Dimensional Descent

Huon and Droet, along with Hulot and Druid, surged forward. However, what was odd was that although they both seemed to be running hard, only one of each twin suddenly sped forward, their speed so fast that they overtook their own beasts and caught up with Leonel in the others in what felt like an instant.

Leonel didn't turn back, but he could already sense the change.

He knew what this was. The twins could share their strengths between one another, in exchange for one being much slower, the other could become much faster in an instant.

At that moment, Huon and Hulot pulled at their waists, taking out a pair of rope darts. The rope twirled around their bodies before piercing forward with a fierce momentum.

Keiza had been observing all the while. She had realized that although Leonel was constantly handing out orders, there were some among the group that he didn't give orders to. At the same time, these few he didn't give orders to also seemed to have the worst expressions and reactions to the situation.

She was a person quite used to playing with and manipulating the minds of others, how could she not sense this crack in Leonel's armor? As such, the moment she ordered the four forward, she told them exactly who to target.

Most of Leonel's group seemed to just be along for the ride, and even with Leonel's small victories, their expressions remained solemn. These sort of weak links deserved to be poked and prodded at.

The rope darts whistled through the air, their speed faster than any whip and overtaking even an arrow in the blink of an eye.

Huon's dart appeared before Joyce while Hulot's appeared between Karolus' brows. The harsh whistling stung their eyes and they couldn't seem to react in time.

At that moment, Noah unleashed a roar, leaping up and swinging down his saber hard. –

BANG! BANG!

A strong reverberating impact traveled up Noah's arm. He wanted to use the momentum of the clash to return to his beast and continue speeding forward, but the twins seemed to see through him. Their rope darts turned from a feeling like a piercing arrow to becoming as lithe and gentle as flowing silk. They wrapped around Noah's saber and pulled.

Noah noticed the change instantly and wanted to pull back, even ultimately choosing to abandon his saber, but it was too late. That split moment between their twins' pull and his release slowed his momentum far too much.

He fell well short of his beast's back, landing heavily on the ground, weaponless and suddenly surrounded by enemies.

Noah's gaze sharpened and he roared immediately. He didn't hesitate at all to activate his Ability Index and soar to over five meters tall, his skin glistening with a crystalline color as he hardened it. He leapt backward with as much strength as he could muster, punching out twice, then thrice.

The twins' gaze narrowed but they had already succeeded. Their rope darts soared to the skies but entirely backward. At the same time, their twins, still stuck trying to catch up, threw their own rope darts forward.

The ends of their rope darts wrapped around one another and locked into place across hundreds of meters of air. With a tug, Huon and Hulot pulled Droet and Druid through the air.

With one swift motion Huon and Hulot used the drag to pull back from the strongest impact of Noah's punches as the latter's saber clanged to the ground. At the same time, they sent Droet and Druid forward, the two of them appearing before Noah's in the blink of an eye.

BANG! BANG!

The two twins kicked out against Noah's chest. He might have been more powerful in this state, but he was also a much bigger target.

Noah felt his skin crack and his organs rumble. He took heavy steps backward, blood already leaking from his lips after a single exchange.

Droet and Druid's rope darts untangled from Huon and Hulot's. The instant they landed on the ground, their wrists flickered, their rope darts whistling through the air with a harsh whistle. One targeted Noah's heart while the other targeted his knee.

Keiza watched this from the distance with a cold smile gracing her cherry lips. Her Sedan continued to move forward at a smooth pace, almost as though she didn't care about catching up at all. She was content to watch her chess pieces move across the board, this was what thrilled her.

It didn't matter what move Leonel made now.

Would he ignore Noah? Sure, he could do that, but then the fragmentation between him and the discontent half of his subordinates would only increase. That would only make it even easier for her to take advantage of these problems.

Would he turn back to save him? Even better. Then he could forget about charging out of this encirclement entirely.

Keiza had only just finished this thought when a little black mink suddenly flickered into existence, landing on Noah's shoulder.

"Yip! Yip!"

Noah tried to block, but he suddenly stood in shock as the rope darts phased through his body as though he wasn't there at all. His body only slightly rippled and he felt a breeze of cold air as though a draft had suddenly come by.

Droet and Druid pulled their rope darts back, their eyes filled with hints of surprise. What had just happened?

Keiza raised an eyebrow. 'Shadow Sovereign…? A little interesting, but meaningless. The trap is already prepared to close.'

As Droet and Druid were somewhat in shock, Hulot and Huon had already jumped back into the fray, their rope darts spiraling toward Joyce and Karolus once again. This time, there was no Noah to cover for them.

Karolus' body erupted with a strong Spatial Force, the space around him cracking like glass as he punched out. Space coated his knuckles, but the instant the rope dart met his attack, he was sent flying backward.