[Bonus chapter for 2250 powerstones. Next at 3000, unless the double golden ticket event kicks in before then, in which case... 3750. I think it starts soon but I can't remember]
Leonel's spear drew lines across the skies from three different directions. Each one was swifter than the last, and yet they each seemed to have their own flare as though Leonel was in a different mood when drawing the stroke of each one.
Jova's expression became serious, her rage being doused by a bucket of cold water. She suddenly realized that Leonel hadn't displayed even a fraction of his skill, he only showed as much as he thought he needed to show.
Today, he would make a display for the spearmen and swordsmen of the Void Palace to see. He needed nothing but his spear to suppress all directions!
Jova's wrist flicked, her whip sweeping across. But, the moment they connected, she was forced one step back, then another, and then another.
Those who knew of Jova couldn't help but widen their eyes. Emonie and Eliot had both taken about eight years to climb. However, Jova was on an entirely different level, taking just six years, being an entirely 25% faster than them.
When this number was translated to strength, though, it wasn't a mere 25% increase even though that would be an astonishing amount nonetheless. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that she was twice as powerful.
And it showed quite clearly. She had yet to activate her God Runes, and yet she had only taken three steps back to a strike that had left Eliot entirely incapacitated.
Jova's aura flared, her green hair fluttering. Her whip roared to life, the mandible of a viper opening wide as it snapped toward Leonel.
However, in response, Leonel only took another step forward, his blade piercing forward again.
Swift.
This again?! Jova was infuriated that Leonel was actually taking her so casually. But, just as she finished the thought, her construct crumbled, the snake splitting in two beneath Leonel's might and curving around Jova's whip.
The spiraling golden Spear Force appeared before her in the blink of an eye, the flexibility of Leonel's Spear Force leaving her in shock, but its range shocked her even more.
Jova lightly stepped onto the ground, her dress fluttering as she dodged to the side. But, Leonel had already struck forward again.
Gentle.
Leonel's spear quivered in the air, his movements feeling slow and ethereal. Despite his rage, his spear obediently calmed itself, a beam of golden Spear Force slicing forward with a momentum that made little sense.
It felt fast, but controlled, lethal, but hidden, strong, but… gentle.
Leonel's interpretation of Gentle had evolved to the point that it became a profound technique all to its own. To do something gently didn't mean that one couldn't be fast, lethal and strong, it just meant that one had to be fast, lethal and strong in a tactful manner, bringing one's speed under control, reining in one's lethality, hiding one's force.
Jova found that her mind was being overloaded. Every time she felt that she knew exactly how to counter, she would realize that it wasn't adequate. By the time she realized that this technique was too profound for her to counter with her level of skill, it had already appeared before her.
Without a choice, Jova roared, her God Runes blazing to life and strengthening her body.
A wall of vines appeared before her and she used the opportunity to dodge to the side.
When she reappeared on the other side, her whip struck outward again and again, an emerald mark shimmering upon her forehead.
It only took people a glance to recognize the Lineage Factor of the Viror family. In such a state, not only was her body flooded with strength and her Healing Factor was accelerated to an extreme, but the most powerful ability of the Viror family Lineage Factor was control over the Life Force of plants.
Not only could Jova form plant-life from thin air so long as the proper Force existed, but she could control these powerful plants to do her bidding. And, any Viror family member worth their salt would nurture powerful seedlings to bring with them to battle.
As Jova's whip cracked out, her free hand opened a palm sending half a dozen seedlings into the air.
In one moment, they were nothing more than seeds the fraction the size of a fingernail. But, in the next, they exploded in size, becoming pinkish gold lilies as large as three meters across each!
Their stems and vines looked as though they had been coated in green dragon scales and their petals shimmered with a heavy light that pierced through the fog of the Void Palace.
The Evergreen Dragon Scaled Lily!
In the human world, plants had two method of protecting themselves: toxins and physical defenses. In the Dimensional Verse, this wasn't much different. But, the results were far more… exaggerated.
The Evergreen Dragon Scaled Lily was known for its tough scales. As a pinnacle Sixth Dimension Herb, its vines were no weaker than any Sixth Dimensional weapon. But, its most lethal attribute…
The six three-meter tall lilies rotated in the skies. Suddenly, the roar of a wild beast shook the surroundings, pillars of Force bearing down upon Leonel.
The expressions of those in the surroundings changed. There was no doubt that this was overkill, Jova had actually used six such precious seeds at once. Who knew how long it had taken her to evolve them to this level?!
Everyone could tell that she had poured all the Life Force of the lilies into this one attack. What if she killed Leonel?! How would she take responsibility?!
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BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
However, to everyone's shock, a frosty aura suddenly spread through the surroundings, the region freezing to ice and causing Jova's summoned vines to shatter like glass in an instant.
Leonel slowly walked out from the region, untouched and dawned in a radiant armor.
"You're angry? I'll show you what real rage is."
Leonel took another step forward.
For a long time, Leonel didn't believe that he had a single artistic bone in his body. But, there was something he had neglected. When it came to charisma, there were very few people who could match up to him. When it came to words, there were very few people who could galvanize a crowd like he could, very few who could stir hearts like he could, very few who could instill fear like he could.
"Fury."
Leonel's Spear Force seemed to become a raging flame, and yet Leonel hadn't used his fire affinity at all.
His blade pierced forward, painting the world in red.