Chapter 1040: Sin of Pride
Leonel gazed toward Dee then his brother for a long while, his expression not shifting very much.
Pride in one's world wasn't something Leonel was familiar with. Things like nationalism and cultural pride had already been weeded out by the Ascension Empire long ago. It was easier to bring people together when they didn't believe that there were things that separated them.
But, what Leonel realized just now was that this pride hadn't vanished… It had just been buried. There was nowhere to flaunt this pride if everyone around you shared the same identity.
Much of Earth's Pride turned into one of status and wealth. But, it was also something that anyone could get so long as they performed well enough on the Gene Assessment. As long as you were talented, building up a noble family in just a single generation wasn't impossible…
Leonel himself was a prime example of this. Even though he had no interest in being a quarterback, there was no doubting that it would have made him a very rich and very popular man. The fact he was born on a Paradise Island didn't hinder his future in the slightest.
Due to all of these things, Leonel never truly felt this sinful sort of a Pride. In fact, he had always subconsciously rejected it, even to the point he built his future aspirations on hoping this sort of pride never restricted the life of anyone else…
But what happened the moment Earth was opened up to the rest of the Dimensional Verse?
Suddenly, what once was a closed system became an open one. The cohesive unit of Earth became a minority and the enemies that surrounded them forced Earthlings to look upon them like the 'others'.
What had Leonel thought the moment he stepped onto the battlefield? He had wanted to show these people that the citizens of Earth weren't pushovers and that they were to be feared. But, wasn't that the antithesis of everything he wanted to accomplish?
In just a few steps, even he who was consciously aware of it all, or at least assumed himself to be, had fallen victim to the same sort of indoctrination. In fact, the more enemies he defeated in Earth's stead, the further the citizens of Earth would fall into this line of thought.
If Leonel made Earth the center of his Empire and tried to enact his vision, there would come a day where those who aimed their blades toward him weren't people from the outside, but rather the very men, women and children he currently protected to his back.
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Leonel felt a heaviness on his heart at this moment.
What was the best sort of trap? The greatest sort of scheme…?
It was one you knew was there and yet you had to walk into it anyway…. And this was very sort of cage Leonel's grandfather had him trapped in.
Leonel sighed and looked up toward the metallic ceilings above him.
He wasn't ready. He was nowhere near prepared enough to face his grandfather or challenge his ideologies. Who was right and who was wrong didn't matter because regardless of it all, if things continued in this way, Leonel simply had no chance of winning.
'I want to be a King but I have not the faintest inkling of how to do that… I don't even really understand myself, how can I grasp the hearts of people I want to follow me? My uncle is probably right to say I have no right to challenge that old man.'
Leonel closed his eyes, his aura going from turbulent to calm. The emotions that Dee and Dre had showed on the battlefield replayed in his mind again and again. They had put everything on the line just for a chance at weakening the people of Earth just the smallest bit…
Without a word, Leonel turned and left. His teammates looked at one another, but they too remained silent. They didn't feel like there was anything to add to the conversation.
Ultimately, they didn't have the same ambitions as Leonel. And while Leonel hated the game of football, they actually quite loved it. It could even be said that Leonel was a rare exception when it came to hating the results of the Gene Assessment.
They followed Leonel because that was what they had always done. This sort of team bonding, relying on each other and having each other's backs is exactly what they lived life for. If they could have a few laughs with their brothers along the way, that was also what they would do.
If Leonel wanted to figure this out, he would have to rely on himself. But, once he did, they would be the first to follow.
…
Leonel spent several days building the wooden fort of the second Lake Crossing. His speed and skill this time was much greater. As for the matter from the first Lake Crossing, Leonel didn't worry. If things had gone horribly wrong, Arthur would have already contacted him.
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By the end of the week, everything was prepared. In that time several, scouts had come from other regions to see what had happened, but how could they hide from Leonel's Internal Sight? They were all dealt with swiftly and easily.
On the eighth day, there was finally movement.
"Cap, we just got word from Big Sis M."
Leonel looked up, a familiar spear made of vines and a blade of roses lying on his lap.
"What happened? Do they finally need help?"
"No," Allan spoke as he came into view, a slight sheen of sweat from his daily workout still on his forehead. "Something weird is going on. It seems like the other families found out that we caught their geniuses. We captured that Libli and Radlis guy over here, and Arthur, M and the others captured a few of their own.
"According to the message, they're issuing a challenge. Apparently it's a custom of the Dimensional Verse to claim their prisoners of war back with one on one challenges."
Leonel raised an eyebrow. That sounded absolutely ridiculous.
"They also said that if there was anyone who could defeat their warriors on neutral ground, without the suppression of Earth's Fold of Reality, they would directly retreat and leave Earth alone."
Leonel's expression warped.
How shameless were these people exactly? Why did it sound like they were being done a favor? And as if Leonel would believe their nonsense about retreating. They probably realized that Earth wasn't as simple to take a hold of as they originally thought so they would take this opportunity to retreat to their bases in the Milky Way and wait for a better chance to assault their Fold of Reality. They might even wait until Earth broke into the Sixth Dimension so the could send their true powerhouses forward.
There was also a good chance that it was a combination of all of these things on top of being a trap. Leonel wouldn't be surprise if they used this so-called 'neutral' ground to make a move. This was war and history was written by the victors. Leonel wasn't naive enough to trust them.
Standing up, Leonel took a step and vanished.
"Let's go!" His voice rang through the air. "This is a money making opportunity!"
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