Dimensional Descent

'What's going on here, old man?'

'I've never been stupid enough to enter a Rapax Nest, how the hell would I know?'

Leonel's heart felt uneasy, it was like his heartbeat had gone hollow, ringing in his ears and sending an odd wave of something slightly less than pain through his chest. It wasn't quite piercing enough to harm him, but it was too great to ignore at the same time.

The more uneasy Leonel became, the colder his gaze got. Eventually, they began to flicker with a smoldering flame, the temperature around him even rising for a moment.

Aina shifted her eyes from the path ahead to land on Leonel's side profile. But, not long after she did so, she found herself looking into his eyes.

"If it comes down to it and I try to bring you into the Segmented Cube, don't resist." Leonel spoke, his voice tinged with a hint of cold.

Aina stared at Leonel deeply for a long while. It didn't seem like she would respond at all after a while. But, when she finally did, her choice of words were like a baffling sledgehammer to Leonel's chest.

"I am stronger than you."

Leonel, who hadn't looked away from Aina, continued to do so. Despite the fact the words should have been shocking, he didn't seem to react like it was at all. His pace didn't falter, his expression didn't change, and his heart seemed to have regained its calm bearing.

"Don't think that I'm just saying that to say that." Aina continued. "I'm not making it up, nor am I only stronger than you by a small measure."

she could tell Leonel's deficiencies and had a vague idea of the path he

challenge for him that Myghell would be. In fact, Leonel hadn't yet caught up to where Myghell would be at 100% since he had yet to catch up to

know this." Leonel responded, his

Aina's brows furrowed.

if I fought ten people just as strong as

danced in the wind, a stronger

slowly relaxed, her limbs becoming looser and her stride becoming wider. Her hair fluttered as

ahead as well, exhaling a heated breath, his body seeming to

really hate you." Aina suddenly

you follow me?" Leonel asked without

you." Aina

even less of a problem, gliding through the air as though it was solid ground and vanishing into the void without

"I love you, too."

Leonel's direction. But, before she could react,

"Leon—!"

just as

for just a moment before her fury bubbled over. A violet rouge fog erupted around her,

rage so palpable that the garden around her was vanquished into an ashy pit under nothing other than the

was

skies, roaring at what felt like nothing. She broke through