Dimensional Descent

Noah heavily stepped off of the stage, his body drenched in blood from head to toe, none of which was his own. The arena couldn't help but be silent outside of his heavy step.

When Noah returned, Roesia stood with a doting expression on her face. She couldn't help but start wiping Noah off.

Seeing how nonchalantly his grandmother was treating so much blood, Leonel suddenly got the feeling that maybe his family wasn't so normal. The dichotomy of sweet, old grandmother, helping her grandson wipe down the lifeblood of his murder victims…

Just what kind of world was he in right now?

Leonel's lip curled into a smile. Though the gloominess hadn't vanished, he could feel that Noah had vented much of their frustration. There was only so much that Leonel could do himself, at some point them witnessing his own success wouldn't move the needle anymore. However, seeing someone else do it… It gave them more courage to believe that they could do the same.

Though the geniuses of Earth continued to lose after this, and even more miserably at that because Noah had re-energized their enemies, they still returned with their heads held high and a fire lit within their gaze.

None of these people knew that the Leonel and his friends had only just experienced their Metamorphosis not even half a decade ago. To have already reached such a stage in a short period of time was something to be proud of. And, there'd come a day where they wouldn't have to show pride in their defeat, but could instead do so in their victory.

…

The events of the day continued to wane. Of the people of Earth, most had already gone up and lost, unfortunately falling short.

However, there were some success stories nonetheless.

Karolus, the preeminent genius of the Moon and a young man Leonel knew for his exceptionally high spatial affinity, managed to become the third person of Earth to claim their spot for the second day. His ability was devastating and one couldn't even approach him without fearing for their lives. Despite the fervor Noah had reignited, he still managed to weather the storm and claim his place.

The next success story was more so of luck than of skill. But, it was one that Leonel happily accepted nonetheless.

Milan and Arnold were lucky enough to get drawn into the same group. Working together, Milan's defensive energy shield ability and Arnold explosive palm ability, not to mention the latter's grasp of Universal Force, was the perfect tandem.

What Leonel didn't notice was that Orinik's pupils had constricted into pinholes when he saw Arnold's use of Universal Force.

It had to be remembered that originally, Arnold followed the same path of comprehending Universal Force as everyone else. He fused it with his Palm Force and made it one dimensional.

However, after his meeting with Leonel and the others, Leonel pointed him toward the more complete path of Universal Force after seeing his talent in it. Now, Arnold walked the same path of Universal Force that Leonel did, it was just that neither of them seemed to realize just how impossibly rare this path was…

But Orinik, Ganor, and the other envoys of the Void Palace most certainly did. In fact, they had all but decided who would get the Golden Token after seeing this display…

…

Time continued to speed by. Unfortunately, outside of Elthor, Noah, Karolus, Milan and Arnold, no others made it. Compared to the accumulating numbers of the other families, it was quite pitiful. However, it wasn't terrible either.

Finally, after dozens of rounds and thousands of participants, Leonel felt a subtle connection call out to him as the billboard flickered.

'Oh?'

Leonel looked up, finding the number he had claimed for himself shimmering brightly. It seems like it was finally his turn.

With a light push off his chair, Leonel stood and stretched, his bones cracking. His mind and body both felt quite alert. After sleeping for over a month, he felt more energized now than he had in a long time.

Almost the instant Leonel rose, many eyes fell onto him. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that ever since that incident of a few hours ago, many had been waiting for Leonel's turn.

The skill he had displayed in that short time frame wasn't small, but it was still difficult for many to get a read on exactly what his limits were. This was mostly because by the time people realized that someone actually had the audacity to move against the wishes of the Void Palace envoys, Leonel was already more than half way there. It was hard to tell if he was just that fast, or if he had just reacted long before anyone else had.

But now, all of those questions would be answered. The people of Earth had been being targeted by proxy only because they couldn't get at Leonel… But now that he was here…!?

Leonel's steps were a lot lighter than Noah's despite the both of them being extremely heavy. He landed softly, his bare feet feeling the cool surface of the hard stone.

Comparatively speaking, Leonel was very casually dressed. He didn't have a weapon in hand nor did he wear any armor. He wore a loose fitting pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt that waved about in the wind, pulling against the toned silhouette of his torso…

It was the kind of nonchalance that made those around him either furrow their brows or sneer.

At that moment, the final contestant stepped forward, a curious glint in his eye. This young man was none other than Ysac and his bow was already in hand.

His piercing gaze landed on Leonel. As though a hawk, he scanned him up and down, the rest of his Internal Sight focused on his surroundings.

This matter couldn't have been more perfect. Leonel and his people had slighted the Arundo. If Ysac defeated him, he would take a leg up on that distant cousin of his. But, he was still a cautious person… One scheme after another began to play in his mind.

Ysac thought he was clever and calculated, but Leonel's mind was so clear at the moment that he could even count the steps of every insect within a kilometer radius right this moment, such obvious glances weren't something he would miss.

'A bow…? I don't think I need to use one here, though.' Leonel thought to himself. 'Why don't we test out a few things instead?'

Leonel stood in the dead center of the arena, seemingly oblivious to the danger of his position.

"Begin."