Leonel shook his head, his gaze still indifferent.
Just when Dune had reached his range, bearing down on him with a fist that sent a fiery blaze crackling through the air, Leonel took a subtle step forward. His one movement threw Dune's fist off course, causing it to whistle by his ear.
Golden lights coated Leonel's body, his every movement being follow by a fluid arch of radiance that left a beautiful pattern in the air. Just by following it, one could see the subtle bobs and weaves of Leonel's figure, capturing the immaculate elegance of his simple movements.
Leonel's hip sunk down. Enveloped by Dune's body, it seemed as though he would be swallowed whole by the giant. Yet, his fist twisted forward, a delicate spiral of light whistling in its path.
Dune felt a heavy thud resonate through his rose-gold armor, but he sneered. Was that why Leonel was so confident? His speed? What good was speed when you couldn't break past his defense?
However, it was then an audible crunch filled Dune's ears, causing his expression to change. He explosively retreated, his gaze – the only visible part of his face through his visor – contracting.
Dune looked down at his armor, his face warping when he noticed the sheered metal on his torso. Not only had it distorted a portion of the bear's roaring face, but had it been just a bit deeper, it would have dug into his flesh, ripping past his chainmail and leaving him with severe injuries.
What just happened? Wasn't it a simple punch?
Dune had felt a subtle shift in Leonel's fist that let him know that Leonel was actually able to call upon the Four Seasons Realm for his fist technique. But, with Leonel's tight control, it was difficult to tell what level he was at.
Still, what was clear to Dune was that the power behind Leonel's punch still shouldn't have been enough to cause such a thing.
"Still don't want to take it off?" Leonel asked evenly once again.
Dune's expression warped as the crowd suddenly realized what had happened. In the first exchange… Leonel won?!
Everyone knew that though these armor wearing Bear Rose members weren't in their uniforms, each and every one of them was a blue belt. Not only were they blue belts, they were elites among blue belts that had years of experience, decades even, in fighting the Oryx.
In Leonel's estimation, the fact that Dune actually managed to come out unscathed from that exchange – outside of his distorted armor, of course – was enough to prove just how powerful he was. No normal blue belt would have come out without a hole blasted through their stomach.
However, Leonel's words of 'kindness' and his polite 'reminders' seemed to only infuriate Dune further. At this point, if he truly took off his armor, wasn't he just conceding defeat?
Dune began to laugh. The movement of his diaphragm and the displacement of his lungs were so exaggerated that his bellows seemed to cause claps in the air.
BANG!
Dune slammed his fists together, fiery crackles lighting the air and dancing like embers.
"I'm going to enjoy pummeling you into the ground!"
In that moment, the image of a harsh sun appeared above Dune's head, an expanse of endless sandy dunes appearing around him.
The temperature of the surroundings seemed to skyrocket, beams of sunlight bouncing off Dune's reflective rose-gold armor.
The expressions of the crowd changed. They all understood in an instant. This was Summer of the Four Seasons Realm. Not only that, but it seemed more powerful than just that.
There were no small number of people who chose to focus on just one of the Seasons, priming and prepping it to a level that surpassed even some who had grasped all four. In some ways, these individuals also forged their own path, making their Four Seasons Realm comprehension no weaker than one that had comprehended it all on their own.
Of course, such individuals would always be a tick below a complete Four Seasons Realm master. But, they were not to be trifled with… Especially when Leonel already had to make use of the Four Seasons Realm to close the gap between the Fourth Dimension and himself.
Dune shot forward again. This time, he was truly like a cannonball soaring through the air, fiery streaks of red leaving devastation in his path. He seemed to be unstoppable, an untouchable mass of fury.
Leonel's cold, indifferent eyes meant Dune's fiery rage.
He took another well-timed step forward, his movements as fluid as water. In fact, the Light Element that rippled around him seemed to respond exactly like waves in the ocean, his every movement sending a wave of changes within it.
This time, though, Dune was ready. His first fist was nothing more than a feint, his second was already prepared, hooking forward to smash toward the side of Leonel's head.
Leonel didn't seem to be off put by this. His fist and rolled shoulder protected the side of his face, a subtle shift in his footwork causing the blazing punch to barely glance off him.
This glance should have been enough to char Leonel's body into ash, but the flames tickled off his skin, dancing about as though a fire spreading across glass.
Standing within Dune's range, a blinding golden light enveloped Leonel's body. His fists exploded forward, a barrage of punches shooting through the air.
'Shoulder joint, visor, hip joint, elbow…'
Leonel's speed was so quick that Dune couldn't react.
There was a lull in all the noise for just a moment before a consecutive flood of air exploding fists seemed to land at once, leaving Dune's armor looking like the surface of a cratered moon.
The sturdy rose-gold armor was twisted apart and shattered, piercing into the flesh beneath and ripping Dune's bone apart. Maybe if it wasn't for being a battle hardened veteran, Dune would be crying out in pain.
But, due to the regions Leonel had targeted, Dune couldn't even see the battlefield or his opponent. On top of that, he couldn't move his arms without a slicing pain shooting through his spine.
He was finished.
Leonel shook his head inwardly. 'First you wear a full armor of metal, then you use the Element I fear the least.. It's like you wanted to lose.'