Dimensional Descent

Leonel’s expression was already cold, but it was even more calculating than that. He had already felt the twitch of the start of El’Rion’s action before he even moved with intention. Inwardly, he still found it amusing, but there was nothing amusing about the power of the fist approaching him right this moment. There was no facing it, the only option was to dodge. And luckily, he was ready to do so.

His steps moved at the same moment El’Rion did, his head tilting to the side, and his body narrowing from El’Rion’s perspective.

For a long while, Leonel had thought about maybe learning a dedicated technique for his movement, thinking that it might help boost himself to an all-new level. But every time he entered a situation like this one, he realized why he never had. Calculating which step to take was far better than any movement technique he could learn from someone else.

’Let’s call it... Dream Step.’

His hair fluttered as the roaring beast that was El’Rion’s strike flashed by his cheek, leaving a searing heat on their surface, but when had he ever feared heat?

BOOM!

Even in the depths of space, there seemed to be the boom of wind and the collapse of the sound barrier, but Leonel realized that it was far more devastating than that. It was more like reality itself, the fabric of space, the Folds of Reality, had collapsed. It was truly ridiculous that a 14-year-old had such power. What would he be like after finishing puberty?

Leonel reached forward with two fingers and jabbed them into the Pluto youth’s ribcage. The latter was so large compared to him that his fingers would easily fit through the gaps, but slipping through was one matter, actually piercing through this tough, greyish-blue skin was a different matter entirely.

However, Leonel didn’t plan on piercing El’Rion’s skin. He had been in the latter’s body already; he knew that it was very similar to that of humans aside from some ”small” difference. He had not one stomach, but four of them. He had not one heart, but two of them. His muscle fibers made what Leonel was proud of seem like more of a joke than anything else. But... the liver was still the liver.

Spear Force raged to life on the tips of his fingers, growing pointed and flashing with a bright gold.

BANG!

Leonel’s two fingers pierced into the right side of El’Rion’s body, his timing perfect.

El’Rion was slow to react, having regretted his punch the moment he threw it out. That was when he felt a sudden jarring pain. At first, he hadn’t felt that it was anything; he only wanted to let Leonel hit him out of apology... or that was what he told himself. He didn’t know if he could dodge even if he had tried his very best.

But right then, his nerves seemed to have been fried, and his entire body shut down. He shuddered and fell to a knee. He would have even fallen to the planets below if not for Leonel grabbing onto his shoulder with a palm, squeezing down.

Even with him kneeling like this, he was still much taller than Leonel, and the latter had to reach up to grip him. Even so, he suddenly felt very small, and somewhat embarrassed. He looked down like a child that had done something wrong, and for the first time, Leonel felt that this behemoth actually looked like he was 14 years old.

Leonel actually felt somewhat bad for a moment. In truth, he had cheated as well. In the last moment, he realized that his strength wouldn’t be enough to pierce El’Rion’s defenses, so he had added something unexpected to his Spear Force... Dream Force.

His Spear Domain Lineage Factor was perfectly designed to accept the power of other Forces; that was maybe its foundational strength. So, it had happened seamlessly.

He used his Dream Force to amplify the feedback El’Rion felt from his strike, amplifying a dull quake into a flood. He had never been able to emit his Dream Force in the past, but now that he had his Emulation Spatial Force Innate Note, not to mention his Domains, it was no longer that difficult for him. He had gotten much more used to the feeling after Assimilating Lionel as well, though that power had already faded.

El’Rion’s body had shut down, but it was just a trick of the mind, one that he would have probably shrugged off quite easily if he wasn’t a child who felt that he was in the wrong.

Leonel let El’Rion rise after the latter had recovered.

’Two new abilities in just a short few seconds, not bad. I should spend more time on my Ability Index. Let’s call this one Dream Shock.’

”Better?” Leonel asked.

El’Rion didn’t respond. He felt bad, but that didn’t mean he had stopped thinking that Leonel was a bit of an asshole. That said, he realized that this man was doing this on purpose, and getting frustrated was only playing into his hands.

This time, he would truly take his time to calm down. He was a Pluto; he couldn’t keep allowing this to happen.

Leonel smiled but he didn’t say anything. An agitated Pluto wasn’t a useful Pluto; how would he make use of him if he was a loose cannon? Things were much better like this.

At that moment, a Starship suddenly flashed from the distance, coming out from a spatial tunnel. The markers of Shield Cross Stars rose to the skies, and those familiar cool uniforms were lined across the bow of the ship.

Leonel’s senses pierced by them and into the ship, finding several barriers. But with a release of his Dream Domain, seeing through those barriers was as easy as breathing.

He froze.

Initially, he didn’t care very much; there were just a large number of prisoners, likely being taken to those factories down below. However, deep within, he saw a man chained up, wearing broken silver armor that was all too familiar with.

Then El’Rion’s words flashed in his mind.

’Aina?’

Leonel vanished before El’Rion could react.