Power is something people like to pretend they fear.

They act humble, hide it, wait for the right opportunity, talk about balance and responsibility.

But the truth is simple.

Power is meant to be seen.

A strength no one sees is no different from having nothing at all. A hidden blade stays hidden, a buried star stays buried, and the world moves on without ever knowing it existed.

Leon never found any meaning in hiding what he could do. If he was strong, then he would make sure the world knew it.

Even at the Eclipse he never held back anything except his Light. At that time, it made sense to him. Revealing it too early would only bring unnecessary trouble. Even now, part of him still thinks the same.

But… Silvermoon wanted him exposed. She made sure Veronica forced him to display the one thing he kept hidden.

Leon never liked being ordered around, or being treated like a pawn. But he allowed it to slide just this once. He's allowing others such as his own family to look down on him, but this would change the way they look at him from now.

Truth be told, he wanted to see what Silvermoon saw.

As someone capable of seeing multiple futures, she must have found out that this choice would lead him somewhere he could not reach otherwise.

Somewhere beyond the outcomes he could calculate alone.

And more importantly, as someone who carried her blessing, Leon knew Silvermoon would favor him sooner or later.

Leon did know why. But he understood one thing well.

If Silvermoon wanted him to be seen, then she wanted the entire world to witness what he truly was.

Maintaining a steady step, Leon took out the Moonblade attached to his belt. Gripping it, the blade instantly recognized its wielder, allowing itself to resonate with his mana core.

Unstable mana pulsed through Leon's body, reacting to his core and making it violent.

He felt all of it, but he didn't react. As someone who had swung this blade many times in both the Astral and the real world, his body was already familiar with it.

The last time he used [Hoshigami Style] sword art with the [Heaven's Judgement] technique, he had only used his Ice attribute, which allowed him to condense the air around him into a whip of ice capable of slicing through steel. But that time, he messed up the output and his attack redirected toward Lumina's side.

Miss Lumina forbade him from using the sword art until he mastered it.

Gripping his blade tighter, Leon recalled her words.

"Leon, you need to work on controlling even the output and not just the blade. And until you prove you can control it, I forbid you to use it."

Leon had been refining it ever since.

Unlike his [Jinsoku Style], which he had mastered, this sword style required precision over mana throughput, both outside and inside the body.

That was why it was so hard the first time he tried it. Leon had only focused on controlling the mana within him. He thought that once it reached the Moonblade, it wouldn't need much more control. But he was wrong.

Lumina had been controlling the mana flow inside the Moonblade itself.

That must be the reason she was able to generate an attack on the scale of an atomic destruction.

His ears perked as he heard footsteps surrounding the region. Leon did not look up to see who they were.

'The witnesses finally arrived…' he thought. 'I wonder what will happen to me after this.'

He had made a few predictions. But even so, the outcome Silvermoon wanted thrilled him.

'I can't wait to see…'

A smile crept across his face as his steps finally halted. Raising his head, he saw the Demon God's vessel up close.

The corruption had reached the boy's neck, and the mana core was emitting dark mana violently. Leon looked at the ground beside the boy and saw that the dark mana was even corrupting the soil.

But he didn't care.

"A… gg… hh."

The young boy let out a soft, trembling cry, one that would make anyone feel pity. But Leon knew the boy was beyond saving.

He didn't spare a single thought for who the child might be, or whether he had a family. It didn't matter anymore, not when his organs were visible through the transparent skin.

His cold golden eyes stared down at the boy.

Taking three steps back, Leon stabilized his footing and raised the Moonblade vertically, aligning its edge with the boy's mana core path.

He could feel several eyes locked onto him, but he did not bother to look at any of them.

Exhaling slowly, he channeled Light Affinity through his body.

His skin shimmered with a faint golden glow, and the moment that light surfaced, the dark mana ahead reacted at once. It recoiled as if struck, clashing for a second before being repelled again.

The Moonblade responded to his light mana instantly.

The white blade brightened like a star preparing to descend, and with each beat of Leon's heart, the light pulsed outward, sending thin shockwaves through the crater.

Leon felt calm. In a way he only ever felt whenever he used Light.

