The afternoon sun bathed the courtyard in a golden warmth as Leo lounged lazily on the ornate wooden recliner under the shade of a parasol.
His eyes half-lidded in satisfaction, he stretched slightly while being pampered by the young maid beside him.
"More grapes, Anne," he said lazily, his tone filled with languid amusement.
"Y-Yes, Master Leo," the tiny maid stammered.
Anne, dressed in an immaculate black-and-white maid uniform, looked like a porcelain doll come to life.
Her petite frame, reaching barely Leo's chest in height, moved with nervous grace.
Her lime-green twin braids bounced with each step she took, and her wide, watery blue eyes darted about like a frightened kitten.
She gingerly picked up a peeled grape with trembling fingers and held it to Leo's lips.
Leo smirked devilishly, taking the grape into his mouth while locking eyes with her.
Anne flushed red all the way to the tips of her ears.
Her gaze flickered between the bowl and his grin, as if unsure where to focus.
"You're really adorable, you know," he said, running a finger down her cheek.
"T-Thank you, M-Master..." she squeaked, hands pressed tightly together as she tried not to squirm.
Leo let out a low chuckle. *Truly, life is good.*
But just as he was enjoying the soft sweetness of fruit and the company of the flustered loli, a sudden flash of memory hit him like lightning.
His body jerked, and he slapped his forehead hard.
"Damn it! How could I forget that?!"
Anne let out a small squeal, nearly dropping the tray of fruit. "M-Master? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, Anne, it's not you," he muttered, eyes narrowing.
He sat upright, posture sharp now. So that's when it happened.
He clenched his fist, his expression darkening as he recalled the most frustrating moment of his past life.
"The Twin Blades... Those two monsters..."
The Twin Blades. A pair of legendary warriors whose synchronized movements, deadly compatibility, and uncanny strength made them unstoppable in their realm.
One male, one female, both wielding identical blades infused with mirrored energy—one destructive, one protective.
When they fought together, they could topple armies, suppress even those far above their cultivation level.
They were the storm and the calm, the spear and the shield.
Leo had admired them secretly in his past life. Their teamwork was art.
And then that bastard Alex ruined everything.
Leo gritted his teeth. He remembered the exact moment he had read the report in his past life, dumbfounded that Alex of all people had defeated the Twin Blades and emerged as a hero.
That battle had elevated Alex's reputation sky-high, giving him opportunities and support that Leo, the supposed villain, never had.
But Leo knew the truth.That fight was a farce.
Yes, the Twin Blades were virtually invincible when fighting side by side.
Their moves complemented each other perfectly.
They rotated between attack and defense like a dance, leaving no gap, no flaw—unless you separated them.
And that's what Alex had done.
He used trickery...
Leo remembered it vividly now. The Twin Blades had descended upon a corrupted beast ravaging a sacred village.
Alex had joined the fight late, pretending to support.
He'd used one of the Aetherwind Clan's secret techniques—Purification Blast, a move that cleansed all negative energy but also temporarily blinded spirit-sense.
When one of the blades was separated and weakened, Alex had sneak-attacked them. Injured and confused, the other rushed in to help, only to be struck down from behind.
That coward used their compassion against them.
Leo's hand clenched tightly against the recliner's armrest. His jaw tightened.
"That technique... only someone from the Aetherwind Clan would know. But Alex had no right.
No one taught him. So how the hell did he learn it?!"
There were only a few possible answers, and both made Leo's blood boil.
"Sophia... or Zoe. One of them must've shared the technique. Maybe out of pity. Maybe out of love."
His aura flickered for a second, just a glimmer of the storm brewing inside.
"But I'll make them regret it. I'll make them all regret it."
He sat back slowly, his rage slowly buried beneath layers of calculation.
"Not now. No, I'm still not strong enough," he whispered, his voice cold. "But the day I stand above them all, I'll rewrite that story.
The Twin Blades won't fall. Alex won't be the hero. And they—Sophia, Zoe—will kneel and beg for mercy."
He looked down at Anne, who had been frozen stiff from the sudden intensity in his expression.
Her small hands trembled as she held the tray.
Leo suddenly smiled.
"Relax, Anne," he said gently, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Now\... go get me the maid outfit I prepared for you.
Let's take your service up a notch."
Anne blinked, then turned beet red, scurrying off with rapid steps, her twin braids bouncing behind her.
Behind a one-way barrier high above, the shadow force members looked at each other awkwardly.
"...Our master is terrifying," one muttered.
"But at least he's efficient," another shrugged.
"...I kinda feel bad for that maid."
---
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit cavern far across the city...
"My precious egg..." Alex cooed, clutching the green-scaled egg wrapped in warm cloth against his chest.
He crouched beside a small fire, humming a tune to the egg while draping it with his jacket.
His eyes sparkled like a lovesick fool.
"One day, you'll hatch... You'll grow up... We'll be invincible together! Hahaha!"
In his mind, Alex imagined himself riding atop a majestic dragon.
Women from all over the continent kneeled before him, offering themselves, while Sophia and Selena tended to his every whim.
*Leo groveling at my feet... begging for forgiveness...* He chuckled darkly.
Up in the shadows above the cave ceiling, the monitoring shadow force members let out a collective sigh.
"This guy... is he mentally stable?"
"He acts like a chicken warming its egg."
"He's talking to it again..."
One of them shook his head. "Master Leo is right. This man is a clown."
---
Back at Leo's manor, he laid in his bath with closed eyes, letting the warm herbal water relax his muscles.
He had regained something important today: a piece of the puzzle.
Twin Blades. One of the most pivotal battles of Alex's rise.
And now, Leo had a plan. He just had to find them... and change everything.
[ Chapter End ]
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Author's Note:
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Let's keep pushing forward—no regrets, just pure hype!
– azuredragonx
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