HOLLOW
Leonel's eyes opened with a flash, his presence causing the surrounding region to tremble mightily. However, the frown on his face hadn't vanished.
He could feel the weight of a Life State level of comprehension, and it was heavy. Heavier than he expected.
It wasn't that he felt like he was burning from the inside out. In fact, his Innate Nodes felt more in control than they ever had, and he even felt like he could finally begin using some of their true power.
It was more so that it was like a veil on the world had been lifted and he could feel some of that helplessness that his future self should have felt. He could finally see the top of the mountain, or at the very least, one of them. And yet, it felt so... Hollow.
It should have been an amazing accomplishment. He had done something that only a select few had ever done, and he was probably the first human since King, at least in these Bubble Worlds, to have succeeded in such a thing.
There were probably humans scattered across other Bubbles who lived lives mostly as slaves to much more powerful races. To such Races, if a servant couldn't have at least this level of strength, they weren't worth much of anything at all.
But aside from those poor souls, it could be said that Leonel's accomplishments were the highest of any other human in the lane of comprehension.
It was, indeed, something to be proud about. It was just that he didn't feel that way.
All this time, he had consciously associated his Scarlet Star Force Innate Node with his Destruction Sovereignty. But the truth was that while they were related, they were two separate existences. Meaning, the existence of one didn't necessitate that of the other.
It was instead better to look at them like two wells of power that could form waves, waves that easily fused into one and doubled their sizes or more as a result.
However, his father had implied that the existence of his Scarlet Star Force Innate Node was a result of the Demoness' experiment as well. So it made him wonder... How much of his current path was truly his own?
He had broken free of one shackle and felt that he was finally free, but he hadn't expected for there to be another one hidden within him.
If he hadn't shed the thought that the Scarlet Star Force Innate Node and his Destruction Sovereignty were one entity, what kind of road would he be led down? Would he have fallen right back into that endless rage?
He looked down at his hands and a flickering flames that shimmered like rubies and gold appeared. It was the most beautiful flame he had ever seen, and for once didn't seem to give off an oppressive heat. In fact, it looked happy. Filled with hope and vitality.
It was completely unlike the flame Leonel had come to know all this time. It was pleasing to the eye, it was soothing, caring, even. He didn't even know where his previous thoughts of wrath and destruction had come from...
Wasn't his Scarlet Star Flame a bit adorable?
'And maybe that's why it's so dangerous...' Leonel had come to retroactively understand something that other Scarlet Star Force wielders only came to understand only after they stepped into the Creation State.
This docile, adorable little flame... Was maybe the most dangerous existence in the world.
Leonel flipped his palm and his wrist moved like a wave. Then, he gripped at the air.
Suddenly, his flickering flame became a solid spear.
Unlike his Emulation Spatial Force, his Scarlet Star Force didn't rely on his Dream Force to create. It relied on his comprehension instead.
This spear was more powerful than any spear he could craft, that much he was certain of. It was as powerful as his Middle Impetus State Sovereign Spear Force could match.
'And if you use them together...' Leonel's other hand descended onto the spear's shaft. A light of silver and gold fused with the ruby and gold. Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
The spear went from two meters long to almost two and a half. Its power doubled and space itself trembled around it.
When his Scarlet Star Force and his Emulation Spatial Force were used together, one carrying the intention of the world and the other carrying the intention of Leonel himself, their power was far more than just the sum of their parts... And it was in the power of Creation that the strongest Destruction came.
Never would Leonel have thought that his Scarlet Star Force was meant to be used in this way. But now that he did, it just felt so natural.
Even then, this was probably just the simplest and most straightforward way to make use of it. The fundamental ability of his Scarlet Star Force could be described in a single word... Potential.
The thing was that as much as it could use Potential to fuel itself and create something beautiful... in doing so it would be stripping Potential away from something else.
When that Potential came from Leonel, he could control it, rein it in. It was his Innate Nodes after all, it was his power. Within certain limits, it could no longer harm him.
However, when that Potential was snatched from others... Leonel pointed a finger up and the sturdy ground was ripped to shreds as a pillar of ruby-gold flames shot into the skies like a beacon. It tore through over 50 meters of hard earth as though it was absolutely nothing.
With a step, Leonel appeared on the surface once again, his expression calm as he sensed the demons rushing toward his location.
His spear swept across the ground and countless stones of earth erupted upward. Each one was easily over 20 meters tall and flickering with flames that could make the heart tremble.
The tip of Leonel's spear vibrated and he thrust it forward.
The walls of earth suddenly shot down from the skies like streaking meteors.