83-93

Chapter 83 - Tentacles

Leonel's eyes flashed open.

His reaction was impossibly quick. With swift movements, he darted to the back of the shuttle, swooped Aina up, and jumped from the opposing door.

Their free fall would have led to the deaths of even evolved humans who had awakened their abilities. After all, the shuttle had a maximum elevation of 20 meters from the ground. But, Leonel was prepared.

"Aina, your rope."

Even as the fell from the skies, Leonel's gaze held a hidden sharpness. Falling from a tall height? That was what he feared the least. How many times had he done this exact same thing just on a single journey to school?

With a heavy boom, Leonel landed on a fallen building. Due to his preparedness, the fall was barely five meters.

At that time, the tentacle viciously whipped against the shuttle, crumbling an entire side of it with unstoppable momentum.

Leonel's pupils constricted.

As though a ball accepting the swing of a bat, the shuttle deformed and rocketed away at a speed almost faster than its forward momentum.

Leonel felt his teeth getting itchy. What the hell kind of power is this? If he assumed the shuttle weighed a few tons, that was still a vast underestimation. If that was taken into account with its forward impetus… Just how much strength did it take to make it deviate like that?

Luckily, the forward momentum wasn't entirely disrupted. The shuttle spun and flew into the distance, missing Leonel and Aina by a large measure.

It was only now that Leonel got a good glance at just what had attacked them.

The tentacle was massive. Just the portion Leonel could see was over 20 meters in length. The rest of it was hidden behind the building it had attacked from the back of. However, this alone was enough to make Leonel's heart quake.

A strong fishy smell came from it, marring the air with a combination of a salty sea smell and a disgusting, rotting odor. A sticky, viscous liquid dripped, hitting the ground in intermittent intervals.

Every inch of the bottom of the tentacle was filled with suction cups. They were each more than double or even triple the size of Leonel's head. They all vibrated in a rhythm that made it seem like they were breathing. And, judging by the destruction they caused to the shuttle… they definitely weren't as soft as they seemed either.

As though on cue, the shuttle landed heavily on the ground. The resulting explosion was deafening. Even the buildings beneath Leonel's feet shifted as though they might collapse into a further heap once again.

A ring of hot air blasted into Leonel, making him feel as though his skin would be burnt to a crisp at any moment.

It was then that Aina finally handed him the rope he asked for, the very same rope they had made use of to climb the castle walls in Paris. Without hesitation, he swung her to his back, tying her firmly to him with an unquestionable aura emanating from him.

At his current physical level, Leonel's body was far stronger than a horses. In that case, since a horse could carry one and even two passengers at times, how could Aina's petite figure do anything to stop him anymore? In fact, he only barely felt the weight of her family Heirloom that was now strapped to her own back.

'It hasn't launched a follow up attack in quick succession. It's likely that it still believes we're in the shuttle, which also means that its vision is either poor or obscured — let's assume the second to be safe.

'No matter what the answer, it ultimately means that it locked onto us using my Force as a guide. Which means its likely uncertain of our exact location now that I've stopped circulating [Dimensional Cleanse].'

Leonel's thoughts revolved madly. Though he had used his spirit as quickly as it formed just now, he still managed to recover a bit — about 40%. He now knew that the recovery of spirit wasn't uniform. He could recover it much quicker when he was fatigued, but the recovery became slower after 50%, and even slower above 80%.

Thankfully, this worked in his favor. As long as his spirit wasn't below 20% recovery, he wouldn't feel lethargic and his ability could work without shackles.

Leonel broke out into a run after handing the Metal Spirit to Aina to hold. At the moment, the only things in his hands were the primitive spear and the dented shield on his left arm.

The sound of breaking rumbling and collapsing buildings sounded behind Leonel. He didn't need to look back to know that whatever monster that thing was had definitely knocked the building in its way over to get to the shuttle it had knocked down from the skies.

Leonel didn't bother to look over his shoulder. Even if he did, with Aina's body and her ax in his way, he wouldn't be able to see anything anyway.

SSSKKKKRRRRREEEEEE

Leonel clenched his jaw tightly, leaping from building remnant to building remnant. He could feel the muscles in his body madly heating up, but he had no mind to pay to them. He focused entirely on increasing his efficiency, on tapping into the mind of the primitive man and controlling his body as he had controlled his.

He knew that that thing's cry was due to finding out that its prey had escaped. If he delayed by looking back at it… he would only be courting death.

'Dammit, there are other Invalids here…'

Leonel's gaze flashed, finding an Invalid with a massive upper body blocking his path forward. Its legs were far too small in proportion to its figure, making it look like a human gorilla. But, Leonel didn't have the mind to laugh because he could sense the incredible power radiating in those massive forearms and fists.

He spared a glance toward his spear and felt a pang in his heart. It looked like it would only survive a few more exchanges. He didn't want to waste them on an A-grade Invalid. To others, an A-grade Invalid already meant death. But to him, the current situation slotted them in as canon fodder.

"Use my ax." Aina suddenly said.

Leonel agreed to the suggestion without hesitation. He put the primitive spear away into his spatial bracelet, accepting the ax Aina handed to him.

A blazing aura erupted from Leonel. Though he didn't think much of it, Aina's eyes widened.

'I thought I would have to suppress it so that he could use it freely. But…'

Though the werewolf seemed to have been using Aina's ax without issue, this wasn't the case. In fact, the ax was more than ten times heavier in his hands than it was in Aina's. In addition, it wouldn't smoothly accept his Force either, or why else would Aina defeat him so easily without employing her own Force and even while being bare handed?

However, the Brazinger Clan's Heirloom didn't resist Leonel in the slightest.

There were only two explanations. Either it trusted Leonel unconditionally or it had accepted him as its inheritor just like it had Aina. The second could be thrown out, which meant that it was more definitely the former.

And since that was the case, there was only one explanation: it meant that she trusted him unconditionally.

Aina couldn't help but blush when her thoughts reached this point.

The fibers of Leonel's muscles vibrated as one. His expression remained calm, almost cold. He was completely unlike the primitive man who loved battle. To Leonel, there was nothing but objective calculation.

The A-grade Invalid roared, wildly beating its chest before raising its fists high in the air and smashing toward Leonel.

Leonel didn't even blink.

As though a carbon copy of the primitive man, his hips flexed, his thighs bulged, and his toes seemed as though they might rip out from his treasure shoes at any moment. He held onto the ax with both hands, exerting all his might.

BANG!

A small circle of air was left where Leonel's feet were last. He shot forward explosively, appearing behind the A-grade Invalid in less than the blink of an eye.

His breathing was already ragged as though that move had taken everything out of him, but the head of the Invalid flew into the air, leaving its roar swaying in the wind.

Leonel didn't even look back. He broke out into a sprint. As long as he could leave this jungle of buildings, he could pull out his bike. By then, his speed would increase by 50% and he would have a better chance at escaping the range of that ridiculous beast.

But it seemed that nothing in his life would go the easy way.

SSSKKKKKRRRRREEEEEEEEE

BANG! BANG!

Leonel didn't turn back, but he could sense what happened with his Internal Sight.

A tentacle stretched into the skies and whipped downward toward the ground.

Its suction cups bulged and became like dozens of obscenely powerful springs. They rebounded off the ground, launching the creature into the air.

The sky seemed to go dark. A massive shadow covered the land, making Leonel feel as though the world had descended into darkness.

Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore and looked back. Without Aina's ax in the way, his field of vision was much wider. And, what he saw sent shivers down his spine.

It was massive. An enormous eight tentacled beast almost 50 meters from one tip of a tentacle to another.

And… it was descending from the skies and falling down toward him.

Chapter 84 - Megaleledonidae

[... I don't even want to know how you guys hit 900 powerstones so quickly...]

"… Holy shit."

These were the only words Leonel could say. He had never seen such a scene in his lifetime. The sight was so shocking that he didn't even have the mind to pay attention to the stomach churning scent.

In that moment, the world seemed to slow to a crawl. Leonel's pupils flickered continuously, his mind running several calculations at once.

A split second later, he dropped into a low squat, jumping almost five meters into the air.

If someone was watching this scene, they would think he had lost his mind. Such a jumping height was indeed impressive in comparison to a normal human. More than impressive, in fact. It was simply inhuman.

However, it did him absolutely no good. What was five meters to a monster so large? Not to mention the fact… Leonel was jumping right toward it!

The resolution in Leonel's eyes didn't fade. Just when his body was about to lose its upward momentum, the sole of his right foot erupted with a bright green light, causing a square platform of just over a foot in length to appear.

Leonel's thigh bulged as small measures of Force erupted from his leg, sending him another over ten meters into the air.

His pupils constricted.

'I miscalculated. I didn't account for the fact these platforms could also increase my leaping ability. I'll reach that point 0.2 seconds faster than I calculated, but I'll also be able to save a platform jump.'

Leonel's gaze carried a steely coldness, a hidden blazing green light crouching behind like a lurking beast.

