Style

A harsh cold spread out in all directions, the air cracking at its seams as though dome of glass had just been shattered and was now barely holding itself together.

Bright blues, deep purples and swirling blacks surged out in all directions, suddenly dispersing to reveal and armor the likes of which those here had simply never before laid their eyes upon.

The Divine Armor was fitted with many plates, forming a complex and interlocking array of metals that made movement as smooth as fabric. It exuded a frosty aura, appearing as though a layer of beautiful blue, silver and black ore was coated with a thin and reflective layer of ice.

It spread out upon Leonel's wings without missing a single beat, flaps of metal sheets opening and closing as though it was breathing, releasing frosty steam that froze over space all the more.

The helmet that covered Leonel's head completely hid his gaze, but the shimmering golden spear upon his forehead and the bronze halo above his head told a story of their own.

Orinik's gaze narrowed. The Divine Armor technique was most definitely among the strongest of the Morales. But, not everyone could forge their own, let alone to do so at this level. In fact, of all his abilities, Leonel's Crafting was maybe the most untouchable.

Myghell found himself stuck within frozen space. As fragile and on the verge of collapse as the world around them now seemed, it was anything but. Just the tiniest movement made him feel as though all his strength was being snapped out, and the slower he moved, the more icicles formed along his skin, only slowing him even further.

Leonel's Dark Ice Divine Armor had stacked with the characteristics of his Warping Domain Divine Armor. The latter was a Fourth Dimensional Divine Armor Evolved to match a Fifth Dimensional one, while the former was the same for the Fifth and Sixth Dimensions. The result was a devastating ability even those well into the Sixth Dimension could not ignore.

Leonel's palm flipped over, his Kinetic Spear vanishing to reveal his Water Domain spear. It looked almost like a trident, its body covered in blue, sapphire-like scales and its head having one very prominent spear blade and two much smaller ones jetting off to the side at an angle.

Myghell roared even as Leonel shot into motion once again. The skies cracked, motes of sparkling space falling in all directions.

While Leonel himself shot through these falling shards of space as though they were nothing, Myghell was forced to dodge them as they came. Those that managed to touch upon even his Force froze it in time, space and functionality, rendering it completely useless.

In the a moment, it was like only half of Myghell's strength could be deployed, the rest of it being swallowed up by Leonel's Dark Ice Domain.

"Strength."

Myghell swung down, meeting Leonel's spear. But, behind it, he found a relentless, overflowing pressure.

It was as though he was facing an ocean's tide. One wave came forth, only to recede and for a second to replace it, and then a third, then a fourth. By the sixth, Myghell's own strength had been completely eroded away, his arm turning numb as he was forced to take a step back.

Leonel's spear spun in the palms, a barrage of pierces, sweeps and slices. He chained them all into a combination of lethal strikes.

He could truly feel the essence of the Water Domain spear. Something within him had clicked.

All this time, he took up a spear, was flashed with the images of its previous owner, and forcefully grasped its Domain. But, he had missed something very important.

The Peak Spears that stood at the height of its grade never flashed him with any images of its previous owner. Only the sub spears that littered the base of its hill did so.

Then there was the Domain. Was it really something he had comprehended? Not really. Didn't his Divine Armors come with Domains themselves? He didn't have to 'comprehend' his Divine Armors, the ability just manifested due to its nature. Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

That was when it all snapped into place. The Spear Domain would exist with or without him. Whoever picked up this spear would be able to use this Domain, there was nothing special about him in the slightest.

All this time, he had thought that he was ignoring Instinct for the sake of gaining a deeper, personal understanding of his spear. He wanted to grasp it on his own, to not have his mind clouded by the comprehensions of others. But, in doing so, he had been diverted down the wrong path.

When Leonel first claimed his Duality Spear, it fought against him. Anyone would logically conclude that this was because the spear had a soul, but Leonel had conveniently ignored this. It wasn't because he couldn't accept that there were certain things he simply didn't understand yet, but it was rather because he didn't want to lose himself down the rabbit hole such an acceptance would lead him down.

While all of Leonel's stubbornness was in one part due to his endless pursuit of logic and understanding, another large part was just his ego. It wasn't just about pursuing logic, but it was also the satisfaction he felt knowing that he had ripped something apart to its bare bones and that it laid out before him, unable to hide any of its secrets from his eyes.

Leonel felt his heart pump, his spear technique becoming faster and more subtle.

He had never considered himself to be skilled in the spear. He forcefully integrated comprehensions he gained and sometimes relied on his Spear Domain Lineage Factor, but he had always been lacking in something fundamental.

Even back when he fought the branch members of the Luxnix family, he still admitted that their raw skill with their weapons was still beyond him despite the fact he defeated them with ease.

What was he missing? Why wasn't he a true spear master? Why did wielding his bow and his spear feel so different? Why did one come so naturally while the other moved along so slowly and so awkwardly…?

It was Style. Leonel had never breathed his own life in his spear.

Wise Star Order had said it quite clearly. Only someone who had their heads flooded with water would think that weapons could have souls.

Wasn't it obvious why the Domain Spears didn't have the memories of previous owners attached to them? It was because Leonel was meant to be the owner. His soul was meant to be their soul.

BANG!

A blinding golden light shot up into the skies.