Dimensional Descent

Elody's pupils constricted, his sword reflexively coming across his body to block.

BANG!

Elody felt a strong surge of might intent on sending him flying, but his gaze flashed, his feet digging two deep trenches as he slid back.

Dirt and soil rose from the ground, slowing Elody's momentum by several factors.

When he finally came to a stop, Elody couldn't help but look down at his trembling hands, his face etched with a deep frown. The heaviness of Leonel's attacks wasn't something he had expected. Not only was the spear a rare weapon for a Luxnix to choose, even in the case that it was chosen, those that did would focus on the speed and flexibility of it, not to mention its range. Elody hadn't expected for Leonel's battle style to be like this.

But, that didn't mean that he was completely unprepared for battle either. Whether it was the Viola family, or the Montex family especially, they were known for their heavy handedness and their abrasive battle styles. As a great genius of his generation, Elody had clashed with his fair share of such talents. In fact, his techniques were refined to deal with them.

The moment Elody adjusted his thoughts and breathing, his whole demeanor shifted. This was not a spar, nor was it a healthy exchange of pointers. This person was an enemy and he would treat him as such.

Elody completed his thoughts in just the fraction of a breath. His sword balanced itself with a practiced flick of his wrist and his feet spread apart, creating a strong base for himself. The instant he was steady, his figure exploded forth, and yet the ground suffered not the slightest of damage.

Leonel seemed to have acted before Elody, but the difference in the weight and size of their weapons resulted in their blades meeting perfectly. Elody could tell immediately that Leonel had done this on purpose, but he wasn't shocked. If Leonel wasn't at least this skilled, things wouldn't' have reached this extent to begin with.

Elody's body flickered and his sword left streaks of white gold in the air. For every one action Leonel took, he took three or four, the elegance of his swordplay shining forth.

His rhythm changed with his breath and his footwork was immaculate. He seemed to always be capable of slipping out of Leonel's heaviest strikes and countering with something decidedly clever and crafty.

The clash of blades rang through the battlefield, the images of two young men flickering into and out of existence being imprinted onto all their minds.

It was clear at a glance that Elody's Blade Force was far inferior to Leonel's own. One had already comprehended a Natural Blade Force while the other was still using normal Blade Force.

However, on the other hand, Elody's Fifth Dimensional Force was clearly several steps about Leonel's in terms of thickness and purity, given due to the fact Elody was already at Tier 8 while Leonel was only at Tier 2.

Streaks of Spear and Sword Force shot into the surroundings with each clash. There was something decidedly violent and existential about the clash of these two young men. Neither used any techniques that surpassed the crude nature of Force alone, and yet every time they met the impact was no less resounding.

Elody had long since forgotten about what Leonel's origins were and Leonel never cared about Elody's to begin with. Their exchanges only became faster and more blinding, neither taking a single step back.

Veins popped across Elody's body, his spirit lifting and his gaze becoming fierce.

"<Howling Snow: Feather's Touch>."

The ground beneath Elody's feet imploded, a towering pillar of Snow Force shooting up into the skies around him.

His sword descended, the clash against Leonel's spear making the latter feel as though it wasn't a light sword before him, but rather a great sword with the weight of a mountain.

It shattered Leonel's guard, shooting for his chest with every intention of piercing through, but Leonel's own gaze was as placid as a lake's surface beneath dim moonlight.

'<Starry Eyes>.'

The piercing strike of Elody's blade suddenly lost its edge. With a CLANG, it rebounded off of Leonel's chest plate, deflecting to the side.

Leonel took a step forward, taking advantage of Elody's momentum to send a punch toward his chest.

Elody reacted just as indifferently, his own fist soaring forward like a whistling bullet. The air cracked and whined, the ground beneath their feet trembling.

BANG!

The two separated, sliding back dozens of meters and creating a total of four new trenches between them.

Leonel didn't need to think to understand how Elody had gone from using his speed to match his strength to matching strength on strength. <Howling Snow> was a technique similar to Leonel's own <Star Fusion>. It used the Healing Branch properties of Snow Force to push the body into a state of accelerated cell regeneration. Using that window, the Luxnix could gain bestial strength in exchange for continuous and rapidly healing injuries. As expected of the Head of the Healing Branch.

Elody's hair rose up, billowing white gold Force wafting outward like plumes of steam and heavy fog. His hair and eyes became a shade brighter, and the fiendish killing intent in his eyes only grew.

The sound of Elody's Force was like the howling wind of a storm, whipping up violent undercurrents and flattening what remained of the grass in the surroundings.

"Show me everything you have. If today is to be the anniversary of your death, you wouldn't want to pass on with regrets."

Elody's aura continued to surge.

In that moment, the flickering star lights of the Heavenly Body Realm began to rise. Images of a beautiful golden planet, streaking white gold meteors, a silvery moon formed of shimmering gems and a resplendent star painted themselves across the greyish blue skies.

Elody's sword seemed to respond in kind, trembling and whistling under the influx of Universal Force.

Then, he shot forward, his steps decidedly less light. Plumes of soil rose in his wake, his sword appearing before Leonel's throat in the blink of an eye.

However, when it reached that point, it found its Force dissipating once more, only to find a pale violet <Crystal World> in its path.