The world had slowed down to a crawl, his mind moving at insane speeds. Leonidas’s eyes dashed around the battlefield, taking in everything that was happening.

His feet carved a deep crater in the earth, stone turned to rubble. His cerulean eyes locked onto Mantis’s form, the beast moving so fast it was almost invisible.

Almost.

[No Will], the second enchantment of his Edict, [Wisdom Of The Lamb], allowed him to weaken others’ will and turn their mind sluggish.

And he did exactly that.

The invisible tendrils wrapped around the speeding beast, and instantly, its movements slowed down ever so slightly.

That moment was enough for Savior as her fist, covered in a gauntlet of ruby, smashed into Mantis’s face.

Thirteen Seconds.

The battle escalated as Leonidas joined the fray. He lashed out at the pilgrim with murder in his eyes, missing each hit by a hair’s breadth.

Just in front of him, Willow fought with a wounded Root, its regeneration slowed down significantly. The beast was close to dying, and Willow seemed hellbent on being the one to do it.

She had no sword—converted to gas that covered Savior—but her steel gauntlets had transformed into curved claws, similar to the ones she had last regression.

A sudden blow made Leonidas duck, Mantis’s cursed claw whistling above him. Even though it could not use the supersonic attack, the beast seemed to have plenty of other abilities in its arsenal.

Twelve Seconds.

Leonidas lashed out at Mantis one final time, his blade finally biting into its infernal carapace, drawing thick blood.

Savior was beside him in a moment, arms crossed.

Eleven Seconds.

A loud boom echoed across the clearing, tearing a hole in reality itself. Mantis’s claws crashed against Savior’s guard, earning a hateful gaze from the infernal knight.

Cracks spread across the crimson guard she wore, ruby chipping off like dust from an old ceiling.

With her arms compromised, Savior kicked Mantis, but the nimble pilgrim avoided by a hair’s breadth.

It turned, only to find Leonidas there, pink blade moving straight for its head. Ahh, but it already knew.

Ten Seconds.

Mantis shrieked and bit Blush with its horrid mandibles, green blood flowing from its mouth. Unfazed, it pulled, tearing the blade away from Leonidas’s hand.

A dark expression made its way onto his face, hidden underneath the cracked mask. He snarled, then lunged.

Mantis dodged without a second thought, its clawed feet moving nimbly. But that was the plan.

Out of nowhere, Savior appeared, grabbing the accursed beast, her adamantine grip crushing the damned beast.

Nine Seconds.

Their efforts, about to be rewarded, were shattered when Root realized its Manifest was about to die.

The dying plant broke free from the ground, the first time Leonidas had seen its whole body.

Stump...its body was stumped at the bottom, a clean slice, as if a master chef had done it himself.

The titanic root stretched forward, throwing Willow off balance. It wrapped around Savior’s waist and threw the giant across the battlefield.

Eight Seconds.

Fear etched itself on Leonidas’s face. The timer was up, and with no knight to protect him...Leonidas was as good as dead.

Ruby roses formed around him, dozens, hundreds, all stacked on top of each other at a desperate attempt at survival. He drained half his Insenium.

Mantis appeared over him with a boom, claws already clenched. Leonidas didn’t see when it had swung, but the sound of shattering glass made its way into his mind, a haunting cacophony of his doom.

Doom indeed. The last rose, which was shielding him from Mantis’s claws, shattered, the incoming blow tearing through space and time itself.

He heard Savior shuffling behind him, straining to stand. He also saw Willow, a spectral wolf, made of crimson light, standing behind her.

It was a beast of majesty, a sight Leonidas felt worthy of being his last. Resigned to his fate, he waited, but nothing came.

Seven Seconds.

His eyes opened, shock hidden in their oceanic depths. The blow had been blocked by the very same wolf he had been admiring just before.

The beast was flickering, its form slowly dissolving. Mantis’s supersonic punch had broken through its spectral form.

Spite burned in its eyes, but to Leonidas’s surprise, it wasn’t directed at Mantis; no, the wolf was staring at Root.

And so was Willow.

Pieces slowly fell together as he realized what had happened. Willow’s Mark allowed her to interact with all 27 Source Elements.

And as it just so happened, there was a God of Spite. From what he knew, she had to somehow coerce the elements into doing her bidding, and what better way to coerce someone than embodying their very self.

She was burning with malevolent hatred for Root, and so she had manifested her hatred in the form of a wolf, a prime predator.

But much to her disappointment, she had to use the wolf to save Leonidas.

Still dazed at nearly dying again, he forced himself to calm down.

Six Seconds.

By then, Savior had already arrived, the mist covering her armor turned into a great sword—Smoother Criminal.

Their battle began anew, more haunting and desperate than the first half. Savior was near death, and Leonidas had basically depleted his Insenium reserves. Their enemies, on the other hand, were equally battered.

Mantis was bleeding from a lot of places, its face was broken beyond repair, and a large cut ran across its back.

Root was already dead, having exhausted itself in its final gamble, trying to free its vile spawn.

Savior attacked the beast straight on, her armor shifted into the Murder Form, jagged blades of onyx metal sticking from every surface.

Leonidas went to the left, while Willow attacked it from behind, a combined assault from all three of them.

Everything would be decided in a single clash. Either they emerge victorious and kill it, or Mantis escapes and kills Savior, and then he and Willow.

Not the most ideal outcome, Leonidas really didn’t want to redo the entire ordeal.

Five Seconds.