1371: Deliberate Steps

Deliberate Steps

Aina frowned. Looking toward Leonel's back, she could feel that something was off. However, she didn't know about what had happened between Leonel and Amery as she had already left before them. There didn't seem to be anything too drastically different about Leonel's expression, but she could just sense the shift. It wasn't really something she had ever felt from him before, at least not in such an obvious and large quantity.  1

Her gaze turned back to Amery, her brows furrowing deeper. Someone had gotten here before them and by the looks of it, they had already been here for a long while, even to the point of fighting all of these Rapax alone. 

The Seventh Dimensional Rapax that had fallen had clearly been severely weakened. However, even with that being the case, their strength was still beyond what normal Sixth Dimensional existences could match. And yet, somehow, this singular young man had taken them all on without the slightest hint of help from others. 

'Sixth Dimension? He's in the Sixth Dimension? But…'

Aina had assumed that this young man was part of the True Selection, and likely even the one other Amethyst Token wielder everyone was talking about. But, everyone in their generation should still be within the Fifth Dimension, no? Void Palace didn't allow anyone who had crossed that barrier in because they only raised students who had taken the God Path. 

Unless… Unless this young man managed to step onto the God Path without the help of the Void Palace? 

Aina wasn't sure what such a thing would entail, but her intuition told her that such a feat wasn't normal by any stretch of the imagination, even if you had a powerful family backing you. 

"You know him?" Aina asked Leonel, treading lightly. 

Leonel didn't answer immediately, his breathing calmed and his heart returned to its steady beat. 

"Let's just say I have a few things to pay him back for." He said evenly. 

From start to finish, Amery didn't look back. There was simply no way that someone who was battling such a large number of Rapax could possibly have such dull senses, so the only explanation was that he had sensed them and he simply didn't care to divert his attention. 

Without a word, Leonel plopped down and crossed his legs, closing his eyes. Aina, who obviously witnessed this, had an odd change in expression. She could immediately sense that Leonel's consciousness wasn't in the present any longer, as though it had been sucked up elsewhere. He must want her to look over him, but this situation was a bit…

Unbeknownst to Aina who was perfectly correct in her statement, not only had Leonel's consciousness vanished, but it had entered the Spear Domain world, his piercing eyes gazing over the horizon. 

When Amery defeated and quite frankly humiliated him what felt like a lifetime ago now, Leonel hadn't actually been angry. Or, more accurately, he hadn't reacted like he might have otherwise. 

Granted, part of the reason for this was because he was more focused on saving his own life than anything else. Being enraged at that time would have only brought him closer to his death, not further away. 

Still, even if Leonel hadn't been so close to death's door that day, his rage still wouldn't have shown on his face. He just wasn't that kind of person. He might choose to entertain an outward display of rage when it was related to someone close and dear to him. But, when it came to his own ego, he preferred a much more quiet, brewing storm.

Leonel's father had taught him a lot of things in his life. The ones of main importance were Respect and Persistence. He carried it wherever he went and one of the rare times he could find his father being serious about anything was when he spoke of them. 

However, there were many other lessons that Leonel had learned without being explicitly told. His father's casual demeanor, hiding a lurking, slumbering beast within, was one of those things. A large part of the reason Leonel preferred to handle things himself was because he had observed these matters. 

A betrayal of his friend? He took it with a placid expression. A betrayal of his lover? He simply cut ties and let the relationship rot. A betrayal of his strength? He let it sit and fester, a small, disguised reminder at the back of his head, waiting to be awakened and remembered. 

Leonel took a step forward. 

The darkness of the Spear Domain hadn't changed. A countless, endless chain of mountains, a dark and black sky, even the cracks of thunder and lightning didn't shed much color at all. 

Leonel walked down a winding path, regions that used to pressure him greatly rolling off his shoulders as though they weren't there at all. 

It had been a while since Leonel tried to claim a spear. He had stopped at the Quasi Silver Spear Peaks because it simply wasn't smart to go on. 

Surviving in Spear Domain required a powerful Spear Force, but Leonel had always gotten away with far more because he had a powerful mind to offset his weaknesses. However, now, not only did he have a powerful mind that had recently entered the ranks of the Sixth Dimension, but his Spear Force had evolved to a level it had never touched before…

A strong barrier of separation lay between the Quasi Silver Ranks. As though wading through air as thick as crass black oil, Leonel was forced to push through, his light steps becoming heavier and even his skin beginning to weigh him down. 

However, he pushed through. A shroud of golden Spear Force surrounded him and pierced forward, shredding the curtain that lay ahead and allowing him to step through. 

The moment he did, the overwhelming pressure collapsed in from all sides. Leonel's bones creaked and sweat fell from his brows, but he continued to walk forward, one deliberate step after another. 

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