NINTH

Leonel placed his foot down, feeling a bit odd. There was a rush of pressure, but as though his body was a mesh, it rippled right through, unable to press down on him.

He took a second step.

This time, Clarence's eyes widened. After they increased the difficulty yet again, this was Clarence's limit. But why was it that Leonel wasn't blown off like he was?

It had to be known that Clarence had Peak Impetus State Dream Force, much like Mo''Lexi. Even if Leonel was a talent, he should have left him far behind.

Clarence was correct. His Dream Force was stronger than Leonel's. Unfortunately...

Leonel was also a Dream Sovereign.

He took a third step.

Leonel felt a bit hesitant. Looking at the treasure above, it didn't seem so far away. He felt that he could leap to it immediately and it wouldn't even stop him. Nothing here could stop his steps. But, should he?

He didn't even know what he was getting himself into by coming here. Something had called him, true enough. But he didn't know what it was.

At the same time, he could feel that this Dream Pavilion was beyond him. The moment he stepped foot into it, he felt that it had secrets that could crush the Demon Race invaders with ease if it was given the chance to.

So why hadn't they?

It was that question that made Leonel come in. He felt that there should be a reason holding them back, maybe even a sheer inability to do so. So he felt that it was still a worthwhile risk even if his odds of survival had fallen from 70% to not even 30%.

But now, he was really playing with fire. What was up there?

He took a fourth step.

His body moved on its own. All that control, and his curiosity was getting the best of him. His Wise Star Order blood was pumping through him, wanting him to see more, learn more.

It was almost painful.

His curiosity, his will to learn, his want to... it was the very realization that awakened his Wise Star Order aspect.

For as long as he could remember, curiosity had fueled him. If he thought about it, really thought about it, it was always the fuel for everything.

Back when he wanted to be a king, it was rooted in his desire to understand people. He couldn't figure out how to rank people by their value, so he felt that everyone was equal and should be protected as such.

Ultimately, the root was the desire to find that unique measurement of life, a measurement that likely didn't exist but just might.

If only he could find that measurement, then he'd know exactly what to exchange to bring back the people he loved.

In the end, it was all that curiosity, and he understood that oh so clearly about himself now. And without the influence of other Forces pulling him in all sorts of directions, he could feel his true self more clearly than ever.

He took the fifth step.

He just wanted to know. He really, really wanted to know.

What was calling out to him? What wanted him to come here so badly?

Was it another plot of the Demoness? It could be. He couldn't sense her gaze or that amused curl of her lip. She might be able to hide from him now that he was in a Complete World and less effort was needed to penetrate through the layers, but he believed in his gut.

He had broken free of her, he was certain of it.

So what was it?

He took the sixth step.

Clarence stood below, unable to understand what he was seeing. He hadn't even called the other Deputy Pavilion Heads here because he never thought for a moment that Leonel could reach the top.

The truth was that even having Life State Dream Force wasn't enough of a measurement. According to what he understood, it would take at least Half-Step Creation State Dream Force to reach the top.

The only way to ignore the pressure was if you had far surpassed that or if...

Clarence's eyes widened, and tears began to fall down his cheeks. He wasn't crying because of sadness, and not out of happiness either. He was crying because of pure bitterness.

Leonel took the seventh step. © content.

The voice had said that according to the rules, only someone with Life State Dream Force could be a Pavilion Head, but that was a new rule added recently.

In the past, there was no rule at all. The strongest Dream Force expert in the Pavilion would be the Pavilion Head, it was that simple.

However... there was a method of circumventing all of that.

One who wasn't necessarily the strongest could gain the blessing of the Pavilion by being just one particular thing....

A Dream Sovereign.

Clarence's tears spilled forth with even greater fervor. It was a joke, one big joke.

Leonel took the eighth step.

He never had to trigger the Challenge at all, but now they were finished. Fate was playing a cruel joke on him.

Had he known Leonel was a Dream Sovereign, he would have directly promoted him to Pavilion Head, they wouldn't have had to go through any of this at all.

But now it was too late. The Fates were spitting in his face, laughing at his incompetence. And now, he had pulled Leonel into this mess as well. Because the moment he took that final step, there would no longer be any hiding it. All of those bastards would know.

Leonel took the final step, and the world lost its color.

The treasure box vibrated and a pillar of light rose out from the temple.

A cascade of raining Force descended from the clouds, the entire Vast Bubble being enveloped in a whirlwind of blessings.

The lid of the treasure box shook and began to rise up, a flood of light blinding Leonel.