MTLNOVEL Chapter 465: Destruction IV
The first clash between Leon and Commander Veyrix wasn't loud. There was no explosion of power. No dramatic burst of energy.
Just metal.
Clean. Sharp. Final.
Veyrix's sword moved with no wasted motion, as if each strike had already been practiced a thousand times before it was ever swung. His stance didn't shift. His expression didn't change. The blade simply appeared in front of Leon—twisting toward his neck.
Leon ducked.
But he felt the edge pass within a hair of his skin.
He didn't counter.
He didn't retreat.
He studied.
The next strike came from above. Then a sweep. Then a pivot. Veyrix didn't fight like a man. He fought like a concept—precision given form.
Roselia whispered from the sidelines, "He's faster than any of the others…"
Roman grit his teeth. "Not just faster. Smarter."
Milim crossed her arms. "Doesn't matter."
Kael nodded. "Leon can learn anything. Sooner or later."
And that's what he was doing.
Leon didn't match the strikes.
He learned from them.
In the first twenty seconds, he blocked three blows.
In the next twenty, he blocked eight.
By the first full minute, his sword—the one forged back on Floor 609—was beginning to respond.
Shell Reverb didn't echo just power now.
It echoed intent.
Veyrix's next strike met a rising guard—and for the first time, the Sovereign paused.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Leon's blade twisted, drawing a thin line of sparks down the edge of Veyrix's sword.
A warning.
A reply.
The Tower reacted.
[Synchronization Achieved – Legacy Resonance Detected]
Trait Active: Duelist's Mirror
For each successful parry, gain insight into opponent's core rhythm
Leon breathed in. Then stepped forward.
Not defensive.
Offensive.
He struck low, redirected high, then pivoted back with a shoulder feint that wasn't meant to land—it was meant to test. And it worked.
Veyrix shifted.
Tiny. Less than half an inch.
But it was the first move that wasn't perfect.
Leon pressed the advantage.
He began to layer Shell Reverb: Absolute Return into his footwork, chaining slight rewinds into repositioning feints.
Twice he was cut across the shoulder.
Once, across the ribs.
Blood ran—but so did data.
His blade started to hum.
Not loudly.
But in tune with Veyrix.
A duel that began as a slaughter was turning into a match.
Then into a dance.
Then—
Into a test of who would flinch first.
And finally… Veyrix did.
It was barely visible.
A slip in tempo.
A step that came one-tenth of a second too early.
Leon struck.
Not to kill.
But to end it.
His blade caught Veyrix's weapon mid-swing, turned it outward, and drove his pommel clean into the Sovereign's chest.
Veyrix staggered.
Dropped to one knee.
And smiled.
For the first time in the match.
"I was waiting," he said quietly, "for someone who could show me a new rhythm."
He looked up at Leon.
"And now I've seen it."
He dissolved into light.
[Trial Cleared – Floor 612 Complete]
Title Earned: Challenger of the Hundred Styles
Weapon Essence Core Acquired: Veyrix's Edge
Passive Gained: Duelist's Instinct – Grants increased reaction speed and combat insight during one-on-one engagements
Reputation Update: Recognized by the Sovereign Arena Registry
Leon exhaled, finally lowering his blade.
His hand trembled slightly, just for a second.
Not from fear.
From respect.
As the arena faded, and the floor began to shift beneath their feet, the others came up to him.
Roselia gave a short nod. "You didn't just survive."
Kael smirked. "You outclassed him."
Roman grinned. "You're starting to scare me, man."
Milim nudged Leon's arm. "Still think you're just climbing?"
Leon looked toward the rising stairs.
"Climbing?"
He shook his head.
"No."
"I'm building the path now."
And as they stepped into the gate for Floor 613, the Tower above felt… different.
Less cold.
Less distant.
Because now, for the first time—
It was watching with interest.
The gate to Floor 613 wasn't like the others.
No metal archway. No flickering glyphs.
