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C765 - Stall

The moment the young man's words fell, his body grew a size. From shorter than Leonel, he became an entire head taller.

Pristine white fur began to coat his entire body. His cloak burst apart, revealing a rugged appearance. Of the parts Leonel could see, the only parts that seem free of hair were the young man's chest and chiseled torso. He almost looked like a King of Apes for a moment.

But, what was strongest was the sudden explosion of a smell so strong Leonel almost passed out from exposure to it alone. It was so potent that he had no choice but to stop breathing entirely. Even trying to do so through his mouth had him feeling as though he was trying to swallow fumes wafting from a vat of vinegar.

"The smell is somewhat strong for you humans." The envoy said nonchalantly.

It was clear from his words that though his face remained expressionless, he took some pleasure in Leonel's discomfort. He obviously didn't like being led by the nose as he had just been, so he would enjoy this small victory.

Leonel was inwardly relieved when the envoy returned to his normal form. He could tell that such a scent would be extremely attractive to female Oryx. But, Leonel felt he would suffocate to death in its presence.

Compared to the Oryx he had met, the difference was so striking that there was really no comparison at all.

Leonel could tell, though, that the envoy hadn't just shown him this battle form to force him to smell such a thing. It was also to show that he had yet to battle at his true peak state.

As taxing as Chaotic Particle Force was, unlike Leonel's Scarlet Star Force, it didn't damage the envoy's body. All he was experiencing now was fatigue and nothing more. If Leonel really pushed him, especially since he had already formed such large reserves, this battle would definitely be in his favor.

However, Leonel didn't mind what the envoy was thinking. His purpose here was much different from this. He had already probed what he needed to probe. What he needed to do now was talk.

"Now that we've gotten pleasantries out of the way, do you mind telling me what kind of status you have among the Oryx?" Leonel asked.

The envoy remained silent, seemingly trying to decide whether he should answer or not.

"No, I think it would be better for me to ask which of the Oryx Kingdom's Princes are you?"

The envoy's pupils constricted into pinholes.

"You can't think that these matters could be hidden? No matter what Kingdom it is, falsely representing them would be a crime punishable by death. And, I'm willing to guess that the Oryx Kingdom actually did plan to send a real envoy who was, for whatever reason, intercepted by you before they could fulfill their duty.

"Anyone daring enough to do this, and even so casually return to the Oryx Kingdom right after without special means, is definitely of high standing. Your actions seem to show that you don't particularly care whether you get caught by your Kingdom or not, which means you're confident in not being punished.

"Of course, you could be… I don't know, a Duke? Trying to sow chaos and look for a chance to take the throne for yourself. But, you are too young, one. And secondly, once again, your actions aren't secretive enough."

Leonel was able to spend hours drinking with his lieutenants and still catch up to this Prince because his tracks were so obvious.

Of course, Leonel was also likely one of the very best trackers in existence, especially with the new abilities he had formulated for himself in the last two years, but he hadn't even needed to use them to find this young man.

"… I am Elthor Umewraek, Third Prince of the Oryx Kingdom."

Leonel smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Elthor."

Leonel had given up on telling people his name after these two years. For some reason, no matter how many times he told people what it was, they would still call him The General and nothing else. Even after so long, he couldn't quite wrap his mind around this.

"I hope that you understand that even though you've learned of my identity, this changes nothing. The Oryx will still stop you from attacking The Capital. The only thing my actions have done is give you a small buffer of time."

"You say this, but wouldn't I just have to kidnap and hold you hostage?" Leonel said casually.

"You're overestimating my value, General."

"Am I? You may not have stepped off of this world, but do you think those with Chaotic Particle Force are common? Whether you know or not, your family likely see you as the future of the Oryx Kingdom. It's even possible that they're only willing to take a backseat and not poke the bear that is Alexandre the Apex so that you have time to grow.

"Knowing this, do you still think I'm overestimating your value?"

Elthor's heart trembled. Looking into Leonel's cold, calculating eyes, he suddenly felt the same fear his enemies had ever time they met on the battlefield. He could hardly understand how a person could see through so much with so little information.

The chains that floated around Elthor rattled as though he was prepared to spring to action at any moment. He felt the tension even down to his very bones.

"However, I am not here to antagonize the Oryx." Leonel finally said.

Elthor felt himself deflate at that moment.

He couldn't understand. He was a Prince. Why did he feel so much pressure in the face of a man who was born a commoner?

"I will still need you to do something for me in exchange for your freedom, though." Leonel continued.

"… And what is that?"

"You need to stall. I need two months. In two months, The Capital will fall and Alexandre's head will be in my hands."

To be continued