Chapter 69: The Breaking Point

The clanging sound of dozens of steel weapons being drawn echoed sharply off the cold metal walls, completely trapping them inside the warehouse. The ring of rogue guards closed in tightly, their faces covered in dark helmets as they raised their blades.

Leo stood firmly in the center of the floorboards, his fingers tightening so hard around the leather hilt of his broadsword that his knuckles turned white. His eyes narrowed into a fierce, intense glare as he stared straight up at the metal catwalk where Prince Felipe stood smiling.

"This isn't a fricking game, Felipe!" Leo roared out, his deep voice snapping with terrifying authority throughout the empty room. He took a step forward, pointing his blade directly at the prince's chest. "Let her go right now, or I swear to God I will tear this entire building down with my bare hands!"

Prince Felipe let out a deeply amused chuckle, leaning his hands casually against the iron railing as his blue eyes flashed with pure, mocking arrogance. He tilted his head down, looking at Leo with total disdain. "Take her if you can, commoner. Though I am completely, entirely certain a street rat like you won't even survive the next three minutes."

Standing right next to Leo, Alistair Roslav’s disciplined mask completely shattered into raw, trembling anger. He drew his own elegant royal blade, his purple hair catching the dim spotlight as he glared at his former rival. "Felipe! If my sister experiences even a single scratch on her body, I will personally ensure that I hunt you down and kill you myself! Your entire kingdom will burn for this treason!"

Felipe’s smirk widened into a wide, malicious grin under the spotlights. He waved his hand dismissively to his rogue soldiers. "Try to save your own pathetic skin first, Alistair. Then you can think about saving your precious little sister. Kill the commoner, and beat the guards to a pulp!"

"Leo! Alistair! Watch out!" Eleanor screamed frantically from her chair, her face completely pale as the fifty armored rogue soldiers lunged forward from every single direction, their sharp steel blades slicing through the air as the massive warehouse battle officially explodes.

The armored rogue soldiers moved with terrifying speed, the clanging of their iron boots vibrating through the concrete floorboards.

"Fulfill your lines!" Alistair roared out authoritatively, his elegant royal blade flashing as he lunged forward alongside his twenty elite guards to clash with the front line of the ambush.

Leo didn't hesitate for a single second. He planted his boots firmly into the dirt, his large fingers locking tightly around the broadsword hilt as he let loose his raw physical strength. Three rogue soldiers lunged at him simultaneously, their sharp swords slicing down in lethal arcs. Leo tilted his upper torso sideways with flawless fluidity, allowing the steel to miss his skin by a mere fraction of an inch, before executing a devastating, sweeping counter-strike.

BANG!

The immense force of his swing shattered their iron shields, sending all three men flying backward across the room until they crashed against the brick walls.

Beside him, Alistair moved like a disciplined shadow, his royal swordsmanship cutting cleanly through the rogue armor. The two of them formed a spectacular, high-efficiency combat line in the center of the sand, moving in perfect, accidental synchronization as they drop enemy fighters left and right.

Alistair aggressively parried a low strike, stepping back to catch his breath. His sharp violet eyes naturally drifted sideways, locking onto Leo. He watched in total, jaw-dropping shock as Leo flawlessly deflected a heavy steel mace, spun past the guard, and knocked another two soldiers flat onto the floor boards with pure, brutal dominance. How is this possible? Alistair thought frantically, his mind completely reeling. His intense skill levels are completely out of range for a commoner. He fights like an absolute battlefield god.

Lost in his sudden amazement, Alistair completely missed an armored rogue soldier sneaking up from the dark blind spot behind his shoulder with a lethal spear raised high.

"Look out!" Leo roared.

Before the iron spear could pierce Alistair’s back, Leo lunged forward with flash-speed, throwing his broad chest straight into the danger line. He swung his steel broadsword upward with an aggressive strike, cleanly snapping the rogue's wooden spear shaft in half and driving his hilt flat into the enemy's helmet, knocking him out instantly.

But the tip of the broken spear had caught the edge of Leo's shoulder. A sudden, sharp tear parted the fabric of his shirt, leaving a shallow, burning cut across his skin as red blood began to stain the gray material.

Leo gritted his teeth against the sting, a dark rumble of a laugh escaping his lips as he stood tall right in front of the stunned prince. He gripped his sword hilt tightly, his dark eyes locking onto the surrounding chaos. "Keep your focus, Alistair. Pay attention to your surroundings if you want to walk out of here alive."

Alistair stared blankly at Leo’s bleeding shoulder, a wave of intense respect and deep infatuation with his combat strength completely shattering his haughty royal pride as the battle continues.

Felipe watched the chaos on the ground from the metal catwalk, his face twisting into a desperate, panicked scowl as he realized his fifty armored men were actually losing the battle. Realizing he was completely cornered, he quickly slipped down the metal stairs, sneaked up behind Eleanor's chair, and aggressively cut her foot ropes. He grabbed her arm with a yank, forcing her to climb up a dark wooden ladder leading straight toward the high, open roof area of the warehouse.

Leo’s sharp eyes tracked the movement through the smoke of the battlefield. He deflected an oncoming blade, turning his head toward the purple-haired prince. "Alistair! Felipe is dragging Eleanor up to the top roof! I'm going up there to get her back right now!"

Alistair parried a low strike, kicking a rogue guard away before offering a firm, serious nod. His violet eyes locked onto Leo's bleeding shoulder. "Go, Leo! Leave the ground forces to me! Just be incredibly careful up there!"

Leo didn't waste a single second. He planted his boots into the concrete floorboards and sprinted forward at absolute flash-speed, his body bounding up the metal steps and ladders leading to the upper rafters of the warehouse.

He burst through the upper door onto a wide, high metal platform right under the ceiling beams.

"Stop right there, commoner!" Felipe roared out frantically. He stood at the far edge of the platform, his hands trembling with pure panic as he held the sharp, cold edge of his steel rapier directly against Eleanor’s pale neck. Eleanor was forced to her knees, her beautiful purple gown torn at the edges as she struggled to breathe under his grip. Felipe’s blue eyes were wild and unstable. "One more step, Leo, and she is completely gone! Throw away your weapon and surrender yourself to me right now, or I will slice her throat open!"

"Leo... no!" Eleanor screamed out through her tears, her voice cracking with deep emotion as she looked at his bleeding shoulder. "Do not listen to him! Don't worry about me at all! If you drop your weapon, he will definitely kill you!"

Leo stopped his feet, standing perfectly still in the center of the high walkway. He looked at Felipe’s trembling blade, then shifted his dark eyes down to Eleanor’s crying face, letting out a long, heavily exhausted sigh. The sheer frustration of the whole situation made him shake his head. With a slow, deliberate movement, he loosened his fingers, letting his steel broadsword fall straight out of his hand.

CLANG.

The weapon crashed loudly against the metal floorboards, rolling a few feet away.

Prince Felipe let out a loud, excited laugh of absolute triumph, his egoist pride exploding back to life as he assumed he had completely won the encounter. "A truly pathetic commoner to the very end!" he mocked loudly. With a rough heave, he threw Eleanor flat onto the hard ground to free his hands, drawing a second dagger as he lunged forward across the metal walkway to stab Leo through the chest.