VICTORY

"You look like you're scheming something evil. All you're missing is a pitchfork, some horns, and a tail," Aina said, looking at Leonel with a chuckle.

The sudden voice appeared by Leonel's side. He was somewhat caught off guard because Aina had stepped right out from the Segmented Cube, but when he registered what she said he couldn't help but chuckle, reaching over and giving her a pinch she scurried away from.

"It seems like someone has forgotten which between the two of us is the Demon."

Aina blinked innocently. "Both of us?"

Leonel paused. Damn, she was right. But he didn't need to accept such a loss.

Aina giggled, feeling superior. It was hard to win a war of words with Leonel, his thinking speed was too fast. You just had to wait for him to put his foot in his mouth first. Well, that and be able to read his mind like she could.

Instead of trying to find a way to wiggle out of the hole he just buried himself in, Leonel scooped Aina up and rushed away, her squeals of delight filling him with much the same feelings.

**

The days passed quickly and soon there was a tremble that shook the Dream Pavilion.

The Clouds separated and an illusionary projection of the Ma'at Bubble took shape high in the skies. It looked as though the two Dream Pavilions were on a path toward a head-on collision, both rushing toward one another.

But at the final moment, they came to an abrupt stop.

Leonel stood with a smile on his face, looking out toward the approaching Dream Pavilion. His eyes landed on the Emberheart Lady, and he couldn't help but have quite a bit of praise for her inwardly.

Despite the crudeness of his challenge, she didn't seem to have the slightest bit of anger in her heart. In fact, she looked to be completely normal as though this was just another day.

He could tell that she had experienced a lot of life, and her almost regal calmness was a product of that. This wasn't the type of woman it would be easy to knock off a pedestal, nor would it be easy to see through to what she was really thinking.

Behind her, there was a hoard of Dream Force wielding Spirituals. Compared to Leonel's numbers, they were a far cry above. The two couldn't even be compared.

Even if it wasn't for the fact that Leonel was hiding the Dream Force experts he had found across the Human Bubble with Anastasia's help, those more than a thousand still wouldn't be enough to match up to the numbers of the Ma'at Bubble.

If there was any way to see through the true state of mind of this Emberheart Lady, it was as a result of his display of force. Clearly, without saying it in so many words, she was displaying her might and she was doing it in a way that the world couldn't possibly find fault with her.

Leonel's letter had already been publicized and there was simply no escaping the scrutiny the world had placed him under.

It was very easy for one to become a villain in the public eye, and that was the case even if they had once had sympathy for you.

Turning the other cheek wasn't just a pacifist's wet dream, it was also the form of protest that worked the most effectively.

The fact Leonel had chosen to lash out now instead of lick his wounds in silence made some turn against him already. The fact that the Spirituals felt like an innocent third party, as most didn't have the context of the slights against him, made it even worse. When this was coupled with the Spiritual's information campaign, and the methods through which they used to disseminate the information, the end result was to be expected.

Although it wasn't by an exaggerated margin, it could be said that more than half of those watching this challenge were on the side of the Ma'at Bubble, and that was doubly so for their own citizens.

It could be said that Leonel had given them exactly what they needed at the perfect time.

"Let's begin," Leonel said with a grin.

"What are the parameters," the Emberheart Lady asked lightly.

"Two people, just me and my Deputy Pavilion Head."

The Emberheart Lady's gaze flashed. Was this young man really so unruly? Who didn't know that the Deputy Pavilion Head was dead? Did Leonel plan to bring his corpse in?

"Let's go," Leonel didn't wait any longer.

The Emberheart Lady looked over to an older woman by her side.

"Vanama, we'll be going."

The older woman nodded and the gazes of every single one of the Spirituals flashed. If the Emberheart Lady was their number one, then Vanama was most definitely their number. And even then, Vanama had willingly abdicated to allow the Emberheart Lady to take her place.

In terms of experience, it could be said that Vanama was actually beyond the empress, and in terms of power... it was hard to tell.

Leonel grinned and didn't mind it. With a step, he entered all alone. There was no need to take Clarence's corpse with him. He wouldn't be disrespectful to that extent, even if he was playing a character.

The world fell into silence as the two entered, and a harrowing battle began to play out. Most knew that Leonel had lost the Life Tablet, so they hadn't thought that he would be able to put up much of a fight, but the result was astonishing to them.

They were neck and neck, and even with Leonel losing out on points because Clarence counted as an automatic loss, he scratched and clawed and gave them hell.

The battle in the Dream Pavilion raged on for months and each step felt just as perilous as the last.

But in the end, there could only be one winner. © 2024.

By the skin of their teeth...

The Ma'at Bubble took their victory.