Dimensional Descent

Leonel and Aina had no idea that they were being used by Orinik once again. And, even if they did know, they wouldn't have the luxury of thinking too much about it because almost the instant they stepped through the portal, they found themselves being thrown into a bed of hot oil.

Their first mission had placed them right in enemy territory, something that wasn't so bad considering the enemies they faced were still weak and manageable. However, when this Void Mission chose to do the very same thing, it was much less of a funny matter.

Almost the instant Leonel and Aina appeared, they were surrounded by five Sixth Dimensional members of the Dwarven Race, their strength layering down with an oppressive might.

Just as Wise Star Order had said, most races outside of humans had maximized their evolution down one path and as such, they tended to share the same Ability Indexes, Lineages Factors and overall strengths.

The Rapax were often born with explosive power and flexibility, the Ability Indexes falling in line to maximize their strengths. Pixies and Sparrows, however, had extremely sharp eyes, high dexterity, agility and speed.

The first two helped greatly with their Crafting and their traps. The latter two were exceptionally difficult to handle in battle.

They tended to be excellent swordsmen and archers, not to mention assassins.

The main reason that Leonel had chosen this Three Star Void Mission in particular was so that they could use their first mission to get used to the battle style of the Pixies and Sparrows. But, the leap in skill in danger was so large that he felt he was naïve to have thought it would be very helpful.

"We'll retreat first," Leonel called out to Aina. "Only step where I step, then we'll cut a path outward."

Leonel's palm flipped over to reveal his stinger spear, his gaze flashing with a blaze of glory as he unleashed a barrage of piercing strikes.

Almost instantly, the two archers of the ground reacted, each brandishing two arrows wrapped in vines. They communicated with their eyes seamlessly, releasing their bowstrings in a breath.

Leonel's eyes glowed with he saw this scene. Despite the danger, he felt that these two had truly become one with their bows. When they inhaled, they bowstrings were pulled tight, when they exhaled, their attacks were released, following the trajectory of their gazes as though being controlled by nothing more than their wills.

'Beautiful…'

Leonel's Spear Force shattered apart beneath the twisted Level Two Bow Force. They tore apart the impurities and faults in his blade Force as though it was nothing more than dried weed.

Leonel took note of their target, taking a strong step forward and allowing light to envelop him. Right now wasn't the time for training, he had to go all out or else he and Aina would be buried here.

Right this moment, they were stuck in a familiar forest with yet another castle built into the face of a mountain to their backs. It was clear that this was a staple of the Dwarven Race. But, this one was far more elaborate than the last and the powerhouses protecting this one were on a completely different level.

This wasn't something that Leonel and Aina could just barge their way through. They needed to plan, scope out the situation, get a lay of the land, and approach with purpose.

Leonel's pupils dilated, his pale violet irises waking up. They shimmering like two purple torches in the darkness as Leonel's canines grew.

BANG!

Leonel exploded forward, his speed completely unlike what it had been before. The two archers didn't even get the chance to pull their bowstrings again before their throats were pierced through.

Leonel blazed a trail by them, Aina enveloping herself in a cloak of red as she shot ahead as well, the heads of three swordsmen flying.

Leonel didn't even look back as five orbs of Scarlet Star Force forms and enveloped their bodies and blood before they could even touch the ground. He knew that this wasn't a video game. He had to make sure that he and Aina left no traces behind to give their enemies the least amount of time to prepare.

Their ashes scattered into the wind as the two disappeared over the horizon.

Mere seconds later, another squad of Pixies and Sparrows appeared, only to furrow their brows when they found nothing at all. They could have sworn that there was a commotion here, but now there was absolutely nothing. What was going on, exactly?

It would be several hours before they realized that an entire scouting unit had vanished. But, by then, Leonel and Aina would be long gone.

…

Leonel exhaled a breath, landing on a thin branch. Not long afterward, Aina landed on a tree across from him, putting her ax away to stop it from snapping in two. At the moment, her brows were a bit furrowed. She realized that this would be difficult.

If they didn't have a time limit, they could just take their time. But, they only had a week or this would be considered a failure.

The good news was that in a controlled Zone like this one, failing just meant they would be ejected. The bad news was that failure also meant manual labor, not to mention a heavy monetary penalty.

Leonel suddenly laughed. "Worried about failing?"

"A bit."

"Don't worry about it…"

Aina's brows rose as she listened to Leonel's explanation. Eventually, she started laughing too, her body becoming far more relaxed.

She believed in them as a pair, but something about the looming potential punishment still made her feel suffocated. Now knowing it didn't matter if they failed, she was far more relaxed and composed.

She still had the weight of her mother's revenge on her shoulders and she also cared about Leonel achieving his goals as well. Something like being stuck doing menial labor for hundreds of years wasn't something she could accept, she would rather fall out with the Void Palace and kill herself a path out.

"So what do we do first?"

"First, I'll do some scouting. Stay here, I'll be back within an hour. After that, it'll be the same as usual."

The couple grinned at each other, seemingly liking the scent of blood a bit too much.