My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

While Leon battled the giant monster, Athena confronted a swarm of bird-like creatures in the sky.

Her graceful yet imposing figure floated in midair, her cold gaze fixed on them.

"Judging by your size, I wonder if your power is just as impressive," Athena murmured, a faint, indifferent smile playing on her lips.

She extended a finger toward one of the approaching monsters. Instantly, a fiery red magic circle flared to life behind her.

"Mid-Level Magic: Fire Spears!"

*Whoosh!*

Five blazing spears streaked through the air, hurtling toward the bird monster at high speed.

Rather than retreating, the monster let out a piercing screech, unleashing a destructive sound wave that clashed violently against the incoming fire spears.

*Boom!*

The collision triggered a massive explosion, but as the black smoke billowed, two of the fire spears broke through and surged toward the monster.

*Kwaaakk!*

A piercing scream rang out as the two spears impaled its belly and chest. Red flames roared to life, consuming its massive body.

Its organs, blood, wings, and black feathers were all devoured by fire.

Unable to maintain its balance, the creature plummeted from the sky and crashed into the ground with a resounding thud.

Athena disregarded the fallen bird monster and shifted her gaze to the two approaching from the right and left.

"Nature Magic: Dragon's Breath!"

Athena brought her palms together, and in an instant, two red dragon heads materialized on either side of her. They unleashed torrents of dense, blazing flames.

*Kwaaakk!*

The two bird monsters screeched in panic, attempting to ascend and evade, but it was futile.

Athena lifted her left hand and whispered coldly, "High-Level Magic: Barrier Dome!"

A red dome materialized in the air, trapping them within. Within seconds, the dragons' fiery breath struck, engulfing them in merciless flames.

Athena watched the scene with a cold smile, but suddenly, her eyebrows twitched slightly—she had sensed a threat from behind.

Without hesitation, she clenched her left hand into a fist, spun around, and delivered a crushing blow to the charging bird monster.

*Bang!*

Its body exploded into chunks of flesh, the remains plummeting to the ground.

Without pausing, Athena raised her right hand high and called out indifferently, "Nature Magic: Fire Domain!"

*Buzz!*

A massive red magic circle materialized in the sky, expanding swiftly over the area where the remaining bird monsters hovered.

Moments later, hundreds of fireballs surged from the circle, raining down on them with ruthless precision.

*Boom!*

The fireballs slammed into their wings and bodies, engulfing them in flames. Their charred remains plummeted to the ground, painting a gruesome scene.

Though all the bird monsters had been slain, Athena remained on high alert. She didn't move, her cold gaze fixed on the charred remains below her.

As expected, the bodies twitched subtly, emitting a strange, pitch-black glow.

Soon, they rose into the sky, merging together as if being reformed into something new.

The black blood that had spilled across the ground slithered, gathering and fusing with the shape emerging in the sky.

Within minutes, a far more terrifying bird monster emerged. It stood about ten meters tall and stretched up to eighty meters in length.

Its black feathers were as sharp as blades, and two long, pointed horns rose from its head, capable of piercing through anything.

Its pitch-black eyes were like bottomless pits, able to devour the soul of anyone who gazed into them for too long.

Its immense form cast a shadow over the sky, as though a solar eclipse had swallowed the area.

Athena showed no surprise at the sight. She had already anticipated that the swarm of bird monsters couldn't be so easily defeated.

The previous battle with the black dragon was solid proof of her conjecture.

*Whoosh!*

The bird monster flapped its enormous wings and soared high into the sky. It opened its wide beak, and a massive ball of blue lightning began to form in front of it.

"Oh? This is getting interesting." Athena raised an eyebrow, momentarily startled before regaining her composure and curling her lips into a playful smile.

She hadn't expected the merged bird monster to possess such a unique ability. Yet, she showed no hint of fear.

With a flick of her finger, a large, bright red fireball materialized behind her and shot straight at the monster.

The creature, sensing her attack, quickly unleashed its lightning ball. The two forces collided in a powerful explosion, shaking the sky.

*Boom!*

Black smoke billowed, obscuring the view from every direction. But suddenly, a streak of light pierced the darkness, darting toward the monster at breakneck speed.

Before the creature could react...

*Bang!*

A crushing blow hit its stomach, sending its enormous body flying hundreds of meters through the air. However, Athena didn't give it a chance to recover.