His body soared through a gap in the beast's tentacles, appearing above its falling form in a flash.

As expected, the creature hadn't reacted to him until it was too late. This was exactly why he hadn't used his Force for his first jump. This way, the creature wouldn't be able to lock onto him too soon.

However, what Leonel couldn't have imagined was that the moment he appeared 'above' the creature, he would be faced with a massive eye the size of his body, gazing at him with murderous intent.

One figure rising, the other descending.

For a moment, it seemed that time had stopped. A cold sweat matted Leonel's back. He felt that if this creature had a mental attack like the wererat… he really wouldn't be able to resist it this time.

BOOM! SKKKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEE

The beast landed on the ground, immediately launching several tentacles toward Leonel who was above its bulbous head.

Many years after this, Leonel would still cry tears about this battle. Even after so much time passed, he wouldn't know how he got so unlucky to have an octopus attack him on land.

That massive round head, those weird S-shaped eyes, those tentacles… After seeing the top of its body, it was undeniable.

Now, he was certain that this octopus's vision was only obscured before. He had taken a marine biology class in the past only because Aina took it. They had vision sharper than even humans. And, who knew what kind of mutations had appeared afterward. This creature's vision might very well be even better than the norm.

Leonel didn't have time to think anymore about it. He had thought of blinding it, but he completely gave up on the idea. Not only was it too dangerous, but it might not even be useful.

Normal octopuses had complex sensors on their tentacle suction cups. It was appropriate to assume that the senses of this octopus had evolved, or how else could it have accurately swatted a shuttle moving at 300 kilometers an hour with a single tentacle all while its vision was obscured? And, how else had it locked onto him again despite how far he had run away without activating his Force?

At that point, Leonel felt that he was incredibly lucky he had thought ahead enough to not use his Force on his initial jump.

'The tentacles of normal octopuses can touch and smell. These evolved tentacles can likely also sense Force. In that case...'

Leonel's left shoes glowed a bright green light before he leaped with all his might to the right.

His instantaneous speed was blinding. He left streaks in the air, barely managing to leap over the tentacle that was sweeping toward him. He had already calculated the longest reach of the octopus after it attacked the shuttle. He wouldn't forget such an important tidbit at such a time.

Leonel landed on the top of a dilapidated building, his feet sliding across its roof.

'58 second cool down on the right. We were ten minutes away from the Fort according to the shuttle. That's 50 kilometers. There's no way I can cross such a distance with this thing hounding me. It's destructive capability is too great and it isn't even hampered by speed with that insane jumping ability. Its agility is also covered thanks to its eight tentacles…

'… I need to kill it.'

Leonel's jaw clenched as he jumped from the building without hesitation.

SSSKKKRRRREEEEEEE

The building collapsed. Leonel had hardly leapt from it when the octopus flattened it to the ground. However, even it could not imagine that Leonel would actually jump back down toward it.

Leonel knew that running would put him at a disadvantage. His best chance to run was right after the shuttle had been destroyed when this thing had yet to lock onto him. But, who knew it would find him again so quickly?

If he tried to run now, he would fall victim to that jumping attack again. If he was unlucky enough to get caught before the cool down of his shoes ended, he would be finished.

This wasn't even the worst possibility. With how monstrous this thing was, knocking down buildings like they were houses of cards, Leonel just might get flattened to death just by its attempts at chasing him.

In that case, his best choice was to stay close to it.

"Can you scan this thing and tell me its power, abilities and weakness?" Leonel yelled as he fell from the top of the building toward the octopus.

He was shooting a shot in the dark. But, if this thing could scan a shuttle it didn't have in its database, and even potentially scan Zones, maybe it could do this too…?

Finally, it seemed someone was smiling down upon Leonel.

[ *Ping* Evolved marine life form detected. ]

[Kingdom: Animalia]

[Phylum: Mollusca]

[Class: Cephalopoda]

[Order: Octopoda]

[Superfamily: Octopodidae ]

[Family: Megaleledonidae]

[State: Evolved]

[ Abilities: … *Ping* Generating nomenclature… ]

[ Reinforced Suction Cups: Can alternate between softness and hardness. Can compress and explode with force, multiplying power several times. ]

[ Ultra Sensitive Tentacles: Has gained high grade Force talent. Can absorb Force through its numerous limbs. Sense similar to Internal Sight maturing from tentacles. Still in its infancy stages. ]

[ Weakness: Head ]

[ Evaluating power… *Ping* ]

[ Evolution Stage: Peak Tier 7 Black ]

Leonel landed heavily on the ground, Aina's ax being tightly held by his two hands.

He no longer held back, his Force erupting. The space around him became like a billowing hurricane, ripping the wind around him apart.

His hair danced, the hidden green light in his eyes blazing to life.

This damned octopus was actually an S-grade monster. But that was fine.

Shackles that usually held Leonel back were released in full force. He might foolishly hesitate against a human. But, against a beast… he had no qualms.

This beast might be a monster. But he was one too.

[Leonel Morales (Force Amplified)]

[Strength: 1.30; Speed: 1.30 ; Agility: 1.30; Coordination: 1.70; Stamina: 1.50 (+0.05 - nullified); Reactions: 1.70; Spirit: 1.30; Force: 0.40]

Chapter 85 - Monster

Force howled around Leonel's body. A towering aura surged from him, causing the octopus to hesitate. Its tentacles continuously twitched as though sensing something more monstrous than itself was standing before it.

From its vantage point, it could barely see Leonel. Its eyes were too high and Leonel was too short. Such a bug should have been all too easy to kill. So, why was it feeling like this?

Aina laid on Leonel's back, her breathing incredibly steady. Though every time Leonel made a sudden movement, she would feel a jolting pain rampage across her body, she hadn't had the slightest change in expression, nor had she made the slightest sound.

But now, she was surprised once more. This form of intimidation was so potent.

'… However… He isn't yet strong enough to boast such an aura… After a while, the beast will just be more infuriated…'

SSSSSSKKKRRRREEEEEEEEEEE

Aina had hardly finished her thoughts when the roars of the octopus shook the surroundings once more.

The two tentacles closest to Leonel slammed toward him. Due to the size of the octopus, Leonel could only stand between the two of them.

"Pour your Force into the ax." Aina quickly said. "It has one main ability that can be used now, you've seen it before."

Leonel hadn't needed Aina to tell him this. He was already prepared.

His Force surged, causing the red glow of the battle ax to grow several times. An illusory blade extended from the ax's edge, expanding the size of the weapon by several fold.

"Ha!"

A roar left Leonel's lips.

His body flexed as one. His Force was wild, but his muscles churned in a controlled rage as he swung down with all his might.

The extended blade pierced into the right tentacle by several meters, but failed to make it all the way through.

At that time, the mournful howl of the octopus was followed by the strike of its second tentacle which lashed against Leonel's back.

There was nothing in this world that would have allowed Leonel to let such a thing happen. After all, Aina was on his back and she was already injured. How could she suffer such a strike?

The moment he realized he didn't have the strength to sever the tentacle in one strike, he immediately executed his secondary plan.

As though the massive ax was the hook of a rock climber, he pulled down hard, making use of the octopus's tough skin as an anchor to launch himself up and above the second strike.

Leonel landed on the top of the half severed tentacle, his steps faltering. He hadn't accounted for just how slippery the skin of the octopus would be and his feet were almost swept out from beneath him.

BANG!

The second tentacle landed on the first, having failed to squash Leonel between them like pincers. But, the impact caused Leonel, who had just barely regained his footing, to falter once more. And this time, he couldn't regain it in time.

'Dammit!'

Leonel fell to the side, the enraged and pained roars of the octopus playing as the backdrop to his clown show.

Seeing that Leonel was now within striking range of its third tentacle, the maddened beast didn't hesitate to swing toward Leonel's falling figure.

Leonel's mind spun hard and his gaze flashed.

'Since it's like this, don't blame me for taking advantage!'

Staying on top of its tentacle was too dangerous, even if it was a tentacle that he had just severely injured. If this beast grit its way through the pain, launching Leonel into the air with a casual flick would basically guarantee his death.

Leonel knew how risky this would be before he did it, which is why he tested to see if he could sever a tentacle first. After he was forced to take such a risk, he wanted to run toward the octopus's head as quickly as possible. After all, even though this monster was large, it was still only 50 meters from edge to edge, and the distance from one tip of the tentacle to its head was barely 20 meters. In that case, Leonel could still cover the distance in time.

But, who knew this damned thing would be so slippery even to the point where he, who boasted maybe the highest coordination stat on Earth, stumbled around like a newborn calf?

It should have been hopeless, he should have been finished. But, Leonel's gaze was burning as bright as two torches in the depths of the night.

Without hesitation, Leonel raised the ax once more, slicing into the already injured tentacle he was falling from without hesitation.

In one swift motion, he stopped his falling and used the ax as a hook once more, launching him forward at blinding speeds.

Leonel was a madman. As though the slippery liquid coating the octopus was a surfboard and its body was an ocean, he slid across it, leaving afterimages in his wake.

