In the beginning, there was nothing but silence.
The crowd, which had believed the battle was starting up with Leonel's kick was ready to get into the action. Seeing Leonel's display of strength and power, even to the point of shattering the arena for all that it was worth, how could they not feel their blood boil? This was what they had come for. This was what they wanted to see.
However, how could they know that Leonel's reason for sending Milan flying like that had little to do with giving them the entertainment they so ravenously sought after. He had two purposes, both of which were fulfilled by a single action.
The first was to give himself space. The vicinity around the sniper rifle when it fired couldn't be handled by just anyone. And, he also didn't want Milan getting swept up in what was coming. He needed speed and that unfortunately had to translate to power as well.
The second reason was layered. He needed to ensure that Aina couldn't interfere in the immediate aftermath. Even though he was certain that she would be able to handle Milan without injuring either of them, he obviously hadn't wanted to harm the two of them to begin with. What he wanted was for Aina to be distracted and unable to get caught up in these matters.
This, unfortunately, resulted in him taking advantage of Aina's distraught state. Because the only way to truly ensure that Aina didn't interfere was by making sure someone more powerful than she was stepped in. And, that was where Head Hutchin who currently had a hand on her shoulder came into play.
The silent, tacit deal that was made across space between the two men was clear: Protect my people and I'll give your Valiant Heart Mountain a chance to survive this ordeal.
The crowd was obviously unaware of all of this. They had been excited to an extreme until the point they witnessed Heira's chest being torn through.
She didn't get a chance to reveal her master plan. She didn't get a moment to vent her hatred and fury. She didn't even get a chance to say a last word to Leonel before she suddenly found her life to be forfeit.
In the irony of all ironies, she died just the way her future husband had: In a state of despair, unable to even lift a finger of resistance.
Maybe her only solace in death was that Leonel's current actions made him like a frog in a boiling pot of water. Except for the fact that in this analogy, there wouldn't be a slow upturn of heat. Whatever blazing fires there would be…
Would be happening now!
The masked figures by Heira's side, seemingly guards that should have been protecting her safety, suddenly snapped out of their daze.
For a moment, they couldn't believe that they had allowed a Third Dimensional brat to kill their charge right before them. It didn't make any sense. Their reaction time, their training, their prowess, it should have all been far beyond Leonel's. None of this even mentioned the fact they were in arm's length of Heira while Leonel was easily three or four hundred meters away.
When they realized what happened, they were first stricken with horror, then an all pervading fear sunk into their bones, then right after, their expressions twisted with rage beneath their masks, their Fifth Dimensional auras shattering the space around them.
In a corner within the same seating section, Havoc hung onto the crashing slabs of rock and metal for dear life, fear paling his face.
If that gun had been aimed toward him, wouldn't he be dead right now? If Leonel hadn't assumed he was just some servant boy standing quietly in the corner, would he have aimed for him instead?
Havoc's overinflated sense of worth seem to seep even into his thoughts of fear. The truth was that even if Leonel had known his identity and the role he had played in all of this, his sniper rifled would have still been aimed for Heira.
His actions weren't about simple revenge. It was deeper than that.
Three blazing auras tore a path toward Leonel as the screams began to rock the arena. Those watching the events from a distant place didn't quite know how to react to this change either. But, there were a few older gentlemen and noble women that leaned back in their chairs and took a sip of wine.
Someone challenging the Milky Way Guild? How long had it been, exactly?
"Yip! Yip!"
'Save it for now, buddy. We've got some running to do…' Leonel thought bitterly as Little Blackstar hopped to his head.
Every fiber of Leonel's being wanted to take just one more look toward Aina, but he suppressed the feeling. He knew that if he did, he would see something he definitely did not want to see.
All the while, his teammates in black cloaks wanted to rush out, especially Raj who had grown into a towering wall of fat. But, it was Joel who clamped down on both of them hard.
"You idiots! Control yourselves!"
Joel barked out harshly. If Leonel was the captain of the offense, Joel was the captain of the team's defense. His leadership qualities only fell a few steps behind Leonel's own. Even though he couldn't quite understand why Leonel was doing all of this, it was more than obvious that he didn't want them to interfere.
Leonel's hands flipped, causing his sniper rifle to vanish.
His gaze turned a shade of cold that made it seem as though he had detached from the whole of the world. Sadness, regret, rage, fury… They all seemed like foreign objects he couldn't grasp.
This world? It was his Domain.
The instant the guards were about to touch the ground and shoot toward Leonel, the latter's palm flipped over, revealing a heavy spear as a wild violet bronze aura erupted around him.
The guards felt their weight increase what felt like a hundredfold for an instant, causing what should have been their sure steps to falter just enough for Leonel to blaze a trail by them.