Little Tolly split into over a hundred small pieces, coating each and every one of the fragile pieces. For a moment, it looked as though Leonel had a hundred long lines of silver stacked before him.
Then, with a thought, they began to twist relative to one another.
First they combined in groups of five, twisting into a thicker line. Then, those groups of five combined with three others like them to form groups of four. Finally, those full bundles of twenty came together, forming a final line.
All the while, Leonel's quill moved like lightning. His movements were so controlled and precise that he didn't have to pause Little Tolly's actions even a single time. He was absolutely perfect.
When Little Tolly finally slipped out from and revealed the final product Jac felt as though his eyes were about to bulge.
However, as though he didn't notice, Leonel calmly attached the newly made bowstring to its body and lightly pulled.
The twang of a bowstring seemed to pluck at the hearts of all those who saw it.
*Bloop* *Blop*
Little Tolly's many parts came together as one and happily landed on Leonel's hands, snaking around his fingers until it snuggled around his wrist.
It was only at that moment that Jac realized that Leonel hadn't used his Force Crafting Gloves from beginning to end. He clenched his jaw, but still couldn't move an inch.
"I'm not one to be bullied in silence." Leonel said. "Seniors like you can't be considered my senior."
Who knows whether it was by design or coincidence, but Leonel didn't call Beinala Elder this time. His message couldn't have been more clear.
"I was lucky this time because my Force Crafting saved me. But it's impossible to tell what would happen if I was on the outside. I can only hope that there's a swift and justified punishment."
Leonel's plain words were like hammers to Jac's heart. Unfortunately for the latter, he was soon forcefully teleported out.
Jac appeared on the outside, finally regaining control of his body. His first instinct was to blast all the energy he had been holding in toward the shop. But, before he got a chance to, he felt like several eyes had landed on him.
Jac's aura completely deflated. His rage had nowhere to vent itself and his embarrassment seemed to have only increased by several times over.
Without a word, he turned and sliced through the crowd on his way out just as the picture above BLACKSTAR reverted back to its silver and black emblem.
The crowd all watch silently as Beinala, followed by his two wives, departed. Though none of them said a word, somehow, the silent condemnation was even worse than receiving a verbal barrage.
On a distant rooftop, Sael watched on in silence. She didn't even notice when her eyes had begun to brim with tears.
"What are you crying about?" Gersan frowned, looking at Sael as though she had lost her mind. What was wrong with this senior sister of his?
Gersan didn't like Leonel very much to begin with for obvious reasons. Plus, he also didn't know much about Force Crafting. He just barely knew enough to know that it was impressive for Leonel to defeat Beinala, but he didn't quite know how impressive.
What he felt, though, was even if this was a pinnacle achievement, it definitely shouldn't be anything worth crying like this over… right?
The only thing that truly shocked Gersan was the fact Leonel was actually able to send a Fifth Dimensional existence packing without lifting a single finger.
Sael wiped her eyes with a forearm and smiled, not bothering to explain in too much depth. Gersan didn't quite get it because he was one of the few who would have fought for his rights against his seniors regardless. Even when he found out Leonel had a great background, he disdained him more than respected him.
In the mind of a talent like Gersan, he could already fight for everything he wanted, so Leonel's words made no difference to him. However, if everyone was like Gersan… The organization would have never fallen to this point to begin with.? By now, it had little to do with him and everything to do with those below.
She didn't know what Leonel had done, and she had a strong feeling that this was definitely not the first time he had planted such seeds, but the result was something she was seeing right before her eyes now.
'He's doing all of this just for revenge toward a person who didn't even dare to say his name… How good would it be if he was doing all of this for less petty reasons…? What result would there be if he did it because he loved Valiant Heart…?'
…
In another distant building, Raylion finished the last of his meat, leaving behind nothing but an exceptionally clean plate of bone.
"… These petty tricks are meaningless if you don't have the strength to back them up. As quickly as you can light a fire in their bellies, they can just as quickly be extinguished."
…
Leonel collapsed to the ground the moment the images disappeared. Compared to his previous appearance, his current look was pitiful. In fact, he looked as though he had placed a step into a long since prepared coffin.
He had really outdone himself this time. He could have just sent Jac out right after locking him down, but he had insisted on making his bow first. If it wasn't for the fact that Jac had been so focused on his Craft and forgot to struggle with all his might, Leonel really would have collapsed first.
Leonel was able to rely on a combination of his Divine Armor and his prepared Force Arts to barely deal with a single weak Fifth Dimensional existence in a prepared environment. But, in order not to reveal his Divine Armor too early, he put even greater strain on himself that he needed to. Now, the world around him was completely blurry.
Even as Leonel's consciousness faded, his lip still curled.
He could consider phase one over. Now came the fun part.
His fists were really itching.