The speed at which they traveled left Lucian disoriented. The world was a blur, and he could only cling to Leo, the young warrior moving with inhuman agility.

  "Ahhh! Shit, shit, shit!" Lucian muttered under his breath, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt the wind lash his face. Every bump in the path made his stomach churn, and the impact of bugs against his face only worsened his misery.

  Finally, Leo skidded to a halt, the sudden stop jolting Lucian forward.

  "Are we here?" Lucian asked, cautiously opening his eyes. Before them stood Theo, his blade gleaming in the moonlight as he fought off an onslaught of plant-like monsters. Thick vines lashed at him, thorned and writhing with an unnatural energy.

  "What are you doing here? It's dangerous!" Theo exclaimed as he severed a creature's limb with a precise slash.

  "Exactly! I'm here to keep you safe!" Lucian retorted sarcastically.

  Theo smirked mid-swing. "I'm flattered you're worried about me."

  "Behind you!" Lucian shouted, pointing at a massive vine creeping toward Theo.

  Without even turning, Theo spun his sword in a perfect arc, slicing the vine in half. "Don't worry. I have eyes in the back of my head."

  "Leo, help him!" Lucian commanded as he awkwardly slid off Leo's back. He gave an apologetic look. "Sorry, I hope I wasn't too heavy."

  "It's fine, Father. You're actually lighter than—" Leo's face twisted as he coughed. "Expfft—ugh!"

  "What?" Lucian frowned.

  "There are… ptff… bugs all over your face," Leo choked, trying to stifle his laughter.

  "How come *your* face is clean?" Lucian grumbled, using his sleeve to wipe away the insect remains.

  Before the situation could escalate, Theo shouted, "Are you going to chat all night, or are you here to help?"

  Leo nodded, his expression shifting to focus. "We'll handle it quickly, Father," he said before vanishing in a blur.

  The battle turned brutal. While Theo moved like a precise machine, parrying and countering every attack, Leo darted through the battlefield with raw, unrelenting speed. He tore through the plant monsters with his fists, each punch exploding with enough force to shred their twisted forms apart.

  Lucian watched in awe.

  Brains and brawn—Leo is the perfect combination. A model leader in the making.

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  The air was thick with the smell of blood and the sharp tang of crushed plant sap as waves of writhing plant monsters advanced, their thorned limbs lashing through the air with eerie precision.

  The ground trembled with the weight of their numbers, but Leo and Theo stood side by side, a formidable duo prepared to take on the monstrous horde.

  Theo adjusted his grip on his sword, its steel gleaming faintly under the moonlight. His voice was calm but commanding.

  "Leo, I'll hold the front. You hit the flanks. Fast and clean."

  Leo nodded, a confident grin spreading across his face.

  "Got it. Try to keep up, old man."

  Theo smirked. "Just don't get reckless."

  With a battle cry, Theo surged forward, his blade slicing through the first wave of creatures with surgical precision.

  Each movement was calculated—one strike flowed seamlessly into the next.

  He parried a whip-like vine, severed a thorned limb, and pivoted to block another attack without missing a beat.

  His fighting style was deliberate, like a general orchestrating a flawless campaign.

  Meanwhile, Leo became a blur of motion. He darted to the left, outpacing the creatures as if they were frozen in time.

  With every step, he delivered devastating blows—punches that tore through the creatures' torsos, kicks that sent their fragmented remains flying into the air.

  When one of the plant monsters attempted to ensnare him with a massive vine, Leo grabbed it mid-lash, using his immense strength to swing the creature into its comrades, toppling them like bowling pins.

  "Watch your left!" Theo shouted, stepping back and executing a sweeping arc that cleared the area in front of him.

  Leo didn't need to look.

  He twisted his body mid-dash, ducking low and sliding under the snapping jaws of a creature that had crept up on his blind spot.

  In one smooth motion, he shot back up and slammed his fist upward, shattering the monster's core with a single uppercut.

  The creatures began to adapt, swarming the pair from all directions.

  Thick vines burst from the ground, aiming to trap them in a tangle of spikes and roots.

  "I've got the big ones!" Leo yelled, sprinting to intercept a hulking, mutated plant monster twice his size.

  The creature swung a massive vine down at him, but Leo leaped into the air, dodging it effortlessly.

  He landed on the vine itself, using it as a springboard to launch himself toward the monster's core.

  With a devastating punch, he shattered the glowing green orb nestled within its chest, causing the creature to collapse in a heap.

  Theo, meanwhile, took care of the smaller, faster monsters trying to overwhelm Leo.

  "Too many. I guess I'll have to take you put in one go." he muttered, plunging his sword into the earth.

  A shockwave of mana burst outward, throwing back the advancing creatures.

  Using the opening, Theo retrieved his blade and spun into a deadly dance, striking down every enemy that crossed his path.

  "Don't get too comfortable," Leo called out. "There's another wave coming."

  "Let them come," Theo replied, his eyes gleaming with adrenaline. "This is just a warm-up."

  As if on cue, the ground began to tremble, and a massive plant beast emerged from behind the buildings.

  It towered over the other monsters, its glowing core pulsing like a heartbeat. Spiked tendrils lashed out in every direction, destroying houses and leaving craters in the streets.

  "New plan," Theo said, his voice steady. "I'll distract it. You take out the core."

  Leo nodded, his grin widening. "Time to show off."

  Theo charged first, his blade striking sparks as it met the beast's armored hide.

  He dodged and weaved through its relentless attacks, keeping its attention entirely focused on him.

  Every time the beast lashed out, Theo was already moving, his strikes deliberate and aimed at weakening its defenses.

  Meanwhile, Leo circled around the monster at breakneck speed, staying just out of range of its flailing tendrils.

  He spotted an opening—exposed vines leading to the glowing core. Without hesitation, Leo sprinted forward, dodging a barrage of attacks as he closed the distance.

  "Theo, now!" Leo shouted.

  Theo planted his feet and drove his sword into the ground once more, releasing another shockwave of mana that destabilized the monster.

  It staggered, its movements slowing just enough for Leo to make his move.

  With a powerful leap, Leo launched himself toward the core. He twisted mid-air, channeling all his strength into a spinning kick.

  His foot connected with the glowing orb, shattering it in an explosion of green light.

  The massive beast let out an unearthly screech before collapsing, its remains disintegrating into a cloud of harmless spores.

  As the battlefield fell silent, Leo landed lightly on his feet, brushing dirt off his tunic.

  "And that's how it's done."

  Theo walked over, sheathing his sword with a practiced motion. "Show-off," he muttered, though there was a hint of a smile on his face.

  "You're welcome," Leo replied, grinning.

  Lucian, who had been watching from a safe distance, finally stepped forward. "You two are too overpowered," he said, shaking his head. "But I have to admit, I'm glad you're on my side."

  "Let's keep moving," Theo said. "If there are survivors, they won't last long."

  Without another word, the trio pressed on, ready for whatever came next.