Emna didn't respond, just the same as always. Instead, she immediately took action. From within the midst of the group, she tore a path through the air, seemingly not worried about getting caught up by Leonel's chains.
"Oh?" Leonel's brow raised.
Since he had gained his Chain Domain, this was the first time anyone had so confidently seen through its deficiencies. He had to say, for Emna to accomplish this with just a single look and a moment of observation was impressive.
'I wonder, could I have her as one of my Generals too?'
If others knew what Leonel was thinking, they'd rightfully label him a madman. Was this really the situation to be thinking about such things?
As Leonel was lost in thought, Emna had already crossed half the distance. It wasn't until then that he sprung into action, his chains suddenly lashing out at her.
But, as expected, Emna reacted quickly. Two daggers seemed to almost magically appear in her hands.
She twisted in the air, hooking the tips of her blades into the links of the chains and using them as anchors to send herself flying forward at an even faster speed.
There was no doubt that her agility and flexibility were both off the charts. Beyond this, her judgment, senses, decisiveness and reaction time were all impeccable. The more Leonel observed, the more he wanted her.
Emna had definitely seen through the weakness of his Chain Domain. At any given time, most of the Domain was made up of a net of illusory chains that could manifest into a true physical form at any time. However, 'could' was the operative word.
It took energy to facilitate this change, firstly. And, secondly, chains didn't manifest out of thin air. This meant that the only chains that could manifest and lash out were ones that could already be seen.
The third weakness was one only those with incredible senses would pick up on. There was a shift in the energy around the chains that would manifest, allowing one to pick out which would gain physical form long before it happened.
It was clear that Emna had already pinpointed each and every one of these weaknesses and was even using it to her advantage.
'Interesting…'
Leonel's spear spun in his hand, expertly blocking Emna's strike.
'The shortest distance between to points will always be a straight line. Unless you can somehow attack from two points more than two meters apart simultaneously, I'll always be able to block your two daggers with a spin of my spear.
'And now… You also don't have any footing left and I definitely won't manifest anymore chains for you. So, what will you do?'
Rather than having these thoughts as a form of a taunt, Leonel's eyes shone as though he was testing someone, almost like he was giving a job interview rather than fighting a life or death battle.
The pillar Leonel stood on was just two feet wide and it was still in the process of whipping back and forth in the wind. There was definitely no space for another person to step onto it. And, even if there was, why would Leonel allow that?
Emna, though, dealt with this issue without a single shred of awkwardness.
Using the momentum of her failed strike, she dove backward, agilely landing on a pillar ten meters to Leonel's right.
Leonel's eyes glowed. 'She already had her escape plan mapped out from the very beginning. She struck with her left dagger far heavier than her right, forcing me to compensate for the power imbalance. Using that momentum, she leapt backward, confident that I wouldn't be able to block her in time.'
Leonel had obviously moved most of his illusory chains before him to compensate for the large mass of enemies he was facing, leaving Emna with more than enough gaps to shoot through on his right.
Leonel's gaze seemed to be lit with a fire as he scanned Emna up and down.
For some reason, despite having dealt with Rafthin's ogling for much of her life, Emna felt particularly uncomfortable at this moment. It was as though she was stark naked before Leonel and there was nothing she could do to cover up.
"Hey."
Leonel suddenly called out, startling Emna for some reason.
"I want you to become one of my Generals, what do you say?"
Emna was completely startled, her face flushing. One would have thought that Leonel had asked her to follow him into bed.
Aina's expression became a bit weird in the distance, though no one could see it beneath her mask.
Could this count as sexual harassment too…?
"Well, this probably isn't the best time to ask…"
You don't say…
Everyone seemed to be of one thought at this moment despite having stood on opposite sides before.
"… But, think about it. If you accept, I'll make you as many Quasi Bronze daggers as you can handle."
Emna and the others were completely speechless. What nonsense was this man talking about?
It was only those of Valiant Heart that understood Leonel wasn't bluffing at all.
"Are you flirting with my woman?!" Rafthin snapped. "Dammit! This selfish bastard wants to hog all the beauties! Let's go, Wissan!"
Rafthin shot forward, unsheathing his massive three meter long rusted blade. Compared to Emna's approach, his own was far different.
A blazing Universal Force shot around him, the illusory images of a two Season dichotomy forming.
On one side, there was the harsh reality of Winter. On the other, there was the beaming heat of Summer.
This was the fifth weakness of Leonel's Chain Domain. The fourth was the split moment it took for the chains to manifest from their illusory form. As for this fifth, it was that this time could be even further slowed and even completely halted under the influence of certain forces, among which were the Forces of the Four Seasons Realm.
Leonel's wrist flickered once again, the aura of his spear suddenly unleashing.
At that moment, the presence of a Quasi Bronze spear made itself known.
Leonel grinned. These three Head Students shouldn't be far from Raylion in strength, otherwise they wouldn't be able to share a title with him. Though, Raylion no longer held it.
Leonel was quite eager to see the depths of their strength.