Dimensional Descent

Leonel looked like an artillery unit, if artillery units came with one arm and humanoid forms, that is.

His entire body was strapped in countless daggers and needles. Just a cursory glance put the numbers well into the hundreds. They wrapped around his torso, his groin, his thighs, his calves, his ankles, even his neck! The only part of him that wasn't swamped was his left arm.

As though this wasn't enough, ten enormous javelin containers crashed into the ground, each easily over three meters tall and the javelins within them being even taller.

This was enough to make the crowd raise an eyebrow, but it was like Leonel wasn't satisfied with making a fool of himself only this much.

On the ground around him, several round shields lay.

"Is the Littlest Nova of the Morales family a tortoise or something?"

The individual who spoke was a prominent member of the sword factions, clearly uncaring about offending the Morales family. Plus, with Velasco gone, what did he have to fear?

A sputtering of laughter followed his comments. No matter how you looked at it, Leonel feared for his life so much that he had drowned himself in weapons he wouldn't even be able to use to their fullest potential.

Cross referencing his current appearance with all of the most successful individuals of the past, then seeing how each of Aina and Amery only had a single weapon each, it only made him look all the more pathetic.

Amery wielded a single wooden sword, just like he always did.

Ain wielded a single battle ax with a polearm taller than even her own body.

None of them even bothered to wear any armor. But then there was Leonel who would have probably drowned his face in weapons if he got the chance to do so.

"You've missed the big picture, Olfin."

"Oh? Enlighten me."

"Just look at him. He's so flustered he can't even tell the difference between a spear and javelin. Tell me, you think he thinks the more spears he has, the better he'll perform?"

The laughter of the sword faction bordered on exaggerated. It was as though they were venting all the stifling frustration Velasco had left them with. In just these few hours alone, the head butting between the sword and spear factions was quickly reaching a fever pitch and it only seemed to be getting worse.

Unfortunately, the spear faction couldn't even say anything in rebuttal. They had no idea what Leonel was doing. What did a Morales need so many daggers and needles for?! And could he really not tell the difference between a javelin and a spear?!

Javelins were lighter, had smaller heads, and were designed to balance in the air. A true spearman should be able to tell the difference with a single touch!

"Ha! I think you've overestimated his intelligence, Sarod. If he thinks so many shields will help him, he's already a lost cause. Look at him, he hasn't even opened his eyes yet and the simulation is already about to begin."

The laughter continued to ring, but in the skies, Cornelius stood with his arms crossed. His mind flashed with images he had seen just hours ago.

Still, even he was a bit confused. What was Leonel trying to do here?

…

Leonel's eyes remained closed, his mind entering a state of focus.

Within this Dream World, a perfect replica of his current state reflected in his mind. Then, one by one, the daggers, needles and knives dotting his body lifted up.

Numbers began to fly about within Leonel's Dream World, building a new Dreamscape in the blink of an eye.

Weight, balance, effective range, hardness, sharpness, even how well they accepted the flow of Force, everything was labeled and organized.

When Leonel's eyes opened, a deep sharpness split the space before them in two. At the very same instant, whether by coincidence or not, the growing peanut gallery surrounding the tower fell into silence.

The world of deep fog around Leonel rumbled.

Leonel didn't care if his right arm was useless. Today, he'd be sure to ploy through.

Leonel stepped on the shield before him. It was the only one that didn't have a round form.

It was a tower shield probably designed for someone much taller than him. It was a meter and a half wide and three meters tall. It had an intricate design and Force Art on its face, but it was ultimately just a Fourth Dimensional product, as were all of Leonel's other shields as well.

But that was exactly why he chose them. These shields weren't designed for protecting him.

The moment Leonel's second foot stepped onto the shield, it rose high into the air, soaring three meters up in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, the round shields scattered around him shot forward, scooping up the ten javelin containers and raising them into the air as well.

Leonel looked forward, feeling the rumbling of the first floor continue. And then, they appeared.

They were hulking beasts, monstrosities that seemed to lumber and yet had speed that could rarely be matched within the Fifth Dimension.

Chasm Flame Lions. They had manes of flickering black flames and claws that shimmered with silvery, starry lights. Even the smallest among them was three meters tall on all fours, the larger ones measuring in at five.

…

"He got a beast horde on the first floor? Unlucky," Cornelius mumbled.

The theme on the first floor was locked in from floors one to nine, with a 'Boss' waiting on the tenth. Beast hordes were often the most taxing to deal with and often became a huge stamina drain.

The events of the Void Tower were random to stifle preparation. However, as a result, it was impossible to make everything perfectly fair.

"Let's see—" Cornelius' words caught in his throat.

…

Leonel didn't wait, his palm swiping at lightning speed and snatching three needles from his hip.

He stepped hard on the tower shield, a loud boom resounding as his left arms cocked back and his torso twisted explosively.

BANG!

The needles whistled through the air, a shockingly bright Bow Force following enveloping them.

The first three Chasm Flame Lions found their foreheads pierced through.

One could follow with their line of sight the trail of the three needles. Everywhere they passed by within the body of the lions, a violent bulge would take place until all three exited with just as much fierceness.

BANG!

The three lions imploded into a rain of blood and gore.

Leonel's fingers beckoned, causing the three needles to zip back even as he cocked his arm back once again.

A slaughter had begun.