"No, this plan won't work," For the first time, Noah rejected Leon's plan of action.
Leon looked at her in surprise, just about to tell her something like ["Dad's so awesome, he'll definitely fight his way out to see you all."]
But Noah blurted out instead, "I don't want to be separated from you again. We'll go together."
That forceful tone and gaze were exactly like Rossweise's.
After a pause, Noah hastily added, "A and only you can use Reverse Magic to go back to the past. If something happens to you here, even if we manage to escape with the dragon scale, it's useless."
'Hmm, obviously the objective situation should've been explained first, but she just had to judge the decision based on her own feelings first, just like Rossweise.'
'She really is his biological daughter,' General Leon thought with comfort.
But there was no time to get emotional here. Leon nodded, "Alright, then we'll go together."
He had originally planned to stage a classic "hero stays behind to buy time, everyone thinks he's dead, but then he runs back waving dramatically and everyone hugs each other, crying in joy" kind of scene.
However, your eldest daughter rejected your drama-king act and outright said she didn't want to be separated from you again, even though she still hadn't called you "dad" once in the past three months.
But her stubbornness and tsundere personality didn't stop Noah from holding on to her strongest conviction:
To always be with her family.
The brief discussion ended, and from the group up ahead someone shouted, "Quick, attack!! Th-that guy is Leon Casmodeous! I'll never forget that face in my life!"
Sure enough, someone recognized Leon.
"Oh yeah? Because my face is too handsome?"
"Cut the crap, old man."
With that, Noah spread her dragon wings, grabbed Leon's arm from behind, and easily carried him over the outer wall of the imperial capital.
The moment they leapt over the wall, both Leon and Noah felt the presence of an invisible barrier.
Charging through the barrier meant that more enemies would soon be swarming after them.
After getting over the high wall, Leon said, "The dragon form's size is too large and obvious. If we're going to use it, we should wait until we reach the empire's gates. Using it inside the city will just give the patrols a clear target."
Noah nodded, folding the wings on her back.
The father and daughter jumped the wall directly, while the pursuers on the other side still needed to set up ladders or detour around, giving Leon and Noah enough time to maneuver.
The two quickly left the imperial city and slipped into a dark alley, where Luna and Aurora had long since prepared a carriage to receive them.
"There's no time to go back for those two hostages. We need to leave the empire before sunrise."
Leon jumped onto the carriage, "We've already got the dragon scale, so avoid fighting as much as possible. No need to waste energy tangling with these guys."
The worst thing in an away battle is a war of attrition. Even though Leon had recovered some of his strength, he didn't want to risk even more to fight with the empire's people.
He had never forgotten the purpose of this risky return to the empire, Heart-Protecting Dragon Scale.
Now that the dragon scale was in hand, it was time to make a lightspeed getaway.
Aurora snapped the reins, and with a neigh, the carriage raced off.
Inside the violently rocking carriage, Leon suddenly sighed emotionally, "This scene... feels familiar."
Noah looked up at him, "What? You got caught stealing something before too?"
Leon didn't go into details and instead joked, "I stole your mom's heart, then got caught and was held captive for three years."
"Thanks, I feel like throwing up."
'Why is it that clearly the same love story, when Mom tells it, it's so touching and emotional, but when this guy tells it, it's just soaked in comedy?'
Leon's lame joke temporarily eased the tense atmosphere.
He stood up, moved to the back of the carriage to look behind, and saw that patrols had already reacted and started chasing them.
Leon raised his right hand, magic power gathering in his palm.
The next moment, a lightning-formed wolf leapt out of Leon's palm, pouncing on the pursuers behind.
Grade-A Lightning Magic · Thunderwolf Slayer
But just as Leon expected, fighting on enemy turf was full of disadvantages.
More and more patrols poured out from both sides of the road, all rushing toward them.
And that wasn't even the worst part.
Noah looked up and saw three figures leap onto the rooftops, closing in on the carriage from both sides.
"It's the Blade Trio...", Noah murmured.
Leon followed her gaze, and sure enough, those three were much more mobile than the average patrol.
"Hey hey hey, Uncle speeding down there, can you stop for a sec? I wanna hitch a ride!", The team leader Blade One called out from above.
Leon froze, then reacted immediately, "Who're you calling uncle?"
"Leon Casmodeous, I know you. You're like in your forties now, right? A guy in his forties is an uncle."
"Captain, although by time he is indeed in his forties, why does he look like he's only in his twenties?", said another member, Blade Two.
