1375 Shadows on the Other Side
Leonel with an ability to use his Scarlet Star Force, even at just the Fourth Dimensional level, was like giving wings to a tiger. Facing nothing more than a group of Fifth Dimensional existences only a Tier or two higher than him, it made the prowess of the number one flame in all of existence shine through all the more.
Leonel's words seemed to stoke a flame in the youths.
"So that's what this is about? I heard that the Littlest Nova is late to the party, but I didn't expect you to be this desperate. Do you even understand the dynamics between our families to be asking such a question?"
The one who spoke was surprising Conon of the Lio family. Despite his usual personality, he had become frighteningly reserved after seeing Amery present. He might have been the first to act had this situation not been so odd to begin with. The Rapax were so focused on trying to take down Amery that they hadn't even splintered off a single one of them to try and wipe out what remained of their threats.
Conon's words, despite his brutish nature, actually sounded quite smart. And, despite seeing Armand, a man he could at best match evenly in battle, thrown back like a ragdoll, he hadn't reacted to this very much either.
"You can claim an upper hand for now. True State Force isn't something that can be countered easily. But, we'll all soon be in the Sixth Dimension, the level where true dividing lines and separations will happen.
"You're quite confident in your Innate Node, but do you know why Innate Nodes are rare amongst humans to begin with? Most people born with them end up dying before reaching their primes because they'll be consumed by them. Innate Nodes are the path of the Spirituals. They're the only race capable of coexisting with such a burden.
"But for you, not only will our God Paths be able to counter your Scarlet Star Force in the future, but you might very well die in a few decades anyway.
"So don't you think you're too arrogant?"
Leonel tilted his head to the side, observing Conon from head to toe. He found it somewhat amusing that the man wearing radiant white gold plated armor was the one calling him out for being too arrogant. It was even funnier because he could feel something quite similar to his King's Might coming off of Conon, making him quite sensitive to just how prideful this young man was.
That said, Conon was right about one thing he said. Leonel didn't know the dynamics between the families. For all he knew, asking this of these youths was asking them to betray some ties they had already formed or in the worst of cases, betray their family themselves. However… That wasn't what Leonel had meant.
"I think you've misunderstood me. When I said to follow me, I meant in my shadow. I've heard a lot of complaining about my Token, but now that I'm here, no one seems to want to prove or falsify anything. I'm just disappointed.
"As for what you have to say about my Innate Node…" Leonel's smile faded. "… Don't assign limits you to do to yourself to me."
Conon's gaze narrowed, his expression turning dangerous. No one dared to speak to him like this, no one. But, the oppressive might coming off of Leonel seemed no leser than that of his own. No… It even felt like it faintly surpassed it.
Conon's brow couldn't help but furrow. Was there a Lineage Factor that could match his family's in such a field? Why had he never heard of it, then?
Aina, though, found a very different problem with this situation.
'Leonel… Isn't usually like this. Something feels off.'
She found it hard to describe. It wasn't that Leonel wasn't being himself, but it was rather that he was… being too much of himself? He might normally think these things in his mind, but it was rare for him to verbalize them.
Everything from how he started this matter to how he ended it felt weird. First he wrapped his arm around her waist, then grandly told everyone his plan, and even after all of that, he didn't seem to actually be taking tangible steps toward that goal. Everything had seemed overly showy and arrogant, even down to showing her off and claiming her grandly. But there was ultimately no substance to it all. Leonel wasn't like that.
Sure, he had knocked Armand down with a single blow and asserted his dominance. But, the Leonel she knew was less of a talker and much more a doer. He preferred to show his arrogance through actions rather than words. If he could do something quicker by punching, he wouldn't bother wagging his tongue. And, when it came to matters related to her, he was especially sensitive.
Aina had definitely noticed Jon's looks. She hadn't done anything because she felt that this was Leonel's stage. Under normal circumstances, he would have already lashed out. And yet…
It was odd. On one hand, Aina thought that Leonel was being far more aggressive than he usually was. But, on another, he wasn't being aggressive enough. To an outsider, it sounded like she was asking for the impossible. However to Aina, without intimately she understood Leonel, she knew something was off.
There were only two possibilities. Either this was his Scarlet Star Force already making subtle changes to his personality, or…
Leonel's gaze sharpened. 'I knew it.'
The actions of Amery were odd enough. However, the actions of the Runed Rapax elites bordered on absolutely ridiculous. If anything, the Rapax felt like a race of incompetent, bumbling buffoons with how they had handled everything up until this point. They had practically allowed a group of children to run rampant in their territory with barely any repercussions at all.
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This egg represented the pinnacle of their race, the future leading expert of their people and an investment they had poured practically everything into. Would this really be all the showing they had for such an important thing?
On the other hand, Amery's lack of a response to everything could be taken as a sign of his arrogance, but his pace was still too leisurely and his demeanor far too casual for what he was trying to accomplish.
There was only one explanation for everything. It wasn't just Amery that was waiting for something… The Rapax were waiting for something too.
On one side there was the Rapax. On another there was the Void Palace. And now, there was a third party.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
An entire segment of the underwater cavern collapsed, causing a wall of green water to rush in.
It was then they appeared, sinister devils shrouded in darkness. The moment Leonel laid eyes on them, a deep revulsion from the depths of his soul took hold of him, a revulsion he could immediately tell was rooted in his Snowy Star Owl Lineage Factor.
He thought back to Wise Star Orders words. There were six Lineage Factors in the lights… And there were six in the dark…
'… They're the shadows on the other side…'