Standoff
The light that burst from the cave entrance illuminated the entire mine. The Watchers formed a shield of light, surrounding Leon, their faces a mix of astonishment and terror. Someone gasped, seeing the Aether Purification Stone that had instantly turned black.
"Oh no... the Purification Stone is completely corrupted." "He's the intruder!" "We need to send a warning signal!"
But Leon merely watched their confusion with a relaxed demeanor. His blood-red eyes glowed ominously in the darkness, and a predator's smile spread across his lips. To him, the Watchers were no longer formidable. They were just prey to fill his hunger.
"Don't try to escape," Leon's voice echoed throughout the cave. "Because no one will be leaving this place alive anyway."
The Watcher Captain drew his sword and shouted, "Full combat formation! He is a chaotic manifestation who destroyed the Purification Stone! Eliminate him in the name of Light!"
Twelve Watchers simultaneously activated their Light Aether. Golden swords flashed in the air, and pure white shields enveloped them. Normally, even the most powerful mutated creature would be instantly annihilated by such firepower.
But Leon didn't move. He simply slowly raised his head and looked at them.
"In the name of Light, you say..." Leon murmured. "How amusing."
Dance of Shadows
Suddenly, Leon's form began to blur. Like smoke, his body transformed into a black shadow. The Watchers' swords flew towards him, but they merely sliced through empty air.
"What? Our attacks aren't working!" "Is it shadow magic?"
Leon's laughter echoed throughout the cave. He was now in a complete shadow state, moving freely across the floor and walls. The Watchers were in disarray, looking in every direction, but they couldn't pinpoint his location in the darkness.
"Here."
Suddenly, Leon materialized behind one of the Watchers. His hand grasped the Watcher's neck, and instantly, black threads extended from his fingers, burrowing into the Watcher's body.
"Aaaargh!"
The Watcher shrieked in agony. Golden Aether drained from his body, flowing into Leon's arm. The Watcher's face rapidly paled, and his muscles began to shrivel.
"You fiend!"
Other Watchers rushed at Leon, but he turned into a shadow and vanished again. All that remained was the Watcher's corpse, fallen to the ground. His body was shriveled like a mummy, and his eyes were hollow.
"He's a demon... He's a demon!"
But the terror had only just begun.
Feast of Chaos
When Leon reappeared, he was hanging upside down from the ceiling. Dozens of shadowy tentacles extended from his arms, writhing like snakes and lunging towards the Watchers.
"Strengthen the shields!"
The Watchers desperately deployed their light shields, but the shadowy tentacles tore through them like paper. Explosions resonated every time Chaos Aether clashed with Light Aether, and the entire cave trembled.
One Watcher was enveloped by a tentacle and dragged into the air.
"Help! Someone help me!"
But Leon seemed to revel in his screams, slowly proceeding with the absorption process. As Light Aether drained from the Watcher's body, his flesh gradually turned black. It wasn't just death. It was a mutation by chaos.
The Watcher's screams slowly turned into grotesque roars. His arms stretched abnormally, and sharp claws grew from his fingertips. His eyes turned blood-red, and black drool flowed from his mouth.
"Oh, my—!" "The Watcher has turned into a mutated creature!"
Leon released the tentacle, and the mutated Watcher fell to the ground. But he stood up and snarled at his former comrades. Engulfed in chaos, there was no longer any camaraderie or sense of duty from his past. Only the desire for destruction and slaughter remained.
"This is insane..." the Watcher Captain said, his voice trembling. "Turning our comrade into a mutated creature..."
"Comrade?" Leon scoffed, descending from the ceiling. "He has merely become a more perfect being. He now possesses a power far purer than your false light."
Chain of Despair
As the remaining Watchers desperately tried to flee, Leon blocked their path. This time, black flames erupted from his entire body. These flames were different from ordinary fire. They were the flames of chaos, not burning matter, but annihilating existence itself.
"It's over."
Leon spread his arms, and the black flames swept through the entire cave like a tide. The Watchers' screams echoed, but even those sounds soon turned into silence. Not even ash remained where the flames had passed. Everything had been completely erased.
Only the Watcher Captain resisted until the very end. He exploded all the Aether in his body, attempting a final charge at Leon.
"For... the justice... of Light!"
But Leon met his attack with one hand. The moment the Captain's sword touched Leon's palm, it corroded and vanished right there. And Leon's other hand wrapped around the Captain's neck.
"Justice?" Leon scoffed. "The strong dominating the weak, that is true justice."
Light Aether drained from the Captain's body. But this time, it wasn't mere absorption. Leon was also absorbing his memories. The Captain's lifelong convictions, his love for his comrades, his will to protect the Land of Light. All of it flowed into Leon, transforming into black chaos.
"Good memories," Leon said. "But now all that hope has turned to despair."
As the Captain took his last breath, the cave fell into complete silence.
The Queen of Destruction
Leon stood alone in the center of the cave, gazing at the results of his actions. The Aether Purification Stone had completely transformed into a black crystal of chaos, and the remnants of his power pulsed throughout the mine. Black fissures stretched across the walls, from which Chaos Aether continuously seeped out.
All twelve Watchers were gone. Some were completely annihilated, some were absorbed by Leon, and one had become a mutated creature, wandering somewhere in the darkness.
"Perfect."
The absorbed Light Aether flowed through Leon's body, converted into chaos. His power was several times stronger than before, and the Watchers' combat skills and knowledge had become his own. He now knew the Land of Light's defense systems and tactics inside and out.
More importantly, his existence had transcended mere personal revenge, becoming an existential threat to the entire order of Light. Tonight's events would send shockwaves throughout the Land of Light.
Leon placed his hand on the transformed Purification Stone. This crystal was now a powerful weapon that would convert Light Aether into chaos. With this during the attack on the Tower of Radiance, the enemies' shields would crumble from within.
"Now the real fun begins."
A mad anticipation flickered in Leon's eyes. A profound satisfaction, incomparable to the pleasure of avenging himself on Ares, filled him. This was true power. Not merely defeating enemies, but making their very existence a part of himself.
He exited the cave and looked up at the night sky. In the direction of the Land of Light, alarm lights were flashing in the distance. The disruption of contact with the Crystal Mine had made them realize that something serious had occurred.
"We'll meet soon, Light," Leon murmured. "It will be far more entertaining than tonight."
His laughter echoed across the wasteland, and in the darkness, countless mutated creatures began to gather, responding to his call. A black aura spread around Leon, and the night itself was becoming his.
Only a few days remained until the attack on the Tower of Radiance. And then, the Land of Light would know what true chaos was.