Chapter 199: Retreat

Leonel landed heavily on the ground, a long breath leaving his lips. 

His body felt… good. He couldn't explain it with any other words. He just felt free and much better than he had ever before. 

He sent a glance toward the little mink who would currently lying in a pool of its own blood. 

'Forget it, it can't do anything to me in that state anyway. Consider this payback for all that hell you put me through. Whether you live or die is up to yourself.'

Leonel shook his head. It seemed he was still a bit too soft. But, he excused himself of this folly by remembering that Simeon was standing right before him. This was a much greater enemy. 

Leonel's gaze turned cold as his eyes met Simeon's through the cracking palace Formation. A hardly concealed animosity flickered within him.

Simeon frowned. Why did that gaze seem so familiar?

Suddenly, a tremble coursed through his body. He had seen that cold gaze before. It was a gaze that pissed him off whenever he thought about it.

"It's you!"

If it was anyone else, Simeon's words wouldn't have reached him through the volatile Force. But, Leonel heard him just fine. Still… He didn't bother to respond, opting for shooting forward instead. 

Simeon's expression flickered. "Retreat. Retreat!"

One was an exceptionally tall man. He stood beyond normal human limits, reaching two and a half meters. Yet, instead of seeming slow and lumbering, he had a sharpness to him that made it seem he was the one of normal height whereas everyone else was too short. 

He always considered himself to be invincible. At the very least, there shouldn't be more than a handful of people on Earth who could match him in strength while those families were still forced to stay in hiding. 

So, when he heard his Young Lord so decisively order a retreat, he felt dissatisfied. It was like the deaths of Four and Two had little to no impact on him. In his eyes, he could kill the two of them just as easily, if not more so. 

"Young Lord, let me handle him." One said confidently. 

Simeon looked toward One. However, his eyes didn't carry the pleasant surprise One was expecting. Instead, it held a hostile light that made his heart tremble. 

"This Young Lord ordered you to retreat. So retreat!"

One was stunned. Was the situation truly so bad?

Simeon couldn't be bothered to care about One's feelings in this moment. One had to remember that the dictionary had broken down Simeon's abilities into two lanes. Genetic Manipulation and.., Reinforced Mind: Mental capacity several times that of normal a individual. Special emphasis on eyesight.

Similarly to Leonel, he was able to estimate a person's 'stats' by looking at them. He could immediately grasp that in his current state, there was a high chance that Leonel could suppress and kill One. Though it would take a while, the one commodity he didn't have now was time. 

In addition, he had noticed the Light Elemental Force that boosted Leonel's speed and the odd Runes that coated his hand when he caught Two's whip. Both were anomalies he had no way to account for. 

All of this didn't even account for the most important matter… Leonel was standing in this environment without the slightest hint of a Force Skin!

Everything led to just one conclusion. They were greatly disadvantaged in this place. 

Simeon's heart couldn't help but clench when he thought of a possibility. What if Leonel waited until they approached the Force Eruption to act? Would they even have a chance?

'Could it be he's an impulsive fool? Or is there another reason he would make such a clear mistake?'

If Leonel was just a fool, this was still fine. Such an enemy wasn't one Simeon had to worry about. However, if not…

Suddenly, Simeon trembled again. He suddenly remembered the disappearance of his two lackies. If Leonel caught them and interrogated them…!

Simeon turned his gaze toward the little mink corpse and immediately understood everything. However, instead of being relieved that Leonel didn't know how his ability worked, he was instead several levels more apprehensive. 

This opponent… He had to be killed!

Both Simeon and Leonel wanted the death of the other. However, neither had an easy path toward this. 

Not only was Simeon's evaluation of Leonel now several levels higher, but so was Leonel's evaluation of the former. He had never thought that Simeon would be able to so decisively choose to retreat in the face of so many benefits.

Leonel hadn't missed the subtle look Simeon sent toward the little mink. He immediately guessed that there was a better than 80% probability that Simeon had realized the reason he stepped out so quickly when it would have benefited him more to wait. 

However, Leonel had no intention of letting them leave so easily. He wanted Simeon's life even more than the latter wanted his!

Leonel's body flickered forward, appearing before the cracking palace Formation. 

Seven had only just managed to stabilize the Formation when the Young Lord ordered a retreat. In truth, he had been sighing a breath of relief. He knew he definitely wouldn't make it to the ten minute mark Simeon expected of him. 

But, at this moment, all his hopes were completely shattered. 

BANG!

A sharp light pierced through the protective film. 

The palace Formation crumbled like shattering glass, revealing Seven's figure. 

Seven violently coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. Let alone defend against Leonel's coming attack, he could hardly stand on his own two feet. 

However, Simeon had also been prepared. His eight lensed monocle spun around his left eye, complex calculations sweeping by at blinding speeds. 

Leonel's path was immediately blocked by several of the lesser guards Simeon had brought. He had already lost three numbered warriors, he couldn't afford to lose Seven as well. 

Simeon had brought over 30 people with him, each of whom were Force wielders. Though alone they weren't enough to take a single one of Leonel's strikes, together they were enough to obstruct him for several moment. 

Leonel frowned. Should he take it out now?

Not even an instant later, he shook his head furiously. He couldn't risk using it against humans or else his ending would be no better than Joan's. 

'Dammit… That little mink really screwed me over this time…'

Leonel's flashing Spear Force reaped three lives in the blink of an eye, but one group had already picked up Seven and rushed one. To make matters worse, Simeon's retreat had been even faster. 

Simeon stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He seemed to be standing on nothing, shuttling through the air like a flying god as he retreated. But, Leonel knew that this was just Six's air solidification ability. 

Leonel's eyes narrowed, but he didn't continue to chase. He knew what kind of support Simeon had outside. 

At this point, he could only blame the fact Simeon was far more intelligent and cautious than he had given him credit for. Leonel didn't know if even he could retreat so decisively. Simeon had already called for retreat the instant Leonel charged out from the Force geyser. 

The importance Leonel placed on Simeon rose several levels higher. 

However, Leonel didn't feel down. He didn't believe that Simeon would leave this island so easily. He would most definitely surround the hive in a death trap.

Leonel's lip curled into a sneer. 'While you wait patiently for me, I'll be reaping all of these rewards.'

While Leonel was thinking this, Simeon's line of thinking wasn't much different. 

Simeon's red hair fluttered in the wind, his red eyes piercing through the skies. 

'Why not let you gather up all the benefits for me? I'll just take them off your corpse.'