Dimensional Descent

Leonel felt as though his grandfather's every word was grating on his soul.

But he still stood there, his mind wrapped in a steel cage, clearly unwilling to accept the things he was hearing. A part of him would have rather ignored it all.

As quick as Leonel's mind was, if he wanted to come with excuses to ignore valid points, he could run circles even around this grandfather of his. His mind was simply too nimble and quick. And, as expected, that was exactly what he did. In no more than a breath of silence, he had already come up with several rebuttals.

His father? Wasn't he just restricted by the same things the hidden families were? How could he have interfered if he had rules he wasn't allowed to break?

His treasures? If he had handed them in, would they really have helped his friends? Trusting Supreme Monet with his things, would that have really been an intelligent thing to do?

Pisces? That backstabbing bitch? Was she really the same as the weak? Why should she be categorized as such?

The worst of it all was the fallacy of Emperor Fawkes' argument. He and Leonel weren't even remotely in the same position. One of them hadn't even known of their noble status until a few weeks ago while the latter was an Emperor of a world. There was a very clear dividing line in their responsibilities. There was no way Leonel should care more about the citizens of Earth than their Emperor.

Even if Leonel was the most selfish individual there was… So what? His burden wasn't the same as this supposed Emperor. Why were they even being compared?

However, in the breath it had taken Leonel to think of these things, Emperor Fawkes had continued speaking as though he had never taken a pause to begin with.

"Those were the last words I'll say on the topic. If you feel that you would be a better Emperor, I am right here. If you can defeat me, the throne is yours."

"Imperial Father!"

by something other than indifference for

felt like rolling hills that extended to infinity, like an endlessly rising land that shot into the skies, like a lurking beast slumbering as though there was nothing that

Fawkes ignored his

You're weak. And worst

had at the tip

way around his words as though this was a debate rather than real life, that only meant that

already explained things once. He wouldn't do it again. He

of Shield Cross Stars," Emperor Fawkes continued, "You will be safe as long as you are on Earth. My

the winds to shift. It felt as though the world itself acknowledged The Emperor's

precisely this old man who had earned the World Spirit

that he could display such power without the World

you leave Earth, though, you will be on your own. I doubt that Shield Cross Stars will be as blatant as they have been to

name made him feel as though he was falling further and further into this quagmire that was

would most definitely be shocked beyond belief. Commander Scithe had been biding his time to strike at

though that wasn't shocking enough, Commander Scithe was

status. That said, that only matters to those who know of it.

felt as though

some people knew about it? He had a fugitive status? But it only mattered to those who knew of

any of