My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

"Leon, now!"

"Got it!" Leon responded eagerly.

*Boom!*

A burst of holy power erupted from his body, creating a massive hurricane vortex. At the same time, a golden star mark appeared clearly on his forehead, and his golden eyes shone brightly, radiating a dazzling light.

*Buzz!*

Behind him, a giant avatar in the shape of the Scale of Justice materialized, exuding a crushing pressure that enveloped the entire area.

With the Holy Sword of Zenith gleaming with white light, Leon raised it high and declared, "Hero Technique: Punishment of the Gods!"

*Dong!*

The Scale of Justice avatar behind him shifted, and the left side of the scale suddenly became far heavier than the right.

*Whoosh!*

A slash of holy power appeared behind him, speeding toward the black crystal ball in the sky.

Realizing the imminent threat, the black crystal ball hummed violently, releasing a burst of pitch-black light from its surface. The body of the black dragon, previously destroyed, began to reform.

However, the process was far too slow to match the speed of Leon's attack. With a sharp swish, the black crystal ball split into four pieces before disintegrating into ash.

"Did it work?" Leon asked, his expression serious.

The Hero Technique he had just unleashed, Punishment of the Gods, was one of the most powerful techniques he had mastered. Of course, he hadn't used it at full power in the earlier attack—he had only tapped into about twenty percent of its true potential.

After all, he was in the capital and needed to restrain the power he released.

Thus, he remained vigilant, in case his guess was wrong and the crystal ball wasn't the true cause of the dragon's regeneration.

A few minutes after the crystal ball shattered, the dragon monster did not reappear, and Leon finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Your guess seems to have been right, Leon. The dragon was truly destroyed when the crystal ball shattered." Athena's soft voice suddenly spoke beside him.

Leon turned to Athena, who had quietly appeared beside him, and gave a small chuckle.

"It's all thanks to you, Athena. Thank you," Leon said warmly, his hand closing around her delicate palm.

At first, he had firmly told Athena not to interfere in overthrowing Velix's power. However, upon reflection, wouldn't it be more beneficial for him if Athena joined him and lent her help?

With someone as strong as Athena by his side, it would surely lighten the load of challenges he faced, like the black dragon issue earlier.

At his praise, Athena couldn't help but smile and leaned her head playfully into his arm.

"Since I helped you, shouldn't you give me a reward?" she asked with a teasing tone.

Leon was momentarily stunned, his mouth twitching slightly. He wanted to say, "Weren't you the one who insisted on fighting that dragon and told me not to interfere?"

But he held back the words, sighing instead.

"Alright, I'll give you a reward. Just tell me what you want. But don't ask for something beyond my limits, okay?" Leon said, chuckling lightly.

Athena's excitement was clear as she replied, "Don't worry. All I want is for you to kiss me."

"Kiss? That's it?" Leon raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

He expected something more outrageous or unexpected, but this was surprisingly simple.

"Yes, that's all," Athena answered casually, then shot him a sly glance. "Why the hesitation? Did you think I'd ask for something perverted? I never imagined you'd have such dirty thoughts, Leon."

Leon, suddenly feeling like a fool, was dumbfounded. He stared at the mischievous gleam in Athena's red eyes and the playful smile on her lips, realizing he was being teased.

A vein popped on his forehead. Without giving Athena a chance to react, Leon pressed his lips firmly against hers.

Startled by the sudden kiss, Athena froze for a moment but didn't pull away.

She wrapped her arms around Leon's neck and returned the kiss with equal fervor.

They lost themselves in the moment until Leon finally pulled away when Athena began to run out of breath.

"Hah~ Hah~ Hah~" Athena gasped, her face flushed like an apple.

Leon couldn't help but smile, pinching her cheek gently. "That's your punishment for teasing me."

Athena's face turned even redder at his words. She quickly looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"You dare mock this Empress? Prepare for the punishment that awaits you," Athena snorted with a slight pout.

She had planned to tease Leon and embarrass him, but the tables had turned. As a proud dragon empress, how could she accept this?

Leon simply shook his head with a smile, unconcerned by Athena's threat.

He then scanned the surroundings, taking in the sight of all the buildings within a two-kilometer radius reduced to rubble by the fierce battle.

Amid the debris, the corpses of monsters—killed both by the black dragon and his sword—were scattered across the area.

Yet, more monsters continued to emerge from the ground, crawling and charging toward them.

With a snap of her fingers, Athena reduced all the monsters to ash. But soon, another wave of monsters appeared, and Leon realized this would only end if they destroyed the source of the summoning.

