Leonel's steps slowed, his mouth shaping into a small 'o' as he sucked in a long breath.
The wind reacted to his action, a vacuum of swirling blue moving about as his chest expanded. Even before he stepped into the range of the two young men before him, his body was filled to the brim with Force.
The two young men looked at one another. Much like Kira, they had been waiting here for a long while. They couldn't exactly be considered as friends and were just acquaintances. However, what they did have was a tacit agreement.
The easiest target here was as bright as day. Who else could it be if not the man who hadn't had a chance to rest?
In a three way battle, the number of variables were too numerous to account for. It was much easier to deal with what might come their way if they only had a single other person to worry about. In the end, the choice was obvious: kill Leonel first.
The two young men slowly rose to their feet.
"… He's in the Fourth Dimension, Rychard."
"All the more reason to get rid of him as soon as possible."
"What are the odds, though, that he managed to meet up with someone weaker than himself during the first round. Something smells fishy."
Rychard's gaze narrowed. Now that he thought about it, making it through round one wasn't the only challenge in getting to this place. There was a month worth of battles to survive through as well. Though those battles were scaled by your own strength, helping you slowly squeeze out your own potential, by the time you got to this point, strength at the Fifth Dimension was a must.
For most who entered this trial, succeeding in this second round was their goal. The three foundational layers of [Dimensional Cleanse] along with the potential to birth up to Nine Stars was what was most enticing.
As a result of this, it could be said that the first and second rounds were a massive filter. The creator couldn't just allow people a chance just because they wanted one, right? That wasn't how things worked.
But, it was exactly because this was such a great filter that Leonel's being here was so baffling.
The moment Leonel's breath ended, his aura suddenly blazed. His Runes burst to life, a gaseous Star Force emitting out from his hair, skin and even eyes.
It was clear that in the last three months, his [Star Fusion] had grown even more powerful. In fact, it had grown powerful to the point he knew that without opening the Fifth Dimensional Gates of his Metal Synergy Lineage Factor, he didn't stand a chance at using it outside of this world.
His hair became a long, gaseous, almost illusory river of Force. His eyes lost the distinction of its irises, pupils and whites, becoming an orb of blue that encompassed it all. His body was wrapped by a beautiful blue fog, his Runes shining a brighter and brighter diamond blue.
The pupils of the two young men constricted, but Leonel had already bolted forth. If they could make the deduction that Leonel was the easiest target, how could Leonel not deduce what they were thinking? However, as far as he was concerned, it simply didn't matter.
In this place? Against those of the Fifth Dimension? He was invincible.
Rychard pulled out a long rod. It was pitch black to the point it seemed to warp all the light that hung around it. Just by gazing upon it, one could feel its weight and heft.
The second young man—who went by the name of Higlis—reacted just as quickly, a large hammer appearing with just a flip of his palm.
It only took a single glance for Leonel to tell that these two were well into the Fifth Dimension. In fact, both were at Tier 7. Their strength was undeniable, and yet still several measures beneath Kira. It was clear to Leonel that neither was from a family anywhere near as strong as Kira's. Either that, or their talent simply couldn't match up.
At least… The second was still a possibility until Leonel activated his Spear Domain Lineage Factor, causing his forehead to shimmer with a bright gold amidst all the sparkling blue. The moment he saw that the two before him didn't seem to recognize his Lineage Factor, it became obvious that the former was true.
The only chance these two had was if their teamwork was seamless. Unfortunately…
Leonel appeared before Higlis, his aura blazing. He had swapped a heavy spear into his hands, his momentum causing the air to fizzle and crack as it raced to get out of his way.
His spear descended from above, his swing so forceful that even its sturdy polearm warped.
Higlis' expression was unsightly. This level of strength, he would be hard pressed to find it even in a person a half step from the Sixth Dimension. What the hell was this nonsense?
He had heard of geniuses that were capable of relying on Universal Force to cross Dimensional barriers. But, this was very clearly not Universal Force. In fact, the Universal Force he could sense was at the mere Four Seasons Realm, not nearly enough to cross such a large gap between them.
Higlis had never felt so humiliated in his life. He had always had the utmost confidence in his strength, and yet that was what he was about to lose in?!
BANG!
Higlis' expression changed as a weapon cracked and shattered to pieces. He would have bet everything that it would be his own, and yet it was Leonel's own heavy spear that couldn't withstand the impact.
And yet… He didn't even have the time to celebrate. It was right at the moment of his elation that the wall of pressure slammed into him.
His legs bent to the point his back slammed onto the road, the polearm of his hammer was pressed into his chest, threatening to split his body in two, and worse of all, he felt his orifices burst beneath the pressure, his body feeling as though it might implode form the inside out.