By Zephyria Leonardo gave strength to his right hand, taking advantage of the gap when the iron cage shook violently.
Although he couldn’t put much strength into it, he could move it to some extent, so he grabbed the chain part of the Magic Stone handcuffs tied to his wrist and started shaking it hard.
It was clear that the force constricting his body as a whole was weaker than before. Before long, the chain of the right handcuff broke and fell off the floor of the iron cage. The handcuff was not broken, but at the feeling of his hand and wrist being freed, Leonardo gave strength to his entire right arm again and pulled strongly several times.
Soon, he heard thudding sounds, and the restraints that had been fixing his arm fell off.
With one arm completely free, he immediately threw away the cloth covering his eyes and ears and tore off the gag in his mouth in one go. Then, the senses of his whole body gradually became clearer, and the sounds from outside began to be heard clearly.
Even though the cloth covering his eyes had disappeared, the inside was all dark. However, as his hearing was opened, he could feel how many people were around him, even if he couldn’t see in front of him.
At that time, the speed of the rapidly moving iron cage began to slow down gradually. Leonardo, who was getting impatient, immediately resumed his actions.
He also easily tore off the restraints fixing his neck with his right hand. Once one arm and the area around his neck were freed, the rest was easy.
A short time later, when he had completely detached his left arm and waist, which had been bound, from the floor and raised his body halfway, the violently shaking iron cage had completely stopped moving.
Leonardo, who was panting while sitting, stared at the front, which was covered in pitch-black darkness. Agrizendro’s magic power was clearly flowing in from that direction.
Thinking that he had to prevent them from noticing outside that he had been half released from his restraints, Leonardo immediately calmed his breathing. He hid his magic power and focused on the sound.
“Oh, no….”
Hugo Agrizendro’s voice was heard very close, as if he was standing right in front of him. Unfortunately, he seemed to have already noticed that the flow of his magic power had changed.
Leonardo bit his lip. He had managed to tear off half of the restraints, but thick Magic Stone handcuffs and shackles were still attached to his wrists and ankles.
‘Can I escape?’
Even if he rushed quickly to the gate, it was uncertain whether he could escape. As he felt it, this place was around the Magic Power Control Zone 2. Since he had already entered the Imperial City to some extent, it would take quite a while considering that he would be flying without using teleportation.
In the meantime, it would be overwhelming to deal with Agrizendro alone, but if the other guy next to him supported him, it was practically impossible to escape.
“What’s wrong? Shouldn’t it be over if it stops?”
“The seal is disturbed.”
“What?”
“Evacuate the citizens immediately.”
At his words heard from outside, Leonardo released his lip that he had been anxiously biting.
This place was the Imperial City. He had nothing more to lose, but the commander of the Council had too much to protect.
‘Two division commander-level. Even then, one of them is far below Kajard.’
Leonardo swept back his hair and estimated the Council’s forces outside. It seemed that these guys had underestimated him, as there were far fewer people than in the Northern Branch.
He let out a snort and immediately started shaking the restraints that were fixing his torso and legs like crazy. He had to quickly release these while there were still people nearby and Agrizendro couldn’t move much.
“Hurry!”
The commander’s fierce voice was heard in succession, and at the same time, the restraints that had been binding his legs were torn off one by one. As the heavy mass of metal creaked violently, he heard the sound of people outside running away in panic.
‘To be trembling so much at just this.’
The masses cowered in fear at his mere gesture. Nevertheless, they hid in the forest of the name of the majority and so reviled and reproached him.
Among them, there were certainly people he had to pay for his crimes and apologize to, but on the other hand, there would also be those who were swept away by agitated voices and false emotions and poured out attacks without reason.
The stone of condemnation was so light from the thrower’s point of view.
Too unfair to just be beaten to death.
Finally, just as Leonardo was completely freed from the restraints that had been fixing his body, suddenly the ground shook, a loud sound was heard, and a chill lingered around him. It was clearly Agrizendro’s magic power.
