The Extra Can't be A Hero-Chapter 146: Duel (3)

"Summer Rain."

The overcast sky turned golden as Leon's mana rose exponentially. Aura Fire merged with his water attributes, creating a tempest of golden light. Each droplet of rain floated independently from the rest, and the pressure it emitted far exceeded anything a Three Sun True Knight could create. Leon was generally showing mastery far beyond his years, and the only one who could comprehend what was going on was his master.

'Combining attributes, he has grown for sure.'

Amon smacked his lips and broke into a smile.

Fire and water were known to be opposing elements and combining them was nearly impossible. But, Leon had learnt from the best. At this stage, he could utilise his body's solar and water manas to create harmony—a symphony of sorts.

The fire and water elements interacted with each other without cancelling out, and the result was the first movement in his unique style.

Valen frowned when presented with this technique; he could only channel his iron shards into a swirling dome to protect himself. The droplets of golden rainwater slammed into the iron dome like a vengeful mother-in-law trying to break into a home. Most of the raindrops evaporated from the iron shards, but a select few managed to break through.

Slamming onto Valen's chest, the raindrops' heat immediately burnt his skin, forcing him to gasp out for air. If it were an ordinary duel, the bout would have ended here. Leon's attacks were now slowly seeping past the former Governor's defences, and it was only a matter of time before his life would be forfeit. But, this wasn't any ordinary duel.

It was one to the death.

For Valen, it meant that if he didn't retaliate, he would stay at the mercy of Leon's [Summer Rain]. And given how Leon was determined to punish the former Governor, it was simply a man seated on the electric chair, waiting for the executioner to pass the sentence.

That was not the end that Valen yearned for.

If he was going to die, he wished to die by the sword… by the sword his idol owned.

Ascalon.

It was his goal the entire time.

To be slain by the Holy Blade, to have the Hero pierce through his chest.

With his mind set, the former mercenary, the Iron Count, sent mana towards his chest and broke an invisible limier. His heart began to pump loudly, sending a torrent of mana and blood throughout his body. The world seemed to spin as his vision got more explicit. His grey aura was tainted with a foreign substance that could easily corrupt and send despair to anyone near him.

Grey mist permeated out from his body as the spectators watched with bated breath. If there was even a shadow of a doubt before, the former governor's actions now sealed his guilt.

"Demonic energy…"

"How foolish of him."

It was exceedingly slight, but one could feel the presence of demonic energy. It wasn't as potent as any of the Apostles or even the Prophet, but it was enough to make a regular human hurl in disgust. Exploding into life, Valen's Aura quintupled in size, and the iron shards quickly destroyed the remaining floating raindrops. The sudden burst of energy raised Alrock's eyebrows, but he refrained from stepping in.

Why?

Because, it only took one look to understand that…

Valen was living on borrowed time.

"I got this power from the Warden and didn't expect to use it at all."

Using this energy gave Valen a huge explosive boost, but at the same time, it came at a heavy cost—his life. Burning up what remained of his soul, the Iron Count could now reach his heyday and beyond. His control over the iron shards was now practically subconscious as they had become extensions of his body. Moving the greyish Aura into the blades, he commanded them to kill Leon.

The iron shards whistled with great fervour as they split through the torrential golden rain, and charged at the young man. Empowered by demonic energy, it could break through Leon's defences, slowly reaching his precious flesh.

To which, Leon swung Ascalon with his flaming sword and generated a tsunami of fire.

It was an inferior copy of Amon's movements, but it did the job. The iron shards that Valen commanded were pushed back, giving Leon a moment to catch his breath. Heavily panting, the Hero watched cautiously as Valen returned his iron shards and reforged them into a greatsword.

'Combining two elements for a few seconds exhausted me this much? How on earth did Amon do it?'

Leon thought to himself as he attempted to calm his rapidly palpitating heart. It felt like his heart would jump out of his chest at any moment, and he was desperately trying to do everything he could to regain his composure. So, seeing Amon effortlessly combine two vastly different elements made Leon feel a tinge of inferiority.

But, that only motivated him to do better.

"Even with this borrowed power, I am no match for the Hero… How maddening."

Valen scoffed, though he wasn't earnest. Instead, he had long resigned himself to be weaker than the Hero. It was just a method of self-deprecating moments before his life ran out.

"I refuse to be defeated by a power built on the sacrifice of thousands of innocents."

"Innocents? How would you say so?"

The former governor bared his fangs while taking a disciplinary tone like a teacher would to a student.

"Criminals who would kill, rape and pillage. Beggars who would steal from businesses, and orphans who would grow to be either criminals or beggars. They were all the scourge of society! Without them, Alverton thrived! I showed that in real time!"

Till this day, the former governor couldn't understand why everyone persecuted him as such. His actions had been all for the greater good, and his results proved that. Alverton turned from a decrepit and lawless zone to a thriving town through his decisions.

Yes, he may have killed a few children along the way, but people were ignoring the thousands of children he saved in the process.

The former governor felt betrayed when the one person he believed would understand him—the Hero—failed to share his sentiments.

"I see that words are useless to you."

Leon gave up in understanding Valen's logic. Just as the sky and earth could never meet, the Hero and the fan would never see eye-to-eye. Charging up Ascalon, Leon prepared himself for the final, inevitable strike.

Valen prepared himself for the final clash, Knowing there was no need to prolong his suffering. Bit by bit, he could feel his life force being drained away, and it was only a matter of minutes before he breathed his last. Nevertheless, the Iron Count felt refreshed. With his power, he could challenge the Hero and bring him to the absolute limit.

Therefore…

Two greatsword swings were enough to create two high-standing walls that entrapped Leon. There was no sidestepping, and neither would there be any retreat. The only path for Leon now was forward.

And thus, Leon took on the challenge.

All his mana was exhausted while Ascalon burned with a dazzling light. As if in response to Leon's earnest wish, two transcendental, golden angel wings appeared on his back, giving the Hero his final sanctified image.

"Drawing out the power of the Holy Sword… He's finally taking the first step to sainthood!"

Ellahan was almost in tears as she watched her lover morph into the perfect being she'd always imagined him to be. The holy power he as emitting far surpassed anything the Pope or any Archbishop could handle, making him the most proficient holy power user, second in line to the Saintess herself.

Also, Leon's solar mana was empowering Ascalon, keeping it wreathed with dense Aura Fire. On his left hand, an orb of pure water oscillated around his fingers, divulging Leon's superior affinity with water.

It was a symphony of elements, with Leon's Holy Power supplementing his two mana types.

The two duelists stared each other down, each ready to catapult everything they had at each other. And the one who moved first, was none other than the dead man walking.

Valen swung his greatsword as the grey Aura cracked every piece of his blade. Using his momentum, the Iron Count sent the broken shards flying at speeds beyond the sound limit, and they all had one target in mind… Leon's flesh.

But, Leon had one trick up his sleeve.

Channelling all of his water mana, he generated a storm surge and thousands of waves were formed. Like an ocean in a tempest, the waves ravaged the walls that Valen created, and crashed into the innumerable iron shards. Losing their momentum, they could only drown in the descending waves, allowing Leon to launch his next and final strike.

Solar mana was pumped into Ascalon while Holy Power filled Leon's veins. Both his eyes burnt with the vengeance of all those Valen killed, while the golden flames proliferated like wildfire. In the end, there was only one conclusion for this duel.

Valen's execution.

[Dawn].

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