The octopus's tentacle missed, lashing against its own injured limb once again.

It couldn't grasp how it could accurately knock a ship flying in the air at 300 kilometers an hour, yet couldn't swat this annoying fly to death. It had yet to evolve to the point of understanding that hitting something going in a straight line with a predestined path was far easier than hitting something which adapted to the situation like a feather drifting in the wind.

However, Leonel still had a price to pay. He needed speed. He practically thirsted for it.

He was using his Force to the limits, not to mention the fact his body was already reaching its limits. He couldn't afford to stay here any longer. Who knew if there was another monster like this lumbering toward him now?

But, most importantly, he needed to glide across the tentacle as quickly as possible. So… He left Aina's ax embedded into this thing's skin.

Leonel, like a streaking flash, careened toward the octopus's head. However, he wasn't as weaponless as one would expect. Instead, a primitive spear had appeared in his hand, his aura rising and billowing in the air.

His blood boiled, a seething excitement bubbling forth from its depths. But, Leonel couldn't afford to let the primitive consciousness possess him this time. Right now… Only he could do this.

The octopus felt the looming danger. It tried to lift its injured tentacle to launch Leonel away, but by the time it did, Leonel was already near the end of it. So… Though Leonel was sent flying… It was right toward the center of its head!

To the octopus, Leonel was like a god of death descending from the skies. The murderous intent was enough to make the beast freeze. For a moment, it really couldn't tell which of them was meant to be the true monster.

In its panic, the octopus launched everything it had at Leonel, not minding its head as all eight of its tentacles bent backward and toward the demon in the skies headed for it.

The first time Leonel used [Call of the Wind] with his spear, he had only formed one Force Node. The last time he used it, the Force Art on his hand was restricting how much Force he could use.

But now… he had no such restrictions.

The spear in his hand vibrated wildly, but his hand was like a steel clamp, holding it down as the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

'[Call of the Wind]!'

The wind around Leonel's spear tip grew so wild that it could be seen with the naked eye, a violent cyclone concentrated into a single point.

The moment Leonel pierced forward, his primitive spear burst into a rain of shrapnel. But, the attack stayed true, tearing through the air toward the octopus's head.

SSSSSSKKKKKRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEE

The world was silent for a moment. It seemed as though Leonel's final strike had done nothing.

However, an instant later, the center of the octopus's head began to twist. Then, its tough skin ruptured, following the twisting pattern and ripping itself apart.

The twisting tunneled through, its speed picking up. At first, everything seemed to slow to a crawl, but in the next moment, it accelerated. It seemed to take several seconds for the first layer of skin to be pierced, but in the blink of an eye, a torrent of wind had exited from the back of the octopus's head.

A mournful cry left the massive monster, the last of its tentacles lashing toward Leonel as a final, desperate plea.

In the air, Leonel had no way to dodge. The cool down on his shoes still hadn't ended. And, even if it had, he wasn't sure he had any Force left to activate them. He had put everything he had into that last strike.

This wasn't the most important point either. Even if his chain necklace could save him from dying, what about Aina who was strapped to his back?

Leonel's fighting intent blazed as he fell from the skies, the last bits of his strength blooming forth.

Chapter 86 - Blue

Leonel really did feel like an unlucky star was following him around everywhere.

The reason he dared to jump into the skies like this despite knowing the octopus might make an all out last assault was because he was hoping that it would disappear after it died just like Invalids. In that case, there would be nothing to worry about.

But, who could have guessed that not only would it not disappear, but the final momentum of its dying embers of life were enough to threaten him to this extent?

Even though the tentacles had lost the power backing them, thus making them far weaker than when the creature was alive, they were still falling toward Leonel and Aina. Considering the size of the octopus, Leonel didn't even want to calculate the weight each of those tentacles carried, or else he might pass out in shock before he even had a chance to resist.

Suddenly, Aina's voice called out.

"Catch the ax!"

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned quickly to find that the ax he had left embedded within the octopus's limb had pulled itself free and was now flying toward them.

Leonel understood Aina's intention immediately. If an ax that heavy soared toward them fast enough, it would be able to knock them off the path of trajectory the tentacles were aimed toward!

Leonel twisted his body in the air, catching the flying ax with both hands.

"Oof…"

Though Leonel felt his arms go numb as a strong force rammed into him, he couldn't have been more happy. This was enough!

Their direction was forcefully altered, sending them flying through a gap in the octopus's limbs and crashing toward the remains of a collapsed building.

Leonel braced himself, circulating the last dregs of his Force into his legs and landing heavily.

Thunderous booms sounded as the octopus finally collapsed. That battle hadn't lasted for even a minute, but Leonel felt completely spent.

'Weird…' Leonel frowned. '… Why aren't there any Invalids here yet?'

Before Leonel could ask his father's dictionary to see if it had an answer, he suddenly felt his spatial bracelet activate on its own.

The Segmented Cube flew out, its numerous pieces breaking apart and enveloping the octopus's corpse before forming back into the size of Leonel's palm once again.

Leonel blinked in astonishment. 'This thing seems to have intelligence of its own? How else do you explain this?'

Though Leonel wanted to scrutinize the cube more, he didn't have the luxury. After putting it away, he broke out into another sprint.

Without a spear, it would be difficult for him to use [Call of the Wind] again. Force techniques were too dangerous so he had learned to not modify them on a whim. It was impossible for him to change it into a technique suitable for axes.

Plus, even if he could… What Force would he do it with?

"Why are there no Invalids here?" Leonel asked the dictionary which now lay in his palm.

[ *Ping* Calculating… The most likely cause is related to the nature of Invalids. Invalids are creatures of instinct whose sole aim is to devour and evolve. However, they can only devour creatures of their species. Powerful creatures of a differing species are great deterrences to them as they are sources of danger without profit. ]

Hearing this, Leonel skidded to a stop. That A-grade Invalid only appeared after he was a distance away from the octopus now that he thought about it. It was just that the octopus could cover obscene distances with that leaping ability of its.

But, if there was a species limitation, then why would this octopus come after him so fervently?

'Wait… This octopus didn't disappear, so it's unlikely to be an Invalid. There must be another reason it saw me as a potential meal, and that reason may very well be related to why the Segmented Cube acted on its own… Forget it, now isn't the time to think about this. I need to focus on getting back to the Fort.'

"Quickly, how do Invalids differentiate between members of their species and those that are not?"

Leonel realized that this likely meant that not all Invalids were humans, but he didn't have time to ponder on this.

[ *Ping* Responding to Seed, it depends. Low level Invalids mostly rely on olfactory senses. High level Invalids have many more options, too variable to list. ]

Leonel's gaze shone. The place he had skidded to a stop by was exactly the place he had sliced into the octopus's tentacle. There just so happened to be ghastly blue blood here.

Gritting his teeth, he made a decision.

"Sorry about this, Aina."

**

A day and a half later, in the depths of the night, the patrol unit of Royal Blue Fort felt as though they were walking on eggshells.

In recent days, the number of Invalids had taken a sharp tick upward. According to the superiors, something big had happened in Perimeter 7, causing the first instances of Invalid Tides to form.

The good news was that their target wasn't the Fort, but the residual effects had made what once was a fairly easy job to gain Ascension Points to become a life and death struggle.

The Head Patrol Guard during this round was a certain Tier 2 Officer Doran. He could only curse his bad luck. Had this happened just a day later, he would have been able to apply to enter an F-grade Zone and dodge all of this nonsense.

But now, the superiors didn't want to risk having to train inexperienced patrol units at such a dangerous time, so he could only swallow his grievances and continue on with his patrol job. At least he had gotten off better than those Tier 3 Officers who had Perimeters to patrol.

'Hmph… That's what you all get for looking down on me…'

Realizing that others had it worse than him seemed to make Doran feel much better.

He swept a gaze from the top of the Fort walls. He had completed this action so many times already that he had lost count. He had expected this time to be no different from the others, but he suddenly froze this time around.

Without hesitation, he pulled out a telescope, extending it and looking through. With the restrictions on technology, he could only use such a primitive tool. But, that didn't change its effectiveness.

Doran blinked. What he saw shocked him.

There were two humans, but covered in some weird, cracking dark blue substance. One of them seemed to be carrying the other, but their states could only be described as sorry.

The young man carrying the young woman dragged a massive ax along the ground. He probably knew that such an action would slow his steps, but his arms didn't have the strength to lift that large weapon up anymore.

Who else could these two be if not Leonel and Aina?

Though the octopus blood had worked to a certain extent… it was just a certain extent.

It had 100% effectiveness on Invalids below the B-grade, but at the B-grade, it was barely 50% effective. For A-grade Invalids, it was not even 20% effective.

In the end, it had taken them over a day to cross just 50 kilometers because the initial commotion Leonel raised had caused an Invalid Tide. He felt spent to the point that his legs didn't even feel like his own anymore.

