Leonel's spear tore through the head of the Snowy Star Owl before Patriarch Khafra could even react. The latter had been biding his time, having already adjusted his strength to be marginally superior to the Emberheart Lady's. He had watched every second of that battle, so he knew exactly how much he needed to defeat them all.
But when Leonel suddenly erupted with strength that was far beyond his calculations, he realized that something had gone awry.
Although he could just quickly raise his strength and kill this Snowy Star Owl before him in the blink of an eye, if he did so what would those watching think? It was best if he pretended to be caught off guard and shocked, and only then would he raise his strength to deal a blow. At least at that point, it would seem more natural.