He looked at the Demon God's vessel, the boy whose body no longer had anything human left in it, and spoke in a low, steady voice.

"Your time has not arrived yet. Rest for now."

He muttered two words under his breath as he brought the blade down.

[Hoshigami Style]

"[Heaven's Judgement]"

— — —

Valentine Dukedom. Five minutes earlier.

The entire estate was holding its breath.

Maids stood stiff along the hallway, their eyes fixed on the distant rising smog beyond the horizon. They all felt it.

Something enormous just had happened.

The Duke had rushed out with the elite knights the moment he heard the first report. He didn't even change his clothes. Even the Duchess stood outside the mansion, having her jaw clenched, teeth pressing hard enough to hurt. Her eyes never left the direction of Tiara.

Beside her were Rowan, Ren, and their uncle and aunt. No one dared to speak until Liana's voice finally slipped out.

"Layla…" she whispered, fingers gripping her husband's arm tightly.

They had just learned a massive explosion had occurred in Tiara. The same place Leon and Layla had visited today.

Liana turned to Ezra with trembling eyes and saw something that made her even more uneasy.

Ezra wasn't panicking.

Her face remained calm.

"How are you not worried?" Liana asked, irritation in her tone.

"Liana…" Darius whispered, surprised by her reaction.

Ezra looked at Liana for a moment but said nothing.

"…"

The guards and knights continued running across the estate, preparing for any follow-up threats. No one knew the scale of what truly happened yet.

"That Leon took my sister with him!" Ren burst out. "If something happens to her, I will kill him myself. I knew he was seducing her—"

Ezra's head snapped toward him.

Just one look and Ren froze. His mouth clamped shut. He lowered his eyes like a child caught misbehaving.

Even Rowan felt a chill. His mother rarely showed irritation, but when she did, it meant something had crossed a line. He clicked his tongue quietly. "Tch."

At that moment—

"My lady, I have a message from Lady Veronica."

Myra approached, panting lightly.

Ezra turned her head, allowing her to speak.

"She transmitted a message. She wants the medical wing prepared. Also… young master and Lady Layla are safe."

"Really?" Ren gasped, hearing her.

Ezra asked, "What do you mean by medics? Are they hurt?"

Myra shook her head. "It's not for them. It—"

Before she could finish, the shadow beside her twisted, turning pitch-black. A figure emerged, it was tall and feminine, gripping two familiar people in his arms.

Ezra's eyes widened slightly at the first girl, "Layla?"

And beside her, the white-haired girl she recognized at once.

"Princess Rinna?"

Ezra almost whispered the name.

What was she doing with them?

"Layla!" Liana rushed forward, grabbing her daughter, checking every inch of her. Except for torn clothes and dust, Layla was unharmed.

The assassin spoke calmly.

"Lady Veronica instructed they be checked immediately."

Judging by her attire, her aura, her presence… she was a royal elite guard.

No one questioned her.

Ezra gestured to Myra and the nearby maids.

"Take them inside."

But Rinna stopped them.

"Wait! My sister… and Leon… they're still there!"

"Leon? And sister…?" Ezra frowned. "Princess Eula, you mean?"

Rinna nodded, still breathing hard.

Ezra blinked.

Leon and two princesses? What would they be doing together?

She couldn't make sense of it, but she pushed the thought aside for now.

"Any other instructions from Veronica?"

"Yes," Myra said. "She said she needed the young master and the second princess to assist in stopping the Demon God's vessel. So she kept them there."

The entire courtyard fell silent.

Darius' eyes widened. "Demon God's vessel…?!"

Everyone heard her. Everyone felt the chill run down their spine.

Ezra stared at the rising smog again.

What is happening out there…? And why would Leon be involved in something like that?

Princess Eula is one thing, but Leon…

Her thoughts suddenly stopped.

Because her eyes caught a sight far beyond the estate walls.

A column of pure light erupted from Tiara, rising in a single unbroken line until it disappeared into the clouds above. The brightness swept over the land like a slow turning tide, illuminating rooftops, trees, and stone of the Valentine Estate as if daylight had been forced upon them even when the sun was setting.

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