[BONUS] FALLEN

[Bonus chapter courtesy of Fire2112 (aka Firemonster) <3 3/6]

Lyra sighed when Leonel vanished. She was a noble Pure Blood, and when had she fallen to trying to seduce a man into her bed? Those noble ladies who spent most of their time gossiping and spreading rumors would probably get a kick out of this. Former "Pure Blood" throws herself like a dog in heat at a human of all people.

Lyra didn't really look down on humans, but that didn't mean she had tender feelings toward them either. She was like most people; she took a moderate position while a minority with heavily skewed beliefs took the reins. But often, due to this, her inaction was seen as a tacit acceptance of all that was happening.

That was just the way of the world, and she didn't have enough of a bleeding heart to make her life uncomfortable for the sake of a Race that wasn't her own.

It was just ironic that things had somehow ended up like this anyway.

It seemed that talent was talent, no matter what you look like. And for the Pure-Blooded Spirituals who had been "just a step away" from Demi-Godhood for who knew how many generations now, this seemed like a good gamble to take.

Still, throwing her at a man with a wife was really too crude.

She knew the real reason why they did it.

In Leonel's opinion, throwing her at him when he had just insulted an Owlan's beauty to her face was foolish. But there was another way to look at it as well.

If the man who rejected the Owlans, a race of beings known for their beauty even more so than the Spirituals themselves, how much would that elevate the status of Lyra and her people?

'Not just one Life State... but two... And he disregarded his Sovereignty and reformed another one as though it was a casual matter... The Life Tablet definitely can't do that...'

A genius.

That was the only way to describe him. It was simple and yet it held an infinite weight simply due to that simplicity.

She shook her head. She couldn't stay here forever; she would eventually have to return, and once she did, she would have to face those questions.

One way or another, even if Leonel didn't want to give up his wife, he would have to. He was extremely talented now, but he was weak. A genius was only worth something if they could grow up, and there were quite a few now invested in making sure he couldn't grow up unless he was tied to one of them.

Even for the Pure-Blooded Spirituals, jumping out like this was a huge risk. It was just that they believed they had enough foundation to weather the storm that might come with it, and they had also calculated that the Gods would be unlikely to care enough to take personal action.

But if Leonel was alone...?

Death was the only path that remained.

***

Leonel's eyes cleared, and he appeared in a familiar courtroom. Several gazes filled with rage landed on him, but he didn't seem to sense them at all as he turned to his side.

There, seated in meditation, Clarence's corpse sat. He was rigid and unmoved, but it was clear he didn't have the slightest breath of life left.

All this considered, this could be both the worst and best way for a Ninth Dimensional existence to die.

It was the best because his intact body made it so his Forces had an obvious place to congregate. Unlike with the death of Xagu, Clarence didn't need an external treasure to act as his anchor.

In organizations like the Sun and Moon Demon Empire, their experts left behind items with portions of their soul attached to it. That way, even if their bodies were completely destroyed, they would reform back in their home lands.

However, this process was longer and more arduous.

On the other hand... Clarence's soul had been completely shattered to pieces; if the Dream Force came back together, it would be in an unrecognizable blob. Even if he came back to life, he wouldn't even be the same person... just a new soul in the same body.

Leonel took a breath then exhaled. He looked up, and only managed to feel a slight hint of satisfaction from the fact the Nomads were in the same state. That was exactly what they deserved.

His gaze swept over the Owlans and the Spirituals. Obviously by now, Regnier had found out that most of his people had been killed by Leonel as well, and looking at the state of the Nomads, only one thing could have happened. Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

Regnier, though, could have never imagined that Leonel would defeat even Minerva.

Leonel was about to make a snarky comment about enjoying 9999th place before leaving with Clarence's corpse, but at that moment a shuddering might descended.

He didn't seem surprised by this at all. In fact, he had expected it. Well, he might not have expected them to be so eager, but who knew. Maybe Gods knew how to act on an opportunity too.

This time, though, it wasn't the Gods at all.

The Pure Bloods were relying on the indifference of the Gods, so would they really be so involved in this matter?

But that was a confusing statement to make. If not the Gods changing around these rules so often, then who?

The truth was that the so-called "higher ups" were just various Dream Pavilions dotted across the top 100. Unlike the Gods who treated the Dream Pavilions as just a matter of status, this was a matter of life and death for many of them.

As a result, the weight something like the Life Tablet could hold was inconceivable.

According to the rules, only 50% of the top 100 needed to agree to something, while the top three had veto powers. Unfortunately, the Gods didn't care enough to use these veto powers for the sake of the humans.

And that was when the ruling was passed down.

There were two subjects, but only one really caught Leonel's attention.

[Rule Revision: The existence of a Dream Pavilion can no longer provide immunity to participation in the Gathering of the Kingdoms]