ANOTHER AURA

Regnier didn't respond, immediately launching into an assault.

Leonel chuckled and glided backward, slipping out of the grip of Regnier's whirlwind of Dream Force turned Wind Force as though it wasn't there.

"If you want to win, you're going to have to stop disrespecting Dream Force like that. Are you really a Pavilion Head?"

Regnier didn't respond. He could feel that this young man was trying to humiliate him on purpose. He had little care for his face, for his status, and it was annoying, more annoying than anything Burul had ever said to him.

It caused him to use Dream Force as Wind Force for maybe much longer than he should have. Logically, he had already fought Leonel before; he should know that using Dream Force like this in front of him was useless. But the words poked at a clear sore spot, causing the supposedly calm Pavilion Head to feel a bit defiant.

Leonel suddenly stopped running, and his spear flickered through the air. A 200% amplification rolled off of him in waves, suddenly forming organized lines of Spear Force that twisted through the air.

The battle erupted, and in an instant, Regnier's body was filled with bloody wounds.

The Spiritual's eyes widened, but Leonel had already stopped his strikes.

"Is that all you have? Show me something, Spiritual."

Leonel's spear spun in his palms before snapping into place, the blade pointing right at Regnier's nose. A battle intent blazed from Leonel, a swirling mass of golden Dream Force becoming countless arrows fueled by Bow Force in the skies.

Regnier's green irises shimmered. The strength of Leonel's spear was a tier beyond what it had been before. When they first met, they could only leave light scratches, but now...

His breathing became a hint erratic, his azure hair fluttering in the wind.

The Spiritual rushed forward suddenly, his speed even faster than before. A sword appeared in his hands, pulled from his back and shimmering with the markings of a treasure of this world. However, it was clear to Leonel that Sword Force wasn't something the man had comprehended, at least not in the traditional sense.

Sword and spear clashed, a flurry of strikes painting the skies. The clouds split beneath their feet, and the mountains trembled.

Leonel grinned wildly. He could feel that the battle experience of this Spiritual wasn't shallow in the slightest. In fact, it was clearly beyond his own. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

But every one of Leonel's spear strikes carried an Artistic Conception, and when that conception was fueled by his Dream Force, they seemed to come to life.

He shifted his stance constantly, going from embodying Swiftness to Heaviness, then from the light pitter-patter of a light rain to a heavy downpour following a tsunami.

Regnier had never seen a youth with this level of skill with a weapon; it felt truly transcendent.

And then the dance began.

Regnier felt as though he was trapped in a cage. Lines of silvery-gold Spear Force drew meteors across the air, radiating a heartrending might.

The Spiritual's eyes widened as it hit him like a truck.

Leonel didn't just have one Quasi Life State Force, he had two... no, he had three.

His hair stood on end as he watched the Bow Force descend.

How was that possible?!

Regnier hurriedly retreated, the wind enveloping around him. One aspect of his mind turned his attention toward using Dream Force as it was meant to, the wind becoming nothing but a support to increase his retreat.

'Monster,' this was the thought he had.

It was said that the humans were the perfect experimental subjects for the God Beasts because their potential could be branched into an endless number of streams.

Many didn't understand this. After all, weren't the Demons and Nomads the same? Chaos Demons were the embodiment of Chaos itself, capable of starting a completely new branch or clan of demons all on their own. As for Nomads, they were capable of absorbing all sorts of outside influences and making them their own.

What about the Cloud Race? Wasn't their foundation built upon mimicry in the first place?

Not many understood what made the humans so special. There were countless Demi-God Races that could fall into the same categories; there were even some God Races capable of similar things, though many of them were said to have reached the peak of potential.

There was something special about humans, and that was rooted in how typically un-special they were. Ironically, it was often all the talent other races had that weighed down their potential.

They were the simplest of the humanoid races, the most insignificant...

And that made those that could finally break free of this mold exceptionally dangerous.

Regnier could only see the sharp glimmer in Leonel's eyes. He realized that this boy didn't come here with some special trump card or with a willingness to be subservient and lose either.

He came here to win.

He came here to dominate.

Regnier quickly put up a hand, but his instincts kicked in as the strike was too fast. He subconsciously used muscle memory ingrained into his very bones and used Dream Force like it was the wind.

His palm was torn through by the blade. With a twist, his entire hand came with it.

Pain shuddered through Regnier's body, but he continued his retreat.

Leonel pulled back his spear, a volley of arrows continuing around him. Regnier did a much better job of deflecting these, but the only point of the arrows was to keep him as occupied as possible.

Suddenly, a roar shook Regnier's heart. He turned some of his senses to his back and found a Tier Eight White Stone Elephant to his back.

How had they gotten here? Why had they not run into any other beasts to deviate their path?!

His expression changed again as he sensed another aura.

Burul?!