Chapter 55: Paris (5)

[Bonus chapter for 200 powerstones. Next at 400 :)]

The three of them were shocked and horrified, but Leonel and Aina had already acted once again. In as little as three breaths of time, three more planks of wood were flying toward them, scorching the air.

Finally, Joan reacted. With a wave of her pole, her knights stepped forward and stomped their feet as one.

Golden strings sprung from her flagless polearm, attaching to the heads of each of the knights and causing their auras to skyrocket.

A moment later, a thin and pale gold dome-like shield appeared in the path of the first fireball.

BANG!

The barrier shook and cracked, on the verge of collapse.

Nigelle quickly reacted, pulling his bow string and releasing three arrows that seemed to magically manifest in rapid succession.

The embers of the first fireball flashed and sprinkled down from the air, soon becoming a curtain the three energy arrows pierced through to collide with the next three balls of fire.

"Let's go." Leonel broke out into a run before the six attacks even collided.

"80% chance he uses the collision as cover for another energy attack. Shield."

Leonel's ears twitched, barely catching Reimond's words beneath the next cacophony of booms. The latter was practically whispering. If it wasn't for Leonel's sharp sense, he would have really missed it.

'Precognition? Prediction? Psychic?' Leonel frowned.

However, his steps didn't stop. Judging by the situation, this person seemed to think that Leonel wouldn't be able to hear him. Another thing was that he didn't have a method of communicating without speaking. As long as Leonel could continue applying pressure on him, even if he could guess his most likely course of action, he would only be able to take the optimal actions for himself. In that case, the impact of his ability would be severely limited.

Leonel's Force surged, pressing down on his left arm with the pressure of a mountain. It would be difficult to win this battle without his Force. However...

[Leonel Morales]

[Strength: 0.99; Speed: 0.99 (+0.1); Agility: 0.99 (+0.1 - partially nullified); Coordination: 1.15; Stamina: 0.99-1.20 (+0.05 - nullified); Reactions: 1.15; Spirit: 1.00; Force: 0.40]

Leonel felt that this was enough.

Aina cut past Leonel, swinging her massive shimmering ax down and causing a beam of Force to split the explosion in half.

Leonel took the opportunity of the pause in her steps to flash by her once more, jumping through the opening she created.

Seeing this, Reimond smiled, believing he had successfully predicted Leonel's attack pattern. However, he soon realized that he had miscalculated.

Seemingly having expected the new barrier in his wake, Leonel took appropriate action.

'The movement of Joan's knights are based on her ability. However, as expected, the movements of Reimond's are more autonomous. They exist for the sole purpose of protecting him, and any combination abilities they have should rely on Force Arts.'

"Aina."

Aina was already following closely behind. Hearing Leonel's voice, she flung forward another plank of wood.

'Force Arts can create, but they can also destroy.'

If he could use his Force, this barrier would be nothing to him, especially since it had already blocked a percentage of Aina's energy scythe. However, he wasn't certain that his bodily strength alone could pull it off. Luckily, it didn't have to.

Leonel's eyes rapidly shifted from side to side, taking in everything about the barrier he was still leaping toward. His ability churned at full tilt, calculating madly without end.

In the next instant, a familiar square plank of wood appeared before him and his spear snaked forward once again without hesitation.

'Undo...'

There were many disciplines under the Force Art umbrella. In fact, it was even a bit foolish to consider them a single whole.

Among these disciplines, there were a few greatly respected. Those that followed this discipline were known as Decriptionists. They had the ability to deconstruct any Force Art and see through their flaws. Those of this profession were invaluable in high level Zones and when exploring the graves of high-grade Dimensional Masters.

Of course, Leonel wasn't such a person. It was just that he happened to realize that Force Art was simply a method of making Force flow in a certain manner. Specific frequencies and conditions allow the manifestation of different phenomena.

But in that case, couldn't those frequencies be countered?

It was a simple thought that Leonel had tested in the last few days. Even he wasn't aware of just how unfathomable the path he had stepped onto was, nor was Reimond aware that he would be the first to suffer under his discovery.

In a muffled bang, the defensive barrier formed by Reimond's knights collapsed like a house of cards, allowing Leonel and Aina to charge through.

Before the first knight could react, Leonel's spear shot forward with an unbelievable speed and pierced his throat. He pulled it back and passed by before the first spurt of blood even made itself known.

Nigelle cocked back another arrow, but before it made it to Leonel, Aina had already stepped forward. With a swing of her ax, the arrow shattered like glass.

Without missing a beat, Leonel's spear became like a blur, causing another three knights to fall mercilessly. No matter how much armor they wore, he was able to find the tiniest crevices and the smallest openings to exploit, reaping their lives with a single strike every time.

Joan couldn't sit idly by. With another wave of her polearm, her knights moved forward once more.

Leonel had thought that they would be just as easy to deal with as Reimond's knights. However, he soon found that even after several probes, both his and Aina were still trapped in their encirclement.

Every time Leonel thought he saw an opportunity to strike one of them down, another would strike toward him at an angle he had no choice but to retreat from. After this happened several times, Leonel's expression grew solemn.

'They share their senses...'

Leonel's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected their momentum to be stifled so suddenly.

'The only way to break through in a short time is... absolute power.'

Leonel's gaze narrowed and he shot forward. Others might think that the only method of displaying absolute power was strength. But Leonel knew of another: speed.

"90% chance he tries to brute force his way through."

Reimond's voice once again traveled to Leonel's ear. His words were incredibly soft and he believed that only Joan could hear him, but the reality wasn't so.

Joan waved her polearm once again, causing her knights to bunch together in preparation for a strong attack.

Unfortunately, though Reimond's prediction was correct, he failed to describe the method Leonel would use.

Leonel firmly planted a leg, suddenly changing directions and shooting through a gap between a knight and the inner gate. Joan's actions had only made them all the more susceptible to his maneuver.

'[Call of the Wind].'

The instant Leonel flashed through, a faint glow coated the tip of his spear.

Reimond's last thought was one filled with shock. He, who could do the work of God and prophecy the future... died just like this?

A bloody hole seeped with blood from his forehead even as a sweep of Aina's ax sent Joan's knights tumbling back several steps.

Leonel clenched his jaw, the veins on his left hand bulging like swarming green snakes beneath his dented shield. He had gotten rid of the most dangerous of the three of them, but he had paid a severe price.

He couldn't move his left arm.