BOTH
Somnus' eyes widened. He was in a genuine state of shock.
His first and the most reasonable conclusion was that the teleportation device had malfunctioned for them too, so of course they were here....
But then where was everyone else?
And why weren't they surprised as well? Shouldn't they feel fear seeing him, a Demi-God, standing in their presence without anyone to check or regulate him?
And then he watched as Leonel slowly pulled out a spear. It flashed out from a depth of nothingness before his body was covered in an amorphous armor with neither shape nor form outside of something vaguely humanoid.
Leonel didn't speak a word, but the previous words echoed in Somnus' mind nonetheless.
He had said that his words would cost him his life, and here he was to collect.
Somnus suddenly began to laugh. "Is this what I look like to other people? Overly confident? Overly brash? Prideful to a fault?
"You have no idea the gap between mere Mortals and Demi-Gods, but you came here to flaunt your insignificant wealth?"
Leonel's spear tip trembled, every downward stroke causing a ripple of flames to spark. © content.
As he walked forward, Aina stood in silence, crossing her arms and not saying a word. The current Somnus was beyond Leonel right now, she knew that. But the measure by which Leonel won wasn't based on raw strength nor the common senses either.
Regardless of what the raw stats said... she felt that he had a 100% chance of victory.
So she stood there, her hair silently blowing in the wind as her husband continued to walk forward, his gait slow but steady. Every step looked precise, the same amount of distance apart, the same level of pressure, the same time from raise of foot to its descent.
And with every step he took, it seemed a new ability flourished.
First it was a rumbling air of bronze that came from his Auspicious Air...
Step.
Second came the slit eyes of his amorphous armor and their soles beginning to pop and sizzle with strands of smoking embers... His Destruction Sovereignty.
Step.
Third came a flourishing crown, billowing with dense silvers and golds... His Dream Sovereignty.
Step.
"Yip! Yip!"
Blackstar bared his little teeth, sitting on Aina's shoulder. He was none other than the reason the braces had been found in such a convenient location, and no he watched Leonel walk into battle as he had seen many times before, his blood boiling.
Step.
Leonel vanished and Somnus sneered, punching out with a violet-scaled claw.
BANG!
Spear and fist met.
Somnus frowned. The strength behind it was beyond his expectations. Leonel was just in the Fifth Dimension, it felt like a joke for him to face off against him even if he wasn't a Mortal, and a weak-Raced Mortal at that.
Wasn't Leonel heavily injured as well? He literally couldn't stop coughing up blood before? How'd he manage to heal the injuries of a Ninth Dimensional existence?
Leonel himself felt like his entire arm was about to be shattered. In fact, the casual punch alone made several fissures and fractures appear on his bone. But as soon as they formed, they vanished beneath the might of his body and Vital Star Force.
[Domain].
[Universe].
Leonel's crown shimmered...
[Finality].
His spear swung down again. Somnus met it with a change to his expression, but he was forced to take a heavy step backward.
"What...?"
Leonel's spear danced, striking out three times in quick succession. His armor thrummed and his spear tip passed through complex Force Arts that threatened to make even Somnus' mind spin every time they moved forward.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Somnus' scales split and the Scarlet Star Force licked at his body, corroding away his Force and crushing his defenses... well, the amount of Forces he could use in the first place under [Domain]'s influence.
Leonel had control over so many Life State Forces at this point that he could even suppress the likes of Somnus by over 20%.
The worst part was that Leonel's Dream Force was so far beyond Somnus' with the addition of his Sovereignty that the latter couldn't even muster up his greatest strength.
Leonel kicked out, landing a sole right on Somnus' chest and sending him catapulting into the distance.
He lowered his spear, dragging it along the ground and leaving a line of fire that seemed willing to burn even the Anarchic Force in the surroundings.
"I would suggest you get off your high horse," Leonel said lightly. "I've heard that Dream Asuras like to play games, so how about we play one?
"I'm wondering, how many times will I have to kick your ass for you to finally bring out your full strength? Is it going to take one kick to the chest?" Leonel asked. "A slap to the face?"
The flat of Leonel's spear suddenly slapped out, crossing the void and appearing by Somnus before he could react.
The resounding slap sent his head reeling to one side.
"No? Maybe it's castration?"
Leonel's spear flickered and his body vanished. The Anarchic force rolled and Somnus prepared to defend his crotch when two tendrils of silver suddenly appeared inches from his eyes.
He realized in an instant that Leonel had just lied to him, but it was already too late.
The two Force Arts took shame and two, roaring lasers of gold slammed into him.
Somnus felt the air get knocked out of him as he spiraled into the distance. He coughed, but still managed to land on his feet, his gaze suddenly becoming frighteningly calm.
"Cute..." He said calmly.
However, when he met Leonel's gaze, the latter seemed unperturbed by his lack of injury.
"You don't seem to know very much about Dream Asuras," Somnus said.
"I know more than you think. Enough to know a dumbass pretending to be calm when I see one. But whether it's you, or the Owlans, you'll both see a crushing defeat very soon."
Leonel raised his spear and pointed the blade right at Somnus.