My Love Debts Are Everywhere!-Chapter 708: The Cornered Leon

Forty kilometers from Mount Dunrhak, two figures streaked across the sky at breathtaking speed.

Their shapes were hard to make out—only that the one leading was much smaller, while the one giving chase was enormous.

They were, of course, Leon and the Hydra. Both were pushing themselves to the limit—one desperately fleeing, the other relentlessly pursuing.

"This should be far enough, right?" Leon wondered to himself.

He didn’t know exactly how far he had traveled from Mount Dunrhak, but by his estimation, it had to be tens of kilometers.

After all, he had used everything he had to lure the Hydra as far away as possible.

Suddenly, Leon’s eyes widened. He sensed danger approaching at terrifying speed.

"This is bad!" He gasped in alarm, veering sharply upward.

And sure enough, just seconds later, a fireball explosion struck the spot he had been in moments earlier.

But that was only the beginning. A barrage of attacks followed, coming from every direction—water, earth, wind, light, darkness, and even poison.

Hydra conjured water and fire directly from the air. For Earth, massive thorns—each tens of meters tall—shot up from below, lunging toward Leon like spears meant to pierce and crush him.

The sheer power of the attacks was overwhelming. The air swelled with heat from the exploding fireballs, then quickly cooled as balls of water burst apart, releasing clouds of steam.

Meanwhile, violent winds twisted into tornadoes on either side, while jagged spikes of earth erupted relentlessly from the ground below.

It was a terrifying spectacle—like a living natural disaster ripping through the sky in relentless pursuit.

With his incredible speed and reflexes, Leon could have easily avoided every attack.

But no matter how fast he was, in the end, he was still a creature bound by fate... and bad luck.

One of the Hydra’s fireballs suddenly curved sharply to the right—heading straight for Leon just as he thought he had dodged it.

The sudden change caught him off guard. He quickly summoned the dragon ribs, which formed a protective shield around him just in time.

*Boom!*

The impact hurled his body through the air—straight toward a bed of razor-sharp earthen thorns, towering like spears and ready to pierce him.

"Damn it!" Leon cursed inwardly.

He twisted midair, using his momentum, then stepped lightly across the air as if walking.

"Hero Technique: Space Steps!" he shouted.

*Whoosh!*

Just before the thorns could skewer him, his body vanished—only to reappear ten meters higher in the sky.

Without delay, he spread his wings and shot northward at full speed.

Seeing its attack fail, the Hydra let out a furious roar and continued the relentless chase.

The pursuit lasted so long that the land vanished from view, replaced by a boundless stretch of ocean.

Then, Leon opened his right palm. The Holy Sword of Zenith materialized in his grip, shining with a brilliant holy light.

Seizing the moment as the Hydra let its guard down, Leon sharply changed direction mid-flight and lunged straight at the monster.

The sudden movement caught the Hydra off guard.

Before it could react, the Holy Sword of Zenith burst into flames of radiant holy power.

"Hero Technique: Five Dragon Steps!"

*Slash!*

The blade carved through the head of the fire-element Hydra.

*Slash!

The next blow cleaved the water-element head.

"Second Step!"

"Third Step!"

"Fourth Step!"

"Fifth Step!"

One after another, Leon delivered his strikes with merciless precision. In the blink of an eye, five Hydra heads were severed cleanly.

Blue blood erupted from the wounds, bursting out like a raging volcano.

But Leon didn’t stop. He surged upward, raising the Holy Sword of Zenith high into the sky.

*Dong!*

Behind him, an avatar of the Scale of Justice emerged—massive, radiant, and shining with a blinding white light.

The right side of the scale slowly sank, while the left rose—delivering an undeniable judgment.

At that moment, the Holy Sword of Zenith flared even brighter, pulsing with overwhelming holy power.

With a firm, vertical slash, Leon shouted coldly, "Hero Technique: Punishment of the Gods!"

*Whoosh!*

A towering slash of holy energy, tens of meters tall, erupted from the blade and crashed into the Hydra.

*Boom!*

A cataclysmic explosion followed, unleashing a windstorm that tore outward in every direction.

The once-calm ocean was thrown into chaos—waves towering a dozen meters high surged violently, scattering in the wake of the devastating attack.

Leon shielded his face with his arms, bracing against the violent windstorm unleashed by the earlier explosion.

Moments later, the storm subsided. Leon lowered his arms and opened his eyes to check the Hydra’s condition.

But what he saw stunned him—the monster had vanished.

All that remained were chunks of flesh and a few severed heads drifting on the surface of the sea.

