Chapter 2216 Maybe...
The reaction that El'Rion might have expected wasn't the one he received. If anything, he was underwhelmed.
Leonel had already seen just how far apart the strengths of various Races could be. Setting aside the Spirituals, there was himself. When that figure in the blood pool moved, it had to be understood that Leonel's Dimension didn't change, the only thing that changed was how much access to his own personal talent he had. That meant, the man who could kill Ancestors, and even Overlords, as though they were wet tissue paper, had been the very same Sixth Dimensional Leonel.
Of course, that was still not as impressive as El'Rion who was only in the Fifth Dimension. Though the latter had said Quasi Sixth Dimensional, this was the reality. Quasi or not, it was still the Fifth Dimension. However, it wasn't enough to completely upend Leonel's reality.
As for why he was underwhelmed, it was because he would expect such an existence to be further along at 14 years old.
If he had been born in the Morales family, he would have most definitely been faster than that. He had entered the Dimensional Verse at 18 years old. He was now 26 years old, and most of that time had been spent struggling on his own. It was completely unlike El'Rion who even had access to such a treasure.
That said, Leonel still stored away several things from this information, much of which was speculation.
El'Rion had said if his age was converted, it was very possible that he had experienced much more than 14 years, but just like dog years, different species experienced the years differently. This would explain why there wasn't even a hint of childishness on his face, though that could also be explained by his race itself.
The second important speculation was that he didn't believe that El'Rion was actually just slow to progress. Or, rather, even if he was slow, every step he took was far more substantial than Leonel's own. That meant that the Pluto Race had a different method of progression, one that Leonel was very much interested in.
A part of his senses drifted down to the members of the Void Race that Shan'Rae had left behind, a cold glint lighting his eyes.
El'Rion shook his head. It seemed that this kind of man couldn't be swayed in such a way. He didn't know why he had wasted his time, it was truly uncharacteristic of him. There also wasn't a point in converting his strength and age like that, this man would have no reference for what that truly meant.
Seeing that Leonel seemed to have some intention toward the other Void Race members, he was rendered somewhat speechless. Laying a hand even on a servant of a God Race would get your entire race eradicated.
He had yet to get to it because Leonel didn't seem to be paying attention, but if Leonel had truly killed Shan'Rae, it would have been like sentencing everyone to death. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to see this man die, at least not in such a ridiculous and unfair way.
He truly wouldn't even see his enemies if he made such a folly. He would likely spend his years in eternal damnation, never laying eyes on the person who put him there in the first place.
At that moment, El'Rion suddenly remembered something his father had told him. He was used to being reprimanded for his straight forward ways, he might be talented, but he lacked in charisma. As a leader, this was a deathly sort of flaw.
His father had once said that smart people couldn't be convinced with reason. Usually, they had already thought of every possibility. Telling them facts would do nothing to change the situation. He had already assumed that giving a person the facts was only right, any logical person would obviously come to the same conclusion as him, right?
But his father had said no. Humans were emotional creatures, no matter how smart they were. If you wanted to convince someone of something, you had to understand their why and manipulate that. Unless you could understand that, it would all be useless.
Even if a person was stupid, so long as they had enough bias, even if you laid out all the facts before them they might nod to your face then return to their ingrained beliefs later.
But what was Leonel's why?
El'Rion's gaze flickered and he remembered that the World Spirit had responded to Leonel. The only way that would happen would be if...
"Don't." Leonel suddenly said, raising up a hand.
El'Rion froze, not quite understanding.
"I don't care how powerful your people are. I also don't care what your original purpose here was, or how you might be related to my grandfather or the Fawkes family. I truly do not give a damn.
"I can see it in your eyes. You're looking, trying to find a light of reason, trying to understand me, trying to convince me. I originally didn't know why you were deviating so far from your original personality, but now that you've told me your age, it's too obvious. You're still a child and still don't have any sort of real conviction."
El'Rion frowned for the first time.
"I wasn't even trying, but I was already leading you by the nose. What do you think I am? A broken vase you need to put back together? Maybe because your family gave you a mission to fulfill that promise you want to complete it to 100% of your ability and maybe pull me out of an abyss to help the descendants of your benefactor? Is that it?
"It's all worthless. You may have all of the "facts", but those facts are just your understanding of your Race. Do you even know who I am? Do you know what I'm capable of? Did you check to see who you were speaking to first? Or was it that because I'm a human ant in your eyes, you believed that you could understand me in just a few seconds of thought?"
Leonel rose into the air until his nose practically touched El'Rion's, looking into those eyes that held the weight of the universe within.
"Since you're being so "helpful" with your words, I'll ask you a question. Do you have any idea how close to death you were just now?"
That cold shiver El'Rion thought had vanished appeared again.
"You might not believe me, but I'll lay it out for you. You see that beast corpse over there?"
El'Rion subconsciously looked toward the Void Beast corpse ship.
"I have a beast companion that's been by my side for almost a decade. He's an adorable little mink, his fur is quite soft, and his soul would be very useful to me. If I killed him, animated him, and then used this beast corpse to Breathe life into him again, making him my puppet for life, how powerful do you think he would be? Would your little prepubescent body be able to handle it? What Shan'Rae be able to handle it? I have a feeling that even her entity wouldn't be able to able to handle it."
The more Leonel spoke, the colder his gaze became, and the worse the shiver up El'Rion's spine became.
"Do you know why you're still standing here, alive?"
This time, it was El'Rion's turn to remain silent.
Leonel turned and walked away. "... Maybe... it's because I'm not angry enough yet."