- l Hope

"HALT!"

Each one of the auras were blazing, several guards sent piercing gazes toward the air. Though they too wore golden armor, it was nothing like the superfluous garbage the guard of the Force Crafting Guild wore. Each one had an undeniable momentum that almost threatened to peel Leonel's skin back.

However, as though he hadn't heard a single word, Leonel descended from the skies, landing at the very top of the ancient tree structure that was the Imperial Capital.

Leonel strode forward, his pale violet hair fluttering and his hands in his pockets. A light smile hung from his face.

"You're not going to attack me, are you?"

"Prince Leonel! Flying in the Imperial Capital is an offense even for you."

A hardnosed man stood forward, his demeanor unchanged in the face of Leonel's smile.

"Oh? And why is that?"

Leonel's steps paused.

At the moment, he stood at the base of the Imperial Palace. A large staircase of white marble and gold lay in his wake. Lining these stairs, warriors that even gave Leonel pressure stood. Despite being in the Fourth Dimension, Leonel felt that their combat experience was far beyond him. In addition, he could tell that as Earth continued to evolve, so too did their abilities. It likely wouldn't be long before the base strength of everyone on Earth was of the Fifth Dimension.

This was the true fearsome ability of a world with so much talent.

Leonel hadn't experienced it before since he was away from Earth, but after returning, he felt that his ability was being nurtured as well. As Earth's Fold of Reality grew, there would eventually come a point where Leonel wouldn't have to return in order to take part in these benefits.

He felt quite refreshed at this moment, completely unlike his demeanor the last time he had come here.

"You will be seen as a threat to be immediately taken down. Since you have broken the rules, we will have to detain you."

"Ah, and that's the case even if I'm not a real threat?"

"Yes."

The man answered seriously, not wavering in the slightest. He seemed unmoved by Leonel's status, his smile, his charisma and even Leonel's strength. None of it mattered.

"I see. Emperor Fawkes is very good at raising loyal warriors. I'm impressed. I would try to poach you, but I have a feeling that I would fail."

The man's gaze narrowed. Poach him? What did that mean? Was this Prince trying to rebel?

The grip he had on his halberd multiplied in strength, his aura blazing. All of the guards reacted in unison, each of their halberds also raising. Even without them completing their actions, Leonel could feel a unique Force Art of sorts resonating between them.

'Interesting, so Force Arts can be used like this as well, hm… How fascinating… Emperor Fawkes seems to know quite a lot for a man who should have been born on a mortal world…'

There was a lot about his grandfather that Leonel didn't quite understand. For example, for Leonel to have the Luxnix family Lineage Factor, his grandfather would have had to have somehow taken a woman of that family as a wife. But, how had he, the Emperor of a Third Dimensional world, taken the woman of a Sixth Dimensional one as an Empress?

It was all quite curious.

At that moment, the enormous doors of the Imperial Palace opened, separating out the snaking golden dragons delicately carved onto its surface, and, even more importantly, the immortal tree that it wrapped around. copyrighted © content.

Soon, a spectacled man appeared that Leonel immediately recognized as his uncle.

"You returned." He said plainly.

"I have."

"For what purpose?"

"To shamelessly steal resources and to issue a challenge." Leonel replied without blinking.

"The former makes sense. As for the latter, you aren't worthy of doing such a thing yet."

Leonel's smile brightened. "My grandfather owes me almost 22 years worth of birthday presents, I have to seek my reimbursement somehow. And, as to whether I'm worthy or not, that doesn't matter much to me either. I will issue it either way.

"One day, Earth will be mine."

Though Leonel said things like this, there was a hint of coldness in his eyes that made his uncle's gaze narrow. If there was anything Leonel didn't like, it was not being Respected. His arrogance had been buried deep within his bones for a very long time because there was nowhere for it to flourish on Earth. There was nothing worth him rising to the occasion of.

But now, things were different. He not only had a goal, there was actually someone who deemed to believe that he wouldn't accomplish it. Though that wasn't enough to tear into his Reverse Scale, it was definitely enough to leave an itch on it.

The moment Leonel said these words, the halberds of the Imperial Guards all rose in unison, their blades carving out a sharp path toward Leonel.

Yet, even as he faced a torrential rain of Force that could obliterate a city with just its momentum alone, Leonel remained unmoved.

At that moment, a roar that seemed to originate from the very depths of his heart manifested. Leonel didn't even open his mouth, and yet it swallowed the momentum of the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Palace whole, making the white gold hair of his uncle whip backward as though hit with a wall of wind.

It felt like Leonel had suddenly become ten times his original size, his body looming over the Capital and his momentum causing the Earth to quake. Mists of violet fog rose around his body, a sight alone that made his uncle's pupils constrict into pinholes.

The roar drowned all things out, even their thoughts. It wouldn't be until a long while later that they came to understand that it wasn't a roar they had heard, but rather the will of Leonel's heart.

Without another word, he turned and began to walk away before coming to a sudden pause.

"Oh right. I used my Imperial Pendant on claiming White City, if I recall correctly. I hope no one has stretched their hands toward my things."

With that, Leonel flickered and vanished.