20 She is a monster!

Blinded by a primal cocktail of rage and terror, Leo hadn't registered the chilling metamorphosis of his own being. He'd morphed into a whirlwind of destruction, a madman carving a bloody swathe across the battlefield, his face contorted into a rictus grin that sent shivers down spines even amidst the carnage, his targets? Obviously unsuspecting victims.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" roared the bandit leader, Vin, his voice laced with a desperate fury.

But his pleas were lost in the cacophony of war. Leo, his mind teetering on the edge of frenzy, continued his macabre dance of death, oblivious to the shifting tide.

"Can someone just kill that bastard?!!!!" he roared, but his voice was lost in war cries.

The knights, empowered by Leo's unexpected savagery, had tipped the scales in their favor. With renewed vigor, they launched a brutal counteroffensive, leaving a trail of fallen bandits in their wake. Panic seized the remaining brigands, and they scattered like startled roaches, desperately scrambling for survival.

Vin, witnessing the rapid disintegration of his plan, felt a knot of dread tighten in his gut. Failure, in his world, was tantamount to a slow and agonizing demise. Driven by sheer desperation, he weaved through the throng of knights, his eyes fixed on the carriage – the key to his mission, a vessel harboring a child of destiny, a being whispered of in ancient prophecies, blessed by the very fabric of fate.

Leo, a flicker of lucidity piercing the haze of his rage, recognized the target. He understood, even in his fractured state, that harming this child was beyond the pale, even for him. With a surge of adrenaline, he turned and bolted, his heart hammering like a trapped bird against his ribs.

But just as he thought he might escape, a sound ripped through the air, so utterly horrific that it stole his breath and stopped his heart for a single, terrifying beat. It was a screech, a soul-rending wail that resonated with a primal fear, freezing everyone in place – knights, fleeing bandits, and even Leo himself.

Then, a crimson tide began to seep from the carriage, spreading like a macabre stain. The sheer volume of blood defied all human logic, hinting at something far more sinister at play.

And then…

A deafening boom erupted, the carriage doors flying open with the force of a hurricane. A chilling wind, laden with the breath of the arctic, swept through the clearing, sending shivers down spines already slick with sweat and fear. From the mangled wreckage, a figure shot out, a blur of motion defying the laws of physics.

"What… what in the eleven hells was that?" gasped a nearby knight, his voice barely a whisper.

Leo's gaze followed the trajectory, his eyes landing on a sight so horrifying, so utterly alien, that it eclipsed even the monstrous deeds he'd committed moments ago. Before him lay a mangled heap of flesh, unrecognizable and grotesque, impaled on the gnarled trunk of a nearby tree. Ice shards pierced its form at unnatural angles, the entire tableau radiating a chilling aura of utter annihilation.

Leo's body locked, his mind struggling to process the scene before him. He wanted to run, to scream, to anything but stand there, frozen in abject terror.

Suddenly, a heavy thud echoed behind him. He whipped around, his breath catching in his throat as his heart threatened to burst from his chest.

A scream formed on his lips, dying in his throat the moment the fog of fear cleared from his vision.

This… this couldn't be the source of that unimaginable carnage.

He tried to reason with himself, a spark of defiance igniting within him.

Standing before him wasn't a monster, but rather the epitome of ethereal beauty. A young elf, with skin the color of moonlight, her eyes pools of serenity in a sea of chaos. Her hair cascaded down her back like a shimmering waterfall, reaching her slender waist. Every curve of her form spoke of a grace and elegance that left Leo breathless. He wasn't sure if such beauty was real, if it could exist in the same world as the horror he'd just witnessed.

"May ask of your name?" she spoke softly, her voice like wind chimes tinkling in a gentle breeze, as he cautiously approached her.

Leo stumbled over his words, his throat suddenly dry. "Uhh... y-yes, of course. It's Leonard."

"Leo…?" she echoed, her voice laced with a hint of amusement, a sound that sent shivers down Leo's spine. It was like the gentle caress of a predator testing the waters before the strike.

"That's it," he mumbled, his gaze darting nervously between her breathtaking beauty and the horrifying tableau behind her.

"Leo," Mel's voice crackled in his mind, a stark contrast to the serene melody of the elf's words. "Run!"

Leo blinked, startled. "Huh?"

"You have to get away from there, now!" Mel's voice was urgent, laced with a tremor of fear. "This mana level… this girl… she's no ordinary elf. She's a monster!"

"I still don't understand…" Leo stammered, his mind struggling to grasp the situation.

"She can obliterate you with a mere flick of her wrist!" Mel exclaimed, her voice bordering on a shriek.

Leo's breath hitched, a cold dread slithering down his spine like a serpent. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the backdrop of his mounting terror. Instinctively, he began to back away, his steps slow and hesitant at first, then morphing into a desperate retreat.

The elf's head tilted slightly, her serene expression finally fracturing into a flicker of surprise. "Where are you going?" she inquired, her voice devoid of its earlier sweetness, replaced by a chilling neutrality. It was the first genuine emotion she had displayed, and it sent a fresh wave of fear crashing over Leo.

"M-me? I… uh… I'm not going anywhere!" he stammered, his voice raspy and laced with panic. "Just… just going to… yes! I have to keep moving towards my… location," he babbled, his words tumbling over each other in a desperate attempt to sound convincing.

The elf took a deliberate step forward, her movements graceful yet predatory, and planted herself directly in front of him, effectively cutting off his escape. "Why did you help me?" she asked, her voice dropping to a low murmur, sending shivers down Leo's spine. "You were clearly eliminating my… knights, before they…" she trailed off, her gaze flitting back to the grotesque scene behind her, a flicker of something akin to annoyance crossing her features.

'Oh boy,' Leo thought, his mind a whirlwind of fear and confusion. He was trapped, caught between an unimaginable horror and an unknown entity who seemed equally, if not more, terrifying. His bravado evaporated, leaving behind a raw, primal fear that threatened to consume him whole.