Dimensional Descent

SHIING! SHIING! SHIIING! SHIIING!

The sound of sharpening blades rang out in all directions. In that moment, a strong inner will pulsed, fusing into the surroundings and making the air feel several time heavier than it had in the past.

Leonel's spear pulled back and drew an arc upward through the air. It moved so quickly that a streak of blackish blue was all anyone could seem to see, the strength of his Level 2 Spear Force multiplying several times over in the blink of an eye.

Myghell didn't miss a beat, activating <Whet Star Droplets> in almost the same instant Leonel had. Despite the fragile look of his blade, it clashed with Leonel's almost demonic spear without losing ground.

Myghell found that the strength of his words had dampened the moment that small violet humanoid figure appeared. It was as though his will was clashing with Leonel's, canceling each other out. This was the first time Myghell had ever experienced someone nullifying his words, and for yet another first time, his gaze couldn't help but narrow.

Suddenly, Myghell's shifted, retrieving his sword and guarding it against his body as though to take on a fencing stance.

His free hand pressed his fore and middle fingers together, the odd white-gold precipitating crystal Force around him concentrating toward the tips of those two digits.

Instead of pursuing, Leonel's Dream Force surged, the halo above his head pulsing as though it had a mind of its own.

"<Valiant Seal>."

"<Gem Conception>."

A violent upswell of Force surged out in all directions, splitting the battlefield into two sides surrounded by a tornado of rotating winds.

On one side, four silver pillars rose up from the earth, depictions of battles and grandeur etched onto their surfaces. Beneath its presence, it felt as though space itself had been frozen, as though it could be paused, undone, flattened and lengthened at the behest of Leonel.

There was no doubt that after fusing with his Divine Armor, Leonel's Space Affinity had taken another enormous leap forward. In fact, due to the Evolution Ore his mother had granted him, even Sixth Dimensional Space bent to his whims.

On the other side, the sparkling droplets of crystal that had surrounded seemed to quickly gather, sticking to one another and quickly growing in size beneath the strength of a mysterious command.

It was a sight that was objectively gorgeous, but it only became more when Myghell's free hand trembled, a final twinkle of light breathing life into the gems that fell around him.

In that moment, dozens of crystal wolves formed on the ground and dozens more crystal hawks took over the skies. It felt almost impossible to catch them with the naked eye unless the sun's rays hit them just right, but when they did, a beautiful sight one could hardly match was seen.

All this time, the crowd had been on the edge of their seats, not having been prepared for the kind of battle they would witness today. But, this scene made them all gasp in admiration in one moment, then feel their hearts seize in the next. Those that were sharper felt the danger force their small hairs to stand up. These beast constructs made Leonel's previous formulations feel like nothing more than child's play. Each and every single one of them had the strength of the Sixth Dimension.

Leonel's gaze narrowed from within his <Valiant Seal>. It seems that his speculations were correct. The root or the power source that gave the Luxnix Force Art system its life-like characteristics wasn't entirely related to the language itself, but also in the uniqueness of Snow Force. It was only when incorporating it that it could show its full strength, something that naturally happened since Snow Force had a positive impact on Soul Force and Internal Sight.

The problem, then, became obvious. Myghell had stepped beyond Snow Force, but his Luxnix Force Arts likewise gained an enormous boost along with it. Leonel had been so worried about what a lack of techniques would look like if he abandoned the Snowy Star Owl that he hadn't realized that it was all already right under his nose.

The crystal beast constructs shot forward. Their speed was far beyond what Myghell could muster and they had already appeared before Leonel's barrier in the blink of an eye.

Myghell stood straight tall, his sword wielding had pressed to his chance as he entered a perfect stance. In that moment, his energy began to gather, his strength slowly accumulating.

Even to this point, Myghell hadn't suffered a single injury. His body seemed to still be warming up to the battle, almost as though it didn't feel like it was necessary to snap itself fully away. Even the arrogance between Myghell's brows was only very slowly becoming more prominent. It felt like his true face was only now beginning to be shown to the world and everything else was nothing more than an elaborate façade.

