NOVPUB*Bang!*
A burst of holy power erupted from Leon's body as he shot upward, twisting midair to the side.
*Boom!*
Seconds later, the bed he and Zelda had been lying on exploded into pieces. Shards of wood flew in every direction, while dust and thick smoke engulfed the room.
"Ahem!"
Leon landed a few meters away, coughing hard. His eyes fixed on the swirling smoke, his face twisted in shock.
"What just happened? Who attacked me?" he wondered.
Moments ago, just as he was about to fall asleep, a sudden surge of danger washed over him.
Thankfully, his survival instincts had kicked in just in time.
"No… Zelda's still in there!"
His heart clenched. In the chaos, he had completely forgotten she was lying beside him.
Panic and guilt flooded through him as he scrambled toward the shattered bed to check on her.
"If she's hurt, I'll never forgive myself."
Just as he was about to reach her, a sharp pain stabbed through his chest.
Instinctively, he dodged to the side—moments later, two green tree roots exploded through the smoke, racing straight toward him.
Had he reacted a second slower, they would've pierced his heart.
Leon glared at the roots, his expression tense and alert.
"Tree roots? How is that possible? Who did this?" Leon's brow furrowed deeply.
As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, a figure emerged behind the attack.
"Zelda?" His expression froze, disbelief flashing across his pale face.
Zelda floated above the shattered remains of the bed, her face cold and emotionless. Her sharp green eyes glowed with pressure and power.
Her right arm was extended forward, and behind it, two glowing green magic circles spun slowly in the air.
Her long green hair was disheveled—a stark contrast to her usual graceful appearance.
"Zelda, what's going on? Why are you attacking me?!" Leon shouted.
But she didn't answer. Without a word, she moved her index and middle fingers—and the tree roots immediately surged toward him again.
Leon leapt into the air, twisting his body mid-jump to avoid the roots aiming for his chest.
But they moved like serpents stalking their prey—fast, relentless, and precise. No matter how far he dodged or ran, they followed without hesitation.
Frustration burned in Leon's chest. His golden eyes narrowed, locking onto Zelda—and then he noticed it.
Her gaze was vacant. Although her eyes were open, they appeared lifeless—like those of a doll.
"She's unconscious…" he muttered under his breath.
There was only one explanation—Zelda was being controlled.
By whom, he didn't know. But one thing was clear: the only way to stop her was to break the spell and wake her up. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Without hesitation, Leon opened his right palm, and a streak of white light burst forth.
The light in his palm slowly expanded, forming sharp lines and the outline of a weapon.
Moments later, its shape became clear—a sword radiating powerful holy light.
It was the Holy Sword of Zenith.
Leon swung it without hesitation, slicing the roots into pieces.
Zelda let out a faint gasp, seemingly surprised. Her brows furrowed slightly as she snapped her fingers.
In an instant, five more green magic circles appeared behind her.
From those circles, even thicker and stronger roots burst forth, hurtling toward Leon with incredible speed.
"Tsk. This is getting annoying," Leon muttered, clicking his tongue.
He had never seen Zelda fight before and had no idea how powerful she truly was. But now, after witnessing just a glimpse of her strength, he realized she was far more dangerous than he'd imagined.
*Whoosh!*
Leon's figure vanished from sight, narrowly dodging the incoming roots. But like before, they twisted in the air and chased after him relentlessly.
Still, he didn't falter.
The Holy Sword of Zenith gleamed brightly, pulsing with holy power.
*Slash!*
With a sharp, twisting vertical strike, he cleaved the roots apart.
He didn't stop there—slash after slash followed, leaving the roots no chance to regenerate.
His eyes locked onto Zelda, and without a moment's hesitation, he launched himself straight at her.
Seeing this, Zelda waved her left hand, and an enormous magic circle materialized beside Leon.
From it, a massive tree root—dozens of times larger than the previous ones—shot out and lunged at him.
"Not good!" Leon's eyes widened as he quickly crossed his arms in front of his face.
*Bang!*
The root slammed into him with brutal force, sending him flying across the room and crashing into the wardrobe, which shattered into splinters on impact.
"Agh!" Leon groaned harshly, clutching his chest as a sharp pain radiated through his body.
Fortunately, his body had been hardened to its peak from the intense training at Eryuentium.
Without that, he could have sustained serious—though not fatal—injuries.
With effort, he stood and brushed the dust from his clothes, eyes narrowing.
"If this keeps up, there'll be no end to it," he muttered grimly.
He could fight back, yes—but attacking Zelda directly was out of the question.
She had lost control—someone else was pulling her strings like a puppet.
To save her, he had to confront whoever was manipulating her.
But who?
"The three elders?" he whispered, shaking his head in doubt.
Everything he'd seen suggested they were kind and genuinely cared for Zelda.
Even if they had secret agendas, why choose this moment? Why wait until he arrived?
What could they possibly gain from this?
For now, Leon dismissed the idea that they were the culprits—though he hadn't completely ruled it out.
Lost in thought, he was caught off guard when a large root suddenly slid back and hit him.
*Bang!*
The root slammed against the wall behind him, shattering it. Fortunately, Leon reacted quickly and dodged just in time.
*Whoosh!*
The massive root continued to chase him relentlessly. Leon kept moving, dodging with agility.
At the same time, he studied the attack patterns, searching for weaknesses.
Although he couldn't attack Zelda directly, he could still suppress her and figure out how to finish it afterward.
Now, all he had to do was wait for the perfect moment to approach stealthily.
As the tree root rampaged, smashing furniture throughout the room, the tension in the air thickened.
Suddenly, Leon spotted an opening. A wide smile spread across his face.
"There it is!"
