Chapter 51: Chaos Demigod - Leon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 51: Chaos Demigod - Leon
Watching his entire fleet surrender to the opposition, Leon’s expression twisted into a mask of fury.
"Why... why? How can that brat command the entire fleet just by holding Father’s weapon? Are those damn useless bastards all just a bunch of lolicons...?"
At that thought, Leon couldn't help but glare once more at the Sword of the Empire standing upon the platform.
In his memory, the Expeditionary Force had been founded by Atoris himself—an expeditionary fleet he personally led to expand the Empire's borders. It was only when the Aodu Empire’s territory covered nearly the entire Eastern Continent that Atoris transferred command of the Expeditionary Force to him.
It was also then that Atoris formally appointed Leon as the Grand Marshal of the Empire.
He had personally led the Expeditionary Force to the Northern Continent for a transcontinental crusade. By his count, he had been at the helm of the Expeditionary Force for a hundred years. During that time, he had beaten the Northern Lords until they knelt and begged for mercy, forcing them to cede territory and pay reparations.
By all rights, having achieved such illustrious military merits for the Empire, he should have been the most suitable candidate to succeed the throne.
But with a single phrase about "respecting the eldest" and another about "allowing the nation to recover," Atoris had dismissed him.
All those years of effort had vanished like smoke, earning him not even a shred of pity!
Bound by Atoris’s overwhelming strength, Leon hadn't dared to show the slightest hint of resistance on the surface. He could only swallow his pride and continue serving as the Grand Marshal, even though what he truly craved was the seat of the Emperor.
From the moment Atoris cut off his path to the throne, Leon had been obsessed with his father's power. This obsession drove him to seek strength at any cost, twisting his heart until he finally accepted the power of Chaos.
He had planned to wait until the moment Atoris passed away. Then, using the Expeditionary Force he had controlled for years, he would force Orion to abdicate and hand the throne to him.
After all, the Expeditionary Force represented the lifeblood of the entire Empire; it was arguably the Empire's most formidable power. Now that the other Titan Flagship had fallen along with Atoris, the power Leon possessed should have been unstoppable. Even that old fossil of an alchemist would have to give way before the might of a Titan Flagship.
Furthermore, he intended to spread the flames of war to Carlos Lilanka, ensuring the alchemist wouldn't dare to make a move. By then, Orion would have no military force to speak of and would be forced to surrender the throne for nothing!
Everything should have been perfect. There shouldn't have been a single flaw in the plan!
But... why... why...?
Why would the Expeditionary Force, which had followed him for so many years, still betray him even after Atoris was dead!
Had he truly never earned the genuine loyalty of the Expeditionary Force all these years? Had he never truly stepped out of Atoris’s shadow?
Or was it that, for all these years, even the Expeditionary Force viewed him as a failure, just as Atoris did...?
A failure even more useless than that spineless coward, Orion?
"Heh... heheh..."
Observing Leon’s unstable expression from the platform, Orion whispered to Atoris beside him.
"Um... Father?"
"What is it?"
"Leon... he looks a bit off. Did you... provoke him too much?"
Hearing this, the normally stoic Atoris frowned slightly.
"To be honest, I still find Leon’s inner thoughts baffling."
"Uh... how so?"
"When I kept him in the position of Grand Marshal, he didn't voice a single objection. Afterward, he worked even harder leading the Expeditionary Force, racking up countless military achievements. I originally thought he was simply passionate about being the Grand Marshal and conducting expeditions. It wasn't until he spoke of seizing your throne just now that I realized what he truly wanted."
Orion’s lip twitched at Atoris’s explanation.
As a fellow prince who had lived under the crushing weight of Atoris’s power, he understood all too well the grievances Leon had suffered along the way.
"Then... Father, if Leon had directly stated he wanted to inherit the throne back then, would you have given it to him?"
Orion looked at Atoris with trepidation.
"No."
"Huh?"
Seeing Orion’s somewhat flattered expression, Atoris gave him a look of pure disdain.
"Firstly, respecting the eldest is the most suitable practice for the Empire’s continuity. Secondly, and most importantly, the Empire can no longer afford to be as reckless as it was during the era of expansion. Our borders now encompass almost the entire Eastern Continent; we must spend more energy on recovery and strengthening regional control."
Atoris sighed.
"But I never explained any of this to Leon. In his eyes, I have likely always looked down on him, which caused his heart to become twisted."
Atoris looked down at Leon again.
"To be honest, Leon is very much like me—both in his methods and his ambition. But now, I must personally put an end to this bitter fruit."
With that, Atoris leaped down, shouldering the massive Crimson Greatsword.
Clang—!
Almost instantly, Leon raised his own heavy sword to block the strike.
Seeing the smug look on the other's face, Atoris used the momentum to swing the Crimson Greatsword wide.
BOOM—!
With a single strike, Leon was sent flying several kilometers away.
Giving him no room to breathe, Atoris closed the distance instantly, thrusting the Crimson Greatsword through Leon’s torso.
"Cough!"
Leon slumped before Atoris, virtually powerless to fight back.
From start to finish, the battle had lasted less than two seconds before the final victor was declared.
"As expected of the Sword of the Empire... strength no less than my father's... cough... hehe... I overestimated myself..."
Leon looked up at Atoris.
Currently, she stood at a mere 1.4 meters tall. But in Leon’s eyes, this tiny being seemed towering at this moment. Just like his father—utterly unreachable.
"Cough... the Sword of the Empire, right? I admit, you truly possess strength on par with my father. But I imagine that since Orion knows about the Chaos power within me, you must know as well."
Atoris spoke coldly to the weakened Leon.
"I am well aware of your situation."
"..."
After a long silence, Leon threw his head back and laughed maniacally.
"Hahaha! As expected of the Sword of the Empire, to not even care about such a thing! Fine, then let me fulfill that damn pride of yours!"
In the next heartbeat, Leon’s aura exploded.
In Atoris’s eyes, the Chaos Seed tore open Leon’s chest. Chaotic, twisted tentacles wrapped around his body, eventually transforming him into a towering, humanoid monster.
[Chaos Demigod - Leon Lv.100]
Unlike Atoris’s previous situation, Leon had released the Chaos Seed voluntarily. Consequently, even after becoming a Chaos Demigod, Leon retained a degree of self-awareness, allowing him to maintain a humanoid form.
In terms of flexibility and intelligence, he would completely surpass the Chaos Demigod Atoris had once become.
The only drawback was that Leon’s base strength was nowhere near as great as Atoris’s. As a result, even after becoming a Chaos Demigod, his power only barely touched the threshold of a Demigod, falling far short of the monstrous strength of the previous Chaos Demigod.
But that was only in comparison to the previous one.
Before any non-demigod being, the current Leon was still overwhelmingly powerful.
BOOM—!
With a single blow, Atoris was sent crashing into the city walls.
Just as she had sent Leon flying earlier, she was now deeply embedded in the stone. It took her two seconds to break free.
"Heh... Roland."
"I know."
Hearing Atoris’s voice, Roland, who had been standing by on the wall, immediately turned to the person he had just apprehended.
"As they say, you train an army for a thousand days to use it for one. Edward, it’s time for you to be useful."