Chapter 128: Snow is Improving

The void-steel longsword cleaved through the morning air, a dark blur aimed precisely at Snow’s left shoulder.

Snow didn’t flinch. Her Level 48 Agility was severely outclassed by her husband’s Steadfast-tier attributes, but her tactical anticipation was rapidly adapting to the brutal physics of his stats.

She stepped inside the arc of his swing, bringing her void-steel parrying dagger up in a flash of dark metal. Instead of attempting to block the catastrophic kinetic force of Leon’s strike, she angled the short blade flawlessly. She caught the flat of his longsword, letting his own momentum carry the lethal edge harmlessly over her shoulder.

"Got you, baby!" Snow cheered, her crystalline blue eyes alight with fierce, competitive adrenaline.

Without missing a beat, she pivoted on her heel. Utilizing the heavy void-steel greatsword in her right hand, she initiated a devastating, close-quarters horizontal sweep aimed directly at Leon’s ribcage. It was an incredibly complex dual-wielding style that required absolute coordination, and she was executing it with terrifying precision.

Leon’s icy blue and golden eyes tracked the heavy blade. He didn’t activate Phantom Shift, nor did he rely on his overwhelming 265 Agility to simply teleport out of range. He was consciously capping his physical output, throttling his speed and strength down to thirty percent to ensure the crucible remained productive for her.

He smoothly rotated his wrist, bringing the hilt of his longsword down to intercept the greatsword. The weapons collided with a deafening metallic clang that echoed over the roaring rush of the blue mana-waterfall.

The sheer kinetic transfer vibrated up Snow’s arms, but she didn’t let the recoil break her posture. She immediately disengaged, pushing off her back foot to create distance, her silver cross-chain garters chiming wildly against her black leather shorts as she dropped back into a low, predatory guard.

"Your redirection is improving," Leon praised, his voice calm, his breathing completely undisturbed. He casually rested his training sword at his side. "Two days ago, you would have attempted to absorb that initial strike with your greatsword, and your guard would have collapsed."

"I learn fast, baby," Snow grinned, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead with the back of her black-gloved hand. Her white hair, tied back in a tight, practical braid, whipped around her shoulders. "You can’t use the same trick on me twice. I’m starting to see your rhythm."

"Seeing the rhythm and surviving it are two different concepts," Leon warned, a faint, predatory smirk touching his lips. "Let us test that theory. I am increasing my output to forty percent."

Snow’s grin tightened into a look of absolute, unyielding focus. She gripped the hilt of her greatsword tighter, keeping the parrying dagger raised defensively. "Bring it, baby."

Leon vanished from his position.

He didn’t use a movement skill; he simply engaged his muscles. To Snow, it looked as though the space between them had simply been deleted. He materialized directly in her guard, his longsword already in motion, executing a blindingly fast, three-hit combination aimed at her knees, her ribs, and her throat.

Snow gasped, her Level 48 nervous system screaming in overload. She parried the first strike with her dagger, the sheer force numbing her fingers. She barely managed to drop the heavy blade of her greatsword in time to deflect the second strike aimed at her ribs.

But the third strike was too fast. The physical disparity between an Adept and a Steadfast entity was an absolute chasm.

Leon’s longsword bypassed her frantic guard, but instead of striking her throat, he effortlessly rotated the weapon in his palm, snapping the flat of the blade lightly against her wrist.

Snow let out a sharp yelp of surprise as her grip failed. The void-steel parrying dagger slipped from her fingers, tumbling into the tall grass.

Before she could adjust her grip on her greatsword, Leon stepped in, hooking his boot behind her ankle. With a gentle, perfectly controlled sweep, he ripped her center of gravity out from under her.

Snow fell backward, but she didn’t hit the ground. Leon’s left arm snaked out, catching her securely around her bare waist, arresting her fall inches above the dirt. He held her suspended there, pressing the cold, flat edge of his longsword gently against her collarbone.

The clearing fell completely silent, save for the crashing waterfall and Snow’s heavy, ragged breathing.

"Dead," Leon whispered, his dual-colored eyes gazing down at her with a mixture of absolute martial dominance and profound affection.

Snow stared up at him, her chest heaving against his arm. For a moment, she looked entirely shocked by the sudden, overwhelming speed of his assault. Then, a bright, beautiful laugh bubbled up from her throat, echoing brightly in the quiet valley.

"Okay, okay, you win this round," Snow conceded, wrapping her free arm around his neck as he effortlessly hoisted her back onto her feet. She leaned heavily against his chest, completely exhausted but utterly radiant. "Forty percent is terrifying, Leon. You moved like a glitch."

"You survived the initial onslaught," Leon corrected, dismissing his training sword into his spatial inventory and wrapping both arms around her. "You parried a strike that would have decapitated any standard Level 50 Elite. Your reflexes are flawless, Snow. It is only a matter of raw statistics now."

"I made you step back on that second exchange," Snow pointed out proudly, burying her face in the warm, gold-embroidered fabric of his attire. "Did you notice? I totally made a Steadfast ranked player take a half-step backward."

"I noticed," Leon smiled, resting his chin on the top of her head, soaking in the absolute, unquestioning trust she placed in him. "It was a flawless execution of leverage. You are a prodigy, Snow."

"I’m just highly motivated," she murmured, her voice muffled against his chest. "I have to keep up with you, baby. If I’m going to be your partner, I can’t be a liability when the real monsters show up."

"You could never be a liability," Leon promised softly.

He held her there in the vibrant morning light, feeling the steady, calming rhythm of her heartbeat. The grueling, hyper-accelerated nightmare of Eternal Heaven felt a million miles away when he was standing in this sanctuary.

But the reality of the system was absolute. Forty-seven days now remained. The elimination cycle would not spare anyone based on sentimentality. He needed to continue his hunts, harvesting talents from the elite monsters.

"Go inside and wash up," Leon instructed gently, stepping back and brushing a stray lock of white hair from her sweaty forehead. "I will prepare the morning meal. We can review after we eat."

"You’re the best husband in this hellscape," Snow beamed, leaning up to press a quick kiss to his lips before turning toward the porch, scooping up her discarded parrying dagger along the way.

Leon watched her slide the bamboo doors shut, a deep, anchoring warmth filling his chest. He turned his gaze toward the towering permafrost mountains that completely encircled the Azure Scale valley.

The valley was a hidden fortress, previously obscured by the deadly Void Mist. But Leon knew that true safety was an illusion. The system rewarded ambition and punished complacency. He would not wait for the danger to find them. He would ensure that anyone who dared step foot in his territory met an absolute, uncompromising end.

High above the tranquil sanctuary of the Dragonkin village, the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the permafrost mountains cut like knives into the pale sky. The air at this altitude was thin, freezing, and entirely devoid of life.

The absolute silence of the mountain pass was violently shattered by the sound of tearing dimensional fabric.