Chapter 462: All I Ask Is Your Trust [Part 1]

Hagen couldn’t fathom what happened.

He was still standing in the arena, but he could no longer hear the cheering of the crowd.

All he knew was that he must attack the young man before him. No reason behind it. The urge just overcame him.

Roaring with the very fiber of his being, the Fenrirkin lunged at Leone, poised to tear his enemy apart.

To his surprise, the young man smirked evilly and casually shifted to a boxer’s stance, standing in place as he held his ground.

In the past, Hagen might have sneered and mocked the young chieftain in his head. However, after experiencing a one-sided beating from his opponent, he no longer dared to look down on him.

As Hagen swung his claws toward the young man, hoping to slice the latter in half, a voice reached his ears.

"Dodge," Leone said as he moved his body to the right.

Hagen’s claws harmlessly went past his body. But the Fenrirkin was already prepared to unleash his next strike.

Just as he adjusted his body, he sensed something press against his cheek. He subconsciously flinched after hearing the voice that followed.

"Punch," Leone said.

Hagen felt as if the side of his face had been hit by a battering ram. Before he knew it, he was already mid-air.

He had yet to understand what happened when he felt something pressing at the side of his body.

"Kick."

"Argghhh!"

Leone had appeared right behind him, unleashing a follow-up kick that made Hagen’s body curl up like a shrimp in mid-air.

However, it was just the beginning of Leone’s combination attacks.

"Grab."

"Headbutt."

"Throw."

"Smash."

"Elbow."

"Kick."

"Chase."

"Tackle."

"Smash."

Hagen had no time to dodge, block, or even think of what to do next. He was simply deprived of time.

The consecutive attacks rained down, battering his body like he were some kind of training dummy.

Suddenly, the world slowed down, allowing him to get a good view of his opponent.

The young Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe, Leone Frontera.

A person whom Hagen believed incapable of winning against this duel that he had asked of him.

A young man whom everyone knew was not a warrior, yet was now proving himself more than a match against one of the strongest warriors of the Borderlands.

Suddenly, a thought came to his mind.

There was only one explanation for why this was happening.

He wasn’t fighting against Leone!

"You’re not Leone!" Hagen shouted in that slow-motion world, to which the clone only smirked at his words.

As if breaking the laws of the world, the clone also spoke in that slow-moving world, making Hagen’s face turn pale.

"Wrong. I am Leone Frontera," Leone’s clone replied. "You must never forget. All roads lead to me."

Leone’s fist, which was about to unleash his next attack, glowed with power.

And in that slow-moving world, Hagen heard two last words before he was swallowed up by darkness.

"Serious Punch."

A blow that surpassed all logic smashed against Hagen’s chest. At the same time, the domain, where he had been forcefully brought to, shattered like a house made of glass.

The next moment, a loud explosion echoed across the arena as Hagen smashed against the wall, destroying it completely.

Gundar, just as shocked as everyone, looked at Leone and gave his verdict.

"Leone Frontera wins!"

For a brief moment, no one spoke.

No one understood what just happened.

But through that silence, one man shouted, snapping everyone out of his daze.

"All hail Leone Frontera!" Kael shouted. "All hail the Barbarian King!"

Ulric and Jason were quick to follow Kael’s footsteps and also shouted alongside him.

""All hail Leone Frontera!""

""All hail the Barbarian King!""

The warriors of the Aslan Tribe also raised their hands and shouted, proclaiming the name of their chieftain!

""All hail Leone Frontera!""

""All hail the Barbarian King!""

"""All hail!"""

"""All hail!"""

"""All hail!"""

The young chieftain brought his hands toward his head and casually ran his fingers through his hair, brushing it upward.

"What a pity it all ended before I could use my full powers," Leone’s clone said in a voice tinged with sadness and disappointment. ""I had prepared myself for a desperate struggle, a clash of strength that would leave both of us on the brink of death.

"And yet, before I could even get warmed up, it was already over. How disappointing. Must I continue to wander this world without ever finding a worthy rival?"

Leone’s clone let out another disappointed sigh before walking off the arena stage.

He didn’t even give the fallen Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe a side-long glance. For him, this battle had ended the moment he had unleashed a "serious" punch.

As soon as he found himself standing next to his vassals, the clone closed his eyes. A few seconds later, Leone took over the vessel with a smug look on his face.

Using this opportunity, Leone turned to face the crowd.

"Hear me, children of the Earth Mother," Leone said, his voice being magnified by Daedalus, allowing it to reach every corner of the city of Eden. "For generations, the Borderlands had no ruler. But now, the coveted seat of the Barbarian King has fallen upon my shoulders.

"And by her will, I make an oath to all of you here today. I will protect the tribes. I will protect the Borderlands. I will protect MY people."

The young man then scanned the faces of everyone around him, stopping on the faces of Marcus and Elias, whose faces had grown pale after seeing their father getting trampled by Leone.

"Hagen is not the only one who doesn’t wish for me to become the Barbarian King." Leone pressed his right hand over his chest. "But, as I said, I don’t need anyone’s recognition nor validation to become King. I. AM. KING."

This declaration made everyone look at him with solemn expressions. However, Leone wasn’t finished talking.

"And to those who wish for me to lead them, all I ask for is your trust," Leone said. "What I am about to say next might seem unreasonable. What I am about to say next will sound crazy. But if you follow my lead, I will promise you this..."

"We will prevail."

"We will win this war."

"We will drive out the invaders from our land."

He paused, letting his words sink in and take root in everyone’s minds.

"This is my first order as your King," Leone declared. "Take your possessions and leave this city with me. All of us will leave Eden before the army of the Aetherion Empire arrives."

Gasps of shock spread across the arena, and then through the city, after they heard Leone’s words.

It was a crazy plan, and yet, they could tell that the one who claimed to be their King wasn’t joking in the slightest.