Leonel couldn't blame Milan too much. Aina had gone from 5'7 to over six feet tall. It was only inevitable that many would think her to be a completely different person. Time seemed to freeze for a moment as Leonel's mind kicked into overdrive. Numerous thoughts and plans flashed one after another, his thinking speed becoming faster and faster. Leonel felt sparks flying through his Dreamscape. But, the final connection couldn't be made no matter how hard he tried. 'Augustus Ovilteen, the Head of the Milky Way Guild… The worst case scenario is having to fight a man of that caliber, but there's also a high likelihood that he's involved. Such a high profile deal wouldn't have been made without his approval.' Leonel looked up and into the high ceiling lights before looking back toward Aina who had been staring at him right from the very beginning. His lip curled into a slightly bitter smile. It was the kind of look that made Aina's heart skip a beat outside of her control. She knew at that point that Leonel was about to do something that placed him in a ridiculous amount of danger. It felt as though all her fears were collapsing onto her chest in waves. Leonel hadn't moved, but to her, it was almost like he was fading from existence. "Don't you dare!" She roared, sirens blaring in her mind. Leonel's lips moved without a sound. Sorry. Aina's mind went blank. She hardly registered what happened next. All she could hear was the whining high pitch of her breathing. All she could see was a blurry world of flashing light and cacophonic explosions. When she realized that she should probably move, to do something, do anything… … Leonel sprung into action. 'Sorry about this, big fella.' A blinding pair of white gold wings appeared to Leonel's back. Before Milan could react, Leonel appeared behind him, his foot snapping outward with such force that the air crackled and popped. On reflex, Milan's energy shield ability activated. On first look, his own ability was identical to Wissan's. But it was clear by the fact he was chosen as a seeded genius and Wissan was not despite being from the same organization, that he was the clear cut better of the two. Unfortunately, it didn't matter. Lights of gold and fires of black-red exploded around Leonel's leg. It was an objectively beautiful sight, the way the lightness and darkness contrasted and danced about one another. But, as beautiful as it was, the devastation it wrought was on a completely different level. p an da no v el Leonel's planted leg shattered the arena beneath his feet. The half to Leonel's back crumbled into large, irregularly shaped stone slabs that kicked up into the air as though a skateboard that had an end pressed down. google p an da no v el The half to his front splintered into a web of shatter pieces all at once like a pane of glass clattering against the floor. And that was when Leonel's kick connected. Milan's body curved into an inverted 'U'. The backs of his hands and the soles of his feet nearly touched as he streaked across the arena like a meteor. He carved a path of light and fire in the air, a sharp pain stinging his lower back as he drew a line right toward Aina. … … She realized a figure was shooting toward her. Her mind was a garbled mess. She could feel that Leonel had a reason for doing all of this, that he had a reason for cutting her away like this when they had already both agreed to rise to the top together, but she was too distraught to think of it. She should have been able to stop Milan in the air without injuring the both of them, and yet she was too late to raise even a hand. The worst hadn't even happened yet, but she had practically collapsed because she knew all too well how it would end. At that moment, Head Hutchin flashed to Aina's side, placing a hand on her shoulder and stopping Milan mid-flight. It was exactly then that Leonel pulled it out. It was a sniper rifle of epic proportions, yet it seemed drawn up from the fantasy of all men. It had a base of black accented by vibrant golds and silvers. Its barrel was over a meter long alone and its body as a whole was nearly two. Just looking it made one feel its heft. The sniper rifle whirled with power. For a moment, all the air in the arena seemed to swirl toward it leaving streaks of humidity whirling into its nozzle. search p an da no v el The body of the sniper rifle began to glow. It was imperceptible, but the heat of the arena also rose by a measure as Leonel rose it to his shoulder, his eye training along its length. At that moment, his smile completely faded. All that was left was cold, a heavy violet air manifesting around his very being. His short hair waved about with violent shifts that made it feel as though he was about to be the center of his own hurricane. His gaze locked onto the silent masked figures, the barrel of his gun lining up with his sights, his will and his determination. Since things were going to be like this, he might as well set the world the ablaze. 'Aina… You are the only one I can trust to keep them all safe… You are my Queen, after all… 'As for the rest of this burden, I'll take it on personally.' The sniper rifle jolted. TSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU A blazing streak of light shot through the arena. Leonel had acted so quickly and so without logic and sense that many couldn't grasp what was happening until it already had. Leonel slid back a meter due to the recoil, but it was clear that he wasn't injured in the slightest. Up above, though… In a location where the masked figures had been… The dignified figure of a young woman sat. Just before, she had been silently observing everything without a word. But, right then, she sat stunned, unable to believe what had happened. Her neck slowly craned downward, only to find a cauterized, bowl sized wound through her chest. At that moment, her mask slowly slid off beneath the surprise of everyone present, just in time for them all to see the last light of her life leave her. Leonel looked up with narrowed eyes. 'I hope you find peace in death knowing the hell I'm about to experience, Heira.' Leonel hardly finished the thought before that hell descended. [... In line with the title of today's chapter, I would like to say sorry for the fact there will only be two today. Don't go all Aina on me, *tears*]