A savage grin spread across Leonel’s face. Were the Fawkes really such cowards? Maybe in part, but definitely not to the point that it would be such a systemic problem. Violence and rage were reactions that he was ready for. This pacifism and self-loathing wasn’t part of that equation. It made the manipulation almost too obvious. Discover hidden stories at freewebnovel There was only one reason they would react like this. The Dream Force undercurrents of the Ascension Empire had already been controlled by others. But before this plan could even be executed on, Leonel directly shattered it with a few words. In this world… if he said he was second in Dream Force control, only one person dare to claim being first, while the others were ignorant of their own inferiority. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A familiar scene played out as the Fawkes snapped awake. They didn’t even have the time to react to the changes properly before their world was entirely surrounded. Ships wreathed in golden roots shook to a stop. However… CHI! One was suddenly split in two right down the middle. What should have been an oppressive rival was cut through just as easily. It was only then that those that thought Leonel was just showing off his power realized that he was, in fact, attacking something they hadn’t even been able to see, let alone attack themselves. A gloominess hung in the air, several oppressive Dream Forces descending. Their minds were so powerful that just the fluctuations in their emotions seemed to paint the skies a different color. One after another, one Sylvan elite appeared per ship, standing on their backs as though they were one part their body and another part transportation. Leonel wasn’t surprised to see this. This method was the one the Sylvans had come up with to deal with one of their greatest weaknesses. Their perceptions were the greatest when they were rooted down. But when they were rooted, they were also highly vulnerable. Like this, they could have the best of both worlds. However, seeing them appear like this, Leonel couldn’t help but raise his head to the sky and unleash a billowing laughter. Leah frowned, pouting as she used her little hands to cover her ears. "Daddy, you’re too loud." "I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just too funny." "What’s funny?" Leah asked, confused. "Do you know who claims to be the smartest Race in Existence?" Leah blinked. "Oh, the Sylvans?" "That’s right." "But daddy said that they’re just overgrown weeds." The gloominess of the Sylvans only deepened. Leonel burst into laughter again. "I did say that, true." "You also said that in the past, our Ancestors used to use their leaves to wipe their—." Leonel hurriedly covered his daughter’s mouth, a cold sweat matting his back. If she finished that, Aina would definitely have him by the balls later. "Yes, yes, I did say that." Leah blinked innocently, a smile in her eyes. "Alright, three scoops of ice cream." Leah held up her chubby little fingers. "Alright, fine. Four." The giddy little dance his daughter did brought a smile to Leonel’s face. For a moment, he almost forgot that he was in the middle of a battlefield. "… I do not know what Emperor Fawkes was thinking handing his Kingdom over to you, but even though you are clearly lacking in many respects, you at least share your grandfather’s overblown sense of confidence." Leonel looked over, seemingly offended. "What do you mean overblown? That bark that covers your body sure makes your skin a bit thick." Leah giggled. "Eryndal is your name, right?" Leonel asked as though he didn’t already have the answer, but the Sylvan Ancestor fused to the floating vessel couldn’t help but narrow his eyes. His name wasn’t something that most should know. Even if they did, they would know him by his title, not his full name. "No need to be surprised," Leonel continued. "Your Race might not be very smart, but what they are is long-living. I read a passage about you in the Life Tablet. You started off as a walking stick for—." "ENOUGH!" Eryndal’s roar parted the clouds. "—Rhynthia the Gentle, right?" Leonel’s voice cut through as though Eryndal hadn’t spoken. "Quite noble of you to help out others in their old age. It’s quite interesting, though. All of your Races descend from Humans, or so I thought. So why were you a normal block of wood? "That confused me for a long while until I understood. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮 "The God Beasts of Creation were doing quite a lot of experimentation back then. I wonder how many people ended up dead because of it? "If you read history at face value, you might miss a lot of the finer details. Like how…" a coldness flashed in the depths of Leonel’s gaze. "… Plants like you grow best with fertilizer." The echo of Eryndal’s roar was still hovering over the horizon. But it did nothing to stop Leonel’s words from cutting through. Eryndal’s chest heaved and the murderous intent of the other Sylvans only seemed to grow. "Those… will be some of the last words you speak." He said coldly. "Is that so?" Leonel asked. "In that case, how about I say some more. Have you noticed something odd about what’s happening here?" Eryndal frowned, the bronzed orbs that were his eyes practically piercing through Leonel as though trying to see through him. "Do you think that your Race is really the smartest there is? You think you got here first, after months of planning, thinking that you’d have the leg up? Did you think that everyone would allow you to fly under the radar because you’re neutral "pacifists"? Who did you think you were fooling here, exactly?" Eryndal slowly calmed, his face becoming entirely expressionless. His Dream Force reacted in kind, calming until the skies stilled once again, the deformed clouds remaining as the only proof of their previous fury. "And what do you mean by that, exactly?" A malevolent grin spread across Leonel’s face. "They sent you here to die. You’re nothing but a sacrificial lamb to roast, here to test my bottom line. "But they’ll learn quite soon that you’re not worthy of that. "Kill them all." Leonel said coldly. BANG! Leonel’s army shot into the air.