The pain was getting worse with every passing second.
But Leo held on.
He had to. Power always came with a cost, and this was his price. This was his way of sacrifice.
The old line from the old world echoed in his mind: no pain, no gain.
He kept thinking about that to stay grounded, to keep going. His muscles twitched uncontrollably. Every part of his body was tearing itself apart.
And then the final stage of the transformation began.
His bones.
A deep cracking sound echoed from within as they shattered and rebuilt themselves. His body was already tougher than metal, but now it was rebuilding into something even stronger.
Muscle after muscle—from his legs up to his neck—got crushed and reformed. Even his ribs weren't spared.
His whole body changed shape again and again. It looked like a balloon being deflated and then inflated, over and over.
It was a horrible sight to witness. But Leo didn't stop. He couldn't afford to.
Not here.
