Arrogant.
For many of the older generation here, this was the very first time they were seeing Leonel. But that smile, that casualness, that indifference in the face of what should have been insurmountable pressure... They had seen it before... And he looked so similar to that person that their images could practically be stacked atop of one another and fused into one.
For some reason, seeing Leonel's nonchalant smile, the fury in the eyes of the Ancestors and Alejandro abated, their gazes sparkling.
Ancestor Alvaro's wrist trembled once, sending Ancestor Radrian flying back with quite some speed toward the Omann family's flagship. Then, he raised his head to the skies and laughed uproariously, his laughter echoing all throughout the battlefield.
In truth, the Ancestors of the Morales family weren't entirely on board with this. Setting aside the fact that they were still quite furious, Leonel's words just now might have helped them vent somewhat, but the issue was that it could easily backfire.
If Leonel actually won, or performed well enough, then his words now would gain them back quite a bit of face. However, if Leonel said all of this just to lose, and in terrible fashion at that, then it would only be worse for the Morales family from then on.
Starting the war right here and now was preferable for multiple reasons.
For one, there was the matter of momentum. Scheming and planning was just as important in war as the charisma of one's leaders and the heart of one's warriors. The morale of the troops was an often forgotten staple of victory, only the most foolish of commanders would treat their armies like numbers on a sheet.
Right this moment, the momentum was on the side of the Morales. If they chose to take a step back, gathering up the fire they had in their bellies currently would be very difficult.
The second reason was even more obvious, and that was because they could deal a decisive blow to all of their enemies right here and now. There were three Ancestors present, three men that these families would ache to lose.
And beyond that, there was Cynthia, a talent the likes of which only Velasco had ever been able to suppress.
If she was crippled or even killed, this was a blow that the Omann family would find incredibly difficult to deal with. The one thing the Omann family lacked was powerful combat power, if Cynthia grew to the point of her Ancestors, one would be hard pressed to defeat her without dozens at the same level.
On the other hand, if Leonel won despite the odds stacked against him and became the new Patriarch of the Morales family, things would change.
The war felt inevitable at this point, but the momentum they would have in this latter case would be even more than what they had now, not to mention the fact that they would also gain the support of Earth at the same time.
While that might not be worth much now, in the future...
The gain in morale and momentum, not to mention the suppression of the other families, would result in nothing but benefits. If this future was guaranteed, it would definitely be the preferred path, especially since if Leonel became the Patriarch, that lone wolf Velasco wouldn't be able to be so casual with his actions any longer and he might finally return like he should have long ago.
Truthfully, it was only because Velasco's movements, whereabouts, and current strength were so unknown that these families chose to be so bold.
Some thought he was beneath Cynthia after spending so long on Earth and thus wasn't a worry at all. Some thought he was at best equivalent to Cynthia, making him a slight worry, but nothing much in the grand scheme.
Very few knew his real strength, if not because of the event that occurred in the Void Palace, these people would have been even more casual.
Humans were forgetful creatures.
The Morales Ancestors didn't know if Leonel realized these truths or if he was just speaking like a normal hot blooded youth. If it was the latter, it was acceptable enough, he had proved himself to be a Morales. If it was the former, however...
This boy was no less arrogant than his father.
"Boy, do you know what you are asking for?" Ancestor Alvaro looked down with a smile. He was one of the elders who disliked Velasco greatly, but he didn't seem to transfer that dislike toward Leonel at all.
Leonel looked up and smiled, but he didn't seem to feel like answering. He had made his stance quite clear.
Ancestor Alvaro nodded once and his gaze suddenly became malevolent, a suffocating pressure falling down toward Leonel.
"Will you win?!"
The voice cracked like thunder and rumbled like an earthquake. Those in the distance who thought that they had put enough of a gap between themselves and the battlefield suddenly exploded back in retreat once again, coughing up large amounts of blood.
Despite the fact that the voice was aimed toward him, Leonel's smile didn't fade.
"Winning is all I do."
Leonel's voice was much softer than Alvaro's, but it was just as clearly heard, riding the waves and projecting to the world.
Ancestor Alvaro's malevolent expression slowly faded and he nodded one final time.
SHIIIIING!
At that moment, the sound of a howling sword Force also rose. Amery, who stood behind his Ancestor, looked toward Leonel with his same indifferent glance.
He slowly unsheathed a sword, the howling only becoming louder and louder as he pulled it from its sheath.
Ancestor Alvaro looked toward this with an indifferent gaze. If Leonel couldn't deal with this much, then there wasn't much of a point to allowing him to participate in the first place. In fact, seeing this, it was Ancestor Suiard who frowned, but it was already too late to stop him. If he did, he would be dampening his own family genius' momentum.
"All you do is win? I seem to remember different."
Amery's sword fully unsheathed, a howling Sword Force splitting the air in two as he surged toward Leonel.
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