1924 A WayUpstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Leonel's gaze sharpened as he reeled in his Force, controlling it until the heat vanished entirely.

According to Adrin, entering the Half-Step Layered State placed him within the top percentile of Sixth Dimensional existences. However, Leonel didn't know whether this was a measure of the four Great Families alone, or if it was the entirety of the Dimensional Verse.

If it was the four Great Families alone, then it might be slightly more impressive. But if it was the Dimensional Verse as a whole, this likely meant that there were a few geniuses out there who could defeat him within the Sixth Dimension.

Leonel felt that it was more appropriate to lean toward the latter. As he had deduced earlier, stepping into the Layered State wasn't impossible so long as you had the patience and the knowledge, this was why the four Great Families wanted to hide its truth to begin with.

This more than likely meant that while it was rare, it wasn't exceptionally so to be at Leonel's level. The only advantage Leonel had was his larger Scarlet Star Innate Node which allowed him to touch the Second Layered State of Four, but using it was like a double edged blade.

At the same time, Leonel understood that in order to reach the level Wise Star Order had spoken about within a hundred years and save himself from being devoured by his own Innate Node, he would need to reach the Impetus Stage, only that way could he fully control his Innate Node. Beyond that would be the cherry on the sundae.

'Then... How does Weapon Force fit into all of this...?'

Leonel's gaze narrowed as he focused on his Spear Force and Weapon Force, trying to catch a glimpse at something. A mysterious feeling gripping his heart.

Suddenly, Leonel's pupils constricted. 'Second Layered State.'

There was something very special here, though. Observing it with his new perspective, Leonel felt something special. He could suddenly feel the effect his Sovereignty had for the very first time. If before it had been an intangible existence, it now felt like a real force he could move and control.

This wasn't due to him becoming a True Sovereign, if it was, Leonel would have sensed it before. This change had specifically come with his change in perspective.

Much like his Innate Node, his Sovereignty seemed capable of increasing his control and extending his Dimensional Folding ability. This was the most clear with Weapon Forces because from what Leonel could tell, it was reliant on his current Dimensional level.

Because he was in the Sixth Dimension, and his Spear Force was likewise in the Sixth Dimension, under his perfect control, he was granted a First Layered State. Due to his Sovereignty, he was given an entire level more, and thus gained the Second Layered State.

If Leonel entered the Seventh Dimension right this moment and his Spear Force remained in the Sixth Dimension, it would enter the Third Layered State.

If he was in the Sixth Dimension and his Spear Force improved to the Seventh Dimension, he would fall to the First Layered State.

If he moved into the Seventh Dimension with his Spear Force, then it would remain at the Second Layered State.

This was Leonel's general comprehension after some experimentation. He was essentially being forced to balance the quality of his weapon Force with his level of control over it.

The more he suppressed his weapon Force, the greater extent of control his Sovereignty would have over it, and thus the higher state he would be able to force his Force Manipulation into.

However, the obvious tradeoff was that his weapon Force would remain the equivalent of weaker Forces.

This realization gave a whole new meaning to Nelligan's words previously...

What if a Suppressor was an individual who understood this fact intimately and chose to purposely suppress their weapon Forces so that they could gain greater and greater control over them?

If Leonel had maintained his Spear Force at the Fifth Dimension, then right now it would be in the Third Layered State, when he stepped into the Seventh Dimension, it would enter the Fourth Layered State, and then finally, when he entered the Eighth Dimension, he would be able to enter the Impetus State and thus reach the requirements necessary for entering the Ninth Dimension in a single step!

Leonel hadn't known this before... but even though he was now aware of it, he didn't regret his decision to form Sixth Dimensional Spear and Bow Force.

There had to be another way... Leonel didn't believe that this was the only way. He didn't believe that something as fundamental as weapon Forces would be limited to such an extent.

There was definitely a method of both raising your Spear Force to the Ninth Dimension and Dimensional Folding it down to the Impetus State and even beyond. Leonel didn't have any tangible evidence for this, but he believed that such a path had to exist.

Leonel suddenly remembered how when he first learned Spear Force, he had wanted to find his own path, even to the point where he had refused to learn even the names of the higher states of Force.

Of course, now that he had read through the entire Void Library, this information was impossible for him to have skipped over, but thinking back to that mentality he had had, Leonel quite liked it.

Suddenly, Leonel pierced out with two fingers. The sound of splitting wind echoed, but before it faded, he had already pierced out again.

Swift.

Leonel's brows trembled.

Forceful.

His heart skipped a beat.

Aland of blood rivers appeared to Leonel's back, his change in aura causing Adrin to bite his lips so hard that he drew blood himself, but this blood, under some sort of odd magnetic force, rushed toward Leonel's pointed finger, turning his Spear Force scarlet red.

But this only lasted for a moment before the world fell into complete silence, a melody played by the beating of Adrin's heart being all that remained.

Leonel went through all three stages of his grandfather's spear mastery until the final, ultimate step.

In that final moment, pushing everything to the limit, his Spear Force crossed that barrier, transcending the Second Layered State and entering the Third.

As expected, there really was a way.