Chapter 2011: Without Fail
Leonel was incomparably focused. His fingers tapped at slightly different rhythms, but each of their speeds was blinding,
The ores before him were quickly heated, each of them being shed of their impurities.
The way he approached purification now and the past was vastly different. Before, his only focus was making the ore shine in its own personal strongest light. But now, he saw things several steps ahead. Sometimes, he would even purposely leave impurities behind, knowing that certain changes would actually aid this ore to better bind with the future pieces of the alloy.
This was what it meant to have entered the Life Grade, comprehending the holistic view of your creation rather than dealing with individual portions.
His actions moved smoothly from one step to the next. Despite the fact he was working with such a large amount of materials considering the size of the stingrays, he finished the purification process in not even 10 minutes. His speed could only be said to be mind numbing.
However, the results for those in the crowd who were laymen was underwhelming. Even from here they could see that many impurities were left behind, but they felt that this was likely the best Leonel could do given the circumstances. Only time would tell if the results would be good enough.
Despite the feelings of these laymen, the Morales Ancestors and the Force Crafting Guild Crafters had all stood to their feet, their eyes wide as they moved forward as though they needed to get a closer glance.
Leonel was keeping this relatively simple, working with just three Sixth Dimensional Ores, and, of course, using Urbe Ore as a foundation. It was for partly this reason that his actions seemed to be so desperate. What could Silver Grade treasures do to meaningfully change his situation at the moment?
Two of these Ores were water based, while the third was a water-wind fusion that was particularly unruly. This third ore was known as Green Storm Ore, and what made it even odder was the fact it was a Vein Type Ore.
This meant that it wasn't only unruly, but one had to be delicate and finely controlled in its usage. Vein Type Ores were usually built into the core of treasures and used to write out the most integral Force Arts to a Craft.
However, the method by which Leonel was refining it, and then subsequently fusing it with two foundational Water Force Ores, was just...
Genius.
Leonel made the unruly ore look like a docile child. His mind worked on a plane of its own.
The laymen weren't able to see the subtle actions Leonel was taking, but how could the Ancestors not? They felt as though they were seeing a prodigy rising up before their eyes. Even until now, they couldn't quite comprehend how Leonel's armors were all of the Life Grade, but it seemed to suddenly click into place right this moment.
The Green Storm Ore was spun into a thin filament, so thin that it floated through the sky like a thread of silk, weightless and flexible.
One after another, Leonel began to form the spinal bones of the armor, threading the Green Storm Ore into the Water Force Ores it should have clashed with.
A beautiful pile of refined metals began to appear. They shimmered with blue, like sapphires sparkling beneath the ocean's surface. Within then, fine patterns of emerald glowed, giving it a mysterious appearance.
At the same time, Leonel was refining one blade after another. This blade was formed by two Wind Force ores and yet another water-wind ore that was once again Green Storm Ore.
Each blade was as thin as a cicada. They fluttered through the wind like a leaf, looking much more like the thin fins of a beautiful fish rather than the blades they were. With just a single jolt, they went from fragile and flexible to incredibly tough and sharp.
The craftsmanship could only be described as gorgeous.
The hours ticked by, and then over a day, but it seemed to finally click. Leonel didn't need months... By the end of the third day, he would be finished.
The bags around Leonel's eyes were so dark that they had become a dense black. However, his fingers continued to strike with the same speed, large numbers of armors floating in the air with a renewed sort of vigor.
Leonel's wrist trembled as a Force Crafting pen appeared. Suddenly, that Force Crafting pill multiplies, 2000 appearing, one for each of his hands.
He took a breath and exhaled before his hands suddenly began to move with lightning speed. The skies were filled with golden arcs and complex Force Arts were formed one after another like the gears of a pocket watch.
The gazes of those shocked by Leonel's abilities turned to confusion. They had simply never seen such Force Arts before, it was completely foreign to them. They were even having trouble comprehending what they could do.
Was this Leonel's trump card?
Suddenly, Leonel's body froze and he felt backward, only to be caught in a soft embrace. However, by that point, he was already lightly snoring.
Aina looked down with a hint of worry before looking up to the large pile of armors. Others would have a city filled with subordinates by now, the size of a Gold-Grade city was already enough to accommodate a population of millions. But Leonel's city was filled with these large armors instead.
To forge a million armors, even with a thousand hands, was akin to each pair of hands completing an army every four to five minutes. Keeping up such a pace for over 72 hours... She could imagine the kind of burden he had taken on.
However, while she was worried about Leonel's wellbeing, the Human Domain was in an uproar.
After Leonel had finished those final strokes, the auras of the armors had solidified and took true form.
Each one of those armors, without fail... Was in the Life Grade.