CONDENSE

There had never been a Weapon Force Innate Node before, but Leonel didn't just want to simply create one; he wanted his entire foundation to be rebuilt with his Weapon Forces as the core.

Even if he lost his strong Dream Force, even if his body was broken and shattered, even if his soul was ripped out of his body, he wanted to have access and control over his Weapon Forces.

No matter the situation, no matter the circumstances, he wanted to have the utmost control… control that no one could take from him.

This wasn't just a process of creating a new Innate Node; it was a process of making his Weapon Forces so synonymous with himself that even his Ability Index could control them as freely as he did his own body.

This was why he had put his body through so much torture. Right now, it was unlikely for anyone to be able to easily tell where his body stopped and his Weapon Forces began. Even his tears had become shimmering blades, let alone the rest of him.

His Weapon Forces had infiltrated his cells, learning how to coexist with them on an individual level. In fact, in that way, it could almost be said that not only was he creating an Innate Node and mutating his Ability Index, but with the changes to his body, he was building a new Lineage Factor as well.

This sort of blurred line between constitutions and where they originated from was exactly what Leonel was missing now. It was precisely this core and foundation of his very being that he needed to rebuild.

In the past, it had been his Dream Asura Bloodline, it was just that he hadn't been aware of it. It was what allowed all of his skills to consolidate and build up, maybe the greatest talent to be born in all of existence.

Even when he did realize that this was its role in his body, he had been entirely unwilling to use it because he knew that it was the machinations of that woman at play.

But now, things had changed. This time, he would be building his own foundational core. And though it wouldn't be nearly as strong as the core that the Demoness had managed to build after countless generations of planning on top of the destruction of more lives than he could count…

Leonel was confident that there would come a day when he stood even above what his enlightened self was capable of, and all of that would be built off the back of what he, Leonel Morales, had been able to do all on his own.

At that moment, Creation and Destruction Sovereignty began to form in the air. They separated and then formed four Sovereignties, both of which divided the world into two. Content © 2024.

Half of Leonel's body seemed wreathed in Destruction so great that it bloomed into Creation.

The other half was wreathed in Creation so great that it descended into Destruction.

Then came Leonel's Spear and Bow Sovereignty.

Arrogant.

That was the one word that could be used to describe both of them. They somehow wanted for nothing and yet claimed everything to be theirs at the same time. Even sitting in the air like this, they clashed and rebounded against one another as though they couldn't stand to be in the same general vicinity.

Then they turned their attention toward Leonel, roaring into his mind as though forcing him to choose one or the other.

"You will be in my body. And my control won't be usurped by anyone… not even you…"

This was the first time Leonel had spoken in decades. His voice sounded like nails grating along a rusted surface, his throat having been ravaged by too many blades. Yet, it was powerful nonetheless.

He meant every word he spoke, and this time, in a shocking change, the two Sovereignties were actually forcefully suppressed.

Leonel had gained more in these years than just pain and suffering. He had already accomplished the first leg of his plan.

His Weapon Forces were so ubiquitous in his body now that his Ability Index could already control them as though they were an extension of his body. It wasn't yet perfect… but that was what the remainder of his plan would be.

"Condense."

King Alexandre's Ability Index thrummed, and Leonel's command took hold of the laws in this space.

The six Sovereignties were compressed, and then compressed again, being forced together into a condensed space.

They shrank down, bringing the Runes from his Innate Nodes with them. If at the start, they were like miniature exploded supernovae, right now they were trying to return to their usual size, forming two perfect Innate Nodes.

Things seemed to be going smoothly until Leonel coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The backlash was sudden and forceful, so much so that Leonel, who had planned everything out, wasn't ready for it.

His Weapon Forces were even more unruly than he thought they would be, and they had already begun rampaging around. At the same time, his body was too weak…

It seemed that that was the main problem. The plan would work if he was in top condition, but if he was in top condition, he wouldn't have been able to initiate things at all.

Even if he had brought healing treasures with him, that would have only reset all his progress. He needed his body to be in this state, and healing treasures would just expel what they thought were foreign from his body. That would have made him lose an entire near-century of work; how could he do that?

Leonel coughed up a mouthful of blood again, but this time, it came out in a way he had never seen before.

There were chunks of black as though he had just vomited instead, and as though that wasn't enough, the back end of his cough came out as a fog of crimson. His blood had actually evaporated.