"No idea, maybe... he takes good care of himself? Whatever, I'll knock him down and ask him the secret to eternal youth!"
Leon squinted slightly and muttered, "Big words, huh."
These kinds of nutcases were always trouble.
Leon had no desire for a drawn-out fight.
After a few exchanges, he ignored the three lunatics.
But since the Blade Special Forces had shown up, it meant things weren't going to end easily.
"Hey! Casmodeous! Where'd you hide Nacho? He still owes us a meal," Blade One kept shouting provocations.
Leon didn't respond. He just cast another lightning spell, clearing out some of the chasing soldiers.
"Hmph, ignoring me, huh? You should've died long ago, old fossil... Take this!", As the words fell, Blade One raised his hand and gathered magic energy.
A white orb of light formed in his palm, then was hurled hard at the speeding carriage.
The orb hit the ground nearby, triggering a massive explosion and shockwave.
Of course, that was just an appetizer.
Next second, more energy orbs came raining down from the rooftops on both sides of the street.
Aurora handled the carriage, dodging rapidly.
"Dad! Shouldn't we fight back? I almost got hit just now," Aurora shouted from the front.
"You just focus on driving. Let Dad handle the rest," Leon's brain raced as he recalled his skill list.
Very quickly, he came up with a plan to break through.
He leapt onto the roof of the carriage, bent his knees into a low stance to keep balance.
"Yo, Uncle, finally getting serious with us?", Blade One continued provoking.
Leon gave no response.
He raised his right hand high, electricity gathering in his palm.
Blade One raised an eyebrow, "What move is that, Uncle? Heavenly Thunder Pull? Thunderwolf Slayer? Or your proudest Chidori? I'll tell you now, none of those will work on us!"
As Blade One finished speaking, the other two teammates prepared to attack.
But just as they were about to launch their next wave, a blinding light burst from Leon's hand.
The light lit up the entire night sky, as if it were daylight.
The Blade Trio's vision was instantly overwhelmed; they couldn't see the street at all.
Grade-B Lightning Magic · Zenith Light
A very useful support spell.
A few seconds later, the light faded, and Blade One's vision returned.
He looked at the street, only to see the carriage had raced far ahead.
He realized that Leon had just played them.
Blade One gritted his teeth and ordered, "Chase them! I want to see if the so-called strongest Dragon Slayer is only good at cheap tricks!"
The trio sped up and chased the carriage.
But they didn't notice, inside a nearby alley, Leon and the three girls were quietly watching their backs disappear.
During those few seconds of blindness, Leon had jumped off the carriage with the girls and slipped into the alley.
But this was only a temporary diversion.
Although Blade One was a bit nuts, he wasn't dumb. He'd soon realize the carriage was empty.
"Hurry, before other patrols find us."
"Yes, Dad."
The four of them crept toward the exit on the other side of the alley.
But just as they were about to leave, they heard voices from the exit.
"Heard Lord Nacho went missing?"
"Yeah, seems he was taken by that guy named Leon Casmodeous."
"Leon... Casmodeous? Didn't he die twenty years ago?"
"Who knows. All I know is that guy's insanely strong. Us being sent to capture him is basically a suicide mission. So if we see him, fire the signal flare right away."
"Got it!"
It was a patrol team.
Moonlight cast their shadows, getting closer to the alley's exit.
Leon couldn't confirm their numbers, so he didn't know if he could take them out as precisely as the four guards earlier.
If he failed to deal with them instantly, they'd set off a signal flare.
Then the Blade Trio, who had just left, would immediately return. A fierce battle would be unavoidable.
Leon stared tightly at the approaching shadows, magic gathering slowly in his hand.
He wasn't afraid to face the Blade Trio, just worried about getting bogged down here and eventually worn down by the empire's forces.
But at this point... he had to gamble.
The footsteps grew clearer, the three sisters ready to pounce.
But the next second, a few screams came from the alley's exit.
"Signal flare! Quick, pull the signal—"
BANG—
A dull gunshot, sounding like it came from a silenced weapon.
Leon was shocked. Someone took out the patrol?
"I think... I just heard a familiar name," A mature female voice came from the alley's exit.
Low-heeled boots tapped on the stone bricks, stepping over corpses, and stopped at the exit.
She wore a trench coat. Though not tall, her proportions were perfect.
The silenced pistol in her hand gleamed cold under the Lunalight, her cyan ponytail swaying lightly in the night breeze.
She looked at Leon, eyes slightly moving, "Long time no see... Captain."
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