Eventually, the guards stopped coming. Leon had buried a little more than two thousand guards. So, a few things became clear. Donan was plotting something… or perhaps Leon chose a bad moment to attack. There was a chance that Donan was paying a visit to that shadowy figure, after all.

"… Maybe he is waiting for the soldiers of the front line… they probably won't leave the barrier unprotected, but they will probably send more than a few soldiers. No… Donan wouldn't wait for that. He kicked my ass the last time we met, after all."

Leon flew high to see the situation around, there was no sign of other guards, but Leon could see signs of destruction in the distance. Most likely, Gurr and his people weren't the only ones who decided to take advantage of the chaos.

"Causing so many problems to me…"

Leon thought of shooting a few Mana Bullets on them, but he forgot about that when he noticed two figures flying and approaching at fearsome speed. Eventually, they slowed down, but that didn't surprise Leon. Something like that was within his expectations, Leon just confirmed what Donan was planning when he saw him smirking… alongside Donan, Leon saw Darya looking at him. Her eyes full of hate, and there wasn't a single sign that she could remember that they worked and traveled together for almost an entire year… this time, Donan make sure to erase her memories of a whole year.

"Invader," Donan smiled arrogantly.

"Dog," Leon waved his right hand at him.

As expected, Donan became furious, but he didn't do anything. Instead, Darya attacked Leon using Gravity and Telekinesis. Her powers increased a lot in the last few months, but she wasn't the only one who improved. Thanks to Lion's Pride, Leon withstood Darya's combination of spells.

"He is stronger than you said, grandfather," Darya murmured.

"Yes… it looks like he obtained a few more tricks," Donan glared at Leon. "But don't worry if we work together, we can easily defeat the invader."

"Yes, grandfather!" Darya said excitedly.

Leon couldn't help but sigh, in the end, Donan did what he had imagined. He erased Darya's memories and then treated her well for several months while training her just to build her loyalty. Although he was an asshole, he wasn't an idiot. After the battle against Leon, he noticed that soon Leon would be more than just a small nuisance. So, he worked with that in mind to avoid some headaches in the long run. Still… despite thinking that he was prudent, Donan wasn't careful enough.

"Cover me, we will finish this quickly, and then we will deal with the other sewer rats," Donan said.

"Yes, grandfather!" Darya said excitedly.

Leon also prepared, putting his arms in front of himself to protect his mouth and his vital organs, Leon glared at Donan. It was the famous peek-A-Boo style… and that was one of the only two things Leon practiced over the course of the last month. Donan frowned when he saw that, it looked like Leon wanted a fistfight. Even though he had seen his bracers before, he only thought those were just only for protection.

"You will pay for your insolence…" Donan said.

"Please, don't bite me too roughly. Dog." Leon said.

The next moment, Leon got sent flying a few meters backward. In his previous position, he saw Donan standing there, showing an expression which was a mix of surprise and annoyance. Leon blocked his attack entirely. He received damage. But the bones that got cracked started to mend a few seconds later, thanks to Regeneration.

"It is my turn now," Leon said.

Even though Transfer was useful, it wasn't enough to surprise someone like Donan. Besides, Darya was there to support her grandfather. So, Leon decided to go all out from the very beginning. He wasn't in anime where he could hold back his powers and slowly fight more seriously after all. After using Haste, Transfer, Strong Arms, and Bash, Leon appeared on Donan's right side and punched his face twice in rapid succession, much faster than he could shoot spells. The fist punch scratched Donan's face a little, but the second, it sent him flying the same distance he made Leon fly. Not only that, but Leon also made Donan feel the taste of his own blood.

"Heh, that is the power of the basics," Leon smirked. "Not even you can withstand the might power of the legendary one-two."

The second thing Leon trained for a month… the one-two. As much as he wanted to use some cool techniques like Omnislash or even the Dempsey Roll, Leon was aware that he wasn't that skilled. The last six years turned him into a survivor, but he was a survivor with inadequate motor coordination. It would take a few years for him to learn those special moves… that being said, the most straightforward combination of punches surprised Donan. He became even more speechless when he noticed that he lost his mana.

"What's wrong, dog?" Leon smirked, "Cat got your tongue?"

Donan (Shadow)

Health: 6821/7000

Mana: 6785/7000

Stamina: 7000/7000

Active Skills: ????, ????, ????, ????

Passive Skills: ????, ????, ????, ????

Donan's face turned red of anger, and for some reason, his status increased. Leon frowned when he saw that, but not for long because he had seen such a thing happening to himself several times in the last month. His status increased whenever he was fighting alone or practicing… that only meant one thing. Donan's had a skill similar to Lion's Pride.

"Wrath…" Leon murmured.

"Ah… so you have a cursed skill, too." Donan smiled. "No wonder you grew stronger more than I predicted."

That was unexpected, one of the secrets behind Donan's strength was also the secret behind Leon's power… things won't be so easy as he had imagined.