1398: Heartless

Heartless

Aina blushed slightly and looked away. Why was this man always asking her about embarrassing things?  2

Leonel smirked. "What? Is this related to your period—?"

Leonel's words were cut off by an elbow to the gut. Damn, this woman was too strong for her own good, but maybe he deserved that a little bit. 

He didn't really think it was an embarrassing thing to talk about, honestly. All women had to deal with it, even those of higher Dimensions. He just never really looked into it. 

Though, now that he thought about it, he was quite clueless about Aina's cycle, something that didn't make much sense considering how long they had spent together. It had never really been a problem and he didn't notice any trends. 

In addition, he never really picked up on her discomfort or mood swings either, though the latter could be explained away by the fact Aina had practically been in a perpetual state of mood swings back then. But, that wouldn't begin to explain the former. 

"… I don't have to worry about my period, especially recently, it's entirely in my control. I can decide when an egg is released and when it isn't, it's not a problem. 

"Usually, higher Dimensional beings have trouble having children because their life expectancies increase, slowing down all of their biological functions. Whereas for someone in the Third Dimension, an egg would be released once every month, the higher you go up in Dimension, the more erratic and dilated the timing becomes. 

"Beyond there, there are extra added barriers to life clashing high level Forces that make it difficult for some batches of sperm to fuse with an egg even if the egg really is there. In those cases, it becomes a matter of frequency and determination. But, in most cases, it's just a waiting game."

"Clashing high level Forces?" Leonel asked. 

"Yes. An egg and a sperm each have half their owner's DNA, but the resulting combination is completely random. The higher you are in Dimension, the more Force plays a role in this. Certain affinities, Lineage Factors, and even Ability Indexes can cause clashes. In fact, at those high levels, every variable matters. 

"For example, the female or male's diet that month. At high levels, food also contains large influxes of Force that can fundamentally change the chemical and hormone balance of the body and thus potentially ruin proper fertilization. 

"It can become really complex, very quickly, even down to the environment. So, rather than becoming easier as you grow more powerful, it actually becomes a lot more difficult."

Aina seemed like she could continue for days talking about this topic. She was obviously not only well versed, but she had dedicated a lot of time to understanding. It only reminded Leonel all the more how important it was to her. 

At the same time, it also reminded Leonel that Aina was labeled a Five Star Health Professional for a reason. 

It made him think. The Gene Analysis Exam of Earth was actually so accurate. What mechanisms were it built on? Was it really possible to guess what someone would be good at from their genes alone? If the answer was yes, it felt almost… existential in the level of problems it could present. 

"So you're able to control all of those factors," Leonel guessed. 

"Yes. I can feel what food would be beneficial to me, I can choose which egg is released and when, I can fuel it in the most optimal way…"

"Hold on a minute." Leonel's gaze narrowed. "Doesn't that mean that a condom was completely unnecessary?"

Aina blinked, staring off into the distance before turning her head to look up into the skies. 

"Well, would you look at that?" She said cheerfully. "What nice weather we're having today—Ah!"

Aina suddenly felt a greedy hand squeeze at her chest. Leonel had his arm draped over her shoulder for support, but now it seemed he wanted a little bit more. 

Aina jumped up and scurried away, letting Leonel fall. 

However, to her shock, he appeared by her side again. 

"Your legs! They're already healed!"

Aina was part relieved, part betrayed, and another part amused. 

Leonel grinned. "You're not getting away that easily. You heartless vixen, I want my emotions back!"

"What emotions?!"

"Heartache. Despair. And the king of them all, blue balls."

Aina sputtered with laughter, her body suddenly becoming enveloped by a crimson aura. By now, Leonel knew that this meant that Aina was pouring more of her Life Force into her Blood, increasing her physical attributes. She could basically exchange her life for a buff whenever she wanted. 

Of course, Leonel wasn't worried about her shaving years off like this because firstly, it wouldn't be so exaggerated, maybe days at best. And, because Aina's Life Force affinity was so high, her lifespan was beyond what Leonel could imagine. On top of that, she could steal Life Force from others whenever she wanted. 

At that moment, she smiled sweetly, looking every bit as lovely as usual. 

But, for some reason, Leonel could almost see the devil horns and tail coming out of her. 

"Your legs might be healed, but running with that arm would be quite the hassle, don't you think? Catch me if you can."

Aina bolted into the distance, leaving a line of red and black in her wake. 

Leonel was left speechless. Where was the justice? What about his emotions? His blue balls? 

Leonel looked at his right hand, realizing her probably couldn't even enjoy sex with his arm like this. What a waste. 

With a thought, Leonel brought out some metals from the Segmented cube then formed them around his hand, locking everything in place so that the hurt to him was minimized to the extreme. 

Then, with a grin, his body lit up with a white-gold glow. He didn't max out his Speed Branch for no reason. 

He shot off, leaving a blazing trail of gold in his wake. Illusory wings appeared to his back, making it feel as though he had been shot out of a canon. 

The air imploded as he closed the distance by half in the blink of an eye. 

Unfortunately, Leonel's fun didn't last. Over the horizon, the tall gates of the Human Domain loomed. It seemed he would have to put his fun aside for now. 

Another win for the heartless vixen. 

[Just two chapters today, back with 3 tomorrow]

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