ANOTHER TO FEAR

Leonel brought this heart out without a care in the world. In fact, looking at it now, it didn't even seem like he was staring at something that had once been part of a living being at all. The Sylvans were known as the Race with the greatest vitality in the world, and it could be said that the reason for this was their Sylvan Heart. Or, maybe... their Sylvan Heart was a product of this truth.

When one reached the level of such a Race, such a chicken vs the egg situation was common. Their impact on reality made their legends be reality, while their reality were legends. This was a very profound thought, and yet it came to Leonel as smooth as flowing water.

It was said that even a drop of Sylvan Heart Blood that could only come from the Sylvan Heart was enough to bring even Gods back from the brink of death. In fact, even if one was already dead, it could make your corpse seem as though it was in a deep sleep rather than an eternal slumber, allowing your body to continue to work without true life. However, this was only the simplest function of the heart. The most ancient and mythical function was described in a single line.

The Meaning of Life.

This sounded like an abstract and high philosophical ability, but in reality, it was actually quite straightforward and it was tied to the second matter the Sylvans were so well known for.

Wisdom.

With the Sylvan Heart, things with vitality couldn't help but bring out their truest nature, and when they did, it allowed much greater ease in understanding them. The golden ring that echoed every time this Sylvan Heart pumped was a domain of sorts. When a living entity entered its range, it would exude the aura of its truest self, making it as easy to read as an open book.

Near a Force Herb, Leonel would be able to tell all of its functions with a glance. Near a person, Leonel would be able to see through all of their abilities on the one hand, and even understand how best to improve them on the other. The possibilities felt truly endless, and maybe it was the case that they were... only limited by the strength of the Sylvan Heart itself.

However, Leonel didn't feel like he needed any of this at all. He only wanted the Sylvan Heart for a single reason alone.

"[Life Steal]."

BANG!

Leonel's aura began to skyrocket as though burning through jet fuel. Golden veins rushed through his body and soon, he began to feel bloated as though he might burst at any time. However, he kept going, his focus so unprecedented that it seemed he would rather watch the world burn to the ground first before he gave up.

He wasn't trying to strengthen himself at the moment... at least not by normal means. The weakest affinity of his abilities had always been his Vital Star Force. If not for this, his future self wouldn't have gone through so much trouble just so that he could save Aina.

He had no affinity for the Life Forces at all, and it made it difficult for his Vital Star Force to progress. However, it had to also be remembered that Leonel's Morales Lineage Factor was different from the other Morales.

Before the Morales Constellation appeared, Leonel had fused the Florer, Radix, and Midas Lineage Factors into his body. One of the key changes that happened after this was the enlargement of his heart. Back then, a single one of his heartbeats could probably shatter a planet, and it wasn't until much later he learned to rein it in.

These Lineage Factors were ultimately all tied to vitality and how to make use of it as a conduit or a foundation for abilities. But Leonel had never had much affinity for it, so he could likewise never truly take advantage of it all either, and much of those strengths had remained dormant within him except for a passive healing factor.

However, while he wouldn't be able to change that in a single bound... what he could do was use this Sylvan Heart to take a step that had left him suffocated for a long while.Content © 2024.

"Kill them all," Leonel said lightly.

Bracken didn't need to hear a second word. At that moment, he dove into the army of Invalids, unleashing carnage only possible for a God. He looked like a reaper amongst men, the vines that made up his body lashing out and killing in droves of hundreds.

Watching this as his body shuddered, Leonel could very clearly feel the strength of the Gods. Bracken was in the Sixth Dimension just like him, and Leonel had made more progress in the last few days than he could even have fathomed in the past as his accumulation of ten years burst forth, and yet he still wasn't sure if in a normal one-on-one battle he could have defeated Bracken...

Well, at least not without using his Ability Index and making it a battle of wit rather than pure strength. In that case, he was confident in defeating those even 50% more powerful than Bracken, let alone Bracken himself.

As for the Sylvans being the wisest of the Races...

When had he ever cared about such a thing? He had yet to meet someone that could match his intelligence, and the only one he thought might be able to...

Leonel looked up into the skies with a cold glint in his eyes as though he could see that pair of condescending, flirtatious irises.

... He would kill her with his own hands soon enough.

BOOM!

A golden Force Art appeared on Leonel's chest, and his aura spilled over in wild waves. At that moment, the Sylvan Heart, once entirely made of flesh, began to grow bark. Quickly, this bark grew and extended until a small tree was formed. Then, it shrank down, forming a ring on Leonel's finger.

This was none other than the Florer family's ability, to take plants and form them into weapons. The Sylvans were technically a humanoid Race and not a plant Race... But clearly, this didn't matter to Leonel.

The world feared the Northern Star Lineage Factor.

They feared the Fawkes.

Now, he would give them something else to fear.

The simple wooden ring on Leonel's finger pierced into his skin, and a vitality that could dwarf Stars erupted from him.

"[Star Fusion]..."

He took a breath, and the world inhaled with him.

"... [King's Might]."