'Sometimes, the smallest thing can change the course of history.'

Leon remembered the quote from his physics book on relativity and chaos theory.

In the modern world, they called it the butterfly effect.

A butterfly flaps its wings, and weeks later, a storm swallows a whole city.

One small action, one different step, one choice, can ripple across time and space, creating chaos no one can predict.

And now, looking at Shin, the honorary knight, was now the black knight, Leon understood it all too well.

Leon's arrival in the story book was one thing, but the paths he had changed, the choices he had made, the mind he had altered, and the people he had influenced… every move had already rewritten the story.

Shin signing a contract, the demonization, Lumina's emotion, the shifting loyalties of fate, it all traced back to even minor events that Leon had set in motion.

Like that butterfly, a simple action had unleashed a tsunami of consequences.

The world Leon thought he could control was already bending around him.

Every step, every breath, every sword drawn now carried weight he could not fully measure.

And Leon realized it, with a chill, that some of the ripples he caused could never be undone.

Leon's eyes darted from Shin to Lumina to Alice.

'These two would not understand…'

Leaving Alice aside, Miss Lumina was his main focus.

In the original event, she was never meant to meet Shin. She was dead before she could even get the chance to.

Shin Kataino was a legend, his name imprinted in at least one out of every ten book related to the Great Calamity War, until the day he went missing.

No one found out where he was or what had happened to him. Even the kingdom he had sworn his loyalty to had abandoned him and cast him aside to rot.

And if Leon could remember correctly, in the game Rebirth of the Fivefold Calamity, there was a particular scene where Ethan was searching for clues about Shin Kataino.

But why?

Leon did not remember it. Or more precisely, he had not played that portion of the story.

It was a side quest included in the latest release of the game, so Leon, or rather Haru, did not remember it very well.

'What was it?'

Leon thought for a moment.

He remembered reading about it, but only at the base level. He had not read the whole script of the latest release that deeply. He knew very well that his assistant Maya had done it beforehand, so he had simply needed to approve it.

And he did exactly that.

It was not that he did not care for the game or neglected his duties; it was because he had trusted Maya all too well.

'Shit, I messed up.'

Indeed he had.

It was not connected to the main quest, but it was important to the game's lore. Those players who had completed that side quest would receive potential lore about the game.

"..."

No matter how much he tried to deny the fact, Haru had neglected his duties as CEO. Over time, he had become bored handling the same game over and over again, so he left most of the decisions to his employees.

He only interfered when something big happened, or when his team was unable to fix certain bugs.

'If only I had read the new script…'

Regret.

But it was too late now.

His old life was gone, and the gaming world was now his reality.

He had to face it not as a game but as reality itself.

It was not that hard, and knowing Haru, he must have figured out exactly what he needed to do next.

'Fuck, I don't know what to do next!'

Or maybe not.

Leon did not have the time or luxury to analyze his current situation. Not when the knight and the swordmaiden were in a stalemate position.

Locking their blades, each one froze at the same location.

Lumina's voice trembled as she repeated the question, her words breaking slightly with every syllable.

"Shin… why are you doing this? Please… answer me!"

But the black knight remained silent.

His face was hidden behind the blackened mask, and no expression could reach Lumina's eyes.

The air around him twisted.

Leon could see the dark mana coiling around his body, gathering at an unimaginable speed.

Leon felt it immediately.

He extended his [Mana Sense], his eyes narrowing as he focused on Shin's Mana Core.

It was cracking.

'Shit, at this rate…' Leon thought.

If the core shattered, Shin would die.

And not just him.

The explosion of dark mana, when it was on the verge of breaking apart, when it generated an equal amount of opposing force, would be catastrophic.

Lumina… she would be at the center if it happened now.

Leon's chest tightened.

Even here, even now, his mind thought about her.

It didn't make sense.

Why did he care so much for her safety?

There was no time to question the logic of it.

"This… can't happen," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

Alice was watching with a tense expression.

He turned toward her, and in a low voice, he stated,

"Alice, we're going in."

"Now?"

"Yes. Can you fight?"

A determined grin spread across her face.

