Dimensional Descent

Leonel's gaze narrowed, but he didn't say much.

In truth, he thought it was a bit unfair. Not everyone had the ability to be aware that they should restrain themselves within the Fifth Dimension, and even less knew of the diverging paths upon reaching the pinnacle of the Fifth Dimension.

The difference being laid out before them now wasn't one of greed or overestimation, it was just one of class differences. These people simply weren't lucky enough.

This was the first time the Selection had been so open and many of those who had tried just now were geniuses in their own right who never got a chance at a quota. Now that things had suddenly been open when they thought their turn would never come… Leonel could understand how they felt.

If he wasn't born to such parents, at the perfect time, would he have this chance laid out before him?

If the Void Palace was so interested in gathering talents, shouldn't they have made a better effort? Why were there quotas, and why did they allow powerful families who were inherently selfish to begin with control them?

As Leonel was thinking this, there was another individual with a dark expression.

If Miel didn't realize by now that what he had done was unnecessary, he would be too much of a fool. He had only gone so far because he had been present during previous Selections and even with his talent often being clearly better than that of those who participated, he never got a chance himself.

He didn't want his daughter to go through the same thing, but how could he have expected that this year would be so open and free for all?

Despite his fury, Miel's expression gave nothing away. He didn't cast any enraged glances nor did he lose his cool. With things being this way, it was even better for Aina. Even if she would take on a small stain, so long as she performed, there would be nothing the Viola family could do to her.

At the same time, Miel marked this memory in his heart.

…

It wasn't easy for everyone of Earth to complete this task. Some even required a few pointers from Roesia before they managed to succeed.

Leonel could tell that this had taken a toll on many of them. They had been so eager previously, but seeing how thousands had accomplished something they all struggled mightily with, whatever eagerness they had had was tempered down dramatically.

They suddenly felt that the odds of them making it to the second day had gone down significantly. This sort of competition… Maybe it was too soon for them.

Didn't it take decades for many to make it through the Fifth Dimension? They had just entered. Maybe they were in over their heads.

Leonel fell silent as he felt the shift in the atmosphere. As a leader, there was a lot of things he could do, but giving people confidence they didn't or shouldn't have wasn't one of them. Something like self-belief had to be earned and trained. Often, those who had it without putting in such effort were simply overestimating themselves.

A lot of things had gone too smoothly for the people of Earth. Compared to the people of the Milky Way, their talent was so much greater that how strong their foundations were never really mattered. And, even when the people of other galaxies invaded, much of the brunt of the work was honestly handled by Leonel, Noah, and the other pre-eminent talents.

Being faced with the reality now hit them all hard. Even Leonel's own brothers hadn't found the task easy to complete. Only Drake had a relatively easier time, but that was only because he was a marksman to begin with.

This time, Leonel chose to remain silent. He didn't give them encouraging words, nor did he try to cheer them up. Sometimes, a person would only be able to convince themselves of what they needed.

Leonel's gaze shifted and landed on Elthor.

Even compared to Noah, Elthor had been greatly silent during this whole journey. After all, this was his first time hanging out with so many humans at once. It only made it more awkward that the Void Palace was meant to be the protectors of the Human Domain, so how exactly did he fit into all of this?

Of course, Leonel had already thought of this and asked his grandmother about it. According to Roesia, the Void Palace wasn't completely devoid of non-human species. There were many guardian beasts and the like, as well as a few rare humanoid species like the Oryx. Though it wasn't common, it wasn't unseen either.

That much allowed Leonel to rest easy and worry about Elthor a bit less.

Right now, though, Elthor seemed to be in his element. Seeing so many powerful enemies before him, and seeing such a tall mountain to climb, his heart beat wildly, his gaze locking on to the stages ahead as though he couldn't wait to hop on.

Right then, the billboard formed of motes of lights calmed. The instant this occurred, the numbers began to flicker, rearranging themselves swiftly until several columns were formed. Then, a large number of numbers dimmed while a single group of them glowed brightly.

"Those who can sense their auras glowing above, step forward. The first group match will begin now."

Elthor stood almost too quickly, a bestial aura rolling off of him in waves. His excitement was practically palpable, his handsome, almost otherworldly features, gaining a menacing and devilish charm to them.

He shot forward, appearing on the arena. At some unknown time, an enormous saber had appeared in his hands, a pervading aura of thick darkness hanging around him.

This was what Elthor had always dreamed of. While others thought it might be nice to win the Amethyst Token, he wanted it and was willing to give up anything to get it, even if he had to cut his heart out of his chest.

There was nothing he wanted in life more than to become the greatest General there ever was. Today, he would leave his first mark on the world.