Dimensional Descent

Leonel roared, his spear vibrating with large amounts of Spatial Force as he met this golden fist.

Sparks flew, what looked like arcs of black lightning contrasting against a sparkling gold.

Leonel was continuously pushed back, his anchor in the sky and his strength not being nearly enough. Just to fly, he had to use the Spatial Force around him to his advantage. But, after just a single exchange with Alexandre, it felt as though he could hardly bring forth this strength anymore.

Just as Leonel was struggling with just a single one, Alexandre appeared in the skies above him, his fist sending out a second strike.

Leonel's pupils constricted, his arms trembling as he fought back. But, whatever small leverage he had had facing one completely collapsed in the face of the second.

Without suspense, his body practically crumpled, his armor threatening to shatter beneath the might of the two strikes.

BANG!

Leonel's body was forcefully tunneled into the ground, two fist imprints layering over one another to drive him further and further into the dirt.

A silence hung over the battlefield as the small drizzles of rain became more frequent, picking up momentum until a constant rattle rang in all of their ears.

Leonel shot out from the ground, his armor looking as pristine as when he first produced it. And yet, the state of his inner organs told a completely different tale. If it wasn't for his Metal Body and Divine Armor working as one, he might have been half dead already.

But, even then, he already found it difficult to stand.

Leonel took deep breaths, his gaze locking onto Alexandre and his grip holding on tightly to his silver, double bladed, spear.

'Dreamscape Battle Sense.'

A strong Dream Force suddenly swept over the battlefield. As though a scanner sweeping a probe, everything was reflected in Leonel's mind.

'Dream Sense.'

Leonel's mind split almost 200 ways, each taking control of a different section of his body as though he was a machine to be operated rather than a human being.

Leonel's body began to move with an extreme amount of precision. Even in cases where his muscles couldn't meet the mark, Leonel used his Earth Variant Affinity to take control of his armor and forcibly pull his self to the proper position.

In this state, he had the greatest control over his body and the absolute clearest mind.

If Alexandre wanted a battle, he would get one. Even at this moment, Leonel could sense the heavy gazes on his back.

He could see Gertrude's tearful eyes. He could see Rollan's steeled jaw. He could see Goggles' clenched fist, Castello's warped polearm, Miles' bleeding lip, Austin's quivering knees…

There were hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of people reflected onto his mind, each and everyone looking toward him with a light of hope.

The burden was heavy. So heavy that he felt it might sink his knees, crush his shoulders and shatter his back.

And yet, he stood tall, his spear pointed forward.

Leonel raised his foot, the space beneath him quaking. In the next instant, he vanished, appearing before Alexandre.

Yet, rather than attack, he took a step to the side.

As though having read into the future, Alexandre's fist punched at empty air, entering a space that would have run through Leonel's chest completely.

The air shook, a deep trench tearing through the city below and causing explosion of dirt.

Leonel's cold eyes flickered beneath the visor of his helmet, his spear sweeping upward in a motion to slice Alexandre's arm off.

A shield of Force manifested once again. However, Leonel's spear didn't even connect. It shifted through space, continuing toward Alexandre's arm as though no shield had been there to begin with.

The sight of blade contacting skin played in all their minds. Yet, before anything could happen, Leonel vanished again.

In his place, a blast of energy rocked the air, causing concentric circles of energy to radiate out.

Leonel appeared again at Alexandre's opposing side, his expression, hidden beneath his silver-black helmet, completely unfazed.

He had already seen through Alexandre's skill as a close combat expert. After entering the Fifth Dimension, one's ability to control the Force in the air around them, as opposed to just the Force in their bodies, reaches an all new level.

In that split instant, Alexandre had used the jetting out of his elbow to counter Leonel. But, only the slightest twitch of the muscle was needed for Leonel to see completely through it.

By the time Alexandre understood what had happened, Leonel's spear descended again, slashing down on his left arm with full force.

PCHU!

Leonel's blade cut through Alexandre's skin, only to be stopped by his flesh and bone. His spear which had a sharpness he was keenly aware of, couldn't even take an arm off any longer.

Leonel understood the problem. His stamina was already running low, he couldn't afford to fuel every attack with Spatial Elemental Force. At the same time, the stamina he needed to upkeep the use of his Divine Armor at his current stage didn't allow him the right to use other Elemental Forces.

In the end, he could only rely on his Spatial Force in this state, but it was simultaneously the most draining Force he had.

Leonel dodged out of the way of yet another strike, his labored breathing causing puffs of fog in the steadily increasing rainfall.

Alexandre's figure flickered, completely moving out of the way of Leonel's snaking chain blade. It was clear that he had given up on simply staying in place as the wound on his left arm rapidly healed before their eyes.

Alexandre didn't say a word. The rumbling Universal Force around him grew more fervent.

Leonel vanished once again. Without a word, Alexandre had appeared in the exact location he had been in, his fist eviscerating a quarter of his castle to dust without a care for the nobles that might have died inside.

"I wonder… How much longer can you keep that up…?"

In that moment, over the horizon, the galloping of three pure bred horses charged through the rain, entering the battlefield as Leonel and Alexandre faced off.