One Man

The third day of the Selection finally came and the ambience of the arena was still quite weird and only became more so after Leonel and the people of Earth came.

It seemed the fan clubs were still greatly invested into what was happening because almost the instant Leonel showed his face, a parade of boos rang down from above. It was so deafening that the arena quaked beneath it.

Leonel rubbed his nose when he saw that he was receiving such reception. There really wasn't much he could do about it. His own fan club had gone up in smoke. Or, rather, they had practically been beaten into submission, then split between the fan clubs that remained. It was a hard world out there for standoms and their celebrity heroes.

"Man, look at that, Cap. They hate you. Never thought I'd see the day." Raj laughed.

Leonel looked over toward Raj and shook his head. True to his word, the man had really gotten a shirt printed out. Leonel didn't even know how he had managed it, but Joel's dark expression spoke volumes. The man was even more quiet than usual.

"This actually isn't the first time I've been boo'd like this."

"Really?"

"Really. I participated in a tournament for the Slayer Legion a few years ago and they hated my guts."

Before Leonel could explain more, a strong aura descended from the skies. It was so unexpected that a hushed silence fell over the arena as the all watched a Goddess descend from above.

Orinik and Ganor were in shock. They had just been about to start the proceedings but hadn't expected this at all.

They rushed to their feet along with the other envoys, appearing before the angelic woman with their gazes glued to their feet. None of them dared to observe this woman for too long, not to mention the fact that she herself was a demoness they couldn't match up to a single finger of, she was also a Sector Ranked disciple and had a husband whose name sent shockwaves through the Human Domain.

Simply put… They liked their lives intact…

"The third day of the Selections will be directed by me. There will only be one battle between my son and an opponent."

"Yes, your—!"

Orinik was ready to agree but his words got stuck in his throat. Her son? Who was her son? Was it someone who hadn't participated at all?

Suddenly, Orinik's eyes opened wide. It couldn't' be a coincidence. Her husband was… And Leonel had…

'Son of a bitch.'

The moment Orinik had this thought, he almost fainted. He hoped to god that Alienor couldn't read his mind or else he would be finished. He swore it was a reflexive statement, really.

It was only after Orinik remembered that they were in the same Dimension that he calmed down, but even then a cold sweat had already almost drenched him out of his clothing.

Alienor didn't pay Orinik and the others any mind. She waved a hand and an unassuming Myghell suddenly found himself on the stage.

The envoys quickly retreated, their gazes flickering.

"Oh… I guess that's my cue."

Leonel rose to his feet, strolling toward the center arena. His mother happened to be half way down his path and she couldn't seem to control herself as she stopped him. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

She smoothed out his shirt despite knowing that it would likely be ruined quite quickly. Though she wanted to reprimand her son for wearing nothing but sweatpants and a shirt to battle without the slightest hint of an armor in sight, she shook her head and smiled instead, forcing the hearts of all those in attendance to skip a beat.

She didn't say any words like 'be careful' or 'protect yourself'. It seemed that for this matter, she was quite confident in her son even if the entirety of the Luxnix estate was not.

"Off you go."

Just when Leonel was about to walk past his mother, he found another silhouette behind her. He realized right then that his mother was actually an accomplice, there was no way he wouldn't have sensed such a thing otherwise, but it was already too late to do much of anything.

Aina stood before him with an expression neither too cold nor too warm. It had been a very long time since Leonel had seen her wear a dress and even given the circumstances, he couldn't help but feel that his breath had been taken away.

The gown was a light blue and a white cloth wrapped tightly around her waist. Her slender shoulders glistened with a healthy tan and Leonel didn't dare to let his gaze linger along her collarbone for too long out of fear for how much further down it might go. And yet, when he instead chose to look up and follow her slender, proud neck, he found the gorgeous painting that was her face.

Those golden eyes didn't waver when they met Leonel's gaze even though his own couldn't help but be flooded with guilt. They say the eyes were the window to the soul and for Leonel who was used to keeping his own placid, what once was a clear conscious seemed far more murky now.

Aina didn't say anything. Instead, she only flipped over a palm, a bright Amethyst token appearing.

Leonel was taken aback. Did this mean she didn't accept his apology? Was she still angry?

He couldn't blame her. Leonel didn't care what sort of history they had, but he felt like his response to her outpouring was unacceptable. He even felt he let himself down far more than he had let her down. He had done something he was deeply disgusted with himself for.

"You need this more than I do."

The spring breeze of Aina's voice traveled to Leonel's ears, jolting his heart awake. When he saw the small smile that curled her delicate pink lips, his soul seemed to have left his body completely.

"There's only one man who should lead our Sector to the Void Palace. The best man."

Leonel didn't register when Aina hand grabbed his own and placed the Token within it. He didn't register the reaction of everyone around him. He didn't even register when it was that Aina had walked by him and entered the seating section of the geniuses of Earth.

He stood there in a world of his own, the Token in his palm feeling heavier than anything he had ever held before.

[Author's Note below]