However, despite seeing the looming Fort walls, the unease in Leonel's heart didn't settle down. Instead, it grew… because the danger he had been waiting for hadn't appeared yet.

Doran's pupils constricted.

'It's them. I need to inform the Junior Governor Duke.'

Chapter 87 - Miles

Leonel weakly dragged his body into the gates of the Fort. His eyes were half closed and his steps were so small it hardly looked like he was taking them at all, but he eventually made it.

Every part of his body felt as though it was on his last legs. Even he was quite surprised that he was still alive. It could only be said that the human capacity for survival was very large.

"… Hello? Hello!"

Leonel's head shook as he suddenly felt someone was calling out to him. He looked up to find the very same Tier 2 Officer Doran standing across from him, a blinding flashlight waving in his hand.

Leonel squinted, finding it difficult to look at the light.

'Why the hell is this guy waving something like this in my face?'

It was safe to say that Leonel was at the end of his rope. He was lacking in both sleep and strength, so even if he was a saint, his fuse would be much shorter. In that moment, he even had the faint will to gather this massive ax he was dragging one more time and cleave this bastard in two.

In the end, he managed to restrain himself.

"… Do you think you can just ignore me? You might be some big shot, but there are still protocols to be followed —"

Spittle flew from Doran's lips, some of which even attached itself to his bushy mustache as he tried to interrogate Leonel.

He wasn't exactly wrong. Leonel and Aina had left their Perimeter before their post could be taken over, this was already an offense. On top of this, they failed to return with the military jeep they were assigned — yet another offense. Now, Doran had already asked Leonel several questions, to which he got no answers. And, of course, this was another offense.

Right now, they were still in a Code Red: Class 9 state. In such a state, crimes had punishments several times harsher than the norm. Even something as mundane and benign as shoplifting might get one 20 or more years in prison.

When the offenses were related to military order, the punishments would be even harsher as military law tended to be.

Leonel and Aina weren't official members of the military, which might still lighten their sentence. After all, the Fort was strapped for helping hands and every powerful individual was worth a lot. Doran obviously knew this, but he felt dissatisfied because he thought Leonel was ignoring him.

Clearly, Doran didn't realize that the reason he was still a TIer 2 Officer was because of his own stupidity. Considering the state of Leonel, who would assume that he was ignoring a person instead of realizing he was an arrow at the end of his flight?

Leonel's barely opened eyes slowly opened wider. The action seemed to take all of his strength, but what Doran saw made him stumble backward uncontrollably, finally allowing the blinding light to move from Leonel.

A beast. A wild beast that might lash out at any moment. That was what he saw.

A roar assaulted his mind as he fell to the ground.

Cold shivers and sweats traveled through his back as he stared up at Leonel, eyes filled with fear.

The other Officers looked toward Doran with weird expressions. Leonel hadn't done anything but look at him. Was there a need to react like this?

Leonel slowly walked by the fallen Tier 2 Officer. He only had thoughts of finally resting. He just had to make it back to his bed. No.. Any bed would do, he wasn't picky.

Then, he could sleep for a whole week and forget about all of this.

At that moment, more bright lights blocked Leonel's path. But, this time, they didn't come from a flashlight, but rather a few vehicles. Beneath the night sky, their high-lights made Leonel's eyes burn.

The frustration in Leonel's heart grew deeper. He just wanted to sleep. Why were all of these people continually blocking his way?

He was already so close to home. He had walked through the outer city, through the illusion mist, and into the inner city. He had been moments away from his bed when he suddenly found the mansion he had been given was surrounded by a few shuttles.

"Leonel Morales, the Junior Governor Duke would like to have a few words with you."

At this point, Leonel felt a boiling anger in his chest.

A word with him? Right now? They didn't send medical personnel or even ask if he was alright, but instead asked him to drag his body to see some Governor Duke's son who couldn't even bother to appear himself?

Leonel didn't even care about the fact that the Junior Governor Duke's appearance here meant that he had cleared an A-grade Zone. Compared to what he had just been through, could an A-grade Zone even be comparable?

However, with so many shuttles around him, maybe even equipped with weapon technology Leonel couldn't imagine, what could he even do? He found himself too tired even to express his rage.

Others believed that Leonel was very mild tempered, and that he was. But there was something about himself that James had pointed out on the day of the National Championship.

Leonel knew that James was trying to throw the game. He also knew that his friend must have had his reasons. However, he couldn't decide between his best friend and a game he had already won three times before.

James was like a brother to him. They had stayed side by side for four years. Anyone else, for the sake of such a friendship, might have acquiesced that one time and lost the game on purpose.

Yet, instead of doing so, Leonel found a method to both not hurt his friend while also winning the game in the end.

Of course, having known Leonel for so long, James saw through his friend with ease. Others may have thought that Leonel was simply unaware, but James knew that while Leonel was soft hearted, what he hated the most was losing.

Leonel's insistence on his father's mantra of Persistence and Respect might sound like a kid just idolizing his father, however, it was deeper than that. It was so deep that Leonel himself didn't recognize it, only those who were the closest to him did… Just like James.

So, when Leonel was making his way to the Junior Governor Duke's residence with a bubbling rage in his chest he could do nothing about, that hidden beast kept lashing out.

The aura around him became insufferable. Even the veteran soldiers around him felt like it was difficult to breathe. Only those Tier 5 veterans like Admiral Millan just barely managed to keep their knees from knocking together.

Soon, weak body and all, Leonel found himself in the living room of a mansion far more luxurious than his own. Everything seemed flooded with gold and white as though the Sun God Apollo was the owner of the residence.

Still, there was no sign of the Junior Governor Duke. It wasn't until Leonel heard a pair of voices that he realized there was a ledge above the living room that was being fed into by a pair of curved stairs.

Unfortunately, he felt too weak to raise his head, he could only barely see the shoes of the two above him and make out that they were two men.

"Miles, I really have to thank you this time. Without your help, I don't think I could ever get revenge for my fallen comrades."

"Is there even a need for such words between us, Simeon? Plus, my Governor Duke Family has an obligation to keep law and order. Whether you came forward or not, there would be appropriate punishments."

"It seems I've worried too much, then. The Leum Family is indeed trustworthy."

The words of the two young men stopped. Leonel could faintly guess that they were looking down the ledge and toward him.

"Leonel Morales. Aina Brazinger." The voice of the man called Miles filled Leonel's ears. From their conversation, Leonel could understand that he must be the Junior Governor Duke.

"We have evidence that you've cooperated to slay six citizens of our Ascension Empire. Even without Martial Law, the penalty would be death. As citizens of the Empire, you have the right to know what you are being imprisoned for, so I have told you. Escort them to the basement. They will remain there until the trial."

The young man spoke with indifference. To him, the trial was just a facade. The two of them were as good as dead.

Well… Leonel would die. As for the girl on his back, she would be sent off in chains to the Brazinger Family.

Leonel came to understand something. He had been a bit naive. He hadn't thought much about what would happen here since they were entering a mansion. If they were in trouble, shouldn't they have been directly sent to the jails?

But it was then he understood. For two Variants like them… Miles' illusion ability was the best kind of trap.

Leonel barely struggled to raise his head and only then did he see the faces of the two young men.

One of them had a bright head of white-gold hair that almost looked like the mane of a lion. As for the other, Leonel's vision was too blurred to see most of his features, but what he did see was the monocle over his left eye. No… one would be hard pressed to call it a monocle at all. It had eight lenses that seemed to hover in space in a circular formation.

Chapter 88 - Come

[Bonus chapter for 1200 powerstones. Bonus chapter for reach 300 coming later. Pray for my ligaments :'( ]

Leonel didn't react much to Miles' words, something that was out of the expectations of the latter.

Though he spoke those words with indifference, that didn't mean he expected indifference in return. In fact, he was very much expecting to hear several shouts and a torrent of cursing. It wasn't even out of his expectation that Leonel might try to run away and fight his way out.

Of course, all of this would be futile. The range of this illusion world was almost like his own lucid dream. The downside of his ability was that it took a lot of time to set up a range so large, but the benefit was that once it had been, not only was the drain on his spirit minimized, but his power was several times greater as well.

In truth, Leonel was finished the moment he crossed into this city. Miles' confidence was obvious by the fact he hadn't even confiscated the ax in Leonel's hand.

The Officials who escorted Leonel here had long since surrounded him. Seeing that Leonel didn't react, they didn't relax as one would expect.

By now, Leonel's vision had cleared a bit more. He could see that the young man with a monocle over his left eye had blazing red hair and eyes just like the six weremen had. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a light smile on his face. His impeccably clean and crisp clothing made his meticulousness evident.

Leonel slowly raised the ax in his hand, causing the officers to tense. But, Miles and Simeon continued to look down with indifference on their faces. Even if Leonel was in peak condition, they wouldn't have to fear him in this place, let alone now in his current state.

However, they could have never expected that instead of attacking, Leonel would be using the last of his strength to slip the ax back into the holster on Aina's back.

To those watching him, his actions didn't make much sense at all.

