Timeless Assassin

Chapter 948: Charging Ahead Alone

(Meanwhile, Leo’s POV)

The moment Leo broke into a full sprint, the world ahead of him narrowed into a single line.

The Fourth Ring loomed closer with every stride, the pressure ahead already beginning to brush against his senses, as his feet struck the ground in steady rhythm.

*Step* *Step*

Behind him, the Cult Army surged instinctively.

Their desire to follow their leader still strong.

However, before they could take even a few full steps, they were violently stopped by a loud ’boom’ sound.

*BOOM*

The ground shook violently as Dumpy leapt forward in a single bound, his massive frame cutting across the army’s path as he landed directly between them and the Fourth Ring, stone cracking beneath his feet as dust and debris burst outward from the impact.

*SWOOSH*

Swords slid free from their sheaths in one smooth motion.

The blades pointed towards the Cult Army, as the Cult soldiers froze in their tracks all at once.

*Halt*

Having seen Dumpy fight before, none of the Cult soldiers dared offend the Big Green, as more often than not, they had seen him tear through entire legions alone while also shrugging off attacks that should have obliterated entire fortresses as if it were nothing.

’I want to follow the Shadow Dragon.

However, I don’t want to fight the Big Green....’

Many of them thought, as regardless of how strongly they wanted to follow Leo, none of them dared approach Dumpy alone.

"You heard what Lord Father said," Dumpy declared, his voice carrying easily over the stunned formation, heavy and absolute as his grip tightened around his blades.

"Dare approach me."

He raised his swords slightly, the metal catching the light as his stance settled, feet digging into the ground with finality.

"And I swear I won’t hold back my strength, whether it be used on friend or foe...."

He swore, as stunned silence followed.

No one moved.

Not because they lacked courage, but because they understood.

This was not a threat.

It was a statement.

Dumpy’s gaze swept across the ranks, unyielding and calm, as his presence alone pressed down upon them, his intent so clear that even the most hot-headed among them felt it settle into their bones.

He would not let them pass.

Not even if they begged or cursed him, not even if they tried to force their way through.

This was his duty, and he was prepared to fulfill it to the bitter end, just because his Lord Father had commanded it off him.

—-------

Meanwhile, behind him, Leo continued forward without looking back, one arm clutching Moltherak’s aura orb while the other held a dagger, as a clear strategy began to solidify in his mind.

’If I turn the battle inside the Fourth Ring into a contest of endurance instead of head on strength, then I’m bound to outlast these jokers eventually...’

He thought, as his focus locked onto entering the Fourth Ring and crushing Moltherak’s orb, as his intention was to ramp up the pressure inside that zone to its absolute limit, as he planned to convert the chaotic melee into a brutal test of who could remain standing the longest.

However, the plan proved far easier to conceive than to execute, as the moment he stepped into the Fourth Ring, the formation’s soul-draining pressure crashed down on him as well, causing his breath to be pushed downward, as his breathing slowed under a sudden wave of strain.

*Crush*

As planned, Leo crushed Moltherak’s second orb the instant he crossed fully into the Fourth Ring, as the containment spell collapsed outright and the ancient Dragon’s true pressure burst outward without restraint, its suppressed presence finally freed, as it unleashed its havoc in its entirety.

*FWOOSH*

*THRUMMM*

There was no delay or gradual release, as the pressure detonated outward in a single violent surge, Moltherak’s unsealed aura slamming into the Fourth Ring and colliding head-on with the already active soul-draining force of the Chakravyuh, as the two pressures stacked instead of canceling, before amplifying into something far more punishing than either alone.

*BOOOOOOM—*

The ground beneath Leo fractured audibly, stone splintering as the combined force crushed downward, while his breath was ripped from his lungs in a harsh exhale, his chest compressing as though an immense weight had settled directly onto his ribs and spine.

His steps slowed.

Not from hesitation, but because every movement now demanded conscious effort, as even his Monarch-tier body was forced to acknowledge the severity of the pressure bearing down on both flesh and soul, while all around him, the Fourth Ring descended into chaos.

Not a single Righteous Commander remained standing calmly anymore, their legs wobbling as their composure finally broke.

Some dropped to one knee while others braced themselves with weapons driven into the ground, armor creaking as bones and joints protested under the compounded weight.

*Pant*

*Short breath*

Breathing grew ragged across the ring, while blood spilled freely, as noses ruptured under internal pressure, ears rang violently, and vision blurred for many, balance collapsing as Moltherak’s ancient authority pressed directly into their cores.

"This—this pressure...!"

Someone gasped, words barely forming as their voice cracked under strain.

The soul suppression of the Chakravyuh pulled relentlessly from below, while Moltherak’s unleashed presence crushed from above, leaving no direction unopposed and no space to recover, as bodies trembled and instincts screamed that something had gone catastrophically wrong.

Even Leo felt it.

His vision doubled for a moment as he clenched his jaw and forced his breathing into rhythm, muscles tightening as he pushed back against the pressure trying to pin him in place, sweat forming along his brow as his body adjusted in real time.

’So this is what it feels like when your soul, mind and body are pushed to the limit at once,’

He thought, as his steps resumed, slower but unbroken, dagger flashing into his grip as he charged forward alone, fully aware that from this point onward, the Fourth Ring would not forgive hesitation, weakness, or mercy from anyone who remained within it.