Just a wall of white mist.
Leon stepped into it first, and the world changed instantly.
No wind. No sky. No walls.
Just a wide, endless stone plain underfoot—and the feeling that thousands of eyes were watching from just outside of sight.
Not hostile.
Not friendly.
Just… observing.
The rest of the team followed, slowing as they took in the eerie stillness.
Kael muttered, "Why do I feel like we're walking into an interview?"
Milim cracked her knuckles. "If this is an interview, I hope we get to beat someone by the end."
A faint hum echoed from nowhere.
And then the air shimmered.
Figures began to appear.
Ten of them.
Not standing on the ground—but floating several feet above it. Some humanoid. Some entirely alien. One looked like a moving constellation. Another resembled a knight made of folded light. Another was a robed woman with no face, just flowing symbols shifting across her hood.
They didn't speak.
Instead, a soft ripple of intent moved through the air.
[Welcome to Floor 613 – The Domain of Watchers]
Zone Type: Observation Arena
Objective: Undergo Evaluation
Challenge: Survive the Judgment of Ten
Special Rule: No weapons. No magic. No systems.
Only yourself.
Roselia's eyes narrowed. "No weapons?"
Naval tried summoning his spear—but nothing came. "Even our storage spaces are locked."
Roman looked at Leon. "So what is this? A philosophy test?"
Leon didn't answer. He already knew what this was.
"They don't care what we've learned," he said quietly. "They care who we are."
The moment he said it, the Watchers moved.
One by one, each of the ten began to drift forward—toward a member of the team.
Not attacking.
Just projecting.
A presence. A force. A truth.
Leon's Watcher stopped six feet in front of him.
Its form was fluid—shifting from a mirror version of Leon, to a featureless silhouette, to a child version of him, and back.
It didn't speak.
But its challenge was clear.
Show us the real you. Not the warrior. Not the climber. The person.
The others each faced their own Watcher.
Some sat down.
Some closed their eyes.
Some just… listened.
But Leon stood tall.
"I've climbed over six hundred floors," he said quietly. "I've learned Shell Reverb. I've forged weapons. I've made choices others wouldn't. And I've survived."
The Watcher didn't react.
Leon took a step forward.
"But those things don't define me. They're results. Not roots."
Another step.
"What defines me is what I refuse to let go of."
The air around him rippled.
"I don't fight to win. I fight to reach. To reach the next place, the next person, the next version of myself."
He stepped directly into the Watcher's space—and the figure blinked out of existence.
[Judgment Passed – True Self Recognized]
Trait Gained: Identity Anchor – Immune to all future mental intrusion or identity fracture challenges
Progress Unlocked: Candidate for Higher Trial Invocation
One by one, the others passed their own trials.
Roselia stood unmoving as her Watcher showed her every failure she'd ever made as a leader.
Milim punched through her Watcher's illusions with pure belief.
Kael accepted his Watcher's silence by simply… sitting. Waiting. Matching its patience.
Naval broke his Watcher's cold stare with a grin and a joke that somehow felt right.
Roman stared into his own dark reflection—and walked away from it.
[Team Integrity Verified – Watchers Withdraw]
Floor 613 Complete
But just as they turned toward the gate out, a final ripple passed through the plain.
And a single Watcher returned.
Different from the others.
Taller.
Clearer.
It spoke—not with words, but with resonance.
"You are seen. You are marked."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Marked for what?"
"To be remembered."
With that, the mist returned.
And so did the gate.
Back in the staging area, Milim stretched her arms. "Okay, no weapons? No magic? That was the Tower being dramatic."
Roman muttered, "Still better than the floor with the lava bees."
Roselia gave Leon a look. "You really don't stop, do you?"
Leon smirked faintly. "Stopping is easy."
He looked up at the next gate, glowing with faint threads of gold.
"Becoming undeniable... that's harder."
They stepped forward together—into Floor 614.
And now, the Tower wasn't just watching.
It was listening.