leaving her drained and severely wounded. She collapsed into Leo's arms, her wounds deep and her breathing ragged.
"How dare you destroy my summoned grasp!" Mendiace roared, his fury echoing across the square.
Leo didn't respond. Instead, he summoned his dragon. The powerful Dragon Rakhshasa guardian descended, wrapping its massive body around them before lifting them into the air.
"You didn't have to do that, Sujira," Leo murmured as the dragon soared away.
But Sujira couldn't hear him anymore. Her eyes fluttered closed as exhaustion and pain overtook her.
Dragon Rakhshasa carried them into the night, leaving the chaos of the battle behind.
-----
Though Leo and Sujira escaped the immediate battle, they were far from safe. While the mages remained ensnared in the magic array, Mendiace evaded the trap and was relentlessly pursuing them.
The chase was brief. Soon, a confrontation became inevitable. Mendiace caught up, landing before Leo with an air of smug confidence.
"You're a tricky one. I'll give you that," Mendiace said, his voice laced with a mix of irritation and grudging respect.
Leo gently set Sujira down, ensuring she was out of harm's way before responding, "You've grown a bit of a brain since the last time I killed you with that magic trap."
"The one you killed last time wasn't me," Mendiace replied with a cold smirk. "I'm not that damn idiot. Jeez."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "There's no grudge between us. You are a new player not the fucking NPC before you?"
"Exactly," Mendiace said. "You're facing someone different. But the grudge? That remains. It's in my fucking mind."
Leo tilted his head, his expression calculating. "Grudge or not, maybe we can cut a deal? Your fucking vendetta against me belongs to the previous idiot who used this body, not you."
Mendiace hesitated, his resolve faltering for a moment. What Leo said made sense. Yet, the hatred he felt for this man was deeply ingrained, as if etched into his very soul. But still, there may be something to gain by forgoing the grudge.
"I have a contract to kill you from the Cergontyn family," Mendiace finally said.
Leo snorted dismissively. "Forget the damn Cergontyns. I'm richer than those clowns. Whatever they're paying you, I'll double it. And don't give me that honor-among-thieves crap. You're a new player, not some NPC with a fucking script."
The temptation in Mendiace's eyes was clear, but before he could respond, a figure emerged from the shadows—his handler.
"You cannot accept his offer," the handler said firmly. "He's your fatal enemy. The very source of your power and strength lies in your grudge against Lilleo Gullee. Abandon this mission, and you'll lose everything, reverting to an ordinary player grinding as a mere Cakra Mula."
Mendiace stiffened, the reality of his situation sinking in. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice tinged with regret. "The System says you must fucking die."