"We'll ignore them for now. Our priority is reaching the palace as quickly as possible," Leon said casually as he leaped onto his horse.

Athena gave a small nod, then vanished, reappearing right behind him.

Leon tugged at the reins, and the horse galloped toward the Imperial Palace.

...

"Damn it! How could my dragon be destroyed? How powerful was the red dragon that fought it?" The black-cloaked man shouted, his voice filled with horror.

He never imagined his strongest monster could be destroyed so easily. What enraged him even more was that the crystal ball he had implanted in the dragon's body had been reduced to ashes.

That black crystal ball had been the key to controlling the dragon's soul, and with its destruction, the dragon's soul would vanish completely from the Soul Devouring Crystal Ball in his hand.

If the soul was lost, it meant he could no longer use the dragon—a devastating blow to him.

"No! This can't be allowed! If the rebel army reaches the capital, all of the Temple of Twilight's plans will crumble before they even begin. If that happens, I'll be branded a great sinner, and my position as the Fourth Apostle will surely be revoked," he muttered in despair.

A flush of red anger spread beneath his hood. He turned his gaze to his left hand and, in a fit of fury, bit his thumb.

Immediately, dark red blood began to drip from the wound, falling onto the Soul Devouring Crystal Ball in his right hand.

*Buzz!*

Suddenly, a faint red light began to glow from the Soul Devouring Crystal Ball. It started weakly but soon grew brighter and more distinct.

The black-cloaked man's face turned pale, but a mad, satisfied smile spread across his lips.

"Hahaha! Now, I want to see how you all get past the greatest obstacle I've prepared!" He laughed triumphantly.

Meanwhile, Velix could feel the flow of mana he was supplying to the black-cloaked man growing heavier and heavier.

His handsome face paled slightly as he gazed coldly at the black-cloaked man at the base of the throne stairs.

"Damn it... what is he doing? Why is my mana being drained so quickly? Is he summoning more powerful monsters?" Velix thought, gritting his teeth.

Half of his mana had already been drained to fuel the black-cloaked man's demands. If this continued, he'd be completely exhausted within hours—an extremely dangerous situation for him.

"When my mana reaches ten percent, I'll cut the flow," Velix muttered, resolute.

No matter how threatening the rebel army was, if he died from mana exhaustion, it would all be for nothing.

...

Two thousand kilometers from Astralyn Capital, twenty thousand cavalrymen in golden armor rode swiftly in perfect formation.

Some carried large flags bearing the symbols of the two moons—black and white—representing Miranda and Sylvia.

At the forefront rode two figures, a man and a woman, clearly the leaders of the troops.

The man was strikingly handsome, though the few wrinkles on his face were hard to hide. In his slightly tired, light blue eyes, a sharp, heroic gleam burned like a sword.

The woman beside him radiated a graceful yet regal presence. Her long silver hair was tied in a ponytail, and her extraordinarily beautiful face was concealed behind a simple white mask.

The middle-aged man was Adam, the war general of the Holy Orthodox, while the woman in the mask was Arshley, the saint and leader of the Holy Orthodox.

Clad in armor, Arshley no longer appeared as a cold, graceful saint but more like a battle-hardened female general who had witnessed countless battles.

This stark contrast only deepened the fascination of those who admired her.

After more than two hours, Adam, Arshley, and the rest of the cavalry slowed their pace before finally coming to a halt.

"Everyone, we'll stop here for half an hour to rest and recharge. There's a spring from the river over there—bring your horses to drink and rest," Adam called out in a loud voice.

"Yes!" the entire army responded in unison, their enthusiasm clear.

The soldiers then steered their horses toward the river, about a hundred meters away.

Adam turned to Arshley and asked, "Saint, you don't mind if we rest for a while, do you?"

Arshley shook her head and replied calmly, "Don't worry; I don't mind."

However, her tone carried an unmistakable hint of worry and anxiety, which Adam immediately noticed. He sighed softly and shook his head.

"Saint, you're really stubborn when it comes to making decisions," he muttered, a touch of helplessness in his voice.

Upon receiving the letter from Leon, Arshley immediately ordered the mobilization of twenty thousand troops to assist him in overthrowing Velix's rule.

At first, Adam was taken aback to discover that Albert's conjecture—that Leon was still alive—was true.

However, when he heard Leon's plan to overthrow Velix from Edward, he nearly had a heart attack, finding the plan completely insane.

Fortunately, Edward managed to calm him down by explaining the plan in detail, which finally eased his concerns.

With a long sigh, Adam gazed up at the clear blue sky and muttered softly, "Damn, kid. Even after fifteen years, you still know how to surprise me."