TOO LONG

Amery had many affinities as well, as made obvious by his several Innate Nodes. But he had only ever allowed the sword to guide him. He let everything fall into the backdrop and it became his one obsession.

At the same time, he didn't have another Force like Dream Force to give him insights on the plane most Weapon Forces existed on.

In the end, he ended up spinning his wheels. He couldn't see what lay beyond.

Ironically, in terms of raw Weapon Force mastery, until just about a few hours ago, the two were on the same exact level.

However, Leonel had broken through the plane and seen through the mystery of Weapon Forces, allowing him to touch onto a comprehension of Space and Time Forces through his Weapon Forces.

By comparison, Amery was still stuck, and from his progress, he would have continued to be stuck for several more years, even decades to come.

Leonel could have just directly told him about Space and Time Force. He was sure that Amery was sharp enough to understand it. So long as he was told and guided, it would be a matter of a few seconds.

But… Leonel decided to take another approach.

Who was to say that his way was the only way and the certainly correct way?

He could forcefully guide someone who was lacking in talent, but if he did that with someone as sharp and powerful as Amery, he would instead be holding him back.

He spoke a lot about how Emna had about the same level of talent as himself and Aina, but what he didn't speak nearly enough about was that… Amery had such potential as well.

The problem was that Amery was chained down by his systematic training. Since he was young, he had been the apple in the eyes of his family, given a sword from practically birth and taught exactly how to wield it.

By comparison, whether it was Aina, Leonel, or Emna, they were all mostly on their own. Even for Emna who had been given guidance from a small organization, she had to break free of them quite early because they were simply too weak.

Now, Amery had a chance to shed all of that.

So Leonel gave him a choice…

Did he want to follow his path…? Or did he want to forge another?

Leonel didn't even tell him which path he had followed so as not to bias Amery, but the irony was that the result was expected.

"A sword that stands above all things."

A howling sword light came from Amery and pierced into the skies above.

Leonel's lip couldn't help but curl.

This was the path exactly opposite to him.

Leonel had chosen a Spear and Bow that were all things. That was why his spear could warp time and space, even swallowing his Scarlet Star Force, or evolving to the point that it could become his body.

Right now, his Weapon Forces were the foundation of his talent, and as such, they were everything to him.

However, even without knowing any of this, Amery still chose the opposite path to himself.

Amery didn't want a sword that could become Time and Space. He wanted a sword that stood above Time and Space.

It was a subtle difference, and many could probably argue until the last rays of the Northern Star set which path was superior…

But to Leonel, it didn't really matter.

Maybe in someone else's hands, the path he had chosen would be weaker than Amery's. But in his…?

How could it ever be?

Streaks of gold rolled through Amery's wooden sword like veins before they broke apart, leaving a golden sword behind.

At that moment, even though he was still casually leaning against a tree, Leonel could feel all the hairs on his body stand up as goosebumps raced across his skin.

This was exactly what he expected. A sword that lorded above all things could cut through all things.

He had a feeling that no matter the defense, no matter the preparation, it simply wouldn't matter before this blade.

It was a blade that could sever the laws of reality themselves, a sword that could cut without a single swing, a sword that moved with the intention of one man alone.

Leonel grinned, his blood suddenly beginning to boil. For some reason, he really wanted to battle Amery right now… Not just a casual spar…

But to the death.

It didn't take him long to understand why. His Weapon Forces were being provoked and their Path of Supremacy was being challenged. They even somewhat felt dissatisfied with Leonel choosing for them to be all things rather than lording over all things.

However…

The current Leonel wasn't the Leonel of the past.

'Silence.'

The moment he spoke, his Weapon Forces cowered into the depths of his body. They were no longer in position to dictate his state or his actions. He moved as he pleased and did as he pleased.

Very soon, they would know why he had chosen such a path.

Amery felt his hair stand on end as well. Just now he had felt a fiendish killing intent lock onto him that covered his already dripping body with another layer of cold sweat.

Luckily, it vanished just as quickly as it appeared, but he still couldn't help but look toward Leonel with a wary gaze.

However, Leonel only pushed himself up from the tree he was leaning on and reached out a hand toward Amery.

Amery looked at the hand for a moment before reaching out his own as well.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sharp blades of gold swirled through the air as ring-halos appeared around their wrists.

A clash of spear and sword shook the skies and tore the bounds of the laws around them apart, but neither seemed to be particularly trying for this to happen.

"How long has it been since your sword had tasted blood?" Leonel asked with a smile.

Amery looked him in the eyes. Content provided by .

"Too long."