PAID

As Leon had said, although Shadow, having absorbed the power of chaos and primordial energy, had transformed into a false god and gained Tiamat’s strength, he had lost the speed and reflexive advantages he once possessed.

This gave Leon and Mevis an opportunity to engage him in close combat.

Furthermore, this was the only way for them to gradually deplete Shadow’s health.

After all, judging by the overwhelming magic strength Shadow had demonstrated earlier, engaging him in a magic duel would result in their defeat within just a few exchanges.

Father and daughter charged forward again, attacking Shadow from both sides. Their strikes rained down on him like a relentless storm.

At the beginning of this assault, Shadow attempted to spar with them, but after a few exchanges, he clearly realized that he couldn’t maintain an advantage in terms of speed.

Moreover, even the most skilled fighter couldn’t match the seamless coordination of two attackers. The synergy between Leon and Mevis was so flawless that Shadow felt as though he was facing a single, unified warrior.

Realizing this, Shadow quickly disengaged, putting some distance between himself and his opponents.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze landing on Mevis. Shadow stood upright and said,

“You’re working so well together… Mevis, you must have been collaborating with Leon for quite some time, haven’t you?”

“No, our first cooperation was just a few months ago during the academy’s outdoor assessment. Our opponent was a giant butterfly—far less of a challenge than you.”

Although her words sounded absurd, they were entirely true.

Even General Leon, one of the involved parties, didn’t know how to refute her.

But Mevis—who would become his eldest daughter in the future—spoke in a style reminiscent of himself from a few years ago.

No matter how formidable the enemy, she could still crack a joke.

Compared to the current Noa, the future Mevis had indeed grown much more open and cheerful.

Shadow frowned. “I’m starting to become curious about your true goal. You served me for so many years, yet it seems it was never about saving your family, was it?”

Hearing this, Mevis slowly raised her hand, gently placing her palm over her chest. Her tone grew serious as she said,

“Like all those who have suffered the horrors of war, such things dwell deep within the hearts of both humans and dragons. It is a crystallization of profound fear and wields the power to defy fate itself. However, I am also well aware that it does not possess the ability to bring the dead back to life.”

Shadow raised an eyebrow with interest and asked,

“Since you knew this from the beginning, why use saving your family as an excuse to infiltrate my side?”

Mevis shook her head, lowering her hand as primordial energy surged around her.

“Saving my family was never an excuse or a reason, because—”

She tightened her stance, and a wave of primordial magic erupted, her white pupils fixed firmly on the enemy before her. Her voice was resolute, her words deliberate,

“It truly is why I came here!”@@novelbin@@

After this brief exchange, the second round of combat began.

“They can’t give Shadow any time to breathe.”

In Leon’s current state, he wasn’t suited for a prolonged battle.

They had to finish this quickly.

Shadow continued to widen the gap between them, attempting to deal with them using magical bombardments.

But no matter how he maneuvered, Leon and Mevis relentlessly pursued him, closing the distance with incredible speed.

“I didn’t expect that after fusing two powers, my body would become so sluggish—” Shadow muttered while fending off the pair’s relentless storm of attacks.

“And Mevis, to see you using primordial energy so adeptly on your fists and legs—truly impressive.”

“And you, Leon. Do you have infinite stamina or something? By all rights, you should already be collapsing from exhaustion, so why are you still fighting so fiercely?”

Under normal circumstances, primordial energy functions as a source of power, similar to how steam powers a train. The energy provides momentum, while the train uses tracks (magical circuits) to reach its destination.

But what Shadow hadn’t anticipated was Mevis’s ability to apply this energy directly to her physical attacks.

It was as if the steam engine no longer needed wheels to run—it could move on its own.

This style of combat was indeed more effective than trading spells.

Imagine each of your normal attacks carrying true damage at the cost of burning a portion of your stamina—

But fortunately, the dragon ancestor residing within you could continuously replenish your strength.

And, of course, Leon Casmod was the key point—

A teammate who would never fall until the enemy did.

Thus, the current scenario could be likened to this:

An entity dealing true damage with every basic attack, constantly regenerating health and mana, paired with a crowd-controlling, all-rounded warrior still in perfect condition. Together, they faced off against a high-damage, high-attack opponent with low accuracy and slow movement speed.