Leonel's gaze locked onto Nile who had begun to approach him with their group.
Nile's jaw clenched, his body tensing. It felt like a python was slowly constricting around his body. This sort of aura, he had only ever sensed it from Prince Noah. He didn't understand how such presence could also come from a young man who seemed to be at least a few years his junior.
However, Nile remained standing. Other than his slightly abnormal breathing, one would never think that anything was wrong with him.
"This is the official business of The Empire and His Highness, Prince Fawkes. This isn't something you should meddle in."
Leonel slowly turned to face Nile. "Is that the question I asked?"
Indifference. Disregard.
One could easily see by Leonel's wrist that much like Aina, he too was a citizen of The Empire. But, unlike Aina who had chosen to acquiesce to their demands for the sake of not splintering relations, Leonel simply did not care.
"I asked you a very simple question."
Leonel took a step forward.
"Who is responsible."
Nile stood, his spine shivering. He gripped his spear as tightly as he could, trying to calm himself. But, despite the endless battles he had experienced, he couldn't seem to find any sense of peace beneath Leonel's glare.
It was fine for someone of Camelot to not understand the strength of The Empire, but Leonel, as a person who had grown up within its walls and been indoctrinated since birth shouldn't be so ignorant. It should be almost impossible for anyone indoctrinated to such an extent to defect, especially not if they were so talented.
Anyone with Leonel's level of talent was most definitely a Five Star Professional. Such existences received the best schooling and had the deepest understanding of The Empire. Their deification of the Fawkes Royal Family should practically be ingrained into their bones.
Yet, Leonel didn't even blink an eye when The Empire was mentioned. His breathing didn't hitch, his heart didn't skip a beat, his eyes didn't even blink.
At that moment, Nile didn't deny it any longer. If he opened his mouth and told Leonel that The Emperor himself was responsible, there was no doubt that Leonel would brandish his spear toward the Capital.
"It was me. I gave the order for her capture."
At that moment, a calm voice sounded.
Such a voice should have soothed the atmosphere, but the brunt of it held an aura that soared, colliding with Leonel's.
For a moment, the muffled sounds of two clashing titans reverberated through the air.
However, it was for just a moment. Because upon hearing such words, Leonel didn't breathe a word.
As though a beast released from its chain, violent winds surged around Leonel's foot as he planted on the ground hard, shooting toward Noah, a red-violet color flickering in his gaze.
"Prince!"
Nile's eyes widened. He forced his body to move, trying to intercept Leonel's path.
Leonel almost seemed to look through Nile. It was as though the latter hadn't blocked his path in the slightest, he might as well have been no different from a gust of wind.
"The Prince isn't someone you can casually cross!" Nile roared, but from an objective party's vantage point, he seemed to be trying to shout his fear away.
Those who were just under his command, even to this point, didn't seem to have the ability to move in the slightest. Even after seeing through to Leonel's goal, they felt that their movements were sluggish and uncoordinated.
Nile brandished his spear, piercing it forward with all his might.
Crackling lightning flickered within his irises, dancing within them and leaving arcs of blue in their wake.
His spear seemed to react in kind, its tip crackling with the same fierceness. Nile didn't believe that the bronze bell that surrounded Leonel could deflect his strike just as easily. But, what was shocking was that the illusory bell dissipated just when Leonel entered the range of Nile's blade.
"Piss off." Leonel said coldly, his fist whipping forward.
The sound of his bones popping and his muscles stretching resounded.
In one moment, Leonel seemed like just a single man. But in the next, he was like the scorching sun.
Niles couldn't believe that Leonel would try to meet his spear with a bare hand. He had never seen such a foolish battle tactic. Even if Leonel was a master of hand to hand combat, shouldn't he at least use gloves to cover his flesh?
However, what truly happened left Nile at a complete loss. Just when it seemed that Leonel's fist would be split in two, his spear completely shattered.
In that moment, he felt as though someone was looking at him from above, a gaze of indifference and disdain coloring their features. To use a spear before a God… what was he thinking?
All thoughts of resistance crumbled. He couldn't even react before Leonel's fist tore a hole through his collarbone and shoulder. The strike was so fierce and swift that he wasn't even thrown back.
He looked down at his barely attached arm, the pain still not having traveled to his brain just yet. But, by then, Leonel had already shot by him and appeared before Noah.
Leonel's strike was so fast that not even the faintest hint of blood could be found on him. Yet, the punch he sent toward Noah seemed to be far beyond the first.
The world seemed to revolve around Leonel. Scenes of mellow springs, harsh winters, blazing summers and vibrant falls whirled around him.
Universal Force fell down from above, illuminating Leonel in a golden halo that seemed to fuse perfectly with his violet bronze aura.
Noah reacted quickly, sending a fist forward with his free hand. Leonel was simply too fast, he didn't have the time to swing his saber or lower its weight. However, his body had already been refined to the point of rivaling diamond during his battle with Arthur. He didn't believe that Leonel's body could be stronger than his own.
Unfortunately… What was a diamond, a Third Dimensional rock, in comparison to a body refined to the standards of a Fourth Dimensional metal?
BANG!
Noah winced. He felt his skin fracture in several places before an unimaginable strength traveled through his arm and into his body.
He was sent flying tens of meters, his body crashing into the ground and leaving a half a meter deep trench as it was dragged along.
"The pain she experienced… I'll make you suffer tenfold."
Leonel's back stood as straight as a javelin, vibrant energies swirling around him.
His bronze hair sounded like snapped whips in the wind, a radiant halo shimmering above his head. His violet-red eyes locked onto the Prince, a deep, murderous aura exuding from him.
Prince of an Empire? He didn't care.. He would make him pay.