Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger

Chapter 426: EX 426. The Plan

Leon didn’t dwell on it for long. The answer would reveal itself eventually. It always did.

What mattered was that for now, no demon beyond the Duke rank had set foot on the Blue Planet.

Leon didn’t know why, but he could feel it in his bones. That grace period would not last. Time was thinning.

That was why he had left Pandora. Why he had left Nikko, Racheal, and Elizabeth behind. Not because he wanted to, but because someone had to stand between corruption and what little of the world still breathed.

Most of it was already ruined, but not all of it. And as long as something remained, Leon intended to save it.

His next plan was the same as every plan he had ever trusted.

Get strong. Strong enough that problems stopped being problems.

He cast one final glance at the elf writhing on the shattered ground, her body trembling as her mind tried to recover from what he had done to it.

She struggled to lift her head, lips parting as if to beg.

She never got the chance.

Her body detonated in an instant. Leon’s Rank 7 telekinesis wrapped the blast in silence, holding the gore in place, ensuring not a single drop touched him.

The remains collapsed wetly to the floor.

"You’re lucky,You had useful information," Leon said calmly, staring at what was left. "If not, your death could’ve been far worse."

Then he vanished.

Though it felt like an eternity had passed, less than seven minutes had elapsed since Leon’s arrival.

He had come, he had seen, and he had overpowered.

Now, it was time to make changes to the resistance.

Leon had left Unit Alpha standing exactly where he’d told them to wait, surrounded by his corrupt legion. The creatures stood like living statues, unmoving, silent, their presence pressing against the air itself.

It was awkward, unsettling, but no one dared complain. Any enemy foolish enough to approach this region would not leave it alive.

Selena had already grown used to them. If this was part of her son’s power, then so be it. Still, a mother’s worry gnawed at her. She folded her arms and murmured,

"I wonder when he’s going to come back."

Darian shared the thought.

"He’ll be fine," he said, glancing at the towering creatures encircling them. "If he can command beings like these, there’s hardly anything left that could challenge him."

The Governor nodded slowly. "Give it an hour or two," he said. "Whatever he went to do, he’ll be back once it’s finished."

He never finished the sentence.

Leon appeared without warning, the air warping for a heartbeat before snapping back into place.

"....."

The Governor froze, staring.

"Did you... forget something?"

Leon looked at him, genuinely confused. "No. Why?"

The Governor almost said it. Almost said you came back too fast. But the words died in his throat as a realization struck him.

Seven minutes.

Could Leon have wiped out an entire demon base, including a Lord and divine-stage demons, in seven minutes?

The answer came too easily.

The Governor exhaled and shook his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. ’Looks like I underestimated him again. When will I learn?’

Leon spared him one last glance, then turned away, already walking toward his parents as if nothing extraordinary had happened at all.

Selena saw Leon and relief washed over her face, sharp and sudden. Then it hardened into something steadier, heavier. She stepped forward.

"How did it go?"

Darian stood beside her, silent but intent. He did not need to ask. They both knew where Leon had gone. Gordon’s base. A place Leon had found on his own, without a word, without hesitation. If he was back now, then it was already finished.

Leon did not answer.

Instead, he raised his hands.

For a brief moment, confusion flickered across their faces. Then the shadows began to gather. Darkness coiled into his palms, thick and deliberate, like ink pulled from the air itself. Selena’s eyes widened. Surprise gave way to disbelief. Disbelief collapsed into grief.

The shadows parted.

There, cradled in Leon’s hands, was their daughter.

The world seemed to tilt. They had failed to avenge her. Failed even to bury her. That regret had sat in their chests like a stone. And yet Leon had done what they could not. Not out of pride. Not out of defiance. Simply because he could not leave it undone.

Selena reached out, trembling, and touched the cold curve of her daughter’s cheek. Her voice broke, soft and fragile. "Now... now we can give her a fitting burial."

Leon spoke immediately, his tone calm and unmoving.

"There’s no need for a burial."

Selena stiffened at Leon’s words. Surprise flickered across her face before she spoke, her voice careful.

"You don’t want to bury her?"

Leon nodded once.

"Yes."

Darian stepped in before Selena could find her footing again.

"Then why, son?" he asked quietly. "Why wouldn’t we lay her to rest?"

Leon met their eyes without hesitation. "Because I plan to bring her back."

Silence fell like a dropped curtain.

The governor froze. Luke and the rest of Unit Alpha stood motionless, the words hanging in the air like something unreal. Bring her back. Necromancy existed, yes, but everyone there knew Leon was not speaking about puppets or hollow imitations.

Selena was the first to breathe again. She steadied herself, grief and hope warring behind her eyes.

"How?" she asked softly. "How do you plan to bring your sister back?"

Darian felt the same fragile spark rise in his chest. If there was even a chance, even a fraction of one, they would cling to it without regret.

Leon was silent for a moment. Then he said,

"I don’t have the full plan yet but I have an idea although It’s complicated. You’ll have to wait and see."

Selena and Darian looked at each other, years of shared pain and trust passing between them without words. Then they turned back to Leon and nodded.