A slow wave of relief washed over him. He muttered under his breath, "I thought it would be a fierce battle... but I was wrong. That monster wasn’t as strong as I imagined."

Yet barely two seconds had passed before Miranda’s voice rang out frantically in his mind.

"Master, danger! Dodge!"

Leon’s eyes shot open in alarm, but his reaction came a moment too late...

*Srck!*

A five-meter-long spear shot out of the sea, piercing clean through his abdomen.

Leon staggered, then looked down—the weapon was made entirely of the water element.

Before he could fully register the pain, a massive fifteen-meter tentacle erupted from the ocean and slammed into him with tremendous force.

*Whoosh!*

Leon’s body was sent flying, tumbling fifty meters through the air before crashing into the ocean and vanishing beneath the waves.

He sank deeper and deeper as blood poured from the gaping wound in his stomach, staining the water red and drawing the attention of deep-sea predators.

Fortunately, the Life Crystal Ball activated immediately, emerging to mend the torn flesh and stop the bleeding.

His consciousness returned fully, but sharp pain still surged through his body.

His nerves flared, as if his body itself was rejecting the trauma it had just endured.

Ignoring the pain, Leon swam to the surface as fast as he could—then shot back into the sky.

"Hah... hah..." His breathing was ragged, his face deathly pale.

Although the Life Crystal Ball had healed the wound, the pain in his nerves and muscles still lingered—and it wouldn’t fade anytime soon.

He looked up, eyes widening in disbelief. The Hydra was still alive.

Its once-severed body had fully regenerated—and now it was even larger than before.

"What... happened? Why is that monster getting bigger?" Leon muttered, shaken. "Or... is it just my imagination?"

"No, it’s not your imagination, Master," Miranda said gravely. "After observing its behavior, I’m certain—this Hydra is unlike any I’ve encountered before. It’s likely descended from one that lived long ago, but its regenerative ability far exceeds that of its predecessor. The more it’s injured... the stronger it becomes."

She paused for a moment, then added, "And that’s not all. Its control over the elements is also far superior. If left unchecked, this creature could bring disaster—not just to you, but to the entire world."

Leon’s expression darkened. He clenched his fists, knuckles white, and asked quietly, "Do you know how to kill it?"

Miranda fell silent for a moment before finally replying, "To be honest... I don’t know, Master. In the past, the Hydra could only be defeated because my master, Amon Crimson, joined forces with Luminus Troya and the dwarves. They managed to trap it inside the crater of Mount Dunrhak and seal it using both the Holy Sword of Zenith and the Great Sword of Chaos. Only then was it truly slain."

Leon said nothing. He exhaled slowly, the weight of her words sinking in.

"Alright, I understand," he said firmly. "I’ll keep attacking it—just find its weakness in the meantime, Miranda."

"Understood, Master. But whatever you do, try not to kill it. That will only make it stronger," Miranda warned.

"I see." Leon gave a small nod.

Then, he raised the Holy Sword of Zenith high above his head. His eyes began to glow with a white light, and the symbol of a hero’s destiny flared to life on his forehead.

For the first time, Leon was ready to fight at full strength. He locked eyes with the Hydra—then, without hesitation, he launched forward, crashing into the monster with everything he had.

...

While Leon battled the Hydra, the dwarves began descending Mount Dunrhak in a swift but coordinated march.

Thousands of soldiers led the way, clearing a path for the main forces following behind.

Mount Dunrhak was not only home to the dwarves—it was also inhabited by powerful monsters, including towering trolls that stood tens of meters tall.

Yet thanks to the dwarves’ tight coordination and discipline, they overcame every obstacle with little difficulty.

No matter how strong the trolls were, they stood no chance against thousands of well-trained dwarf soldiers—armored head to toe and armed with formidable weapons. In the end, the monsters could only fall—either to their knees or to their deaths.

High above, Elina, Morgrim, and Milda watched the descent.

They hadn’t moved yet, choosing to wait until all the dwarves had safely made it down the mountain.

Naturally, Milda had urged Morgrim several times to go first, but he refused every time.

Elina, assigned by Leon to accompany Morgrim, also insisted on staying at his side.

In the end, Milda could only sigh and let it be.

"Everyone has gone down, Your Majesty. It’s our turn now," Milda said.

This time, Morgrim didn’t argue. He gave a slow nod. "Yes."

But before they could move, the ground beneath them began to tremble violently.

Moments later, thick black smoke erupted from the summit of Mount Dunrhak.

All three turned in alarm.

"This is bad! The mountain’s erupting!" Milda cried out, panic rising in her voice.