Leon had taken the technique from the wolf girl for free, so he would do her a little favor in return.

His voice turned cold as ice as he looked down at Luke as if the man were nothing more than an insect beneath his boot.

"Demolish the slave contract with the bunny girl," Leon commanded, his tone carrying absolute authority. "Or else I will torture you and then heal you back. Over and over. Again and again. Until you finally do what I say."

It was a threat—a very real and terrifying one that hung in the air like a guillotine blade.

Luke's whole body shivered from the terror of those words, trembling uncontrollably. The idea of setting such a valuable prey free was terrible from a business perspective. She represented ongoing leverage, future profits, and control over a four-star adventurer.

However, the threat was so much more terrifying than any potential loss.

And Luke knew with absolute certainty that this man could deliver exactly what he'd promised. He'd already demonstrated healing abilities that defied normal understanding. The cycle of torture and recovery could continue indefinitely.

Getting tortured and healed back, the process repeating endlessly... dying would be so much better than that.

He had no choice. None at all.

Reluctant? Yes, absolutely. But he complied immediately.

Luke looked up at the bunny girl with defeated eyes and gestured weakly. "Show me your hand."

Bunbun hesitantly stretched out her arm, the black slave bracelet glinting in the lamplight. Her red eyes were wide with confusion and desperate hope.

Luke made a small cut on his own finger using a nearby knife shard from the broken table. A single drop of blood welled up and fell, landing directly on the black bracelet with a soft plip.

The bracelet cracked immediately—crack, crack, crack—spiderwebs of fractures spreading across its surface. Then the pieces dropped to the ground, scattering like broken glass across the floor. Clatter, clatter, tink.

His blood wasn't the only key for the slave bracelet—it was merely one component. The main element was the intent behind that drop of blood. Without his genuine willingness to release her, the bracelet would never come off unless all terms of the original agreement were fulfilled.

The moment the bracelet shattered completely, the bunny girl's ears shot straight up. She stared at her bare wrist in disbelief for exactly two seconds.

Then she jumped in pure joy, her entire body bouncing with excitement. "I'm free! I'm actually free!" She started celebrating immediately, tears of relief streaming down her face as she laughed and spun in place.

At the same time, Luke dropped to the ground at the feet of the two demi-humans, prostrating himself completely.

"Please forgive me!" he begged desperately, his forehead pressed against the floor. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

He knew he was completely fucked now. He'd escaped the devil in silver hair only to find himself at the feet of the hunter he'd pissed off tremendously—a four-star adventurer who now had absolutely nothing holding her back from exacting revenge.

I'm dead. I'm so dead.

Leon was done here. His business was concluded.

He walked toward Loriel and Seraphine, who stood some distance away near a pile of unconscious bodies. Not dead—just knocked out cold, scattered across the floor in various positions of defeat.

He signaled them with a subtle gesture to move. They had nothing left to do here.

Both women followed after him immediately, stepping over the groaning bodies as they made their way to the exit.

As they walked, Leon spoke casually through their mental link. I freed the bunny girl from the dire situation she was in. The slave contract is dissolved.

Hearing this, both women felt genuinely happy about the outcome.

Seraphine, as usual, just loved him even more for his decisive action and underlying kindness. Her amethyst eyes softened as she looked at his profile.

Loriel felt conflicted but ultimately satisfied. Despite being sometimes brutal in his methods, Leon was truly kind at his core. She wasn't entirely sure anymore if he was actually the Holy Son or not—his behavior didn't match the legends she'd studied. But he was definitely a good person, impossibly mysterious, and fundamentally decent.

I'm glad I followed him, she thought warmly.

It was late afternoon now, the sun beginning its descent toward the horizon and painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.

They returned to the same restaurant where they'd eaten breakfast earlier that morning. The familiar establishment welcomed them back, and they ordered dinner—hearty meals that filled their stomachs after the eventful day.

Afterward, they made their way back to the hotel.

The same receptionist greeted them at the front desk, her attention focused almost entirely on Leon with obvious interest. She smiled professionally, but her eyes lingered just a bit too long.

There was still plenty of time before the day officially ended, but they decided to rest now. Both Leon and Seraphine could clearly see that Loriel was exhausted. Along the entire walk back, her eyes had been heavy, as if she could fall asleep at any moment. She kept fighting it, forcing herself to stay alert, but the fatigue was winning.

She clearly hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Her appearance standing outside their door so early this morning had definitely not been a coincidence—she'd probably stayed awake most of the night worrying or thinking about something.

When they reached their rooms—which were conveniently next to each other—Loriel stood motionless in front of her door for a long moment. Lost in thought, staring at the wooden surface without actually opening it.

Leon and Seraphine noticed immediately. There was definitely something going on with her, something weighing on her mind.

Leon relayed a message directly into Seraphine's mind, his mental voice warm and caring. Wifey, can you see what's happening with her? Make sure she rests well. I'm going to head out and explore the city for a bit.

He then reached into his spatial storage and pulled out the Epic rank technique scroll he'd collected from Sylphia. The ancient parchment glowed faintly with preserved magical energy.

He handed it to Seraphine with a slight smile, speaking aloud this time. "Train well with this. It's an Epic rank light elemental technique."

Seraphine's eyes absolutely sparkled, hearing the description, her excitement immediate and genuine. She'd known it was a technique—she'd seen him take it—but she hadn't realized it was something this precious. Epic rank was extraordinarily rare, the kind of treasure that could define an entire cultivation journey.

"Thank you, my love," she said warmly, pulling him into a brief but tight hug. She pressed her face against his chest for just a moment, breathing in his scent before reluctantly letting go.

After their goodbye, Leon left the hotel and stepped back out into the evening air of Conan City.

Seraphine turned around to see Loriel still standing motionless, staring at her door as if it held answers to questions she couldn't quite articulate.

She walked toward the younger woman to understand what was troubling her.

-----

Leon, after exiting the hotel, had a clear destination in his mind. Instead of wandering through the city to explore its markets and entertainment districts, he made his way directly toward the city gates.

The guards at the entrance recognized him from earlier—or at least recognized his bronze ID when he presented it. They waved him through without question, probably assuming he was heading out for a late-day hunting expedition or material gathering.

Once outside the city walls, Leon activated his elemental control through mana.

Wind element boosted his speed dramatically at the same time, making sure to not cause too much destruction around, while he used his physical strength to move like a laser.

After several minutes of rapid travel through the forest, he arrived at his destination.

The place was the same location where they'd fought the terrifying tree monster earlier that day. The clearing showed signs of their battle—scorched earth from Seraphine's lightning, broken tree trunks from the creature's thrashing, disturbed soil where roots had erupted.

The only significant difference now was the sun setting on the horizon, casting long shadows through the forest canopy. Orange and red light filtered through the leaves, painting everything in warm, dying colors.

Leon stood at the edge of the clearing, his mystical eyes scanning the area with careful attention.

His spatial awareness extended outward, probing deep into the earth below.

There.

Nine hundred meters down, exactly where he'd detected it before—the perfectly spherical object that his instincts screamed was important. The real body, perhaps. Or the core that had controlled the wooden puppet they'd destroyed.

Time to find out what you really are.

Leon took out a shovel from his spatial inventory and started digging into the ground. The tool bit into earth and soil, creating a steadily deepening hole. After a couple of meters of manual excavation, he set the shovel aside and switched methods.

His earth affinity activated, and the ground began parting before him like water. Soil and rock moved aside under his control, creating a tunnel that descended deeper and deeper. He followed it down, slowly reaching closer to the unknown spherical object buried far below.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.