Dimensional Descent

The fusion technique was definitely the best that the Zone had and Leonel had spent enough Demon Points to make certain that this would be the case. However, even it required at least a basic affinity already existing for the fusion to be perfect.

Luckily, Leonel's Dream Force affinity was as high as could be and he had more than enough Spatial Force affinity thanks to his Ethereal Star Force. This met the basic requirements necessary for the fusion process.

Once the fusion was completed and perfect, nothing else would matter. After all, by then, the base of Leonel's Spatial Force affinity would thus become his new Innate Node. Whether or not he kept his Ethereal Star Force would become irrelevant by that point.

In addition, due to the fact his innate Dream Force affinity was so high, the Emulation Spatial Force Innate Node would be even more powerful in his hands.

Unluckily, this technique was quite painful and was quite masochistic. It made Leonel wonder if he should still risk placing it within his brain stem. But then he remembered that his soul had separated from his body. Even if he couldn't endure the pain or made a mistake that could end his life, he was just one [Instant Recovery] away from perfection.

Once Leonel was confident and Anastasia gave the go ahead, he retrieved the Innate Node from the river.

In these last few hours, it had grown more resplendent. Its Runes were far more visible than the past, shimmering with a silvery-gold light, and it had grown an additional thumb tip in size, now being about an inch thick and an inch and a half long.

Right now, it looked far more like a gem than it ever had before and it gave off a feeling of absolute majesty. It even felt more weighty in his palm.

Leonel brought out a stainless steel bowl from the lab and plopped the Innate Node inside. Then, under Anastasia's flickering gaze, he cut open his arm and began allowing it to pour inside.

Leonel actually failed to cut his arm open the first time, having used too little effort. It seemed that he had underestimated his body despite the fact his Metal Body could currently be considered to be Third Dimensional.

With a second effort, he used his spear and opened up an enormous gash. With every flex of his arm, another huge wave of blood was pushed out, but even after several liters had come out, he didn't seem satisfied.

Luckily, the recovery abilities of his body were astounding. He was more than capable of continuing on for a while.

After the first ten liters were drawn, Leonel stopped.

He placed uninjured arm over the bowl, and his eyes flashed. Within his Dream World, the manifestation of a complex Force Art was created and Leonel flooded it with both Dream Force and Spatial Force.

The complex Force Art split into two layers, one rotating clockwise and the other counter. As they did so, the blood in the bowl began to shrink at a visible speed, becoming lesser and lesser until all that was left was a familiar Innate Node which flashed with a crimson light before going back to normal.

As though he wouldn't stop until he dropped dead, Leonel repeated this baptizing by blood ritual dozens more times. He wasn't meant to stop until he felt a resonance with the Innate Node, a certain connection with it that transcended just a physical connection.

This took more attempts than Leonel thought. He had originally assumed that three would be enough, but even after 20 attempts and a face as pale as clouds, he still didn't get the result that he wanted.

He could feel the connection after the third attempt, but something just felt like it was missing, and he kept chasing after it.

Anastasia couldn't help but shake her head. This father-son pair were really a duo of demons. Both forgot about everything else when they suddenly set their mind to something. A Morales was a purpose was a fearsome thing indeed.

After almost 40 attempts, it finally clicked for Leonel.

'That's what I was missing… How do I fix this…?'

Leonel's eyes suddenly lit up.

At first he thought that maybe there was no such thing as a perfect fusion method, but then it hit him.

Spirituals were a race born as souls, they built their bodies later. So why was it that Wise Star Order said there was a genius among them with nine Innate Nodes? Was it possible that this genius snatched it from others? Or was it that the capacity to form Innate Nodes was soul deep to begin with?

This fusion technique seemed perfect to people who hadn't sensed their souls yet, which made sense since the region of the Zone Leonel had entered had been ruled by humans just like himself. However, for those that had sensed their souls like Leonel, it would always feel as though something was missing.

Leonel had already given this Innate Node more than enough of his blood. To this technique's specification, he had already completed the first step perfectly and was ready to continue. However, Leonel knew that it was missing something.

'I got it.'

Leonel's aura changed and a rippling violet fog formed around him.

With a surging momentum, he formed the duo of spinning Force Arts again. But this time, when he flooded the bowl with his blood, he infused it with a large amount of Soul Force, Dream Force, and King's Might.

It took several attempts, but Leonel was patient to an extreme. He didn't allow anything to distract him and he almost became sagely in that way.

Finally on the 121st attempt, Leonel felt a ringing sound through his soul.

Leonel's comprehension of Spatial Force was probably the deepest out of all of his Forces. To regain the Segmented Cube, he had put a lot of effort into research and meditation on it. However, in the past, his affinity for the Force could only be considered to be average in part thanks to his first Divine Armor which used a Spatial Force Ore as its core.

But now, Leonel suddenly felt like the Spatial Force of the world was whispering into his ears, wanting to tell him all of its secrets.

Somehow, the feeling was even more overwhelming than what he felt from Fire Force, a Force he was entirely unmatched in.

That was when it sank in for Leonel and it felt ironic to him that it had taken so long for it to click, especially considering his usual disposition.

He was a person who didn't like to rely on instinct, so why had he been relying on it all this time? When had he ever put in the effort to truly understand his Dream Force? What about Fire Force? Or his Scarlet Star Force? Didn't he just always rely on his innate talent for it?

And now, suddenly, Spatial Force had shot by them all in the blink of an eye, becoming his strongest Force. And yet, he hadn't even fused with the Innate Node yet, he had only formed a connection with it.

'I was right…' Leonel thought to himself. '… If I manage to grasp grandpa's music and painting skills, I can step past it and use the method that I wanted to all along, Force Arts.

'Wasn't it Force Arts and the study of them that allowed me to understand Spatial Force so intimately? So why shouldn't I do the same with the others? This will be my path to grasping the pinnacle of Force Manipulation.'

Leonel's eyes glowed and then he did something that nearly made Anastasia scream out.

Commanding Little Tolly to turn into a thin and sharp thread, he took control of his Metal Spirit to pierce it into the back of his skull.

There wasn't even a drop of blood that leaked out, but Anastasia was caught between wanting to roar out in horror and curse Leonel into an early grave.