Leon sighed as he walked on, he still felt the lady following behind him, he was already getting irritated.
He decided to walk into an alley, as soon as he walked into the alley, his surroundings warped and he found himself in a flatland with huge craters everywhere.
There were sounds of battle going on around as more and more craters were formed.
"What...the hell just happened?" Leon was shocked, but the one who was more shocked was the lady who had been following him.
"Huh?!!" She looked into the alley and did not see Leon.
"How could he have disappeared -ugh!" She said before groaning as she tried to step in but she was pushed back as if she had bump into a wall.
"A battle space?....who the f*ck opens a battle space in an alley?" The lady muttered to herself earning her weird glances at the people who were passing by.
She shook her head, "that's not the question, how did he enter it, no one can enter another's battle space without consent"
She took out her phone and made a call, "a battle space was created at an alley within central district"
Meanwhile, Leon was running for his life as explosions sounded in the air above him.
"Whoever you are, STOP!!!" Leon screamed out and the explosions stopped to his surprise.
Just then a Netherkin appeared in front of him and stretched it's hand towards his face, Leon had no chance to react and only watched as the hands moved closer to his face.
There was flashing light which caused Leon to close his eyes, and he felt his body move, when he opened his eyes he found himself standing some distances away from the netherkin but he was standing alone.
Standing beside Leon was a man with bulging muscles, long red hair which resembled the mane of a lion, he wore a pair of black golden gauntlets, his torso was bare.
The man turned his head to look at Leon who was looking at him with surprise in his eyes, the man frowned, "how could a null walk into a battle space?"
"Tch!" Clicking his tongue, he punched the air in front of him, the netherkin appeared there and was repelled back and Leon's heart skipped a beat as he felt the sharp end of the netherkin's spear had almost impaled his throat.
"F**k!" Leon cursed as he collapsed to the ground as he stared wide-eyed at the netherkin who had regained his balance as he clicked his tongue. Feeling Leon's gaze, he looked at him and grinned.
"You have no affinity, you're better off dead instead of looking for revenge" the netherkin said which surprised Leon but it made the man frown.
"Ah, I guess you did not know about it, Zephyrus... It's the same thing that happened twelve years ago" the netherkin said as his grin deepened.
"It's you, you were the netherkin with that man...what was his name...Jerome" Leon said as he stood up while pointing a finger at the netherkin.
Zephyrus' eyes widened at the name that was mentioned, he glared at Leon, "you must never accuse a pillar, young man"
"Accuse?" Leon turned his head and glared at Zephyrus who was startled as he had seen his eyes before.
"Heh, Zephyrus, you are still as gullible, do you know why Jerome recommended you for this task?" The netherkin asked and Zephyrus frowned.
"I am no mere netherkin, I have already become a high monarch class Netherkin" the netherkin said.
"So Jerome recommended you to come and die"
"That's absurd" Zephyrus refuted which made the netherkin to erupt into laughter.
"That's why I said you are gullible, are so trustworthy of a man who colluded with your enemies behind your backs and is killing you all off..." The netherkin said before pointing at Leon who was glaring at him.
"...his parents thought the same, and what happened?...they became my increase in power"
"Huh?" Zephyrus was surprised.
"Remember the Tempest couple from twelve years ago?" the netherkin asked to which Zephyrus' eyes widened before he looked sideways at Leon who was glaring at the netherkin.
"I killed them and it was under the watch of Jerome"
Zephyrus shook his head and denied it which caused the netherkin to laugh out loud.
"I've said too much, but it's fine since the dead tell no tales, I would tell you my name, Morphas, that's my name..."
"Remember you died at the hands of Morphas"
The netherkin pointed his spear at Zephyrus and Leon and his energy swirled around him and moved towards the blade of the spear and concentrated there before forming a purplish black ball of energy, which increased in size with time.
Zephyrus' gaze became solemn as he looked at the ball of energy that was increasing with size.
"It was nice knowing you, you can die now" Morphas said as he shot the balm towards Zephyrus who crossed his arms in front of him as a golden black shield formed before him, he turned his head to look at Leon but he did not see the latter.
"When?-" Zephyrus had no time to find out as the ball of energy slammed into the shield which immediately cracked but with gritted teeth, Zephyrus reinforced the barrier but it was not enough as the barrier kept cracking andit finally broke followed by an explosion that swallowed up Zephyrus.
Morphas gasped as he looked at the aftersmoke of the explosion while waited for his strength to soar, but he did not feel anything after a while and he frowned.
"What - gwahh!" Morphas was not able to finish his statement before he coughed out black blood, with widened eyes he stared down at his chest where a dagger had been plunged through.
Looking at the person holding the dagger, his lips curved into a smirk. "How unexpected..."
Leon who was covered in burns as he glared at Morphas while pushing the dagger deeper into his chest.
Morphas' smirk disappeared before he gazed coldly at Leon, "even if you kill me, I'll make sure you would die at the hands of your fellow race"
Hearing those words, Leon's eyes widened as he attempted to let go of the dagger but his figure remained in place as if he was tied there.
"There's no use trying to run, I don't go back on my words" Morphas said as more blood came out of his mouth, he raised his right hand placed it on Leon's head.
"No...no...no...-AAAAAAAHHHH"
Morphas grinned as he watched Leon struggling, "As a monarch, I earned the ability to change the biology of any race, you will be my first!"
Leon's blazer and shirt ripped off his body as he screamed as rune markings appeared on his body, a pair of horns protruded out of his forehead while his back wiggled as a pair of scaly black wings emerged from his back. Seeing the wings came as a shock to Morphas, because netherkins do not possess wings unless they steal such ability from beasts, his shock disappeared before he grinned with a thought. A perfect specimen.
Just then a bloody palm touched Leon's back as black golden energy swirled into him, when Morphas saw who, he was puzzled before he grinned widely again.
"You didn't die from that, but this struggle is useless,I'm almost succeeding, I will revive through him"
Zephyrus glared at Morphas as he sent his free hand through the latter's chest to the back and pulled it out, in his hand, a beating heart lay which he immediately squashed.
"Heh, even if you do this, even if I do not revive through him, he would become a full-fledged netherkin and my successor" Morphas said with a laugh as his body began to break apart.
"You won't be successful if our energies run amok within him, would you?" Zephyrus smiled for the first time as he stared at Morphas whose body kept breaking.
Without any changes in his expression, Morphas just sighed, "Ah, you are... one crazy...bastard"
'but I'm sure he would survive it' he thought to himself.
The battle space began to fall apart before an explosion rang out through it and swallowed all three of them.