Chapter 650: Obsession

’It happened again.’

Looking at Aurora springing to action, Leo broke out of his mental conundrum. He had been had.

Despite reminding himself to stay vigilant just a moment ago, Leo simply didn’t expect his affliction to act up again this soon.

With Aurora added to the equation, saving Kara made a lot more sense. Most importantly, even if she was out of it for the moment, she was still capable of erecting new barriers after getting a chance to catch her breath.

Although her participation in the plan originally came out of nowhere, the current Kara wasn’t such a disposable piece to begin with.

It was just that the outbreak of a malicious persona had chosen to omit certain pieces of information like the true value of Kara as well as Aurora’s presence, making Leo feel that he was out of his mind.

Thankfully, his heart remained unaffected, insisting on making a decision beyond basic logic. Otherwise, Leo might have ended up making a choice that he would be ashamed of.

’I can never let my guard down, truly!’

The clowning syndrome he had previously experienced had been just a prelude to this barely avoided disaster. At this point, it was almost as if Leo was plotting against himself with ingenious schemes...

Thwakk!

Unaware of the turmoil in Leo’s head, Aurora was already atop one of the Earthen Dragons, giving him a lash before circling the whip around its neck in an attempt to force it to hit the brakes.

’Thank God.’

However, as she grabbed the whip with all the force she could muster, Aurora was actually more focused on Leo’s brawl.

If not for Leo’s timely intervention, Kara had almost been a goner!

In reality, Aurora’s current situation was merely an evolution of her attempt to save Kara. She knew that she couldn’t make it, but she had to try.

Fortunately, Leo had already made it there in time, so surrounded by the brilliance of her light, Aurora jumped onto the next most important thing: saving the castle.

’The Lord of Shadows... Not a simple villain.’

It didn’t matter to Aurora what circumstances led Leo to make the decision to save Kara.

All she knew was that he didn’t hesitate to do so. Anyone who would do something like that could never be a real villain!

The incident that started it all for him was never a proper gauge. Otherwise, considering what Aurora had done to the Thorn Trio in the last Gate, she herself might as well be a villain.

As a person who read through a portion of Leo’s past, Aurora’s judgement of him was becoming increasingly more profound.

Meanwhile...

Ding. Ding. Ding.

’Where is this?’

Ding. Ding. Ding.

With steady ringing in her ears and a hazy vision in her eyes, Kara was enveloped by a sense of loss and loneliness.

’Mom... Dad... Am I alone... Again?’

Her head jumbled into a mess, Kara wasn’t even sure where she stood within the timeline scattered in her brain.

Were her mother and father gone once again?

Was she back in the same depressing position she had been stuck in for years? Was she back when she only dreaded tomorrow rather than long for it?

Was everything good that she had seen or experienced just a dream made by her own imag-

"Kara!"

’Huh?’

"Kara!"

’Who is that?’

"Kara! Snap out of this!"

As the tinnitus started clearing and the darkness parted into a familiar face, Kara suddenly started recollecting everything she had previously forgotten!

"Master!"

The fact that the world she was stuck in had been just a nightmare overwhelmed Kara with enough joy that she completely forgot to keep her act up.

Most importantly, the one fishing her out of her nightmare was none other than Leo!

"What Master?! Are you still out of your mind?"

Naturally, Leo played it off as part of Kara still being in shock. However, Kara fervently smiled without care.

She was mostly ashamed for almost breaking apart just for receiving too strong a shock through her barrier, but at the same time, seeing the effort that her Master was exerting just to keep her alive...

’Should I pretend to be out of it for longer?’

A nonsensical thought popped out in Kara’s mind, but she quickly shook her head. What Master would appreciate a useless student like that?!

Although she excruciatingly desired to receive her Master’s undivided attention like this in a constant manner, Kara still understood her limit.

Abusing a single method too much was never good... She had to more creatively obtain it.

With this new experience carved into her brain, she uncontrollably craved more. Engineering the situation to fit her needs, however...

’It needs to be believable.’

Now definitely wasn’t the time to ’ask’ for more; a student who erred too many times in one sitting could never be a Star Pupil!

"Sorry, I must have been seeing things, but I think I’m fine now."

"Then-"

’Oh no.’

Now that she was no longer stuck in her delusions, Kara quickly remembered the ongoing problem before Leo could speak of it.

Due to the short trance that she had been forced into, three Dragons had been given free rein to do as they wished.

One of them was currently entangled with Leo, and the other was being choked by Aurora, as for the last...

"I will handle this!"

The second Earthen Dragon was only a second away from colliding into the castle, making all the hairs on Kara’s head stand on end as she mustered all her strength to attempt a last-second save!

Possessing a replica of the all-present Shadow Enigma, starry night tendrils instantly rose from the ground on her command, grabbing hold of the Earthen Dragon’s limbs.

At first glance, it seemed as if Kara’s timely attempt was quite successful. Unfortunately...

Bang!

The momentum carried in the Earthen Dragon’s body was simply too much, even for Kara’s all-out tendril hold.

It wasn’t allowed to go through the castle like a bullet, but a collision had been made.

Just like that, the Defenders’ Castle received its very first hit since the start of the Trial of Defense!