Royal Pride (Leona Kingscholar/Yuu)

28 ~ Overblot

"Unleash The Beast!"

If she wasn't in the midst of dying, Yuu would've been taken aback by Jack's sudden transformation into a huge, white wolf.

She let out a dry (literally) laugh, still clutching onto Ruggie. Her water magic had completely dried out, but she didn't know what else to do.

Leona's jaw dropped, and Riddle took the opportunity to collar him while he was distracted. The sand eased up, and already Yuu and Ruggie were starting to feel better.

"No...No! You can't collar a lion!" His voice had a crazed desperation to it now, still thick with intense hostility. "Jack! How did you... transformation potions are forbidden!"

Jack crossed his arms. "I didn't use a potion—that's my signature spell. With it, I can transform myself into a wolf."

Leona's eyes widened and he bared his teeth, clenching them tightly. "Leona, I came to this school because I admired you! Your tenacity during Spelldrive... what ever happened to the man you used to be?" Jack spoke, provoking him.

"Shut up... your dreams ain't got nothing to do with me!" Leona growled in response. Riddle took a step forward to put in his piece as well. "I know it's ironic for me to be the one saying this, but it pains me to see you like this as well. You'd be wise to confine yourself to a room and calm down!"

That set off Leona. He tensed up even more as he hissed, "What do you know about how I feel?!"

Lilia provoked him the most out of all of them. "A collar suits you more than a crown ever would. With that ego of yours? And your habit to direct your anger towards your underlings? The way you conduct yourself? Well, the idea of you contending with a real king like our Malleus... well, is absolutely laughable."

"Lilia," Yuu warned in a cautious tone, finding her voice again. Although he made very valid points, he was going to tip Leona over the edge.

Lilia's eyes flitted towards her and he stopped speaking, eyebrows raised. He then delivered the final blow. "You would never be fit to rule."

Leona started to chuckle, a hair-raising noise to hear in the current setting. "Yeah, you're probably right." He paused for a second, an unreadable look on his smiling face. "No, you're exactly right!"

His smile fell. "I'll never become king no matter how hard I try!"

"What does that matter!?" Yuu finally shouted, gathering her courage. "You still have so many people who look up to you! Stop throwing a tantrum just cause you can't be on top!"

"Shut up!" He roared, full focus on her. "That's rich, coming from you! Didn't you just get done throwing a tantrum yourself?"

Her eyes widened, recalling their fight. They hadn't spoken since then, and she didn't fully expect him to throw it in her face like this.

"You can't go five seconds without someone by your side before you start crying! I hate people like you!"

Tears stung her eyes immediately and there wasn't a hint of remorse in him.

"The magic power within Leona is surging... I don't think my collar can hold him!" Riddle gasped, his face contorting with effort.

Lilia put a hand to his chin. "No... that isn't magic power, it's negative energy. Which means..." His eyes widened.

"Everybody, get down!" Cater shouted.

Riddle's collar violently shot off of Leona. The sand in the air thickened even more and thunder roared in the sky. "I've been loathed since the day I was born. Never had a place, never had a future!"

Yuu's heart stung. 'We could have a future,' she couldn't help but think, despite their fight. She was still hopelessly in love with him, and despite her anger, this hurt her deeply. She felt more pain than fury watching him. Along with her fair share of fear, since she was well aware he was on the brink of Overblot and none of them could stop him.

He put a hand to his head, his voice growing louder with every word. "None of my hard work is ever rewarded. How could any of you possible understand? My disappointment? My pain?"

Leona's eyes widened as he let out a loud roar, pain audible in his voice. Sand flew violently around them, so much so that Yuu had to shut her eyes.

When she opened them again, Leona was different. He was floating in the sky, a large inky silhouette behind him, inky pouring down his body.

She'd never felt this much fear before, even when she was taken and forced into mental torture.

'He could die..!'

"That's the incarnation of his blot!" Deuce exclaimed, staring at the figure floating behind him. They all stared in awe at the terrifying figure before them.

"If you can move, seek shelter! Ace, Deuce, help me move the wounded outside!" Riddle ordered, trying to gain some control over the situation. "Lilia, please get help from the faculty!"

Ace and Deuce scrambled to their feet. "Got it!" They responded synchronously. Lilia started hovering. "Understood. Stay strong until I return!" he called, flying off.

Leona kept letting out angry roars, though quite a lot of them sounded forced, as though the incarnation behind him was bending him to its will.

Cater, Riddle, and Jack all gripped their magic pens tightly, readying themselves to advance. Ruggie and Yuu quickly got to their feet as well. "We'll help too!" Ruggie said, coughing a few times. Yuu nodded in agreement. "We can't just let him off after the stuff he said!"

"So even the lowly hyena and the whiny brat turn against me? Ahaha~ what a total joke!" Yuu let out a dull laugh when he said 'whiny baby'.

'I mean, fits the bill, but it still hurts to hear.'

She stood tall, readying herself to fight alongside the others. If it came down to it, she would die for him—she just wanted to make sure he would be okay.

"Let's go get him, guys!"