Dimensional Descent

Leonel might have reached the Superior Stage in his Metal Body, but he wasn't infallible. He was under no delusions that he would survive such an onslaught. And, even if by some miracle he did, he doubted that he would still be in position to fight. 

However, he didn't intend to allow such a thing to happen. 

His mind was on a completely different level. He could see everything before it happened. 

Joseph's order to fire. The spinning gears as the final tweaks were made to their aim. The slight scent of gun powder. The touch of heat that graced the barrels. 

Leonel felt it all as if he was right there in the cockpit with them all. Which tanks were firing, where they were in relation to him, exactly when their shells would exit the nozzles… He saw through it all. 

And that, exactly that… would be their downfall. 

Leonel's raised hand trembled slightly. It was only the slightest flick, yet seven foot-long needles shot forward at impossible speeds. 

They tore through the air, leaving a streak of smoke in their wake. Then… 

The sound barrier shattered. 

In one blink the needles were floating by Leonel's side. In a second blink they had appeared before the nozzles of the seven firing tanks. In a third…

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Joseph's heart trembled. 

"No… No…"

It was almost as though he knew exactly what would happen the moment Leonel's fingers moved. 

The shells never got a chance to exit their barrels. The timing of Leonel's attack was so perfect that the needles met the projectiles within their nozzles. And the result… was even more devastating than the first time. 

Joseph slumped into his chair, staring at his monitor with a pale expression. 

There was nothing he could even do. Despite the fact he had a high rank, he only had a healing ability. Even if he wanted to fight it out with Leonel to the death… was that even possible?

At that moment, a mournful cry came from Joseph's side. Before he could even react, his younger brother had exploded through the roof doors of their tank. 

Damian saw nothing but red. The ground beneath him reacted just as violently, becoming a massive wave that shot him into the skies. 

He didn't have time to think of logic. He didn't have time to realize that his actions were futile. 

In the past, before even completing his Force Nodes, Leonel had already defeated him. Back then, Leonel was nowhere near the monster he was now. How could there even be a contest between them?

Of course, Damian still felt that these matters were different from what they had once been in the past. His ability had improved and his ability to use it had likewise improved. 

But… Could his improvement match with Leonel's?

The ground rose like a tsunami, trying to envelop Leonel completely. And, at the very least, its shadow succeeded in doing so. 

The sun was completely blotted out. All Leonel saw was a wave of earth and the man who stood atop of it, completely enraged. 

Unfortunately for Damian… He used his flow ability on earth. 

Leonel spread out his hands, facing his palm toward Damian. 

"[Earthen Shackle]."

Damian suddenly jolted to a stop. The earth he had always been able to control at a whim suddenly became like a steel behemoth unwilling to heed his calls for help. 

His body was almost thrown off due to his forward momentum, but that was when he suddenly found his ankles and wrists had been caught, shackled down without even a chance to escape. 

Damian's attempts came to a grinding halt before he could even get close. Though he was the one in the air now, shackled by earth that had once been under his control, he still felt as though it was Leonel who was looking down on him. 

The world fell into an odd silence for a moment. The screams and blood had come to a stop within the city, the rumbling tanks never even made it to the gates and even the Invalids that had approached close enough to do anything had been slaughtered by Leonel just as quickly. 

At that moment, Miles had managed to crawl his way back up to an undamaged section of the wall. Heavy breaths heaved his chest as he sat slumped to the ground. 

He had no idea what happened below. The only slight clue he had was Leonel's familiar voice roaring through the city. But, he had yet to confirm if that voice that haunted his nightmares was really the same person who had spoken just now. 

But at this moment, he simply didn't care. He had managed to survive and that was all that mattered. 

A growl suddenly caught Miles' attention. He looked over to find that he had managed to crawl back up to a section of the wall where the white wolf Variant Invalid had been caged. 

They had been planning on bringing it down the wall and into the inner city. But, obviously, the Slayer Legion had ruined those plans. 

The blue-eyed wolf continued to growl at Miles, but it didn't lunge forward. It had learned its lesson about this cage a long time ago. Despite its massive body, this prison treated it no differently from an ordinary house dog. 

Miles looked away from the white wolf and stood. Seeing that it was still imprisoned gave him a sense of confidence. By now, this white wolf had become his greatest trump card. 

With Miles' intelligence, he could tell that he had been abandoned. He, of course, knew about the greater security of the inner city. After all, he was the one who deployed the illusion that kept it hidden. But, he had never expected to be hung out to dry like this. 

Miles chuckled silently to himself as he stood. Maybe this was the first time he truly understood the world he had been born in. 

The worst part was that even if he returned alive, he would have to pretend as though he didn't know a thing. He was a man without power, did he even have the right to feel aggrieved?

Feelings and fairness were commodities reserved for those with strength. Trying to bring balance to a world without power was no different than asking for death. 

Miles took a deep breath and calmed his beating heart, a resoluteness in his gaze. There would come a day where he – 

PCHU!

Miles looked down, only to find a bloody hole the size of a bowling ball in his chest. His final thoughts couldn't even finish before he collapsed to the ground, his vision swimming. 

"Shh, shh. It's okay Little White, I can't believe these bastards locked you up either. It's fine, it's fine, don't be mad at me, you know why I had to let you suffer a bit. We'll pay them back a hundredfold soon."

These were the last words Miles heard before his life faded from the world. Unfortunately, they were spoken in a language he couldn't comprehend. 

As for his last sight? If one found his soul an questioned it, he would swear that it was a pair of white irises.