Chapter 517: Leon VS Lord of Souls [1]

Before anyone could fully react, the Lord of Souls unleashed two abilities in quick succession.

The first sent a surge of soul power directly toward him, bypassing his physical defenses and striking his soul with terrifying force.

Leon felt an intense pain spread through his very being, and his movements faltered as cracks began forming across his soul.

Before he could recover, Nier followed with another attack, directing a second burst of soul power into the same point.

The impact damaged Leon’s Soul Armor tremendously, though it managed to tank the attack.

At the same time, Leon’s Soul Protection sub-talent repaired the damage before it could become fatal.

Leon retreated several steps, breathing heavily as the pain slowly subsided.

“INCREDIBLE!” Nier shouted, laughing as he watched Leon recover. “Nobody has ever lasted this long before!”

Leon ignored his words and raised his staff.

If he wanted to defeat Nier, he needed to find an opening before the tower boss could unleash another combination of soul attacks.

Soul Chains!

Countless chains erupted from the ground, surging toward Nier before wrapping around his arms, legs, and torso.

The Lord of Souls tried to move, but the chains tightened around him, successfully restraining his body and preventing him from attacking.

Nier glanced down at the chains, seemingly more interested than concerned.

“Interesting ability,” he remarked with a satisfied nod. “Able to bind means that it’s powerful. I wonder how much damage it can—”

Leon did not give him time to finish.

He immediately rushed forward, his sword glowing with a mixture of white and crimson light as he gathered his power into the blade.

The energy intensified with every step, and by the time he reached Nier, the weapon was shining brightly enough to illuminate the surrounding chamber.

Eclipse Annihilation!

Hundreds of slashes erupted around the restrained Lord of Souls, striking him from every direction.

The first attacks cracked his armor, while the following strikes tore through his defenses and severed his limbs.

Leon continued his assault without hesitation, cutting across Nier’s torso and face until his entire body had been reduced to a mutilated mess.

The [Soul Chains] held him in place throughout the attack, leaving him unable to evade even a single slash.

When the final strike landed, Nier’s body hung motionless in the air, his armor shattered and his limbs severed.

There was no visible sign that he could continue fighting.

“D-Did you do it?!” Emilia stammered, staring at the scene from the ground.

For anyone looking at Nier, the result seemed obvious.

His body was completely destroyed, and not even the slightest movement came from him as the chains continued to restrain what remained.

And yet…

“Very good!”

Leon’s eyes widened as Nier suddenly lifted his head.

One of his eyes had slipped out of its socket, and his face was barely recognizable, but he was still capable of speaking.

“But… physical attacks aren’t strong enough to kill me!”

Fwoosh! BOOM!

The white heart symbol on Nier’s armor began to glow before releasing a tremendous burst of energy.

In an instant, the power spread throughout his ruined body, restoring his severed limbs and closing his wounds.

His damaged face returned to normal, and the shattered pieces of armor reformed around him.

Within a single second, Nier had completely recovered.

‘What the fuck?’

Leon stared at him in disbelief. He had used [Eclipse Annihilation] at close range and landed hundreds of direct hits, yet Nier had healed as though the attack had never happened.

The Lord of Souls flexed his arms and tore through the [Soul Chains] with a single motion before landing on the ground, his spear firmly in hand.

At that moment, Leon finally understood what he had to do.

Destroying Nier’s body was meaningless if he could regenerate from any physical injury.

The only way to kill him was to destroy his soul, but accomplishing that would be far more difficult than simply landing a powerful attack.

It also explained why nobody had managed to defeat the Lord of Souls before, perhaps even the being who trapped him here was unable to do so.

To kill Nier, someone needed a soul attack strong enough to shatter a maxed-out soul protected by an S-Level sub-talent.

Soul attacks were already rare, and finding one powerful enough to overcome those defenses was practically impossible for even the strongest players and natives.

Leon himself had only two soul attacks available, and neither had proven capable of killing Nier.

‘He survived [Cataclysmic Soul Fireball], and I don’t think he’ll let [Soul Chains] slowly crack his soul either.’

“Do you understand now?” Nier asked, his face twisting into a malicious smile. “Your souls were mine the moment you entered my tower.”

Leon’s expression did not change. He raised his staff toward the Lord of Souls and immediately cast his spell.

Cataclysmic Soul Fireball!

A massive fireball shot toward Nier before exploding against his body.

BOOM!

The blast engulfed the tower boss, filling the throne hall with flames and soul energy.

However, when the smoke cleared, Nier was still standing, having endured the attack without suffering any serious damage.

You could throw a million of them, and it wouldn’t make a difference!” he declared.

Cataclysmic Soul Fireball!

BOOM!

“You…”

Cataclysmic Soul Fireball!

BOOM!

“Are…”

Cataclysmic Soul Fireball!

BOOM!

“…DEAD!”

Nier charged through the flames with a wide smile, his spear aimed directly at Leon’s heart.

Shadow Bullets!

Dozens of dark projectiles shot toward the incoming tower boss, piercing his body from multiple directions.

Nier did not even attempt to dodge them, allowing the bullets to tear through his flesh while his wounds healed almost immediately.

SLASH!

His spear swept toward Leon, who raised his sword to block the attack.

The impact shook his arms, but he managed to hold his ground before Nier could follow up with another strike.

Abyssal Execution!

Leon sank into the ground just as the spear came crashing down again, disappearing into the darkness beneath his feet.

“Hiding?” Nier asked, glancing around the chamber as he searched for his opponent. “I see…”

He raised his foot and slammed it against the ground.

The entire throne hall trembled as the soul fire under his control rose several centimeters above the floor, spreading across the chamber in a continuous wave.

The flames carried the same power that had allowed him to attack Leon’s soul directly, making it impossible to remain hidden beneath the ground without suffering damage.

Leon felt the pain almost immediately.

The soul fire reached him beneath the surface, forcing him to abandon his hiding place and emerge from the darkness.

However, the moment he appeared, Nier was already standing in front of him.

The Lord of Souls unleashed his flames, covering Leon’s body and weakening his [Soul Armor] even more as the soul-targeting energy assaulted him.

Time Stop!

Leon stopped time, allowing himself to evade the attack. But as time resumed, Nier had disappeared as well.

“You can teleport too?”

“What—?”

Nier appeared right behind Leon, and thrust his spear forward, piercing his body with tremendous force.

Leon was sent flying across the throne hall, crashing into one of the massive walls.

Cracks spread through the stone around him as his body fell motionless, his eyes losing their light.

Nier approached with a satisfied smile.

“You twisted your body at the last second so my attack wouldn’t hit your soul,” he remarked. “Amazing, but with that much power behind it, my attack still killed you.”

He was right. Leon had managed to shift his body at the last moment, preventing the spear from striking his soul directly, but the force of the attack had still been enough to kill him.

That didn’t bother Nier too much, because with the strongest player of the group gone, he could now deal with the girls without worrying.

His spear flashed with aura and fire as he approached them.

“As I said, your souls are mine.”