Aina's roar caused a shockwave to tear a path across the mountain pass.
For a moment, the illusion of a woman much taller than her seemed to envelop her small figure. However, this last for but a moment before a strong surge of Force fell from the glowing pillars, enveloping her body in a rain of light.
Leonel snapped out of his thoughts, the strength of his fingers digging into his forearm growing to the point he nearly drew blood.
He had no idea what was happening and if it wasn't for the fact he wasn't sure what he'd do even if he stormed his way up, there was no way that he'd be able to sit idle for so long.
The elders standing amidst the pillars suddenly all sported frozen expressions. Whatever shocked looks they had just had seemed to be ramped up several fold.
The four geniuses who had been surpassed by Aina suddenly found that continuing forward had become impossible.
One after another, they fell to their knees, a look of abject horror on their face. Even Ingkath, a man who didn't seem to understand anything that could be solved without brawn, felt his heart trembling.
However, though these geniuses fell, each and every one of them kept their eyes level. It was as though each was holding onto the last bit of their pride, unable to allow themselves to fall to the point of not even daring to look.
Aina's body had completely disappeared within the lights. The pulsing of the twin pillars grew more heated, reaching a level where even the elders could no longer think of holding back the pressure themselves.
Unable to hold back his thoughts any longer, Leonel flipped a palm, causing a familiar silver disk to appear in his hand.
…
Valiant Heart Mountain was a place maybe more fanciful than even Leonel expected.
Beyond the mountain range, there sat an all new world, the kind the people of Earth could have maybe only dreamed about.
Valiant Heart Mountain was split into seven peaks, each of which seemed to thrum with a heartbeat of its own.
These peaks were all surrounded by floating islands. But, compared to the Paradise Islands of Earth, these islands exuded an air of oneness with nature rather than capitalistic greed.
They had lush greenery viewable even from the ground below, a land that shone a faint sheen of gold, and hovered in place without the slightest hint of technology. But, what was maybe the most awe inspiring were the waterfalls that fell from their edges.
These waterfalls fell in steady streams, sparkling with and refracting the light of a high violet colored sun that hung in the air. This refraction gave the water a gorgeous purple hue that played on the fantasies of all.
But, this wasn't all.
These waters fell from the skies and into long, rushing rivers along the peaks they orbited. The seamless transition between the waterfalls in the clouds to the rivers running along the earth made everything look as though it was crafted by the hands of a mighty deity.
Still, as beautiful as this scenery might be, those that were here had long since gotten used to it. The hustle and bustle of Valiant Heart Mountain didn't seem to stop even in the face of such sights.
But, maybe, this was the human condition. Even in higher Dimensional worlds, ignoring the miracles of nature seemed to be ingrained into our very souls.
At that moment, though, among one of the peaks of Valiant Heart Mountain, all things seemed to have come to a stop.
As with many other powers, Valiant Heart Mountain was divided into several factions. But, this particular peak, known as Founding Peak, was a location not of a particular one of these factions, but rather the gathering place of the most powerful members of Valiant Heart.
In recent days, this location had been rife with debates, each speaking over the other about the direction the organization should go in. But, at this moment, they had suddenly fallen into an eerie silence. In fact, not a single soul seemed to be speaking.
They all stopped what they were doing, simultaneously looking in a singular direction.
At the base of this mountain, there was a section reserved for the future leaders of Valiant Heart Mountain.
In truth, they only spent time here as a symbol of their superiority and used it to organize members of their faction. If this location was to be strictly compared to their normal training locations, it was severely lacking. The base of Founding Peak simply couldn't compare to the peaks of the other six Peaks despite the fact the peak of Founding Peak was unmatched.
"Someone activated the Founding Pillars?"
It was unknown who spoke these words, nor did it particularly matter.
All these youths who had gained the right to set up camp at the base of Founding Mountain were all preparing to accept the new influx of talents into their factions at this exact moment. However, not one had ever expected this particular outcome.
Though these youths were separated by several hundred meters, even kilometers in some cases, not a single one hesitated. Without regard for the rules, or even the overseeing elders, they all sent their most trusted subordinate out.
They all only had a singular goal: to recruit.
…
At the peak of Founding Peak, there was a single core group that stood above all the rest. It was a group of three men and three women, each that had been in silent meditation all to their own.
At the core of this group, though, there was one more man. It was this man who sat upon the tallest floating island, not moving even while thick white clouds past through him, causing fine sprits of water droplets to drizzle across his bronzed skin.
He opened his eyes somewhat lazily, staring into the distance as though he could peer through the mountains and the thick forests to gaze upon the pillars directly.
When the man saw what was happening, his apathetic expression became one of pleasant surprise.
The reason he hadn't cared initially was because he was certain that the one to activate the pillars would have been that child he had been warned about all those months ago. But seeing as it wasn't him…
A pleasant surprise indeed.
…
It was only after the lights began to dim that Leonel breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, it didn't seem as though there was anything seriously wrong with Aina. At least… not initially.
The moment Leonel thought Aina would be fine, she fell to the ground on all fours, unable to hold onto her battle ax anymore.
A violent fit of coughing took hold of her.
Leonel's gaze sharpened. He immediately understood that something had aggravated Aina's curse again. He could even see the mask he had crafted her begin to bulge as her scars became more aggravated.
But, just when things seemed as though they would get out of hand, Aina's mask began to glow. A strong pulse of cool Cleansing Waters was sprayed over her face again and again.
Aina gripped at the earth with her fingers, leaving small trails as she balled her hands into fists.
Soon, the pain she was racked by slowly ebbed, her ragged breathing becoming more even.
Leonel took a deep breath. He could only be relieved that the contingency plans he had left in place worked.
Leonel's gaze suddenly shifted from Aina's back to the distance. Beyond the pillars, several auras converging at speeds he couldn't hope to keep up with under normal circumstances were coming. Leonel felt that there were some of them that were even more powerful than the elders who had come to preside over this entrance ceremony, a fact that gave him no small measure of pause.
It didn't take much thought for Leonel to connect their appearance with the commotion Aina had caused.
Just as Aina was picking herself up, the six auras had already come into range.
The elder who had led this event from the beginning looked back and frowned.
"You all aren't allowed to be here."
"Hehe, Elder Tobis, there's no need to be so uptight."
The young man who spoke was almost eight feet tall. He was easily the tallest individual Leonel had ever laid eyes on.
His posture was terrible, his back arching forward to the point he appeared to be a foot shorter than he truly was. But, his exposed torso was filled with an unprecedented amount of power.
Leonel thought that he was in good shape, as he had been all his life, but this man had muscles bulging out of places he never thought possible.
His limbs were long and lanky, his legs almost taking up a third of his body and his reaching past his knees, though that was likely in part due to the fact his posture was so terrible.
Elder Tobis glared at the youth and the few that had come with him. He knew exactly who these youths were. In any other situation, he would be grinning ear to ear that his Valiant Heart Mountain had such talent. But here… They were clearly stepping over a line.
"Aphestus …!"
Unfortunately, before Tobis could reprimand the young man any more, Aphestus had already turned his attention to Aina who had long since picked herself up.
"Ooo, a little girly. Hey, little chick, what do you say to joining my Hero Peak?"
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