n

n

nFrom their own tower, Miles and Simeon watched this happen with flickering expressions.

nAt first, they thought that Leonel was just flailing about like a headless chicken. They fully expected that the sniper would fire a second time to end his life. But, the second shot they were expecting never came. The only explanation was that Leonel's singular shot was effective in disrupting the sniper or even… killed him.

nThe two looked at each other, the hint of coldness between them obvious.

nFor Miles, he wanted Leonel and Aina out of the picture so that he could better control the situation of Royal Blue Province. With his father gone to the capital, this was a time for him to establish his authority and gain some power for himself. The sudden appearance of two Variants would make those plans nearly impossible.

nUnfortunately, without proper cause, he didn't dare to lay a hand on one Variant, let alone two. But who knew that Leonel would do something as foolish as committing an act of murder? This was like a pie falling from the skies and into his lap.

nFor Simeon, his goal was even more obvious. The idea that a bastard child of the Brazinger family could now hold such power was impossible for them to accept. As things stood now, he was still the only one aware of Aina's Variant status as only he paid attention to the outside world. The other members of the family and families like them disdained to do such a thing.

nHowever, if the family found out about Aina's existence and realized he had acted but failed to bring her back, he would suffer some punishment without a doubt.

nUnfortunately, the hands of both of them were tied. One had an ability that was useless before Leonel, and the other was nothing without his genetically modified minions. They could only stand and watch as things unfolded…

n**

nThough Leonel had escaped into the small forest, he didn't expect it to provide him much cover. In fact, it was highly likely that there was another ambush waiting for him here.

nAt the end of the day, this wasn't a true forest. It was just a park. How could he expect to find thick vegetation and foliage to hide him in?

nInstead of giving this place his hope, Leonel stopped behind the first tree he could.

nWith Aina's ax being so large, he was confident in its ability to protect the back of their heads and backs. All he had to do was focus on his front. But he had to be quick, there was no telling if other squads could be converging from his back now that his location had been exposed.

nLeonel grit his teeth and pulled on the bullet in his shoulder. Due to his movement in the last second, it hadn't penetrated too deeply. He couldn't help but be impressed with the armor of the black tactical gear he was wearing.

nHe moved his left shoulder around a bit.

n'It's painful, but not to the point of being crippling. Let's go.'

nLeonel dashed forward a cold glint in his eyes.

nThose hiding in this small forest never thought that he would stop at the first line of trees, but it also seemed that they were unaware that their spots of ambush were all seen through by him during that moment of rest.

nLeonel slipped his rifle into his spatial bracelet and pulled out two handguns. They were all he needed.

nWithout slowing down even a beat, he raised his arms.

nLeonel's hands seemed to have a mind of their own. In one moment, they would be moving faster than a whip, in the next they would be as steady as a statue.

nIn those moments of steadiness, a single shot would ring through the forest, followed by a slight spark of light and the muffled groans and pained cries of men and women.

nThose faint sparks of light sometimes illuminated Leonel's face. Even hidden behind a helmet, one could see the smoothness of his brows and the unforced nature of his closed eyes. If it wasn't for the fact he was moving so quickly, one would think that he was asleep.

nLeonel bolted through the forest in a manner of minutes. In his wake, all that was left were corpses and a series of trees with a single bullet hole through their trunks.

nDeep breaths fogged the inside of Leonel's helmet as he sprinted across the edge of the park. He was almost there. The city square and the final line of defense would soon be before him.

n'How do I get past this…?'

nAs his mind was running wild, Leonel took out a second tactical helmet and slid it over Aina's head. That sniper from before scared him a bit. He thought that Aina would be safe on his back, but that bullet caught him completely off guard. There was no telling just how many snipers of that caliber there were, and he was about to enter an open field once again.

nHe caught a faint glimpse of Aina's sleeping face. Her cheek rested on his shoulder and her breathing was steady. She looked like a peaceful little fairy.

nLeonel couldn't help but smile. For a moment, the fatigue in his limbs completely vanished. He really was a lovestruck fool.

nAfter he secured the helmet on her head, his eyes became emotionless once more and then tipped over and became cold. It was fine if they all just got out of the way. If that was the case, he could let them be. But if they wanted to play a role in his Aina becoming a prisoner, they would have to pay the price.

nLeonel closed his eyes once more and reloaded the clip of two rifles. Then, he stood as though using the last of his strength to keep his back straight and began to fire like a madman.

nHe had done his best to gain an advantage. After stepping out from the last tree and onto expertly cobbled roads, the only thing between him and a lineup of 200 soldiers was a large water fountain with a mermaid sitting on a whale's back.

n