"… So you want to deal with me, is that right?"

Leonel's voice sounded quite hoarse. It could be imagined that he hadn't had a drop of water in a day and a half now. With how hard he had been pushing his body, it was a wonder that he was even standing.

Miles' brows knit slightly. His first instinct was to not respond. He simply disdained to. However, he found himself opening his mouth to do exactly that before he knew what was happening. It was as though he had been compelled to.

This level of charisma… It was hard to imagine it was a boy before him and not a Tier 7 or higher General.

Though he managed to stop himself right before the words came from his mouth, he was left in an awkward position. Everyone could tell that he had been about to speak and could only look at him in confusion when his mouth hung open without a word.

However, in the end, though he spoke, it wasn't to Leonel.

"Take him away."

Leonel moved again and Miles' frown deepened as he watched the Officers continue to hesitate. They watched as he took out three silver rods and twisted them together into a long pole, one after another.

"What methods do I have to protect myself from illusions?"

Leonel seemed to be speaking to himself. Every action he took was like a madman that couldn't be seen through. It felt like he just might lash out at them at any time. But then, unexpectedly, something responded.

[ *Ping* Seed's Soul Force is too high to be influenced by illusions beneath the Bronze grade, only Seed's eyes can be fooled. It is suggested that Seed close his eyes and make use of Internal Sight to battle. ]

[ *Information Omitted* ]

The words of the dictionary made Miles' pupils constrict.

"Stop him —!"

The words had hardly left his lips with the blunt tip of Leonel's rod had appeared before Admiral Millan.

Leonel had already guessed that this TIer 5 Admiral had an ability that utilized his voice. If not for this, an Admiral with no personal combat ability like him wouldn't be sent here to escort Leonel.

What Leonel could afford the least right now to lose his hearing or have his inner ear be affected.

The truth was that Leonel's Internal Sight was far sharper, more detailed, and more useful than his eyesight. It was just that Leonel had grown up all his life using his eyes to see and interact with the world. Suddenly having Internal Sight now made him feel as though he suddenly had another pair of arms he wasn't used to using yet.

However, now, he had no choice but to rely on it. What he couldn't have imagined was that the moment he closed his eyes and leaned on his Internal Sight completely that a rush of comfort would overwhelm his body.

It was as though a drying river had suddenly been fed by a crystal clear lake. What was a shame was that the dam originally blocking the lake from the river was actually Leonel himself!

Everything felt sharper and more controlled. The finest details of everything from his own body to his surroundings were projected into his mind without delay.

Leonel wasn't a fool. He knew that the lingering danger had yet to be resolved, so how could he come back here without any preparations at all? Though his body was in such a state, his Force and spirit weren't running completely on empty.

Admiral Millan's eyes widened. He had just been opening his mouth to send a concentrated blast toward Leonel when the rod appeared before him.

He sighed a breath of relief when he realized it had no blade. However, it was simply too fast for him to dodge. He could only brace himself for impact.

But… he could have never imagined that the blunt tip would carry so much force behind it.

The first thing he felt was the wall that hit his back. No… It should be that his back hit the wall.

Then, he registered that all of his ribs had been broken. He couldn't even scream without the searing pain of his lungs being minced by his own bones making his eyes roll back into their sockets.

He shook as he slid to the ground as though he was going into epileptic shock. This was maybe the only sign that his life was holding on by a small thread.

"The Empire has been pissing me off for a long time already." Leonel said slowly, his eyes firmly clamped shut. "Since you want me, come and get me."

Chapter 89 - Delicacy

[Bonus chapter for 300 powerstones, next at 600 :) ]

It could only be said that they were caught completely unprepared. Just like Leonel had guessed, the surveillance on him wasn't as air tight as he believed.

After the Metamorphosis, technology of their world almost ceased to function entirely. Technology, even in this futuristic era, still fundamentally relied on electricity which was ultimately the movement of electrons from one point to another. However, Force was constructed of the quantum particles that governed the laws electrons used.

With the benign Third Dimensional Force evolving into the Fourth Dimensional Force of a Fourth Dimensional World, those fundamental laws that governed everything were changing. As such, how could technology continue to function?

The Ascension Empire had put a lot of effort and research into building technology that could function in the Fourth Dimension, but Earth was ultimately still in its infantile stages.

The only reason some technology continued to work now was because Earth was still only a Pseudo Fourth Dimensional World. The Metamorphosis hadn't been completed in its entirety just yet. But, it was safe to say that Earth had lost more than 90% of its original capabilities. And now, only more primitive technologies like the military jeep worked in the outside world.

As for the shuttle of the weremen, Leonel was simply unaware that the model of the shuttle had been modified and downgraded. If not for this, let alone 300 kilometers an hour, a true shuttle could break the sound barrier without issue.

This was all to say that let alone having his personal satellite like Leonel imagined in his worst case scenario, Earth didn't even have a single satellite remaining. In addition, the highest class of tech could only be used in specific places where towers designed to disrupt Force operated.

The good news, then, was that Leonel wasn't as hopeless as he thought. The weremen likely only found them making use of a gps hidden within the military jeep.

The bad news, however, as Leonel was finding out now… Was that he was completely unable to use Force within the inner city where technology flourished.

This was a major miscalculation on Leonel's part. In his defense, he hadn't spent long enough in the Fort to notice such a thing. He was too inexperienced and only slept a single night here. But, at this point, he didn't have the mind to care.

He was pissed.

There wasn't a single drop of emotion on his face, but to those facing him, it felt like he was three times their size.

At this point, fear had gripped their hearts. Leonel hadn't made another move after incapacitating Admiral Millan. It was as though he was waiting for something.

"He is resisting an arrest issued by a Governor Duke Seal. Kill him."

Miles' cold voice was like the gun of a drag race. Those who had been hesitating and even somewhat fearful, still pulled on the holsters attached to their hips without hesitation, pointing their guns at Leonel.

Guns weren't much different from the past. They didn't shoot laser beams, but rather still functioned on bullets. However, in this era, even a handgun had no less strength than a sniper rifle.

Technology, instead of evolving toward higher grade ammo, put the most effort into increasing the strength of alloys, compressing force, and mitigating recoil.

In this era, every gun was outfitted with a complex gyroscope capable of measuring force and a haptic feedback system that used the data provided by the gyroscope to nullify this force. As a result, even the most powerful pistols not only had amazing armor piercing capability, they were also as steady as airsoft guns kids used to play.

However, to Leonel, this wasn't an entirely bad thing… The steadier the hand, the easier it was to predict.

Leonel had always been worried about guns. Even the most primitive guns of the medieval ages made him nervous. However, after he stopped using his eyes, he suddenly realized something.

Subconsciously, he could draw a line from the muzzle of the gun to where it would end up. It was almost like he was projecting his Dream World into the real world, as though he could simulate everything that would happen.

It was only a vague feeling, and Leonel could even feel that this was a still unawakened ability of his, but it was there nonetheless.

No one could have imagined that just when half a dozen guns had turned toward Leonel, he would take a step forward the instant their fingers pulled the trigger.

In the beginning, they thought that he was only fearless because he hadn't seen the guns. After all, his eyes were closed and these officials had never heard of this 'Internal Sight'. But, the scene that played out was completely out of their expectations.

It almost seemed like the bullets had flown through Leonel without obstruction, as though he had become transparent and blurry just for a moment.

However, Leonel knew the truth. One flew beneath his arm, two between his legs, one narrowly missing his neck, and the final two by his head.

He wasn't fast enough to dodge bullets. But, he was fast enough to dodge their trajectory.

With another two pierces of his rod, another two officers went down.

"What's his ability and what does it do?"

Leonel walked through a rain of bullets, taking down the final four officers. His attention was toward the young man with a monocle, who even now, couldn't have expected such a result.

Leonel was simply too calm. It really did feel as though they had woken a slumbering beast. Simeon and Miles watched from the ledge as Leonel, without an ounce of hurry, took six guns and twelve reload clips to himself.

[ *Ping* Generating nomenclature… ]

[ Evolution Stage: Tier 8 Black ]

[ Evolution Type: Auxiliary ]

[ Evolution: Reinforced Mind, Genetic Manipulation ]

[ Reinforced Mind: Mental capacity several times that of normal a individual. Special emphasis on eyesight. ]

[ Genetic Manipulation: Can sense the evolution path of those below the Tier 7 Black grade and Diverge or Converge it. ]

"I see…"

Leonel took a gun and aimed it toward Miles and Simeon with his left hand and shot twice in quick succession.

The power, the recoil, the speed… He had already seen through it all.

"… Unfortunate."

However, Leonel already mumbled this word before the bullets even landed.

BANG! BANG!

A thin energy shield blocked the bullets. The two young men, with cold sweat matted down their backs, watched on as the two bullets slowly fell before their eyes. Had it not been for the security system of Miles' home… they would be dead.

The most shocking part was that Leonel hadn't shot toward the illusion Miles had set up… but rather toward his real body.

