Bull punched out. He had no choice. Fear or not, if he wanted to survive there was no other choice.
CLANG! BANG!
The result was out of Bull's expectations. Despite the heart-shuddering amounts of fear he had felt, the clash was fairly even. He managed to protect himself, falling back and maintaining his balance.
But then it crashed into him all at once.
[Domain].
[Universe].
Leonel expressionlessly took a step forward, his aura skyrocketing.
His spear thrust out again as beneath the weight of the two combined Domains, the Invalids in the surroundings were crushed.
For dozens of kilometers, the only one who seemed capable of withstanding Leonel's pressure was Bull himself.
And even then, it was only barely.
"Die," Leonel said lightly.
The world shifted and twisted. In that moment, Bull could have sworn that he saw the Anarchic Force grow even more agitated.
A spear more beautiful than any he had ever seen in his life appeared before his brows.
He tried to protect himself. But it was worthless.
[Finality].
PCHU!
The spear split his skull.
Bull opened his mouth to say something, but with a twist of his wrist, Leonel shattered his head into a rain of blood and gore that quickly became motes of light.
"Stay the fuck away from me."
Leonel waved a hand and the huge surge of light that wanted to enter his body was swatted away, crushed and vaporized beneath his World of Destruction.
Leonel took a step forward and then another.
Peacock and Apex's eyes widened, not expecting Bull to die so unceremoniously. Was this even possible?
Bull was a Variant Invalid genius, a man who had quite some favor and was in the deep reaches of the Seventh Dimension.
It was much harder for Variant Invalids to progress than other Races despite their talent, so the value of one Seventh Dimensional existence meant profoundly more to them than it did to any other Race.
And yet, one had died, just like that.
A swirl of Destructive smoke rose from Leonel's body, forming a pillar that pierced the black skies above and seemed to cast the world into further darkness.
His spear swiped out and another large wave of Invalids were torn to pieces.
Again, and again, and again, until he was already well within range of the duo that remained.
**
The Human Bubble was in another uproar. The cracking of the barrier wasn't something that could be ignored, but once again, much like the last time, it was as though it had just all fizzled out without any backlash. No one knew that there was a man fighting an enraged battle in the Inbetween World.
In the Godlen Compound, Amynta had had much the same reaction as everyone else, and unlike them she knew that it was Invalids that had suddenly appeared.
But when she saw Leonel's true strength, she was doubly shaken.
It became clear to her in that instant that if Leonel had wanted her to die, she would truly be dead and there was nothing she could do about it.
'The Human Race is still... far too weak...' a flash of determination sharpened her gaze.
If there was this first wave of Invalids now, even if Leonel fixed it, there would be another and then another. Without the barrier of protection, and without the ability to exchange for another from the Dream Pavilion, the situation would only grow worse.
There was no doubt that this was just a precursor to a much larger issue. Would they ever have peace? Would they ever stop sending Invalids? What were they even here for to begin with?
The only path forward was to grow stronger.
**
Minerva stood high in the skies. Blood dripped from her in waves, she had lost an arm and a leg on opposite sides of her body and her wings barely looked recognizable beneath the torn flesh and rain of crimson.
But none of that mattered to her.
Beneath her feet was the unrecognizable body of a Void Race member. A true Void Race member.
The battle had been waged for months, and it could be said that the two had long since forgotten what they were fighting for and even whose side they were on.
None of that mattered to them, the only thing that did was the opponent right before their eyes.
And in the end, it was Minerva who came out on top.
She lifted her head to the skies and unleashed a mighty roar. There was nothing delicate about it at all.
Her Dream Force shattered the barrier to the Creation State and her aura continued to grow. Her wounds were visibly sealing beneath the might and soon the naked body of a woman with beauty beyond words had appeared high in the skies. Even the scars on her face had vanished, while her clothes had long since been ravaged to nothing by the long, drawn-out battle.
Even with the support of the Dream Pavilion, and being two Dimensions above this Void Race genius, it had actually taken so much to claim victory.
However, just the same, her hands moved to her face and she viciously claws downward, destroying her countenance once more.
This time, she didn't stop there, raking her fingers over her skin and shredding herself apart until she was almost unrecognizable.
These wounds were nothing more than flesh wounds, completely unable to impede her battle prowess. If anything they made her feel good.
Her beauty had been nothing more than annoyance all her life.
But from today forth, they wouldn't know her as Minerva, the gorgeous empress, they would know her as Minerva, the Warrior Empress.
She wasn't an Owlan, she was a Minerva. She had met a God and slayed one. She had trampled one beneath her feet and she would do it again, and again, as many times as she needed to finally return her Race to the pinnacle it deserved.
Her aura flourished and a wild change occurred once more...
But this time inside of her.
