When he met Leonel's fist, Noah felt as though he had crashed into an immovable wall. All the strength he placed into his strike seemed to reflect back, reverberating through out his body in an unbridled fashion.
In this form, he concentrated all of his strength into power. As a result, his inner organs were completely unprotected, leaving him suffering the brunt of a strike he wasn't quite prepared for.
Noah could tell that his use of Universe Force was beyond Leonel's. Yet, their overall strength was too far apart. Noah didn't know what Leonel's ability was, but at this moment, he had no choice but to believe that Leonel had a body related ability even better than his own.
'No, it isn't that simple. He's too fast, more than three or four times as fast as I am in this form. And, instead of using the speed to whittle me down slowly, he can instead perfectly fuse his movement with his attack, giving his punches far more strength than they otherwise would have.'
Noah shuddered when he had this thought.
An elite fighter would be able to bring out 80-90% of their full strength consistently, only monsters would be able to touch upon 95% and above consistently. But, even the greatest masters shouldn't be able to guarantee touching 100%.
Yet, if Noah's calculations were correct, let alone using 100% of his strength, Leonel was closer to 200 or even 300%!
'This is… a Martial Art!'
By this point, Noah realized that this perfect fusion of speed and attack had to be a Style. There was no other explanation. But, Noah had never run across a Style so perfect for a person. Such a boost to strength… it was unimaginable!
Unfortunately for Noah, Leonel seemed to have no intention of stopping. The instant his left jab blocked Noah's strike, his hips had already spun, winding with a fear inducing amount of torque.
Leonel's body was like a streak of light, crossing into Noah's attack range and hooking a punch at his torso.
Leonel didn't seem to care that Noah stood a meter taller than him. Even if he was ten meters taller, Leonel would cut him down just the same.
Noah's torso flexed, the armors he wore radiating with a faint light. But, Leonel's right fist continued as though he didn't sense a thing.
BANG!
"… Oof."
Noah felt as though all the air in his lungs had been knocked out at once.
He swung his saber to the side, trying to get Leonel to back off. But, because of its length, the blade was effectively a mid-ranged weapon, In such close quarters, its flexibility was lacking. Leonel simply shifted to the side, rolling his shoulder to block the flat of Noah's blade. His movements held a natural air to them, interrupting the Prince's attempt.
Leonel fists suddenly accelerated. His form was textbook as though he was perfectly reflecting the dreams of all orthodox boxing.
A quick three punch combo left shocking dents in Noah's armor. From afar, it looks as though three cannonballs had crashed into his torso, shredding his inner organs to minced meat. But, the armor recovered quickly, in the blink of an eye, it was as though nothing had happened at all.
Unfortunately for Noah, Leonel's barrage didn't come to a stop. The fists rained down with such speed and quickness that pain was all Noah could feel. Even his attempts at brandishing his saber ended in vicious counters that left his right arm practically useless.
If Noah didn't know better, he would think that Leonel's ability was to see the future. Even before his muscles could twitch, Leonel's fist would interrupt his next attempted movement, leaving his mouth practically foaming with blood.
"Your Highness!" Jessica's cold, aloof expression finally collapsed completely.
Sensing Jessica's agitation, the four armed white ape seemed to have a breakthrough, charging past Mordred's blockade.
A sharp gash appeared on its back, leaving its white fur matted in blood. But, it didn't seem to notice, its enraged roar bearing down on Leonel from his back.
"Leonel!" Mordred shouted out a warning.
She was a veteran of battle. She could tell that the difference between Noah and Leonel wasn't so large. It was just that Leonel's combat effectiveness had gained him the upper hand. Mordred knew that this was reliant on Leonel's ability. But, just as easily as Leonel gained the initiative, he could just as easily lose it.
The reality though… was that Mordred still underestimated Leonel.
Leonel didn't even turn back to the ape. He pretended as though it wasn't approaching him at all.
Noah tried to retreat, but between the two of them, who had the greater speed? And, with Leonel's ability to predict Noah's movements before they even came to fruition, what chance did he have of distancing himself from Leonel's fists?
Noah's armor became like a field of fallen meteors. Leonel's movements were so perfect and flawless that even the strength of his punches didn't seem to be enough to give Noah any momentum to retreat.
Leonel stuck to him as though dancing to a rhythm.
Every time the ape came close enough to attack, Leonel's hips would shift and his feet would shuffle, his barrage of attacks forcing Noah's back toward the infuriated ape.
Noah's eyes lost focus, his body seizing. Whatever control he had over his ability faded, causing his figure to shrink.
Leonel's rain of fists was relentless. His cold an indifferent gaze flashed with a ruby red. It felt as though he couldn't hit this Prince enough, as though no amount of pain Noah suffered would appease him.
He didn't even care about the expenditure of his Dream Force. He had long since activated his Dreamscape Battle Sense in full force. There was nothing more he wanted in this world than to bury this bastard.
"Please! Please stop!"
Jessica's voice was hardly rose over the sound of Leonel's fists hitting Noah. Even as his own blood coated his knuckles, he hardly reacted in the slightest.
"Please, Leonel! He's your cousin! You share a grandfather! STOP!"