Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger - Chapter 443

Chapter 443: EX 443. Prelude To The Final Battle
Leon took his time explaining everything to the brightest star, breaking it down piece by piece.

At some point, it felt less like a discussion between beings at the peak of existence and more like a teacher patiently correcting a grade schooler who had missed the most important lesson.

The divine stage and origin stage experts watched from the sides in mild amusement, the irony not lost on them. A being that stood at the very epicenter of creation, unfathomable in power, was being lectured by a teenager who had only just stepped into true authority.

As Leon spoke, the brightest star listened in silence. With each explanation, it became clearer to her what the others were also beginning to realize.

The fault lay with the primordials themselves. Not out of malice, but out of blindness born from perfection. Still, this was not the time to point fingers or dwell on blame.

When Leon finished, the brightest star remained still for a brief moment. Then, without hesitation, she bowed her head in a perfect ninety-degree angle.

“As the representative of the primordials,” she said calmly, “and as their leader, I apologize for the error we have committed.”

Leon simply stared at her for a moment before responding.

“It’s fine,”

The primordials were responsible for the deaths of many, but it was never intentional.

And if blame must be placed, then the law of perfection should be blamed as well, since it created them. The law of imperfection should also share that blame for acting the way it did.

Leon’s gaze shifted slightly, as it became thoughtful.

“In all honesty, creation itself was flawed. Like a story written by an author with below-average IQ.”

A ripple of restrained laughter passed through the hall, breaking the heaviness for just a moment.

Then Leon turned, his eyes finding the rows of divine and origin stage experts, his people, his pillars.

The light that burned behind his gaze felt ancient and new all at once. They could all feel it now, how their power had swelled, how their essence thrummed stronger since his realization of self.

During his realization and ascent into true power, their strengths had risen as well. After all, the source of their power flowed from him.

Leon met their eyes, his voice steady and resolute.

“The final battle is about to begin.”

Leon didn’t sugarcoat it. The moment he realized what he truly was, clarity followed without mercy. He understood his purpose in that instant. He was the missing piece. The piece the embodiment of imperfection required to finally become perfection.

And he could never allow that to happen.

Imbalance had already brought devastation beyond counting.

But the absence of one absolute law would not bring chaos. It would bring annihilation. Total erasure. The end of existence itself.

Leon closed his eyes for a brief moment. The laws mirrored him, their resonance dimming as his emotions settled. When he spoke again, his voice carried weight, steady and unyielding.

“The Demon God is about to descend.”

Absolute silence followed. Not a breath stirred.

“This all began three centuries ago,” Leon continued, opening his eyes. “When the demons first attacked. When the Trial World revealed itself to us.”

The trial takers listened, every word sinking deep.

“The forerunners fought to keep a future alive. Our future. Again and again, the demons tried to erase it. Again and again, they failed.”

Auras flared across the hall as his voice hardened.

“We proved we were not insects meant to be crushed. Not weak things meant to be absorbed or overwritten. No. Far from it.”

His gaze swept across them, sharp and resolute.

“We were warriors. And we still are. We fight for a future. We bleed for a future.”

His eyes went cold, unwavering.

“And if we must,” Leon said quietly, “we die for a future worth leaving behind.”

Power erupted from every trial taker, fierce and defiant. The ruined hall trembled under their collective will.

“The Demon God has been biding his time,” Leon went on, a faint smile touching his lips. “Hiding like a final boss in some sick franchise.”

The smile widened just a little.

“Let’s show him—and every follower he commands—what it means to stand against the trial races.”

His voice rang out, clear and final.

“And let’s remind them that the only result… is failure.”

The devastated hall erupted with will and power. This was it.

The final battle.

A battle that would decide whether all life would cease to exist, or whether a future worth fighting for would be carved out in blood and defiance.

****

Preparation was already underway. Leon knew where the battle would be fought. It would be here, in Zion.

The city moved with grim efficiency. Civilians, still flushed with the aftershock of Leon’s ascension, were ushered into the deepest bunkers.

Their spirits were high, but their strength was not enough for what was coming. This was a war meant for trial takers. Above ground, formations were drawn, weapons checked, auras steadied.

Leon stood with his squadmates. Behind him, the Brightest Star waited in silence, like a loyal sentinel cast in borrowed flesh. Their powers had risen alongside his during his realization to power.

Among all the trial takers present, they stood at the peak, second only to her. It was enough. More than enough.

Leon turned to Adrian and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You’ve been a great rival,” he said, a brief pause hanging after the words.

A few of the others stifled laughs. Adrian didn’t. He met Leon’s gaze, then smiled.

“Thank you, Captain. For everything.”

Born to two Grounders, Adrian now stood frighteningly close to the summit of existence. Leon had made that possible. And in return, Adrian had long ago sworn to be Leon’s shield, no matter the cost. That oath hadn’t wavered for a single moment.

Leon paused, studying Adrian for a moment before nodding. He turned toward Eden next, but he spoke first.

“I’m sorry for calling you a bastard.”

Leon blinked, caught off guard.

Eden scratched the back of his neck, awkward as ever.

“You don’t have to worry about it, Captain. Just… know I’m sorry. And I’m with you to the end.”

Leon smiled.

Eden and Adrian hadn’t started on the best terms with him. There had been tension, pride, mistakes on all sides. But now, they were his closest allies. People he could trust with his back in the middle of chaos.

And Leon was more than proud to be their captain.