: APOLOGY

On the ground below, the blue belt wearing seniors had taken up the vanguard. Those that were left were absolutely loyal to Valiant Heart, and surprisingly, both Aphestus and Raylion were present.

With their talent, most organizations would accept them. In fact, many of the blue belt seniors had long since found reasons for leave. Whether it was to 'visit their families after such a long time' or to 'go out on an adventure' and sometimes it was completely without reason, many of them slipped away.

However, maybe the two men Leonel hated the most were still here, holding down the frontline.

The former brandished his two daggers with ever growing ferocity. The latter made a ten meter radius around him an absolute death zone. Anyone who stepped foot into his range was crushed into minced meat without warning.

To their side, Sael flourished as well, the petals and vines of her unique constitution taking on the role of both offense and defense, not to mention giving them an even greater advantage in terrain.

Not only did the Valiant Heart army hold the advantage of high ground as they defended the mountain pass, with the help of Sael's vines, the smooth terrain had become treacherous to cross. The combination of these three geniuses made it feel like they had a chance…

But there was only so much they could do.

Valiant Heart was completely out numbered. Though the impact of those three was quite large, there was only so much of the battlefield that they could cover for. And, without the support of other geniuses like Leonel or Aina who hadn't appeared in almost a year now, they were all the organization had.

Since their enemies hadn't sent out Fifth Dimensional existences, this became a tacit agreement that such powerhouses wouldn't participate just yet. This was their best chance to make an impact with their strength, so they had to go all out. Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

But, how much could they do as three against an army of tens of thousands… Among which were geniuses just as great as them?

At that moment, Rafthin of Rusted Blade, Wissan of Misty Woods, and Emna of Crimson Hall all made their presences known, charging for Raylion, Sael and Aphestus. The instant the latter three were occupied, a slaughter would commence. They all knew this well.

Rafthin grinned wildly, sending Emna a wink as he brandished his massive three meter long rusted blade.

"Come die!"

His boisterous laughter filled the skies as he prepared to swing.

But, it was at that exact moment that a suffocating aura suddenly pressed down upon the battlefield. The expressions of everyone changed, especially those of the elders observing things from the side of Valiant Heart and the three organizations.

No Fifth Dimensional existences were supposed to take action yet. What was going on?!

Each side thought the other had shamelessly duped them and prepared to rush out. But, what they saw next left them completely stunned, their hearts shuddering.

Leonel fell down from the skies, his expression indifferent as he sweats rustled through the whistling wind. He seemed completely at ease. ?????-?????

The closer he got, the more suffocating his aura became.

BANG!

As loud as the sound of his landing was, it wasn't nearly loud enough. To fall from several kilometers up in the sky and to barely cause the earth to tremble was a feat that made little to no sense. In fact, Leonel's knees hardly bent on impact. One would have thought that he had been standing there the entire time.

In an instant, he had appeared at the dividing line between two armies, his right hand casually swinging his spear in what seemed to be a more and more refined arc.

It took no more than a moment for most to recognize Leonel. The spear, that light violet hair, that bronzed skin… It was undeniable.

But, as soon as they realized this, the reactions were vastly different. One side couldn't believe he had appeared while the other was caught in the excitement he had crossed with the shock he felt so imposing now.

Rafthin, who had raised his blade to attack already, narrowed his gaze, a sinister light flashing within their depths. Before, he had lost to Leonel handily, but he couldn't display even a tenth of his power. He felt like he had been suppressed from all angles and he couldn't manage to get a foothold anywhere.

But now, they were on solid ground, not those ridiculous waving pillars. The power he could display now was like night and day.

After just a moment's delay, Rafthin shot forward, the aura of his blade rising again and against as the manifestations of his Four Seasons Realm comprehension rose into the skies.

On one side, there was a blazing heat. On the other, there was a treacherous cold. They wrapped around one another, threatening to implode in a cacophonic boom.

"Leonel! You shouldn't have appeared here!" Sael's voice was caught between anxiousness, anxiety and a shrill disbelief.

Leonel sighed and looked back toward Sael.

"I'm sorry about this."

Sael was stunned by Leonel's words, her expression warping. What was that supposed to mean? Her mind was too befuddled to come up with a conclusion immediately. And, by the time she was on the precipice, she suddenly noticed Rafthin's actions.

"Watch out!"

Leonel shook his head, seemingly still lost in his apology. It really was hard for him to cross Sael like this. Though he had reprimanded her almost a year earlier for expecting him to help an organization that didn't want to help itself, that didn't mean he wouldn't feel bad doing what he was about to do… Or rather, what he had already done.

But, there was no changing that now.

At that moment, Rafthin had appeared before Leonel, his long blade raised high in the air.

"Getting distracted on a battlefield?! DIE!"

Rafthin released all his resentment. Because of Leonel, he had to spend months recovering from his wounds. The result was his progression slowing by several measures, all because of this bastard.

Sael didn't even get a chance to reach out a helping hand. Just as she was about to go all out, the casual arc of Leonel's wooden spear suddenly shifted completely.

Rafthin's roar was caught in his throat, his eyes widened in shock even as he suddenly found himself staring at a headless corpse… his headless corpse…

With a single blow, Leonel had felled a genius of the Rusted Blade organization.

He turned to face the remainder of the army, his aura steadily growing the point they felt their knees go weak. Without Leonel raising a finger, they began to collapse one after another, the resolve in their hearts shattering.