Fortress

Leonel calmly observed these approaching figures. There weren't many of them and it also wasn't clear what their purpose was at a single glance. However, Leonel had some guesses.

The peace could only last for so long. Their group had not only somehow monopolized an entire hotel and its amenities for themselves, but they hadn't even had to fight for it like the others had. Such branch family members wouldn't dare to find trouble with the main Luxnix family, so the next best option was to attack the root of their dissatisfaction to begin with.

At first, they were apprehensive. After all, some lingering rumors about what must have happened three days ago had circulated. Many thought that it wouldn't be long until members of the main branch came to usher Leonel and Noah in. If they made a move before that, wouldn't they be shooting themselves in the foot?

But, after three days of no movement, not to mention a few more rooms being claimed through competition, the other branch family geniuses seemed to realize that the Luxnix didn't have the intention of coming for Leonel and Noah now.

Logically, it should only take an expert of the Luxnix a few hours at most to come here using a flying craft. If they used a teleportation formation, it would at most take a few minutes. Three days was definitely too long even if potential delaying factors were taken into consideration.

The fact that the Luxnix hadn't come more than likely meant that they were still waiting for Leonel and Noah to prove themselves. These branch family members had no way of knowing what the strength gauge for main branch members were. They only knew that Leonel and Noah were better than they were, but they didn't have a frame of reference for the main branch. This along with the fact the matters of that day were only being spread by vague recollections made solid deductions even more difficult.

In the end, the other branch geniuses found themselves to be greatly dissatisfied. The youths of Earth hadn't even had to fight for their places. Since the Luxnix were clearly still testing them, didn't that mean that defeating them would gain them fame as well?

At the helm, three youths with gazes that practically spit fire led the group. Though Leonel had no idea who they were, their auras were quite strong, all of them having stepped into Tier 7. Behind them, there were a handful of Tier 5 and 6 existences.

If Leonel was more informed, he would have known that these three youths were yet more members of the Luxnix top ten branches. This time, rather than the 10th and 12th ranked, it was the 8th, 7th and 5th.

The Luxnix family system worked quite simply. The main branch was located within this Three Pillar Galaxy and shared the quadrants evenly with the Viola and Montex families. The branch families spread themselves throughout the Sector. Some of the most powerful controlled entire galaxies of their own, while the weaker ones controlled several quadrants within a galaxy. Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

A branch family's rank wasn't static and rather fluctuated. There were monthly, yearly, and per decade rankings. This system stopped branches that were on top from growing complacent and also gave lower ranking branches a chance to display their hard work and claim rewards.

This ranking system was based on contribution. This included Zones of note cleared, taxes paid, worlds conquered, and even additional elective contributions. These contributions were tallied and given scores that would eventually reflect in the rankings.

Of course, the more powerful families tended to have the better rankings and received the most support from the main branch.

The 8th Branch was known as the Mueter Branch, the 7th the Yunia Branch, and the 5th the Cuvan Branch. Though their rankings weren't as stable as the top three branch families, their confidence spoke volumes for itself given how boldly they had chosen to come here.

"What the hell is this? I spent all that time waiting, being held back, for this? They're practically all in Tier 1, is this a fucking joke?"

The youth from the Yunia Branch, Crakas Luxnix, wantonly swept his Internal Sight everywhere he pleased. Without even trying to hide it, he showed not a single person present a single ounce of respect. However, just before he could finish his sweep…

"Hm?"

Crakas' brows furrowed as he looked up to meet Leonel's gaze. Leonel himself stood where he had always been, his hands in his pockets and his gaze indifferent.

Crakas' lip curled into a sneer. He had been holding back before, but since this brat wanted to play…

Without an ounce of hesitation, Crakas unleashed his Internal Sight in full force, already imagining the sight of Leonel's Internal Sight shattering into shards of glass. Even though this would only leave the latter a bit dizzy for a few moments, he was already feeling a sick satisfaction from it.

Great affinity with Snow Force, even without awakening the Wisdom Branch, made the Internal Sight of the Luxnix sturdier than most others. It had to be remembered the one had to take normal force to convert into Soul Force. With Soul Force, one could project one's Internal Sight. However, some Forces were far better in conversion than others were.

Crakas was confident in his own Soul Force, not only because of his Luxnix Blood, but also because of his Ability Index. Whoever this fool was would suffer very soon.

Unfortunately… Just as quickly as Crakas sneered, he found his expression warping in the next moment.

Leonel's Internal Sight was like a thick, impenetrable fortress. Crakas could feel his own crumbling just after ramming into it. No, it wasn't crumbling, it felt as though just touching Leonel's Internal Sight made his slowly erode.

Right when Crakas panicked and wanted to pull back, the form of Leonel's Internal Sight suddenly changed. From a fortress, it became numerous spiked ramrods, pushing forward with an air of lethality.

Crakas shot backward to the very shock of his companions and retracted his Internal Sight as fast as he could. However, he was still a step slow.

Crakas' body convulsed, his knees buckling as his face turned pale. He fell to the ground, his gaze somewhat vacant.