Leonel looked off into blank space. His coach's final words about James didn't really register until just now.
Could he forgive James? Well, he really didn't know. He didn't even know why it was James had done the things he had, so it was even harder to forgive something like this. As a brother, James should have spoken to him directly.
The same words Leonel had said to Aina back then, he could have said to James. The moment someone he was close to stopped trusting him, even going to the point of not even trying to explain things to him first, he had no qualms about them letting them live life without him.
If James couldn't trust him enough to speak, was such a person really his brother?
…
"Young Heir Keafir, this is a losing battle. We can't continue to stay here. We've accomplished our goal already."
City Lord Hargrove sent a message to Anared.
Controlling the Savants was never a possibility. The moment they got hold of the A and Dark Prisoners, their task was complete. There was no need to continue fighting here.
The only reason Anared had stepped out was to ensure the death of Leonel and potentially grab hold of a piece of Earth's World Spirit. But, since that was no longer possible with the level of support and reinforcements Earth was getting, it was in their best interest to just cut their losses and leave.
In truth, this operation was a resounding success. Leonel's appearance was never part of the plan, so it could be said that they had already accomplished everything they set out to do.
Anared, who was still below the city walls, evading the pursuit of several of the youths, didn't react to these words immediately.
He sent a glance in the distance toward Leonel's sitting figure. He seemed to be quite listless and out of place. But, if Anared wanted to make it there, he would have to cross through thousands. And, of those thousands, there were 500 who had talent beyond anything one could find on Terrain.
'There's no need to display my full strength now. Retreat is fine too.'
Anared knew that Hargrove was correct. Their goal was never the Savants nor Leonel. From the beginning, their goal had been the escaped prisoners and now they had thousands of them. There was no need to consider anything else for now.
Anared's speed suddenly accelerated, dodging out of the way of another one of Aina's ax strikes. Timing his escape the moment Aina used another minor teleportation, he bolted backward, his display far beyond anything he had shown to this point.
As for why Anared would be holding back, maybe only he knew the answer to this. No, maybe his fiancée was also aware.
In the blink of an eye, Anared had made it to the base of the city. With a single leap, he made it to the top of its walls, a rain of arrows covering his ascent.
"Start." Anared said indifferently.
…
Leonel's head snapped toward Hargrove City, his gaze narrowing. A strong fluctuation of Force suddenly wrapped around it. It didn't take long for Leonel to understand that they wanted to relocate Hargrove City once again.
'That's possible?'
Leonel's gaze flickered. He knew more about Force Arts than probably anyone on Earth currently. A Force Art drawn with normal materials wouldn't be able to withstand the teleportation of such a large piece of land twice. He couldn't even imagine the amount of wealth that went into building the foundation of these cities to make such a thing possible.
'Didn't I say you wouldn't…'
Leonel moved to stand, having every intention of finding a way to stop the city from leaving this place. He had already said that he wouldn't be allowing Anared to leave, and he had no doubt in his mind that he would be able to follow through on that promise in that moment.
But, the instant he stood, Leonel's vision suddenly swam. Before he realized what was happening to him, his body fell forward completely outside of his control.
The light in his eyes dimmed, his consciousness fading.
In the distance, Aina, who had turned her attention back to Leonel, worried about how he might be taking his Coach's situation, suddenly cried out in shock. Abandoning thoughts of going after Anared, she shot forward like a streaking shadow.
In the darkness of night, Aina's strength was on a whole other level. This wasn't because of her ability, but rather because of the Abyss Panther blood that she had ingested. Only this sort of environment allowed her to display the true strength of her bloodline.
Truthfully, this shouldn't be the case. Unfortunately, Aina's Internal Sight was weak, so despite her high Dark Elemental affinity granted by her blood, she had trouble making use of it. Only at night could she overcome these struggles.
Of course, there was also the problem of not having any techniques. She had yet to learn any Dark Elemental Techniques and the innate techniques of the Abyss Panther could only be used once she entered the Fifth Dimension. So, at this point, she could only accept her shortcomings.
Luckily, this speed was enough to make it to Leonel swiftly. Unluckily, though, she wouldn't make it before he crashed into the ground.
Thankfully, the little mink was by Leonel's side. With a wave of its little claws, a cloud of darkness stopped Leonel's fall and gently cradled him.
By the time Aina made it to Leonel's side, he had entered such a deep sleep that he was even snoring.
Aina shook her head, sending a complicated glance toward the disappearing Hargrove City. She was certain that wherever that City appeared next, there would be a whole host of problems to deal with. And, she was even more certain that Leonel would be pissed with himself when he awoke to find that he had failed to stop their retreat.
Aina sighed and smiled a smile that was one part bitter and another part prideful. If not for Leonel, how would so many of them have survived? But, because he worked himself so hard, he was now in such a state.
"Let's bring him back, Little Blackstar."
"Yip! Yip!"
The little mink dove into Aina's chest.. The pair walked toward the rest, Leonel hovering behind them on a cloud of darkness, his mind drifting to places unknown.