His expression turned solemn. 'Even if you're ten times stronger, you won't leave the city alive.'

In order to maintain the peace, there were exceptionally few who knew of this operation. This was part of the reason they allowed Leonel to go so far as to walk back to his own home.

However, if the secret couldn't be kept, that was fine as well. Now that Leonel had attacked so many officials, and even a Tier 5 one at that, it would be even easier. With such evidence, it was impossible for the Right to Autonomy Amendment to work in his defense.

Leonel turned his back to the two men. One of them had an illusion ability that was useless against him and the other had a mental ability. They were not his opponents. His true enemy was waiting outside.

As expected, Leonel had hardly taken a step outside when the sound of horns shook the dark night sky. Several spotlights converged from all directions, alerting everyone to the state of emergency.

Thousands were mobilized in a few breaths. And, it seemed that Miles was more cautious than he seemed on the surface because even the usually unguarded inner city doors were blocked.

However, this was a problem Leonel would love to be facing. Because, as it stood now, he was still a few kilometers from those very doors.

He felt that something was disrupting his use of Force. As long as he could make it out of the range of that something, he could threaten the city by causing another Invalid Tide. Though he didn't want to put people in danger, this would be his very last resort.

Leonel stepped out of the mansion on shaky legs, looking up at the dark sky, the twinkling stars, the silver moon…

His breathing was ragged. Just a few moves and he already felt that he had hit another wall.

"… Do you have anything that can hold my body together a bit longer?" Leonel asked, a bit desperate feeling so many converge onto him through his Internal Sight.

This time… these weren't just normal, unevolved humans. They all had abilities… And their technology was levels beyond.

[ *Ping* Replying to Seed, the meat of evolved creatures is the best nourishment for Evolvers. ]

As though having heard the question, the Segmented Cube popped out once more before vanishing. All that was left was a head-size cube of rich, pinkish violet meat.

'… Raw octopus, huh…? I hear it's a delicacy…'

Chapter 90 - Tactical Units

Leonel took a step forward, taking a large bite out of the hunk of meat at the same time.

'In a city like this, they're unlikely to use explosives. The greatest danger to my safety are snipers. The range of my Internal Sight can't possibly be wide enough to take them into account. I also can't guarantee there isn't anyone with an ability that makes them confident in sniping even if I'm in the midst of a crowd. —'

Leonel's thoughts suddenly froze.

He felt as though a flame had suddenly dropped into his stomach and he felt incredibly heavy. The bloating in his stomach slowed his steps, making him uncomfortable.

Leonel was never one to eat much. In fact, he had had a poor appetite for as long as he could remember. Due to this disposition of his, it was a wonder that he wasn't a skeleton. This aside, it was safe to say that he hadn't experienced this feeling before.

'… No, that's not true. I have… The first time dad gave me that vomit brew…'

Leonel's burrow furrowed. The discomfort wasn't enough to slow him down severely, but it made him feel a bit sick. He was already not in an optimal state. He couldn't afford even the slightest tick down in his stats.

'What the hell…' Leonel felt like cursing this damn dictionary and his dad for creating a faulty product.

Leonel's frown deepened, but he couldn't continue remaining here. He had to make it to the doors out of the city as quickly as possible.

The moment Leonel broke out into a run, he felt his blood begin to boil. Before Leonel could even pause to figure out what was wrong with him, he found that his stomach was already rumbling.

The hunger was severe to the point Leonel almost fell over. The rolling and contracting muscles of his stomach felt like they might tear his body apart any moment.

Feeling a bit fearful and shocked, Leonel quickly took another bite. By the end of it, he bit into his palm, not realizing the meat was already consumed.

"What the hell is wrong with me?"

[ *Ping* Information Omitted ]

Leonel almost began cursing again, but his expression changed when he saw a troop of soldiers marching through the streets and toward him.

The sight of black clothes military men stomping in unison through a residential area was particularly dystopian. However, Leonel didn't have the time to take in the sight. He could only dive through the side gates of a nearby mansion.

He might be able to dodge the trajectory of bullets, but he wasn't insane. There were at least three dozen tactical rifles between them. Compared to the pistols in Leonel's possession which could already be considered as powerful as sniper rifles of the past, their power could be imagined.

Leonel leapt up with all his power, grabbing the edge of a house's roof and pulling himself up.

"Get down! Stop resisting!"

The roar of a man used to command entered Leonel's ears. But, he couldn't have imagined that Leonel would have already appeared on the roof when they were still seeking to cut him off from the side and back of the house.

'These men are clearly highly trained, but this is also their downfall. They don't dare to step out of line, which means they're restricting themselves from using their abilities. This is to my advantage…'

Leonel's gaze flashed. He put his rod away and two guns appeared in his hands.

He kept his head low as the tactical unit surrounded the house from all sides. The instant before they realized Leonel wasn't still on the ground, he had already jumped.

Leonel's body flew horizontally in the air, his arms pointed downward and his eyes blazing with fighting intent.

The sounds of gunshots rang beneath the night sky, followed by pained grunts and dull thuds.

With a flip, Leonel landed on the roof of an opposing house and broke out into another sprint.

"Give me another piece, I'm starving." Leonel said, hoping his words would be effective.

Thankfully, the Segmented Cube didn't let him down. Another head-sized cube of octopus meat appeared in his hand and disappeared into his stomach just as fast.

The burning in Leonel's blood grew. It was so comfortable that he almost forgot the aching of his muscles. It was a similar feeling to someone working out with sore muscles. After a while, the heat would make one forget the pain. However, if one stopped, the aching might return with several folds more potency.

Leonel knew he couldn't afford this, so he continued to push his body, hoping this heat would continue.

"Halt!"

Another roar entered Leonel's ears. It seemed that the captain from before had found his dead squad members. With a single leap, Leonel had shot six bullets and taken out six of them.

He didn't want to kill, but going down here meant that his life was basically over. The way Miles was trying to toy with his future left him sick to his stomach. However, what disgusted him the most was that if he were caught, Aina would definitely be sent to the Brazinger Clan. He refused to let this happen.

In that case, his conscience was clear. He could have easily killed them all, but he only killed enough to leave unscathed. He had already been merciful enough.

Aina watched silently as all of this happened, shaking her head. In truth, Leonel somehow thought she was still sleeping. But, how could she be sleeping in a situation like this?

'… He needs to learn that being kind to your enemies is only harming yourself…'

A cold light flickered in Aina's eyes, but she remained silent. Pretending as though she was still 'asleep'.

Leonel was absolutely unstoppable. The small tactical units sent after him one after another didn't even pose any challenge. The terrain was too disadvantageous to them.

They didn't dare to shoot toward Leonel carelessly. Who in this city wasn't a big shot? Did they even have the ability to take responsibility if one of these figures died in their homes because they were shooting at Leonel?

To make matters worse, Leonel having guns was like giving wings to a tiger. His senses were too sharp, his coordination too elite.

Every time he shot, a bullet would perfectly land in the gap of their armor, ending their lives swiftly. They almost couldn't believe that Leonel was only using handguns. Even if they were as powerful as sniper rifles of the past, the armors the tactical units wore in this age had advanced just as much.

However, it didn't seem to matter.

Over an hour later, Leonel sat behind the side gates of yet another home, his breathing ragged.

He had already swapped into the tactical gear of a soldier. The only thing he didn't change were his treasure shoes. Even if he couldn't use them in range of whatever was disrupting Force, they would still be useful to him in the future.

Leonel tied Aina to his back once more, gritting his teeth as he stepped forward.

From here until the doors, there were no longer homes to constantly hide behind. It was practically a flat plain.

Between Leonel's location and the doors out of the city, there was a city square and park. The space was as open as Royal Blue Academy's campus and the city square had no cover aside from a large fountain that sputtered water from the mouth of a mermaid and whale.

Not only were there units all throughout the park, but there was a small troop of at least 200 standing at attention right before the doors.

On a tower far away from the danger, Miles and Simeon watched on coldly. They hadn't managed to get eyes on Leonel just yet. They had a feeling that something with strong Force was protecting his body under these conditions, or else it was impossible that their surveillance systems couldn't lock onto him.

But that didn't matter. There was only one way into and out of the city. It had been specifically designed like this to stop rogues like Leonel.

Leonel practically inhaled another head-sized piece of octopus meat before slamming down the black head gear of the tactical unit.

In order to get this, he had actually doubled back toward the units he had already killed. This was part of the reason his location still hadn't been locked down and why he now had two tactical rifles in his possession.

Unlike the handguns, these rifles had 50 bullets per clip and were several times more powerful. With this kind of fire power, he still had a chance.

Unfortunately, things wouldn't be so simple. To now, the tactical units hadn't used their abilities. But, this didn't mean there weren't specially trained units. After all… Miles couldn't clear an A-grade Zone alone.

Since the beginning of the Metamorphosis, Royal Blue Province had experienced the appearance of four A-grade Sub-Dimensional Zones. One wiped out a special unit completely but three units survived, one of which, led by Miles, managed to clear the fourth just recently.

