"Where is Bracken?" the woman asked.

"Where?" Leonel held up a hand. The smooth wood had begun to form veins that seemed both a part of and not a part of his arm at the same time.

Willowyn's expression shook when she saw this. She didn't understand what she was looking at immediately, but that aura, although slightly different, was all too familiar to her.

"You..."

She didn't know what to say for a long time.

In the history of the Sylvans... how long had it been since someone dared to take their Hearts? She was sure that, logically speaking, some had done so in the dark...

But to not only do it and then brazenly flaunt it around as though he didn't understand the implications...

Did he not understand the kind of power the Sylvans held? Of the God Races, if the Pluto were the number one most were unwilling to offend, then even though they weren't second in combat power, the Sylvans were certainly number two.

Some might argue the Beastmen simply because when they acted, they had no sense of propriety for anything.

Some might argue the Void Race because their Destruction capabilities were second to none. Offending them would probably bring your entire world down with you...

But even so, most had the consensus that this was the Sylvans.

They wielded too much information. A single word from them could bring down empires and cripple entire organizations. If they wanted to know something about you, it was almost certain that they could find it out, and they wouldn't even need to lift a finger to crush you.

In terms of intelligence and wisdom... they were truly second to none.

A single tweak to your ecosystem might cause your world to stop producing resources.

A single nudge could cause a civilization stronger than you to declare war.

If you were just a single person like Leonel was, there were so many paths to destruction that it was hard even to fathom properly.

To say that Leonel was playing with fire was an understatement.

But it was also precisely because of this that Willowyn didn't know how to react for a long time.

Loss? Suffering? When was the last time she, or any one of her people, had experienced such a thing?

They were lofty, untouchable, and in the best and most neutral position in the entire God Realm.

And yet, because of a tip that caught their curiosity...

One of their geniuses had died?

It was hard for her to feel anything other than shock. But soon, that shock became rage.

"...Actually dared..."

Leonel didn't say a word. Instead, with a single thought, Bracken appeared by his side.

"What are her weaknesses?" Leonel asked casually.

Bracken bowed. "She is terrible in close combat and has no real fighting experience, my King. Using ranged assaults will play into her hand, and she also has a lot of treasures on hand. Though, entering this void should have been beyond her abilities, and it's also likewise impossible that she found you here of all places with her own abilities. So I would suggest that my liege be wary of counterattacks and ambushes."

Leonel nodded casually. He had already thought of this.

Had Willowyn come to find him while he was in battle for the Dwarven Race, he would find it acceptable.

But on his way to the Spirituals? In the vast void where it was impossible to tell up from down and left from right?

No. That didn't make any sense. The only explanation was that someone had helped her find him. Or, more accurately, she had likely found a weakness to squeeze on.

After realizing that Bracken had been away for too long, she went about with her own investigation, and soon she found exactly what it was she wanted.

The question was who.

Leonel reached out a palm, and his spear appeared in his hand. He took a breath, and his body shuddered, tattoos beginning to appear once again.

He had no intention of taking a God lightly, no matter how many "weaknesses" they might have.

At that moment, Willowyn was truly in shock. With all of her knowledge, how could she not recognize what was before her?

The Northern Star Lineage Factor.

Stealing and harvesting a Sylvan Heart...

A member of the Fawkes...

Any one of these things could get you killed... no, any one of those things was enough to wipe out your entire family lineage.

And yet...

Leonel took a step forward and suddenly thrust out. Cracked lines of crimson appeared across his body, fragmenting and fracturing his tattoos as a halo appeared behind him, reflecting his Mana Core in a reflective image.

Willowyn was in stunned silence and didn't seem to notice the danger at all.

When she looked up, the spear had already appeared before her.

She stared at it, the tip reflecting in her dull golden eyes.

It really was rage. She didn't know what the emotion was because she had simply never felt it. Or maybe ever since she grew past the point of feeling anger about insignificant things because she was no longer a child... she had forgotten what it felt like. Even for her, it took a while to realize what it was that was stirring inside of her.

At that moment, her hair began to whip around like mighty vines, each one clapping like thunder as they shredded apart the sound barrier several times over...

Or, they would have had they not been in the void. But that reality only made them even faster.

Just when the spear was about to pierce through her chest, they whipped out all at once.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Each one was precise, each one landing in the same exact spot and expelling the danger of the spear in a single sweep.

Leonel felt his wrist shake and his shoulder almost rip out of its socket. His senses could grasp five whips, but his body only seemed to feel a single, layered strike.

His spear was blown back, and vines and roots began to spread out of Willowyn's body in a mighty tempest.

"DIE!" she shrieked.