Dimensional Descent

In the face of such overwhelming pressure, Leonel and Aina were unmoved. If before it had been difficult for Aina to climb this mountain pass, at this current instant, she felt like she was walking through a field of fragrant breeze.

Hand in hand, the couple glided forward, a number of the other twelve following along with them.

Counting the number of individuals who took this pressure in stride, there was Aphestus, Raylion, Sael, and two others that Leonel did not recognize. But, from what it seemed like, one of them was from Bear Rose and the other was from Severed Heart.

Among those struggling, there was the remaining member of the former Valiant Hall, a member of Bear Rose and Severed Heart, along with Radlis.

Of all these, there was just one person Leonel didn't account for, and he was the fourth individual to gain a spot of entry alongside, Leonel, Aina and Radlis.

And that person was King of Ores, Sarrieth.

Sarrieth seemed to be at the very center of the pack. He didn't seem to be mightily struggling, but he also didn't seem to be having an easy time either.

Even to Leonel, this in between state seemed genuine. If Sarrieth was faking it, he'd have to be on a completely different level entirely.

However, after this thought, Leonel didn't pay any more attention to Sarrieth. In his opinion, he didn't have any life or death struggles with Sarrieth.

The King of Ores Faction targeted him so that Sarrieth would have an easier path toward blue belt promotion, and they had succeeded in that regard.

In retaliation, though, they had to face Leonel's wrath. They lost their prestige and their hold on the Ore market in one sweep. It could be said that Leonel felt that he had dealt them a devastating enough blow.

Of course, Nigmir had died at Aina's hands, but he had also clearly tried to kill her.

That said… by now Leonel should know that things like logic and fairness didn't exactly work this way in the Dimensional Verse.

With a step forward, Leonel and Aina crossed into the swirling Gate first. Almost immediately, their vision blurred.

…

Leonel squinted, before his vision cleared. When he got a look around, his brows raised in surprise.

He and Aina stood in a hall of massive proportion. The walls were lined with bronze statues standing at 50 meters tall and there was a large dome of glass overhead that sparkled with rays of sunshine. The dome alone was at least 70 meters above the ground. To stand in this hall truly made one feel no different from an ant.

Compared to the width and even height of the hall, the length was several times more obscene. Leonel couldn't quite see to the end of it despite the fact there was nothing obstructing his view. Before him, there was nothing but a long road of marbled floors that extended to infinity.

Every 50 or so meters, there would be another pair of outrageously tall bronze statues facing each other with backs against the wall. Somehow, each of these warriors had a different air to them and a different strength.

They all wielded all sorts of different weapons, wore all sorts of different armors and gear, they even seemed to come from different races.

Leonel was shocked. 'An Oryx?'

Not far ahead, just two statues displaced from his current location, there was a large Oryx among the statues.

Leonel couldn't help but be off put. Wasn't this supposed to be Valiant Heart's Variant Zone? Why was there an Oryx statue here?

It had to be remembered that Variant Zones only appeared when a world was on the brink of destruction. This particular Zone had appeared thousands of years ago when Valiant Heart was about to collapse. It was only thanks to a treasure they gained from the Morales family that they were able to sustain this Zone for continuous use.

Technically, a Variant Zone allowed one to peer into the future and gain some benefits from it. Aina, for example, gained the Abyss Panther bloodline that had yet to appear on Terrain.

'… If this world was originally inhabited by the Oryx, maybe this Variant Zone was never Valiant Heart's to begin with?'

As soon as Leonel thought of this, he shook his head. Things weren't this simple, for sure.

This Variant Zone still carried the air of Valiant Heart Mountain. This was definitely their Variant Zone. But, these statues of different races…

The more Leonel observed them, the more shocked he became.

These weren't 'different' races at all. All the statues that depicted a species other than human was actually a variation on what the Oryx could become!

When Leonel made this connection in his mind, his heart skipped a beat.

Of the statues, about 70% of them were human. The other 30% were this other form and forms of Oryx.

Was this what Magnaril had meant by the longer a Zone was held open, the more variables that could be introduced?

If Leonel thought about it, a Variant Zone was meant to be a projection of the future, right? At the same time, the Oryx were in a state of Hyper Evolution they were trying to take advantage of. Could this Hall be reflecting not just the potential of Valiant Heart, but also a potential future where the world was ruled by the Hyper Evolving Oryx?

Leonel took a deep breath.

It was at that moment that the others entered the hall one after another, wearily watching one another.

When Radlis stumbled his way in, the portal to the outside world finally closed.

In that instant, all the lights of the Hall dimmed. If Leonel could see a few kilometers down before, now he could barely see a half kilometer ahead, and that was only if he squinted.

The only source of light remaining seemed to be the halo of bronze hanging around the statues.

It was then that the first two statues facing each other showed movement.

A dense light shot out from their bodies, crashing into the marbled floors before them.

They were both human, but they had eyes so cold that they still somehow felt alien.

And then… they spoke.

"Only ten can pass. Kill."

The expressions of all the youths changed. In the history of all the Valiant Zone entries, this was the first time it had ever demanded they kill one another.