Chapter 1617 First Step

Destruction Sovereign.

It wasn't the largest item that appeared, but it was definitely the one that grasped Leonel's attention the very quickest. It was just a book, and it didn't even seem to be a technique. All it told was a story and nothing else. In fact, the cost wasn't even 1000 Demon Points. Still, it grabbed his attention and didn't let go.

Leonel bought it immediately, not minding the miniscule number of points. He just had to know exactly what it was.

The price was miniscule, and the reading material was even smaller. With Leonel's thinking speed, even though his Dream Force hadn't quite recovered, his pace of reading was simply too quick. In no more than just a few minutes, he had scoured through it all and his expression quickly became solemn.

According to the book, there were two paths for those born with Scarlet Star Force. The first was to master it, and the second was to lose all rationale of who and what you were, becoming a harbinger of destruction.

The title of Destruction Sovereign and Scarlet Star Innate Node holder were one in the same, they were two fates tied into one.

If Leonel had heard the words Anya spoke about him that day, he would have also come to understand exactly why she had chosen to say such a thing. It was only now that Leonel understood that the 100-year deadline Wise Star Order had given him was no small joke. It wasn't just his life that was on the line, it may very well be the lives of everyone.

What Leonel also couldn't help but wonder was exactly who knew about this and how many did. Because, if they knew that such a thing would happen… would powers take precautions around him? Would they even try to deal with him before that happened?

Leonel even had a feeling that the only reason he hadn't been taken control of like a Savant and placed under lock and key was only because of who his father was. Anyone else would have been forced to suffer such a fate.

Leonel took a breath and exhaled.

"Leonel?"

Leonel looked over toward Aina, his gaze flickering. But in the end, he handed her the book and her expression, too, became solemn. Luckily, Aina didn't know about Leonel's 100-year deadline, or else she might have reacted much more violently than she did now.

In the end, Leonel could only chuckle. Everyone else got such useful Sovereign abilities, why was his so annoying?

But it couldn't be helped. Just like Wise Star Order had said, when a Force reached a certain level, it would gain certain dispositions. At such high Dimensions, these dispositions would be no less intrinsic than the very chemical structure of an object. This, in and of itself, was the secret behind the Life Grade, and it was also what gave True State Forces such power.

It wasn't just about the energy behind the attack, but also the Artistic Conception of it. It was just as, if not more important.

Who knows, maybe the reason Aina wanted to have so many babies was only partly due to her past and was also just as related to her title of Blood Sovereign. Someone else in Aina's shoes could have very easily decided to never have children so that their kids wouldn't have to experience what they had. It was a conclusion that was just as valid and there was seemingly no real reason to choose one over the other, at least on the surface.

Likewise, maybe the reason Little Blackstar was so mischievous was because of his role as a Shadow Sovereign. And maybe the reason Amery was so arrogant was because he was so close to becoming a Sword Sovereign.

Of course, things were likely not so simple. An entire personality wouldn't be dictated by a Force of a specific kind, but it could definitely influence you, much like any other environmental factor could.

However, what would happen if you lost control of your True State Force? Would it even be just a "single environmental factor" any longer?

No, it would likely take you over completely, consume you, until all that was left was what it wanted you to be. And in the case of Leonel's Scarlet Star Force, it was all too obvious what it wanted to do.

Destroy.

Despite the weight of these words, Leonel felt that he had been enlightened about something. He didn't fear his Innate Node at all, and he was quite confident in succeeding in fully comprehending it within 100 years.

However, this book shed light on exactly what it is he had within his body. There was a reason he had always called his Runes Destruction Runes and not Scarlet Star Runes, that was always the root of it all, something that he knew subconsciously, but never truly put into practice.

The flames were just a conduit, a guiding light.

Thinking to this point, Leonel felt like he touched upon a unique sort of realm.

'This feels like it should be the first step, the first step toward truly understanding your Force. What intent does it embody? If you can fully understand this, then your control over your Force should take a step forward, but it's also not so simple.

'Simply by virtue of having a high affinity for a Force, you should already subconsciously understand what its true essence or intent is. If you didn't, then you wouldn't have an affinity for it in the first place.

'This means that it's more than just about understanding it subconsciously. Something about bringing the subconscious into the conscious causes a change. It might just be a simple change at first, but as you move forward into the future, it will snowball… And then…'

Leonel flipped a palm over, causing a seemingly delicate flame to appear. But he already knew that this flame alone was easily twice as powerful as any he had ever manifested by pulling from atmospheric Force.

He had found the first step in improving his Force Manipulation.