The howl of the wolves resounded as they pounced toward Leonel's barrier.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Leonel's pupils constricted. For the first time, cracks appeared and began to race about his <Valiant Seal> like spider webs. He had always known that there was a limit to just how much pressure his self-created Mage Art could take, but he was still astonished by this.

This was just a few of Myghell's beast constructs, what if he had attacked personally instead?

Leonel didn't linger on these thoughts for long, his Force surging as the cracks mended. In that moment, the barrier began to bulge, numerous bubbles appearing as he formed one <Crystal World> after another, each attached with its own law.

They shot outward. Before the beast constructs could react, they found themselves being enveloped by the violet hued spears.

Just like that, they lost their connection with Myghell, becoming nothing more than piles of useless gems.

Leonel's palm closed into a fist, crushing them to ash.

'The skies…'

It felt as though everything had fallen into darkness. It was the kind of shift that made one feel as though a natural phenomenon was descending, the kind that commanded the attention of all. Leonel had just not been among them because the beast constructs was something he knew he had to deal with first, even knowing that Myghell was preparing something. But, when he saw it…

Leonel's gaze pervaded with a piercing coldness. Up above, the high sun had completely vanished, replaced by a blanket of darkness.

The first of the Universal Cycles was the Four Seasons Realm. This first stage embodied the call of the Seasons, leaving its four pillars up the interpretation of the masses.

The second Universal Cycle was the Heavenly Body Realm. This second embodied the rotation of the celestial behemoths that called the skies home, it touched upon the artistic conception that gave them their beauty and unique character.

The third Universal Cycle… Was the Natural Light Realm. The birth of Dawn, the brightness of Day, the decline of Dusk, and the darkness of Night.

It didn't take Leonel long to realize that Myghell had grasped a Night comprehension for his Sword. Everything felt so all encompassing and grand, even to the point of blanketing the entire arena in black. Leonel hadn't even grasped the Heavenly Body Realm yet, but he was facing someone who had grasped Night with his sword.

Leonel had never understood why the Natural Light Realm existed beyond the Four Seasons and Heavenly Body Realm, it felt like it should have been the very first he came to understand. There were only more of these inconsistencies lingering beyond, and this was the honest reason why he had never been able to step beyond it.

After the Natural Light Realm came the Cosmos Realm which was divided into comprehension of the Galaxy, Sector, Domain and Universe. This seemed like it somewhat made sense, at least in this case, the Cosmos was indeed beyond the Seasons and the Heavenly Bodies…

But right after that came the pinnacle of Universal Force… The Constellation Realm?

In this Realm, one would create four Constellation Pillars for yourself, each representing a different portion of your strength… That sounded all well and good, but how the hell was a Constellation beyond the Cosmos?

For Leonel who liked to have a logical progress to everything, and a solid understanding of everything he grasped, it threw his mind for a loop, resulting in him stagnating in the Four Seasons Realm for so long.

If he had a choice in the matter, it would be Natural Light Realm, then Four Seasons Realm, then Heavenly Body Realm, followed by the Constellation Realm and finally the Cosmos Realm. That all made so much more sense.

So what the hell was this?

Leonel shook his head. He seemed to have completely forgotten that he was in battle and currently facing an attack powered by the Artistic Conception of the Sixth Dimension.

However, Myghell didn't seem to have forgotten at all. Who knew how everyone would react if they knew what was going on in Leonel's mind right this moment.

The dichotomy of light and darkness seemed to play for Myghell exceptionally well, his own brightness only being accentuated.

Leonel's gaze somewhat regained their focus, his mind still feeling dissatisfied. Maybe he should grill the old bastard about it.

"From Darkness comes Light. Shroud the World and multiply my might."

Myghell raised his sword high in the skies, it trembling slightly beneath the accumulating Force.

"<Life Rend>."

A blinding light divided the night as Myghell's sword fell.

[AN: Sorry everyone, just one chapter today :( ]