Chapter 57: Dio Larek

"We can run with her," Sophia said. She looked at the girl and then looked at Leon. "I wish that we could, but we can’t."

"Why not?" Leon asked.

"Because this is not a game, Leon, and you know this. Make sure you choose yourself first and then others later," she said and then grabbed the girl. "We can take her as far as we can, and after that we cannot do much."

She rushed ahead while carrying the girl.

’She is as cold as ice, and yet her softness seeps out,’ Leon thought as he watched her.

They moved through the town fast as more blasts ripped through. They found a shop where a few people were hiding inside, and Sophia immediately placed the girl there.

At the same time, one of the bone dragons flew overhead and locked onto their location. It unleashed a terrifying breath their way.

"Shit," Leon cursed and created a forcefield. He poured everything that he had into the spell. The forcefield blocked the flames. They pushed hard against it, and the heat inside grew rapidly. His hands trembled, and he could barely keep himself standing.

"I don’t know how long I can keep this up," he said while gritting his teeth.

"You need to hold up for a bit more," Sophia yelled. She looked behind her and saw everyone that was inside there, shaking in pure fear, and the only thing that stood between them and death was Leon.

"Arghhhhhhhhhhhh!" Leon roared as he kept the spell active. His entire body screamed out in pain. His hand trembled as he held the staff until the flames stopped.

Immediately after, Leon coughed up blood and fell backwards. Sophia grabbed him fast before he hit the ground and pulled him into the building.

Everyone watched them. The person that had saved their life now was none other than a kid.

Sophia held him close to her chest. He was stable and in no risk of any issue, but she was still worried that something may have happened to him.

"Don’t die on me, Leon, please don’t."

[...]

At that same time, Leon opened his eyes and he was standing close to the pillar. It was the same pillar that was at Belmont and the same one that was at Oden, and now he was looking at it.

It glowed with slow heartbeat-like pulses, each one causing a low hum.

"Where am I?" He muttered. He knew this was not the real pillar because the pillar was attacking the city right now, and this one was not.

A chuckle echoed through the empty space. It was light and mocking, more like a jester’s laughter.

Leon turned toward the sound. Someone was sitting on top of the pillar.

It was a slim man with pale skin and long hair braided into two parts, each one falling into a ponytail down his back. He wore a simple black sleeveless shirt and pants stuffed into his boots. His nails were black and a bit long, and he looked down at Leon with a certain interest in his eyes, the way someone looks at a new toy.

Leon stepped back immediately and pointed his hand forward. He reached for his staff, only to realize it was not with him.

’Shit, no staff.’

"Oh, trying to fight already?" the figure said, grinning.

"Who are you?" Leon asked.

The figure rose to his feet. He walked from one edge of the pillar to the other, slow and relaxed, and then stopped to look at Leon.

"I’m certainly the one you’re looking for."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, aren’t you looking for the person who is causing all of this?" the figure asked.

Leon’s eyes widened. He knew the name. He had known it long before today.

"Dio Larek," he said.

The figure smiled wide. "Bingo."

He spread his arms like a man greeting an audience.

"I am the outer god, Dio Larek. Well, a projection of him, written into your mind. You know, I have been trying to connect with you for a while now."

Leon stepped back again, even more unsure of what to do. He was standing in front of the one behind everything, and he could not even cast a spell.

"Why the hell would you want to connect with me?"

Dio Larek raised a brow. Then he sat back down on the pillar and placed his hands between his legs.

"Haven’t you wondered why you were able to see the countdown? What made you so special that you could know exactly when my little plan was about to kick in?"

Leon had always wondered. He and Snow were the only two who could see it, and he had never found an answer. But he said nothing now. He wanted Dio Larek to keep talking.

"Oh, you are not going to respond?" Dio Larek said. He leaned forward. "What I am doing is essential for humanity."

Leon raised his hand again, and his eyes turned sharp.

"What the hell do you mean? You are one of the people who joined the demons to fight humanity."

The moment he said it, Dio Larek froze.

"You..." He stared at Leon. "So you know. You know what happened in the past." A slow smile crept back onto his face. "I knew it. You were not normal. You are special, something unique. The question is, how did you know?"

Leon still refused to answer.

Dio Larek did not seem bothered. He smiled and continued.

"I guess if you know the past, then you probably think I was against humanity. That I wanted their destruction, right?"

"I don’t know," Leon said. "I’m not sure. But if you were not against them, you would not have caused the pillars."

Dio Larek let out a yawn, as if the answer bored him.

"I am an outer god, but I was once a human. A former human who became an outer god. My plan is not to destroy humanity. I want to ensure that humans become what they are meant to be." He tilted his head. "And so far, they are not."

"I don’t believe you," Leon said. "Lies like that will not work on someone like me. I already know what happened."

Dio Larek heard that, and his smile widened.

"Oh? If you know what happened, then you know what happened to Cane, right?"

Leon paused.

"You know the mage Cane?" he asked.

"Haha, so you really are special." Dio Larek chuckled. "Very few people remember Cane. Most remember him as a human who joined the demons and destroyed everything. But I’m pretty sure you remember him differently." His eyes gleamed. "The question now is why exactly?"

He leaped off the pillar and landed softly on the ground. Then he started walking toward Leon.

Leon tried to back away, but he could not get far. Before he could even take a few more steps, Dio Larek was standing right in front of him.