"I can. Let's do it."

A massive scythe erupted around her body, its edge gleaming with purple light, as she swung it experimentally.

"You bet. If he pierces my heart, I will pierce his di—"

"Alright," Leon interrupted sharply.

"We'll surround him. Attack the moment Miss Lumina creates an opening for us."

Alice's grin widened.

"Fine with me. But are you certain you can use your sword now?"

Leon smiled faintly.

"I am. Miss Lumina is a great teacher. Don't doubt our future swordmaiden, okay?"

Alice's hands tightened on her scythe, a spark of jealousy visible in her eyes.

"Fuck… this made me jealous," she muttered.

Leon and Alice moved fluidly, circling the two.

Alice's scythe cut through the snow, tracing arcs of purple light that shimmered across the cliffside as she spun her scythe.

Leon glanced at her, impressed.

'Impressive,' he thought, quietly praising her skill.

Lumina's eyes flicked between the two of them, registering the shift in position before snapping back to the black knight.

Her body tensed.

Ignoring the real identity of the black knight, she kicked his torso, forcing a slight stagger back, enough to create a safe distance.

Her hands gripped the hilt of Moonblade as she muttered a spell under her breath.

"O blessing of the Flaming Sun… Let thou flame erupt, and burn with the fury of a thousand dawns,

illuminate the path of justice and scorch the darkness that dwells within!"

A two-line incantation.

A fireball, the size of a car, flickered into existence at the tip of her blade.

She channeled it with precision towards the black knight.

"SHAAA—!!"

The fireball surged through the air, its flames roaring as it made its trajectory.

But the knight remained still.

The fireball touched him, and instantly hissed, turning to ash and smoke as if meeting an invisible shield.

Leon clicked his tongue, not surprised.

"Knew it… it won't be that easy," he muttered under his breath.

For a moment, he considered using his Light Affinity, but he shook his head, dismissing the thought.

'No,' he decided. 'Patience. Timing is everything… and… Miss Lumina is here, she can deal with him.'

Every move now needed his precision.

If anyone rushed, Shin could overdo it, and collapse from the [Mana overload], and the resulting explosion could annihilate everything around him.

Leon shifted slightly, scanning the battlefield, calculating distances, angles, and momentum.

He looked at Alice and nodded.

'Alright, do exactly as we discussed.'

Alice noticed the subtle glance, synchronizing her scythe with her mana.

Her grin remained, but her eyes reflected the seriousness of the situation.

She was enjoying it.

Before that, Leon had given her a clear instruction. She had first thought that it wouldn't be that impressive, but she was wrong.

The strategy Leon had come up with was not something to take lightly.

Leon had two goals in mind.

First, to beat Shin–the black knight.

And second, to not kill him in the process.

It was impossible to do it. But after hearing his strategy, she had a clear view.

The dark knight was entirely focused on a fight with the swordmaiden, as according to him, she was the toughest here.

And he was right; she indeed was the toughest here.

What made her even more vulnerable was the blade in her hand… The Moonblade.

By constant strikes from the black knight, she did not have time to cast her special move.

Leon knew this, and all he needed to do was get close to the black knight and stare directly into his eyes.

He grinned.

"I didn't know you were this crazy!" Alice commented.

Leon glanced at her and said, "Do it, now!"

Alice used her skill, [Zero Spark].

It was a short-space teleportation skill she possessed.

Leon's eyes glowed golden at the same time. A cascade of 0s and 1s passed through his vision.

He recalled the mechanism.

[Fate Point: 3]

[Fate Point: 2]

One Fate Point consumed.

Alice appeared right behind the black knight.

Raising her sharp scythe, she aimed at his neck.

"..."

The knight noticed her by the corner of his eye.

Using one hand, he blocked the incoming strike from Alice and with the other, he blocked the Moonblade.

CLANG! CLANG!

The three were now in a deadlock.

Leon smiled, took a single step, and activated his skill.

[Zero Spark]

He teleported just in front of the black knight's face.

'I hope Eula doesn't scold me...' he thought.

At a close distance, his face formed a devious grin before he muttered,

"Command of Grace."

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