Chapter 519: Shattered Soul

BOOM!

Nier disappeared from his position and reappeared directly in front of Leon, moving so quickly that it seemed as though he had teleported.

His spear swept forward, aiming to pierce Leon before he could complete whatever he was planning.

Time Stop!

The world turned grey once more.

Leon immediately jumped into the air, raising the [Soulsworn Hammer] above his head as he prepared to bring it down with all his strength.

The head of the hammer began glowing with an intense blue light, its energy growing.

However, Nier had already adapted to Leon’s abilities.

As time resumed, the Lord of Souls turned toward the space where Leon had been standing, only to realize that his opponent was now above him.

Without hesitation, Nier moved again, appearing behind Leon before slamming his spear into his body.

The attack struck with tremendous force, sending Leon crashing toward the ground before he could bring the hammer down.

"LEON!" Celeste shouted, her voice filled with panic.

"Fool!" Nier roared, looking down at Leon. "I already know your tricks!"

He had seen Leon use [Time Stop] before, and he had learned to anticipate the brief moment when his opponent would attempt to attack after time resumed.

Even with such a powerful ability, Leon could not guarantee that his attacks would land against an opponent who was this fast.

But before Nier could follow up with another strike, something shot out from Leon’s chest.

Alphox, the baby dragon, appeared in front of the Lord of Souls and swung his claws at him.

The attack struck Nier’s soul directly.

"GAH!"

Nier staggered backward, his eyes widening as a sharp pain spread through his soul.

Unlike Leon’s physical attacks, Alphox’s claws had managed to inflict genuine damage, catching the tower boss off guard when he least expected it.

For the first time in the battle, Nier’s expression twisted with more than simple annoyance.

"JUST LET ME TAKE YOUR SOULS!"

He swung the hand holding his spear and struck Alphox, sending the baby dragon flying across the chamber.

Alphox crashed to the ground and remained motionless, apparently knocked unconscious by the force of the blow.

With nobody able to fight any longer, Nier finally had the opportunity to end this without further interference.

Soul flames gathered around his body, spreading through the throne hall as the energy within them continued to rise.

The pressure grew heavier with every passing moment, and even the flames seemed to bend toward the Lord of Souls as he prepared to destroy everything in front of him.

"Nothing but pests," he muttered, shaking his head. "If you had simply stood still, this would have been so much easier."

’Damn,’ Leon thought as he struggled to recover. ’I need to end this right now.’

He had only one chance left to land the decisive strike with the [Soulsworn Hammer].

The weapon was ready, but Nier was too fast, and even [Time Stop] had failed to guarantee that Leon could hit him.

Alphox had been knocked unconscious, while Emilia, Celeste, and Violet were still struggling beneath the pressure of the [Soul Domain].

None of them seemed capable of helping him, and Leon could feel his opportunity slipping away as Nier’s power approached its peak.

The Lord of Souls smiled as he prepared to release the energy he had gathered.

"My hardest battle in centuries," he said, acknowledging Leon’s strength while continuing to charge his final attack. "But you are not strong enough, human. Perhaps you’ll win in the next life..."

He raised his spear, however, just before he could release the attack, a powerful wave of embers struck him from behind.

The attack caught Nier completely off guard, slamming into his back and damaging his soul like never before.

The energy spread through his body, and thick smoke began rising from his armor as his white eyes lost their focus.

His knees buckled, and his spear slipped from his hand as he stumbled forward.

"What...?"

Nier struggled to remain standing before slowly turning his head toward the source of the attack: it was Celeste.

Her arms were stretched forward, and a small phoenix hovered around her body.

Although the pressure of the [Soul Domain] had forced her to her knees, she had managed to rise and unleash her attack.

Her expression was filled with determination as she continued directing her [Darkness Embers] toward Nier, refusing to let the flames weaken.

Just like in the "tutorial" of the Tower of Souls, seeing Leon suffer had pushed Celeste’s emotions to their limit.

Her soul responded to those emotions, and the power of her [Darkness Embers] reinforced it enough for her to resist the domain’s pressure and fight back.

She had found a way to stand when nobody else could, and she had used that opportunity to strike Nier’s soul directly.

"YOU PEST!" Nier roared, struggling to straighten his body as smoke continued pouring from his armor. "YOU CAN ATTACK THE SOUL TOO?"

His surprise quickly turned into rage, but the damage had already been done.

His soul had been severely injured by Celeste’s attack, and the flames that had once surrounded him with overwhelming power began to flicker.

That was the opening Leon needed.

He immediately rushed forward, gripping the [Soulsworn Hammer] with both hands as its head began glowing with blue light once more.

Nier noticed him approaching and started turning around, his eyes widening as he saw the weapon raised above Leon’s head.

"YOU FUCKING PESTS, I AM TOO CLOSE TO FALL—"

That was all he managed to say.

SLAM!

Leon brought the [Soulsworn Hammer] down with all the strength he could muster, striking Nier directly as the weapon completed its fiftieth strike.

This time, the attack was different.

The hammer unleashed its accumulated power in a devastating soul attack, striking Nier’s already damaged soul directly.

Celeste’s [Darkness Embers] had weakened his defenses, leaving him unable to withstand the full force of the final blow.

A sharp cracking sound echoed through the throne hall: Nier’s soul shattered.

The Lord of Souls stood frozen for a brief moment, his white eyes losing their remaining light as the energy surrounding his body disappeared.

The pressure of the [Soul Domain] faded almost immediately, and the flames that had covered the chamber vanished along with it.

His spear slipped from his hand and struck the floor as his body finally collapsed.

The Lord of Souls was dead.

Ding!

[You have killed "Lord of Souls, Nier" and gained 35,000,000 experience points.]

[100% Drop Rate has triggered...]

Leon lowered the hammer and looked at the fallen tower boss, breathing heavily after the battle.

He had defeated the opponent who had seemed impossible to kill, and it had taken the combined efforts of himself, Alphox and Celeste to find an opening.

"Huh," Leon muttered as he glanced at the notification. "I only got a panel for Nier, but not for all the soldiers I killed before."

He looked up toward the throne and the remaining figures standing around it, only to see them beginning to disappear.

The soldiers who had survived the battle vanished one after another, followed by the women who had been kneeling beside Nier.

Leon immediately understood what was happening, "Haha, that guy was more pathetic than I thought."

They had never been real beings to begin with.

They were simply creations the Lord of Souls used to entertain himself as he was lonely, and with Nier’s death, they had all vanished.