Leon and Astra walked toward the lake. From their previous spot, it was about four hundred meters away—not too far.
"Huff..." Leon exhaled deeply as he gazed at the lake once more.
Only now did he realize this lake was much larger than the places where he had previously purified dark power—the crater, the hill, and the garden.
Moreover, the dark power here was several times stronger than what he had faced on the hill.
He wasn't sure he could purify it quickly.
But he had to try. After all, only by clearing the lake could he truly save Astra.
Turning to Astra beside him, he smiled and said, "I'm going to start the purification process. But before that, I need you to do me a favor: if anything goes wrong, wake me up immediately, okay?"
Astra understood and gave a slight nod. "Don't worry. Leave it to me. I'll protect you, and if things get bad, I'll keep you safe."
"Good!" Leon felt reassured by her words.
Without another word, he stepped to the lake's edge and sat down.