She vanished from her spot and appeared directly above the monster, delivering a powerful kick to its head.

*Bang!*

The monster's massive body was hurled downward at high speed. But before it could crash to the ground, Athena brought her index and middle fingers together, pointing them downward.

"Nature Magic: Hell's Gate!"

The ground trembled violently, cracks spreading across its surface.

Moments later, a towering red gate erupted from the earth, swinging wide open.

The bird monster was sucked directly into it, and as the gate slammed shut, it vanished in a burst of light.

"Now, the monster can never recover or reappear," she murmured calmly, her lips curling into a nonchalant smile.

Nature Magic: Hell's Gate was one of the most powerful spells Athena had mastered. It was said to be directly connected to a hell beneath the world.

Of course, whether it truly led to hell, Athena couldn't say. But one thing was certain: behind that gate lay an inferno of flames that burned hotter than anything, never dying out.

Any creature that entered would be consumed by the fire, leaving nothing but ashes.

After gathering her thoughts, Athena looked down and saw that Leon had also finished dealing with the monsters.

A graceful smile curved on her lips as she swiftly flew toward him.

...

"Phew! This monster is tougher than I thought." Leon sat atop the massive creature's corpse, the Holy Sword of Zenith driven deep into the top of its skull.

At that moment, a streak of light appeared a few meters away, and Athena's graceful figure emerged from it.

She lifted her gaze to Leon, sitting on top of the giant monster's head, and asked casually, "Are you finished, Leon?"

"Yeah, I'm done," Leon replied nonchalantly as he stood and drew the Holy Sword of Zenith from the monster's skull.

He surveyed the creature's shattered body, completely torn apart by his strikes.

Forty of its arms had been severed, with a gaping hole torn through its stomach and chest.

Its two enormous legs were sliced into four pieces, and both of its eyeballs were pierced.

In short, Leon had obliterated the monster with ruthless efficiency.

But Leon showed no hint of concern. After all, it was a creature controlled by the Fourth Apostle, not a true living being. He felt no pity whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Athena, who watched the monster's gruesome state, showed no hint of fear or disgust. Although her current form was human-like, she was, at her core, a dragon.
Stay connected through empire

Her long life had spanned many eras, and she had witnessed cruelties far worse than the scene before her.

In fact, she inwardly thought that Leon was too soft. A monster like this deserved more prolonged suffering and a more brutal end.

If Leon knew her thoughts, he would probably smile wryly and say, "As expected of my cruel and merciless yandere dragon empress!"

*Whoosh!*

Leon swiftly leaped off the monster's head, landing a meter in front of Athena.

"What about you, Athena? Did you finish off that swarm of bird monsters?" Leon asked, glancing up at the sky with interest.

He had been so focused on fighting the giant monster that he hadn't paid attention to Athena's battle with the bird monsters.

"Don't worry, I'm done," she replied indifferently, as though defeating the bird monsters had been no challenge at all.

"Good!" Leon nodded slightly, offering no further comment.

Since Athena had said so, Leon naturally trusted her. He wasn't particularly interested in how she had dealt with the bird monsters.

"Then let's head to the palace and put an end to all this," Leon said with determination.

Toppling Velix's rule should have been a straightforward task, but everything had become complicated because of the Fourth Apostle of the Temple of Twilight.

Just as Leon was about to walk toward his horse, Athena's hand suddenly rested on his shoulder, halting him.

"Hmm?" Leon was momentarily startled and turned to her, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What is it, Athena?"

Athena's expression remained composed, but a mysterious smile played at the corners of her lips. "How long will it take us to reach the palace by horse?"

At her question, Leon paused, then turned his gaze toward the distant palace.

"By horse, we should reach the palace in about five to ten minutes. However, with the monsters scattered around the Capital, it might take longer—around fifteen minutes," Leon explained calmly.

The distance between the palace and the gates of the capital was considerable. This was no surprise, given the sheer size of the capital.

The palace's remote location also served as a defensive measure, protecting the Holy Emperor, his family, and his subordinates from potential threats.

"Then, let's get to the palace faster," Athena said suddenly, catching Leon off guard.

Before he could respond, Athena's body lifted into the air, radiating a brilliant red light. The light expanded rapidly, and in an instant, it faded to reveal a massive red dragon.

Athena turned her gaze to Leon and sent a telepathic message straight into his mind: "Let's go, my dear."