Chapter 241: Tower Defence - 3 Chapter 241: Tower Defence - 3 The Rhinoceros beast locked both its arms together, crossing them in front of its body to block the stinger attack Leon had unleashed. But the moment the attack landed— Shhhhiiinnnggg! Wing! Thuk! An ear-piercing screech tore through the air, metal shrieking as it was sliced apart. The stinger punched straight through the beast’s metallic arms and drove itself deep into its chest. "GRrrrrr!" The beast let out a guttural groan, its massive frame shuddering as pain rippled through it. Leon was already gathering power to launch another stinger when Leo raised his hand sharply. "Stop," Leo said firmly. "If the beast disappears, the attack will hit those 2. And then they’ll disappear too." He pointed toward Karen and Vorin, who had collapsed on the ground. Their legs trembled violently, barely able to support their weight after brushing so close to death. Beside Leo, Brok stood frozen with an idiotic, vacant grin plastered across his face, as if his soul had momentarily left his body. What the fuck were those attacks!?! He screamed internally. One-shotting so many of my term mates!? Is that even possible for a fresher from this distance?! ... I made the right choice by choosing to join their territory... right choice... right? Brok knew it. If they were this strong, there was no way someone like him would ever be allowed to join under normal circumstances. He had gotten lucky—absurdly lucky—that Leo was still inexperienced in the ways of being a leader to a territory in an academy. The rock golems were replenished once more, their numbers rising back to 15 under Howl’s control. They formed a tight ring around the 2 siblings, who were struggling just to stay on their feet. Juma, the Rhinoceros beast, staggered nearby, its breath coming out ragged and wet as a gaping hole smoked faintly in its chest. The stinger projection had already vanished. Moments later, the beast dropped to its knees. And then, it disappeared. Leo and his group landed directly in front of the siblings, dust and loose gravel scattering under the eagle’s wing. "Leo, it’s her!" Lily said sharply. "That woman tried to hurt you back there during the registration." Leo nodded slowly, recognition flickering in his eyes. His gaze shifted past Karen and settled on Vorin’s pale, trembling face. "Brok," Leo asked calmly, "is this man the elder brother of the woman named Karen? Vorin?" Brok snapped out of his stupor. "Uh—?" He stared at the collapsed man, eyes widening. "Ah! Yes, boss! He’s Vorin. But what the hell happened? How is he here?" Brok asked, genuinely taken aback. "How did he even learn your territory’s location?" Brok continued. "That information shouldn’t be revealed until a full month passes..." Vorin’s eyes darted toward Brok, landing on the sophomore badge pinned to his chest. "Y-you!" Vorin stammered. "Why are you siding with them?! H-help me!" Brok scratched his head awkwardly. "Huh?" he said plainly. "I’m just a commissioned ride. I’m not siding with anyone." Why should he bother siding with Vorin anyway? They didn’t even know each other. He had only heard vague rumors about Vorin’s influence from other people. "Y-you—!" "Shut it," Leo said flatly. Vorin’s breath hitched, his voice dying in his throat. "Now," Leo continued, his tone dangerously calm, "tell me what you were doing in my territory." Vorin’s pupils shrank. That’s right! I still haven’t occupied his territory! "W-we—I was just passing through," Vorin hurriedly said. "Then this mound caught my attention. T-the people you killed just now were another group already here. I thought something special might be going on, so I came to check. I didn’t know it was your territory." "Brother!" Karen shouted, her face flushed with fury and shame. "Shut up!" Vorin snapped back, panic bleeding into his voice. He turned to Leo. "That’s exactly what happened. Trust me." Leo sneered. "What the hell do you take me for?" he said coldly. "Is there an idiot written on my head?" "You should’ve received a notification the moment you stepped into my territory," Leo continued. "And from what I can tell, you’ve been here for more than 20 minutes. So tell me—are you still going to lie?" He raised his hand toward Karen. Vines exploded out of the ground, coiling around her limbs before yanking her into the air. Her body was stretched vertically, joints pulled to their limits as the vines tightened mercilessly. "ARgggggghhhh!" Karen screamed, the sound raw and agonized as excruciating pain tore through her body. "Leo, stop!" Lily called out. Leo turned, startled. "What?" "I still haven’t beaten her to my heart’s content," Lily said sweetly. "How dare she try to harm you? Let me personally show her what it means to come at my bad side." Leo froze. He had expected Lily to ask him to spare her—after all, that vine-stretching method was brutal. Worse, it wasn’t fatal. Karen wouldn’t even be teleported away. But— The moment Leo loosened his control over the vines, Lily seized them. "Huh?" Leo muttered in surprise. "Ehehe," Lily giggled. Lily could actually control Leo’s attacks now—so long as his control loosened. And the same was true the other way around. It was the result of their ever-deepening soul bond. They were slowly becoming one, each becomming other’s missing half. Even Leon was stunned. "This...! You 2 have a soul bond?!" he blurted out. "How far has it progressed for something like this to happen?!" He had only ever seen a soul bond once before—and it belonged to someone he deeply hated. And never one this deep, where they could directly interfere with each other’s abilities. It was only possible because both Leo and Lily commanded the wood element. If Leo had used Earth instead, Lily wouldn’t have been able to touch it since she doesn’t have the affinity. Leo merely shrugged, turning back toward Vorin. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮 Before he could speak— "AHHHHHHHHH—!" A sharp, piercing scream ripped through the air. Leo turned just in time to see Karen’s knee bent completely forward in the opposite direction of natural alignment. Miho immediately scurried behind Leon, burying her face to avoid the horrific sight. Leon could only shake his head slowly. She is fuckin crazy... Leon looked to Leo, expecting him to stop it. But Leo had already gone further. He grabbed Vorin by the hair, fingers digging in painfully, and wrenched his head around to force him to watch Karen’s torture. Vorin’s eyes widened in sheer terror. "Now answer," Leo growled, his gaze dark and merciless, "before something worse happens." The look alone was enough to haunt Vorin for the rest of his life. Both of them are fucking crazies... Leon thought, eyes wide. He pulled Miho fully in front of him, clamping his hands over her ears and eyes. She didn’t resist—she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle the interrogation anyway. Meanwhile, Brok was... enjoying himself. As a second-term student, he had seen plenty of ugly things both inside and outside the academy. And honestly? This was one of the most entertaining scenes he’d witnessed in a while. All he needed was popcorn. Taking advantage of the chaos, Miho pressed her face and body against Leon’s chest, hugging him tightly. Leon grimaced. ...How did I end up here... But he didn’t complain, especially with someone special right under his nose.