Leonel took a deep breath, his eyes gaining a deep calm as he stood out from the final home and entered the park with confident steps.

BANG!

Leonel's pupils constricted as he quickly fell to one side, but it was already too late.

A searing pain appeared in his left shoulder, precisely tearing through the smallest gap in the joint of his armor.

BANG!

Another shot rang out.

Chapter 91 - Xinghai

[Bonus chapter for 600 powerstones... On another, completely unrelated note, I can see the names of everyone who votes and recently ordered a death note from the dark web. I'm not mentioning this for any particular reason, just an interesting tidbit about my life. :) ]

Xinghai had always been a proud man.

When he was three years old, he was designated as a Five Star Arms Professional. In the history of the Ascension Empire, barely a thousand people had ever earned such an evaluation.

From that day onward, he was placed under the intensive care of the government with the consent of his parents. He began playing with swiss army knives before his fourth birthday and was already handling guns by the time he was seven.

When he began school, he entered the Royal Blue Education program, starting from Royal Blue Elementary School, entering Royal Blue Middle School, and eventually venturing to Royal Blue Academy.

He received the best education, the best nutrition plans, and the best care and attention one could ask for. He boasted a position in the top 1000 of the Most Eligible Minors list before his 18th birthday, and even after he became 18, he was within the top 10 000 Eligible Bachelors list.

However, after graduating from Royal Blue Academy five years ago, life became boring to him.

His family background wasn't as great as his peers, so he found moving up ranks in the army difficult. The rebels who spent their time trying to take down the Ascension Empire were nothing more than a clown show who could only cause skirmishes once in a while. And, without a high enough rank, he wouldn't be trusted enough to become a part of missions to quell rebellions on the Moon and Mars.

His life stagnated.

Sure, with his potential, all he had to do was wait a few decades for those old fogies to die and he would eventually get his shot. But… he didn't have such patience.

Before the Metamorphosis began, he had actually been approached by a member of the rebel army. Instead of reporting the incident like he should have, he actually kept it to himself.

What he wanted the most was the thrill. He loved battle and those damned virtual reality pods weren't worth shit to him. How was it the same if his life wasn't on the line? If he couldn't feel his blood boil? If he couldn't feel his opponent's life slipping between his fingers?

He needed more.

If it wasn't for the Descent of the Metamorphosis, he really would have joined the rebel army and stuck it to those bastards who tried to bury his talent like that.

But, it seemed there was a God smiling down at him. Just when he was about to, his ability awakened, then Invalids appeared, and then Zones began to open one after another.

Just like that, his boring life revved back up. He suddenly felt thrill again.

The longer he spent in a world like this, the more he felt that this was the way it should be. When things were too peaceful, things would be too boring. He wasn't one of those hypocrites who thought one needed to struggle to evolve. No…

He just wanted to kill.

Just a bit over an hour ago, Xinghai learned of what was going on here. After he was told that Leonel was all alone and was actually carrying a girl on his back, he disdained to participate. This kind of boring hunt, what the hell did it have to do with him?

He could have never imagined that this prey would be so interesting. It made him a bit curious, almost like a cat who found an adorable mouse.

After finding himself a nice tall tower, he picked out his favorite sniper rifle and settled in.

If one knew his personality and saw him now, they would find the scene to be completely out of their expectations. How a man who lived for battle and blood could remain motionless for so long, to the point of not even seeming to breathe, no one would be able to tell.

Yet, this was exactly what Xinghai had done. His right eye remained trained on his scope, the barrel of his rifle as steady as the surface of a calm lake. Even after he saw his prey, his heart beat remained smooth and unhurried. One would never guess that this was a man he had waited over an hour for.

As though his sniper rifle was a part of his body, he pulled the trigger in unison with a deep breath. As he exhaled, the bullet exited the barrel as though on a line and pierced the shoulder of his prey.

BANG!

That was when something completely out of Xinghai's expectations happened. The sound of the second bullet didn't come from his gun… but his prey's!

It was impossible. Sniper rifles of the 21st century had a range of about a kilometer at best. However, those of the 25th could shoot from ten kilometers away. Not only were they equipped with far stronger bullets, but they also came with an on board AI capable of executing the calculations a sniper needed with much more ease than a human.

Due to the size of the inner city and the situation, Xinghai hadn't found it necessary to be so far away. So, he picked a tower just a kilometer and a half away from where he guessed Leonel would appear.

With the power of his sniper rifle and at such a short distance, Leonel could have died on his first shot. But, wanting to play around a bit, Xinghai aimed for Leonel's shoulder first. He wanted to see his prey squirm and struggle for life, maybe even beg for mercy.

But, who knew that his prey would actually be able to react to a small extent. Like that, the bullet that should have been powerful enough to blow his arm off was actually obstructed by the tactical armor, causing it to lose some momentum and only pierce into his arm instead.

And, as if that wasn't shocking enough, without the slightest hesitation, his prey turned toward his direction as though their gazes could meet across the impossibly long distance and fired a single bullet.

Xinghai could feel it. That bullet radiated and dripped with confidence. He didn't fire a second and didn't even wait for it to land. His prey turned and sprinted into the park, disappearing into the depths of the small forest.

Danger overwhelmed Xinghai's senses. It was impossible, but he knew what would happen. This bullet would hit him. He was as good as dead.

What a funny joke this was. If someone told him that someone could aim an ordinary rifle with a single arm and accurately shoot down a target over a kilometer away, with how sadistic Xinghai was, he might just cut the person to pieces with his favorite swiss army knife.

But here it was, happening before him now.

The bullet tore through the air, invisible in the night sky. Sometimes, it would catch the moonlight's rays and glisten a beautiful silver before disappearing once more as though entering the void.

SSSHHHUUUUUU

The bullet tore into the tower.

In the last moment, Xinghai blinked away, disappearing and appearing one meter to his left.

BANG!

Silence fell. The only thing that could be heard in the high tower now were Xinghai's ragged breaths. He didn't even react when he felt violent bits of shrapnel, coming from his sniper rifle, assaulting him and tearing into his flesh.

After a long while, Xinghai stood, completely naked. If others were here, they would see his military uniform and gear laid on the floor where he had been lying just a moment ago, burnt to a crisp. As for his sniper rifle… it was in pieces.

Slowly, Xinghai made his way to the remains of the barrel. It had split apart as though an explosion had gone off inside of it.

It took a while, but Xinghai finally understood. The instant he shot his prey, he had given him everything he needed to know about his location. In the blink of an eye, his prey took that information and fired back. The shot was so precise that the bullet even entered the very nozzle the original bullet came from, almost taking Xinghai's life.

At this moment, Xinghai was in a sorry state. Bits of shrapnel had torn into the right side of his body. Luckily, he had timed his blink just right so that the brunt of the explosion passed him by. But, he was still a bit injured.

Xinghai grinned.

The sight of a man smiling with an entire side of his face dripping in blood was enough to send cold shivers down one's spine. But, it only became more obscene when Xinghai licked his lips like a rabid dog.

This prey. He wanted it.

Chapter 92 - Last Line

From their own tower, Miles and Simeon watched this happen with flickering expressions.

At first, they thought that Leonel was just flailing about like a headless chicken. They fully expected that the sniper would fire a second time to end his life. But, the second shot they were expecting never came. The only explanation was that Leonel's singular shot was effective in disrupting the sniper or even… killed him.

The two looked at each other, the hint of coldness between them obvious.

For Miles, he wanted Leonel and Aina out of the picture so that he could better control the situation of Royal Blue Province. With his father gone to the capital, this was a time for him to establish his authority and gain some power for himself. The sudden appearance of two Variants would make those plans nearly impossible.

Unfortunately, without proper cause, he didn't dare to lay a hand on one Variant, let alone two. But who knew that Leonel would do something as foolish as committing an act of murder? This was like a pie falling from the skies and into his lap.

For Simeon, his goal was even more obvious. The idea that a bastard child of the Brazinger family could now hold such power was impossible for them to accept. As things stood now, he was still the only one aware of Aina's Variant status as only he paid attention to the outside world. The other members of the family and families like them disdained to do such a thing.

However, if the family found out about Aina's existence and realized he had acted but failed to bring her back, he would suffer some punishment without a doubt.

Unfortunately, the hands of both of them were tied. One had an ability that was useless before Leonel, and the other was nothing without his genetically modified minions. They could only stand and watch as things unfolded…

**

Though Leonel had escaped into the small forest, he didn't expect it to provide him much cover. In fact, it was highly likely that there was another ambush waiting for him here.

At the end of the day, this wasn't a true forest. It was just a park. How could he expect to find thick vegetation and foliage to hide him in?

Instead of giving this place his hope, Leonel stopped behind the first tree he could.

With Aina's ax being so large, he was confident in its ability to protect the back of their heads and backs. All he had to do was focus on his front. But he had to be quick, there was no telling if other squads could be converging from his back now that his location had been exposed.

