My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

"You've already lost, Second Apostle. Surrender, or you won't survive."

The Second Apostle snapped out of his reverie and turned his head to the side, where the tall and striking Leon stood, aiming the sharp blade of the Holy Sword of Zenith at his neck.

His expression darkened as he asked, "Was that your doing? When did you launch that illusionary attack on me?"

As he had mentioned before, he hadn't sensed any flow of mana or formation while fighting Leon. Everything had happened so suddenly that it felt completely illogical.

Leon chuckled softly, pausing as if deciding whether to answer. Then, with a playful smile, he pressed the blade a little deeper, drawing a thin line of fresh blood from the Second Apostle's neck.

"Yes, it was me," Leon said casually. "I used my hero technique in secret—right when you launched your surprise attack on me."

The answer made the Second Apostle's heart skip a beat. As he had suspected, Leon had indeed attacked him in secret, trapping him in that illusion.

What was even more terrifying was that while he had been lost in the illusion, his defenses must have been completely exposed. Leon could have killed him in an instant.

Yet, he didn't. That could only mean one thing—Leon wanted him alive.

And the reason? Even the dumbest person in the world would know.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, the Second Apostle fixed Leon with a cold gaze.

"I know you deliberately spared my life to extract information about the Temple of Twilight, right? Unfortunately for you, that's impossible—I won't tell you a thing!"

With those words, he pressed his index and middle fingers together, then flicked them upward.

"High-Level Formation: Eternal Prison!"

*Whoosh!*

A formation erupted beneath his feet, expanding tens of meters in an instant.

Leon's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected the Second Apostle to set up a formation so quickly and in complete secrecy.

Even so, he remained calm. Without hesitation, he channeled his holy power and leaped backward.

Moments later, the formation circle glowed brightly, and a luminous blue cage materialized where Leon had stood just seconds before.

Had he not reacted swiftly, the cage would have trapped and restrained him.

Seeing Leon react swiftly, the Second Apostle remained unfazed. He merely activated the formation to push the blade of the Holy Sword of Zenith away from his neck.

Now freed from his predicament, he could move unhindered.

Wasting no time, he pointed his fingers forward and commanded, "High-Level Formation: Shadow Mirrors!"

*Whoosh!*

Two formation circles flared to life on either side of him. Moments later, from within them, a pair of five-meter-tall mirrors emerged.

From their reflective surfaces, ten identical copies of the Second Apostle stepped forth, each wielding the same bluish-black sword.

Without hesitation, they lunged at Leon with astonishing speed.

Yet, rather than fear, Leon's expression lit up with excitement.

"Come on," he said eagerly. "Let's see how strong your high-level formations really are."

Just then, one of the Second Apostle's shadows suddenly materialized behind him, swinging its sword toward his neck.

*Clang!*

Leon swiftly twisted his body, effortlessly parrying the attack. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and slashed forcefully at his opponent's stomach.

*Schlk!*

The blade tore through the shadowy figure, splitting its body in two as red-black blood gushed like a fountain. But then—something strange happened.

The severed halves suddenly fused back together, and the figure stood as if nothing had happened.

"Oh? How interesting." Leon raised an eyebrow before breaking into a smile.

Since the figure was merely a shadow of the Second Apostle and not his real body, Leon had already suspected that it wouldn't die so easily.

Just then, two more shadowy figures lunged at him from both sides.

Without missing a beat, Leon channeled his holy power and leaped high into the air, spinning horizontally before slashing at their heads with perfect precision.

Yet, just like before, their bodies reformed instantly, showing no signs of injury.

Leon narrowed his eyes, his gaze locking onto the real Second Apostle, who stood at the center of the formation.

"To stop them, I need to destroy those formations."

***

While Leon battled the Second Apostle, Valen fought fiercely against the Emissary of the First Apostle and the elite members of the Temple of Twilight.

Wielding the Holy Spear of Soaring Dragon, he swung it high before bringing it down with force, striking the twenty enemies lunging toward him.

"Tch! They're really troublesome," Valen muttered coldly.

Admittedly, they weren't as weak as he had initially thought. Each of them was a highly trained fighter with formidable strength.

Their movements were perfectly coordinated, making it difficult to take any of them down.

To make matters worse, they had mastered a mysterious technique that granted them extraordinary speed and agility—darting around like a horde of slippery eels.

Just then, a sudden attack came from behind, and Valen immediately sensed the danger.

Without hesitation, he spun around and deflected a black blade that had nearly pierced the back of his neck.

But before he could recover, another attack came rushing toward his left waist—this time, he had no time to dodge.

*Slash!*

The blade tore through Valen's battle robe, piercing deep into his waist. A sharp, searing pain shot through his body, forcing a hiss from his lips.

*Boom!*

A surge of holy power erupted from him, blasting away the thirty enemies closing in from all directions. Seizing the moment, he retreated hundreds of meters in an instant.

"Damn it! I didn't expect such a swift sneak attack," Valen muttered through gritted teeth.

As a hero, his instincts for danger were razor-sharp. Yet this attack had been so subtle—like a hidden gust of wind—that even he had failed to sense it in time.

The one who had landed the strike was none other than the Emissary of the First Apostle. Watching Valen's pained expression, he couldn't help but smirk.

"Tsk! I thought heroes were as powerful as the rumors claimed. But now? You seem disappointingly weak." He sneered. "I'm starting to wonder if your titles as heroes are real or just fabricated legends."

Hearing his taunt, the two hundred elite members of the Temple of Twilight burst into laughter.

"You're right, leader. I also expected the Spear Hero of Mankind to be as powerful as the legends claim, but this is just disappointing," one of the cloaked men remarked with a playful laugh.

"Hahaha!" The others burst into laughter once more at his words.

Surprisingly, Valen remained completely unfazed by the mockery.

The reason he had been pushed into such a disadvantageous position was simple—he had yet to reveal his true abilities. Instead, he had been carefully observing their fighting styles.

After all, this was their first encounter, and he had no way of knowing their full strength.

Moreover, after enduring the brutal battles in the Desert of Chaos and suffering consecutive defeats at Leon's hands just days ago, Valen had gained far better control over his emotions.

A petty provocation like this didn't faze him in the slightest.

Taking a deep breath, he unleashed a surge of holy power, and an overwhelming pressure crashed down upon the Emissary of the First Apostle and the two hundred elite members of the Temple of Twilight.

Their expressions shifted instantly as they felt the crushing force, instinctively assuming defensive stances.

Valen leveled the Holy Spear of Soaring Dragon at them, a cold smile forming on his lips. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

"Now, it's time to get serious."