Only I Am A Reader

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Once the remainder of the Dragonoids made it to the frontline, the majority of the barriers created by Leo immediately started blowing up.

The force of the explosion was still strong enough to bring several Dragonoids down, but thanks to the spear-like formation that the half-dragons were attacking in, their numbers weren’t whittled down by much.

Naturally, Kara’s barriers immediately kicked in as a follow-up.

Thud.

However, the minimally powered starry armaments that emerged in response to the Dragonoid’s attacks weren’t very effective either, only playing the role of obstacles that interrupted the motion of their strikes.

’I guess this is as far as the basics go.’

Looking at the wave covering both land and sky in the near horizon, the eyes of the Shadow Lord on the top of the castle suddenly dimmed as another Leo made an appearance at the frontline.

’This is likely the best result I could ask for.’

Despite how dire the situation looked, Leo was already very satisfied with how things had gone so far.

With just the minimal investment that he had put in at the start, mixed with a little help from Aurora, the first two waves felt like nothing.

Some of the preparations were even able to help with the third wave.

Considering the circumstances, asking for more than that would be just blatant greed.

As for how he was going to handle the rest...

’It’s finally time for Baekho and Arthur to shine.’

Ever since Leo had stepped into the City of Villains, his battle style had completely become that of Cassian.

That was especially the case after he grabbed the hidden piece at the very start, overpowering others with a multitude of Abilities and plenty of Enigma to spare.

Even when he used melee combat, the strength of Shadow Armament was the one carrying the weight for most of the time.

Aside from the times he actively limited himself from training, this had almost always been the case.

However...

’There is a need to do things differently.’

The circumstances surrounding the Trial of Defense could no longer be breezed through using the same method.

Now was the time when the skills that Leo had accumulated over his earlier ’readings’ had to take the lead!

"Hold them back as much as possible, but keep your Enigma consumption within reason."

With no time to waste, a large pitch-black sword manifested in Leo’s hands.

Unlike the thin katana-like swords that he had been using most of the time, this one was long, wide, and heavy. In a way, the large sword looked like a somewhat slim but elongated cleaver.

’Let’s set the limits correctly.’

Holding the cleaver with both hands, Leo quickstepped toward the closest Dragonoid to himself, skillfully angling the hard-to-wield greatsword to go underneath the half-dragon’s tough scales.

Normally, he would have simply put in as much Enigma as needed to cleave his opponent in two.

However, in the face of energy scarcity, Leo had to accurately pinpoint the minimal amount needed to penetrate the Dragonoids’ weak points, all while having to ensure that each attack landed in the right spot.

Crunch!

Driving the greatsword into the Dragonoid’s bones, it sounded more like a bite rather than a stab, but it was all the same to Leo.

At this moment, all that mattered was achieving the optimal balance between both Enigma and time efficiency.

’Focus.’

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Obviously, repeatedly achieving such an impressive feat of butchery and swordsmanship wasn’t a skill that Cassian possessed.

This was the synergy created through a lifetime of Martial Arts training, as well as reaching the peak on the land where swordsmanship reigned supreme!

...Crunch!

Without pause, Leo continued piercing necks and crushing hearts, albeit at a slightly slow but steady pace.

’Shadow Armament is truly a Martial Artist’s dream.’

While creating the plan he was currently implementing, Leo had originally contemplated creating an actual sword of this cleaver’s proportions in order to lower his Enigma consumption as much as possible.

Of course, such an idea was immediately shot down.

Not to mention the hoops he would have to jump through to find a material of comparable attributes, likely requiring the assistance of another Special Ability User, the advantage he would gain was something that he couldn’t preserve.

After all, with Leo’s current physical strength being far lacking compared to his Martial Artist counterpart, the Enigma he would save by not keeping the greatsword manifested would have to be used to strengthen his body so he could keep lugging around such a heavy slab of metal.

Only through Shadow Armament could Leo carry something this heavy and be able to effortlessly swing it around, all thanks to the ’One with the Armament’ effect that accompanied this Ability.

Without the greatsword acting almost as an extension of his own limb, Leo could have never been as accurate as they were in this moment!

’Could have worked superbly if I had Arthur’s Sword Body to support that idea.’

If Leo could ’eat’ the sword that he would make, the result might have been worth investing the time and effort... That was a really luxurious thought.

Most Martial Artists would kill just for one of these Abilities that Leo was contemplating, yet Leo had the gall to be greedy for both.

Then again, his imagination had only grown this wild because the prospect of such an absurd thing becoming a reality was actually doable.

As long as he had enough Reading Points to pay the bill, he could achieve this unthinkable combination through his own original body!

’Again, focus.’

Swish!

Unfortunately, Leo didn’t have the luxury of time to imagine how glorious that combination would be; just that split-second of daydreaming almost made him end up on the receiving end.

Crunch!

Thankfully, having snapped out of it before it was too late, Leo’s body elastically bent to the right, barely evading the Dragonoid’s claw drill, all while still managing to push his flat cleaver through their ribcage, exploding the half-dragon’s heart on impact!

’Almost done.’

Screech! Screech! Screech!

Roar! Roar! Roar...

Just when the Dragonoid situation seemed like it would soon come to an end, both the air force and the cavalry had arrived!