AGED AS MILK

Leonel was actually curious about how this matter would work. Aina was technically "dead" when this matter began, while James and the others were practically slaved. He wondered how the people of the Vast Bubble would parse these things. Everything felt too disjointed and unorganized. But he also felt that this might just be a feature and not a bug.

Maybe they simply didn't care about the rules and how they were bent and twisted. They weren't here for the Fairness Olympics. The world wasn't fair and the enemies that they would be facing would definitely make certain that whatever unfairness existed would be exacerbated.

In that case, they preferred those that could thrive in unfairness and take advantage of loopholes there may or may not be. That should also be why they hid such methods of control within their round as well. Whether it was the energy-absorbing trap or the Domain Rings, both were methods of control. Leonel was even quite sure that there were many more pitfalls he just didn't have the "luck" of running into.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

As for Aina's conclusion that there were demons, he felt it was odd, but not enough to be shaken up about. Didn't the Dimensional Verse also have demons? Who was to say that the other Verses didn't also have such Races? He simply tossed it to the back of his mind and looked into the skies as the world around him seemed to vanish.

He grabbed Aina's hand subconsciously, thinking about putting her into the Segmented Cube again. He didn't want to be separated from her again after they had just come together. But he had thought too much. He found himself in a bubble again, but Aina was within his along with him, as was Little Blackstar. It seemed that wherever they would be taken, it would be together.

A sudden bright light assaulted his vision, and when it cleared, he cursed under his breath. He had somewhat expected this, but he hadn't expected it to come so soon. He also realized why it didn't matter if they were separated or not.

They had all appeared in an arena. Tens of millions of participants were huddled together across what were only a few hundred arenas, each of which had dimensions of exactly one kilometer by one kilometer. Above, the stands of this so-called "arena" were nearly empty. It looked like it could have housed billions of observers, but instead, there were only a few dozen, all of whom chose to observe in a single sky box located at least a hundred meters into the sky.

Aina heard Leonel curse beneath his breath, and her gaze narrowed. She could understand his sentiment as well. Leonel probably thought he would have more time to improve himself before they reached this stage, and maybe he would have had he not diverted so much of his time to helping his brothers.

They didn't explain what the later rounds would be ahead of time, or else Leonel might have made a different choice. However, there was no use in crying over spilt milk at this point. There was really only one objective: survive.

He suddenly felt several powerful gazes land on him. 'Fantastic,' he thought. It was impossible that he wouldn't be marked in some way. If he had a choice not to launch himself into this death trap, he would have taken it. Unfortunately, his gramps was an asshole, and he was a glutton for punishment.

Of course, Leonel knew the matter was more complicated than that, and he was just venting some frustration while his mind thought of a way out of this. What he didn't know was that this round wasn't meant to start so early. There were supposed to be another two selections before this "tournament". But due to some variables, it was impossible to act as they pleased anymore, even with the time dilation.

The observers above were separated into several groups. One looked like an array of colors and were the very same eugenicists that Leonel abhorred-the Four Great Families. There was another section that wore robes embroidered with clouds, a section Leonel believed were likely the Dream Pavilion, not just from their style of dress, but also the fact they were not only the first to set eyes on him, but also the only ones that held animosity equal to that of the Four Great Families.

Even so...

"Those uniforms... very cool," Leonel approved. Their robes were a somewhat reflective blue that looked trippier the longer you stared at it. Tiny clouds of white moved about dotted its structure. It truly looked like a lucid dream. The robes themselves only covered about three-quarters the length of their bodies, revealing black pants beneath that were both baggy and comfortable. Even without touching them, Leonel knew that they were probably as soft as the clouds that decorated their robes.

Each one of them wore a headdress that reminded Leonel of the turbans of Earth. They varied in colors from a gentle blue to a similar violet and even a dense black. The uniform came together quite well, and even though he hated their guts, Leonel couldn't help but approve.

Aina snorted with laughter. Only her boyfriend would go from existential dread to this nonsense in a flash.

There were several other groups that Leonel couldn't pick out the origins of instantly, but he couldn't help but sigh a breath of relief. Although it was a small win, at least that mad-woman that was Aina's "master" wasn't here. He had insulted her pretty badly the last time they met, and if not for that mission that inexplicably brought her away, he might have already died at her hands.

But then his pupils suddenly constricted. In one of the groups, a woman as aged as old milk sat in silence. She was the only one who was seated, and it wasn't normally either. Her legs were crossed upon her set, and her eyes were closed. What Leonel was focused on, though, was the object in her lap. A tablet. A Black Tablet.

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