W

C878 You...

"I win." Leonel grinned, his teeth practically sparkling like shimmering diamonds as the energy continued to billow around him.

"You… I…" Kira was truly speechless this time even to the point she forgot to shout out her words like she normally did. She almost sounded like a little girl who had been wronged at this point, the pout beneath her mask becoming more and more pronounced.

"Remember, you have to keep your word." Leonel's grin didn't fade.

"… Humph, you cheated. How did you use your Metal Synergy Runes, they should be blocked in this place."

Leonel smiled knowingly but didn't explain. If he did, he would also have to explain how he had formed three Stars in this place by deducing the Fourth Dimensional layer of [Dimensional Cleanse].

Even if he was unaware before, it was impossible for him to still be ignorant now. Obviously, he hadn't been meant to deduce anything. In fact, Leonel felt that he understood what was supposed to have happened here now that he had interacted with Kira.

That blue star in the distance radiated a special energy that was quite good at revitalizing the body. It was chosen not for the sake of allowing comprehension of the Fourth Dimensional layer, but rather so that those taking this trial wouldn't have to worry about sleep or food.

At the same time, though, due to the special properties of the star, it had the side effect of adding to your weight. This did well to allow the star to double as a positive and negative for this trial. On the one hand, you wouldn't need to worry about fatigue or hunger, but on the other, it made the challenge tougher.

Leonel, though, foolishly thought that he was meant to deduce the next layer from the context clues left behind. However, it seemed that he had really overthought things this time… This, unfortunately, left some lingering worries.

If the test wasn't designed for him to deduce things, then that meant it was very possible that he could have missed something important. Now, he was even more eager to get his hands on the real version so that he could compare and contrast. Luckily he hadn't been able to deduce the next layer, or else things might have been difficult to reverse should he really have made a mistake.

Even with all of this said, there was still something else that Leonel was completely unaware of…

That 'blue star' in the distance was no simple blue star. In fact, to call it as such was doing a disservice to its true ability. Among the top ten Star Forces in existence, the Force that this star produced was among the only two that were made of pure Star Force without the addition of other Elements…

This blue Star Force was known as Vital Star Force. It was among the rarest Star Forces in all of existence and the stars that produced it were even rarer. In fact, it might not be an exaggeration to say that this Vital Star was the only one of its kind left.

The Dyson Sphere that spun around the Vital Star wasn't there to just harness its energy, it was also in place to keep the star living far beyond its normal lifespan.

What did this mean…?

Well… Leonel was probably the only one to be foolish enough to deduce a cultivation method amidst a battle trial… He was also probably the only one foolish enough to not only deduce it, but actually act upon what he deduced… He was further the only one foolish and lucky enough to have the affinity necessary to form not just one star but three simultaneously…

This was all to say that maybe in the entire Dimensional Verse, Leonel was the only one currently living to have form three Stars of Vital Star Force!

"You're not going to go back on your word, right?" Leonel blinked innocently.

"You… Shameless! Mother said to avoid shameless men like you!"

Leonel laughed. He had no idea how Kira's family felt confident in sending such a na?ve young lady here to fend for herself.

Then again, considering her strength, maybe they didn't feel like they had anything to worry about.

"Whatever, I can't help you with the Heir Wars even if I wanted to. It would cause too many problems and my mom and dad would have to get yelled at again. I don't want them to get yelled at."

Leonel sighed. Even though Kira was clearly going back on her word, he had never seriously expected her to accept so easily in the first place. With the plans he had in mind, it would most definitely be powerful families like Kira's own that stood in his way the most, so he couldn't' very well ask someone who hardly knew him to betray their family, right?

Ironically, though, this all seemed to be tied to that 'cousin' of his. Even without really knowing what was happening, Leonel could only think of two explanations.

The first was that this 'cousin' had blood ties to Kira's family. These ties were most likely related to one of their parents or grandparents at the very worst. Since the Heir Wars relied on gathering outside help, families ties were among the most important. So, Leonel wouldn't be surprised if his competition had strong backing from either their mother or father's side.

The second possibility was a marriage alliance. In that case, Kira would be betrothed to one of his 'cousins'. That would make it even more difficult for her to side with Leonel regardless of the situation.

Truth be told, Leonel didn't really want Kira for the Heir Wars, he was thinking far beyond this. As far as he was concerned, the Heir Wars were just a convenient and seamless way to take over the Morales family—nothing more, nothing less.

"Alright, alright. Fine. I should have known I couldn't trust you." Leonel said teasingly. "Go ahead and jump over the side, then."

Kira stamped her foot. "You cheated! It definitely doesn't count!"

To be continued