Probably, given his combat characteristics, he had trapped himself inside an ice wall.
“You’re trying quite hard.”
Leonardo let out a sneer and struggled to get up from his seat with his body stiff from being tied up for so long. Perhaps because he was in the cool air, he vividly felt the hot blood spreading throughout his body.
He immediately took a few steps forward and groped for the bars that had trapped him, and he felt the magic power being sucked out and even decomposed. It was definitely not an ordinary iron cage.
This itself was nullifying my magic. Moreover, considering the Magic Stone handcuffs still stuck all over the place, I understood why the bars hadn’t melted no matter how much heat I applied.
Eventually, Leonardo, giving up on melting his way out, released his hands and stared silently into the darkness, thinking.
‘If I fail, the crime will be aggravated, making future movements difficult. With the fact that I can use face-changing magic exposed, it might be impossible to move secretly anymore. Even so, is it right to go out?’
Lost in thought for a moment, considering all possibilities, an idea flashed through his mind. Right now, he had a sufficient reason to cause a ruckus, having been ‘dragged’ all the way to this imperial capital.
With that, Leonardo took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, and clenched his fist tightly.
‘Even if I fail to escape, it’s worth going out just once.’
In the darkness, his eyes shone like lightning. Having made his decision, he then threw himself against the bars with all his might, to further scatter the surrounding sealing stones.
* * *
Thwack!
At the sound of something hitting the bars hard, Andreas was startled and looked down at the inside of the ice wall from above.
As if the guy was suddenly rampaging, a harsh collision sound echoed along with the sound of heavy metal dragging on the floor. Each time, the bars were moving slightly to the side, and before long, one side was completely touching the ice wall, causing a heavy vibration throughout the entire wall from the impact.
Bang! Bang!
“What… is that…”
The unreal sight left him speechless.
The huge lump of metal moved on its own as if it had a will. The more it did, the more the tightly wound sealing stones scattered, and the guy’s energy rushed out, and fine cracks were forming in the thick, sturdy wall.
The sound was amplified by the ice walls blocking all sides, and the sense of oppression was extraordinary.
Andreas, staring blankly down at the scene, felt the subtly flowing waves of magic and swallowed hard.
Releasing a seal that prevented him from even lifting a finger, and the thing in the bars rampaging so violently as if it would burst out at any moment. Only then did Andreas realize the meaning of Hugo’s words that he was underestimating the guy. The magic he had felt from the guy was only a small part that had leaked out even under the pressure of all the sealing stones.
Bang!
The broken sealing stones fell to the ground like scraps of paper, and the guy’s overflowing magic doubled and surged up his bones.
“Is that a human?”
Andreas said self-deprecatingly with a hollow laugh. An overwhelming sense of pressure rushed in. It was as if some high-ranking demon beast was rampaging inside.
The people who had been watching the situation, pausing for a moment, were terrified again and began to flee as the unusual impact sound echoed above the ice wall.
The Council members guided them to the exit, trying to get them as far away from the scene as possible, and in the meantime, the elites of the 4th Division erected a huge barrier in the shape of a semicircle, encompassing the floor and the sky, based on the bars.
As soon as space was secured, Hugo reinforced the ice around the cracking ice wall with a double layer of ice.
Being able to restrain Leonardo with Dragon capture rounds was because his strength was almost depleted from the battle with him that lasted over half a day.
However, during the transport here, the guy had been unable to move, suppressed by all sorts of restraints and the energy of the sealing stones, but most of his depleted stamina would have already recovered.
But this place was right in the middle of the imperial capital.
He couldn’t wage a ruthless battle like when he faced the guy on the deserted island of frost territory.
As the shockwaves spread, Hugo’s and Andreas’s hair in the sky shook slightly, and their cloaks fluttered.
Hugo, looking down at the violently shaking bars, took out a communication magic tool and relayed to the central headquarters.
“This is the 2nd district in the direction of the north gate of the imperial capital, coordinates 113, 452, 43. Requesting support of two division commander-level personnel.”