Leonel grit his teeth and pulled on the bullet in his shoulder. Due to his movement in the last second, it hadn't penetrated too deeply. He couldn't help but be impressed with the armor of the black tactical gear he was wearing.

He moved his left shoulder around a bit.

'It's painful, but not to the point of being crippling. Let's go.'

Leonel dashed forward a cold glint in his eyes.

Those hiding in this small forest never thought that he would stop at the first line of trees, but it also seemed that they were unaware that their spots of ambush were all seen through by him during that moment of rest.

Leonel slipped his rifle into his spatial bracelet and pulled out two handguns. They were all he needed.

Without slowing down even a beat, he raised his arms.

Leonel's hands seemed to have a mind of their own. In one moment, they would be moving faster than a whip, in the next they would be as steady as a statue.

In those moments of steadiness, a single shot would ring through the forest, followed by a slight spark of light and the muffled groans and pained cries of men and women.

Those faint sparks of light sometimes illuminated Leonel's face. Even hidden behind a helmet, one could see the smoothness of his brows and the unforced nature of his closed eyes. If it wasn't for the fact he was moving so quickly, one would think that he was asleep.

Leonel bolted through the forest in a manner of minutes. In his wake, all that was left were corpses and a series of trees with a single bullet hole through their trunks.

Deep breaths fogged the inside of Leonel's helmet as he sprinted across the edge of the park. He was almost there. The city square and the final line of defense would soon be before him.

'How do I get past this…?'

As his mind was running wild, Leonel took out a second tactical helmet and slid it over Aina's head. That sniper from before scared him a bit. He thought that Aina would be safe on his back, but that bullet caught him completely off guard. There was no telling just how many snipers of that caliber there were, and he was about to enter an open field once again.

He caught a faint glimpse of Aina's sleeping face. Her cheek rested on his shoulder and her breathing was steady. She looked like a peaceful little fairy.

Leonel couldn't help but smile. For a moment, the fatigue in his limbs completely vanished. He really was a lovestruck fool.

After he secured the helmet on her head, his eyes became emotionless once more and then tipped over and became cold. It was fine if they all just got out of the way. If that was the case, he could let them be. But if they wanted to play a role in his Aina becoming a prisoner, they would have to pay the price.

Leonel closed his eyes once more and reloaded the clip of two rifles. Then, he stood as though using the last of his strength to keep his back straight and began to fire like a madman.

He had done his best to gain an advantage. After stepping out from the last tree and onto expertly cobbled roads, the only thing between him and a lineup of 200 soldiers was a large water fountain with a mermaid sitting on a whale's back.

Chapter 93 - Little Fool

From the vantage point of the small troop, it was difficult to see Leonel from behind the water fountain. But, his bullets seemed to have eyes of their own.

Flying through the mermaid's arms, beneath the whale's fins, through the jets of water, he rained hails of lethals shots toward them as though he could see through everything.

Sometimes, his bullets even hit the statue. But, despite the sturdy material it was made of, they pierced right through. Leonel seemed to always perfectly aim toward the weakest and thinnest parts of the statue, tearing through it like tofu.

"Fire!"

A commander roared, suddenly seeing his troop fall into turmoil. It had only been a few seconds, but over a dozen of his men had fallen, unable to rise again.

BANG!

Another sniper rifle rang out as a hail of bullets came from the troop of 200. But, Leonel pretended as though he hadn't sensed anything, his steps only shifting slightly.

The loud clanging of metal resounded as the bullet rebounded off of Aina's ax. Despite the power, Leonel's stance was strong and steady. It was like he didn't know his neck had been moments away from being pierced through.

"Narrow the formation!" The commander barked.

Leonel's lips shrunk into a fine line.

'I can't shoot anymore down from this angle. If I can take advantage of the fountain, so can they… In that case…'

Leonel's fire suddenly concentrated on the water fountain.

Seeing that no more men were falling, the commander felt that his previous command had been the perfect response. Leonel wasn't the only one who could take advantage of cover.

"Hold! HOLD! FORWARD!"

The troop charged. There was barely a hundred meters between them and Leonel. As long as they closed in on him, they could fan out the formation and he would be surrounded.

But what happened next left them speechless.

Leonel suddenly dashed forward and leapt into the air. With all his might, he kicked with both legs at the whale's head.

Those who caught faint glimpses of this were left speechless. The action seemed ridiculous. However, those thoughts couldn't last long.

With a BANG, the water fountain collapsed and the remains of the mermaid and whale soared through the air for a moment before skidding violently along the ground.

The commander of the troop's eyes widened. He could have never guessed that Leonel's concentrated fire was aimed at the base of the statue's connection to the fountain. In that moment, he had weakened it just enough to kick it to the ground.

"Scatter! Scatter!" He roared.

Unfortunately for him, Leonel was riding atop the sliding whale, his hands pointed forward with two tactical rifles. Almost like a charging cavalry, he madly surged forward, bullets raining down with him as their point of origin.

The whale slid across the ground, smashing into the front line of the troop and squashing several of them before finally slowing down.

Leonel didn't even bother with the rest of the scattering troop. This was the perfect opportunity.

He jumped down from the whale, dashing toward the inner city doors with all of his might.

Bullets rained down toward him, but they all clanged off of Aina's ax.

However, in all his fervor, Leonel had forgotten one thing.

The moment he stepped out of the inner city and back into the outer, he felt that his Force was no longer restricted. This was good.

What was bad was that he had forgotten that there was an outer city. And in the outer city, he saw a unit of eight waiting below the steps for him. These eight alone gave Leonel far more pressure than those 200 soldiers behind him had.

Leonel gaze met theirs, his breathing ragged. It felt as though a hot coal was traveling through his lungs.

'Dammit.'

Leonel had already been pushing past his limits for too long already. He had been half a step into his grave before he even entered the Fort, let alone now after being madly chased for over an hour.

Just now, he had been on the highest of highs, thinking that he had escaped, only to find that he hadn't at all. He came crashing down heavier than he went soaring up. The pain in his body seemed to want to tear him apart.

"Put down the weapons, boy. You've done enough harm."

The man who led the group seemed to be quite old, but his eyes and voice held a youthful vigor to them. There was something especially magical about his voice that made one want to bend over backwards to please him.

Seeing that Leonel was a bit dazed, the special unit slowly mad their way forward, encircling Leonel.

It wasn't that Leonel couldn't tell what what was happening. In fact, from the very beginning, the pleasing voice hadn't influenced him at all. He just wanted a bit more time to rest, just a bit longer to catch his breath.

'I'm so tired…' Leonel thought with haggard gasps.

However, the special unit continued to approach and Leonel realized that the few seconds they would take to surround him wouldn't make much of a difference to the situation of his body at all.

Leonel's grip of his rifles tightened. He willed them to flex as though pulling out the last of his strength. Once they were close enough he would move and leap over this hurdle too.

Who would have known that at that exact moment, just when Leonel was going to hit another wall, he would suddenly feel that his back was exceptionally light all of a sudden?

His eyes blinked open, but he hardly reacted when a shadow appeared between the eight whose expressions were now changing drastically.

A scythe of red-gold energy severed their necks at once, causing a rain of eight fountains of blood to shoot into the skies.

Beneath the rain, a petite woman took a black helmet off, her appearance making Leonel's heart, which had been steady even through all of this, beat wildly.

The crimson droplets seemed to radiate beneath her aura, her amber eyes shining so brightly that they appeared to be golden. Her long hair fluttered in the wind, catching the moonlight like a waterfall beneath the cool night air.

"Aina…"

At that moment, Leonel suddenly understood something.

According to the analysis machines of the Empire, Aina's ability fell under the healing type. This had always been odd to Leonel because the way Aina had described her ability to him, it didn't seem to have anything to do with healing.

But now it seemed that he was wrong. Healing might very well be the foundation of Aina's ability and was the root of her strength. But, her healing must only work on her own body.

Aina probably guessed how things would go if they returned, but instead of stopping Leonel, she allowed him to go back and see the truth of the world for himself. It was possible that she had been healed for over a day already. No, maybe she never spent very long injured in the first place.

Worried that they might be being monitored, she continued to feign her injuries to make them underestimate the pair and only made a move at the most opportune time.

Aina took out a jewelry headpiece and put it on. A small, fingernail sized gem dangled from her forehead, looking like a drop of water.

Then, she turned toward Leonel and smiled lightly.

"You've done enough, I'll handle the rest."

"So beautiful…" Leonel mumbled like an idiot.

Aina blushed profusely, her Valkyrie-like aura vanishing like a receding tide.

Feeling embarrassed and seeing that Leonel still wanted to stare for a bit longer, she marched up the stairs, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him along. If she didn't do this, this little fool would stare for who knows how much longer. It wasn't as though they were out of the woods yet.

The moment she turned away from Leonel's bumbling appearance, her gaze turned cold.

'This little fool really made an enemy out of the Ascension Empire just for me… In that case, anyone who stops me from taking him out of here can be cleaved in two.'