Leonel's senses were too sharp by now. It only took a glance for him to scan the entire room despite how vast it was. And that was exactly why he spotted his uncle in the first instant.

Montez looked completely different. Leonel wouldn't say that he was only about 50% similar to the man he had once been. He was far more Dream Asura now than human, and those around him keeping their distance seemed to realize this as well.

After the Demoness' actions, the Dream Asuras had gone from a respectable Demi-God Race to a public enemy that was almost placed on the same level as the Invalids.

Montez sat there, leaning against a wall with the butt of his spear between his legs and its blade resting over his shoulder and against the wall. He looked more like a mercenary than a participant, his body caked in blood.

Leonel's jaw set. He would be a fool if he didn't feel that this was yet another plot of the Demoness.

But to what end?

What was the point of turning Montez into an all-out Dream Asura after spending years suppressing him?

Montez looked up, sensing Leonel's gaze. The moment Leonel saw the flash in his uncle's eyes, his worst fears had been realized.

Either Montez had been compromised, or he didn't even know who he was.

Leonel couldn't decide which was worse.

Did he hate his uncle wanting to kill him because he didn't remember him, or because he knew who he was and wanted to kill him anyway?

The fact that he even had to weigh such options infuriated him. His good mood from just now seemed to have evaporated into smoke. It was like everywhere he turned, the Demoness would be there to sling dirt and shit at his face.

There was no escaping it, and the foul stench followed him everywhere he went.

His aura fluctuated around him, only for him to sense several killing auras lock onto him as well.

Leonel's gaze flashed like lightning as he finally seemed to care enough to check the rest of the room, only to notice that there were indeed several eyeing him.

Among them, there were two who especially stood out...

A Sylvan and a Pluto.

Even while sitting, it was over two dozen meters tall.

Despite how much space it took up, it still insisted on resting its spear across its lap. It was no surprise that its spear was proportional to its body, so the space it took up was even more exaggerated.

This Sylvan wore a mask of bark over his face, but the vines, roots, and structures that made up the rest of his body were much more... fantastical.

He exuded colors of bronze and gold and almost looked more like a specially carved and curated piece of wood rather than a normal tree.

The Sylvans were more humanoid than they were tree to begin with, but the mask this particular Sylvan wore painted a completely different image.

When its two polished brass eyes landed on Leonel, he could feel a great deal of pressure descending from above to crush him. And yet, he still moved his eyes to the Pluto.

The Pluto were close combat experts. The vast majority of them didn't use weapons at all, but that didn't mean that none of them did.

And those that did... well, it could be said that abandoning the path you were best suited for either meant you were an absolute fool or an absolute genius.

Considering this man was here, he was almost certainly the latter.

What Leonel didn't know just yet was that this man was Ger'Ain. He was none other than the Pluto that had been traveling along with El'Rion. The moment he saw Leonel, he recognized him from the description that El'Rion had given him, though it was no longer an exact one-to-one.

But as far as Ger'Ain was concerned... there was only one human that could carry the same aura that Leonel was now.

Leonel only gave him a casual glance before looking away, his thoughts returning to his uncle.

He had no idea how to handle this situation. Any suggestion or memory loss triggered by the Demoness would certainly not be easy to deal with, and he also had to be cautious with how he approached things as well, or else he would fall into yet another trap.

No matter how broad-minded a person was, it was enough to drive them mad.

It felt like no matter how many steps forward he took, the Demoness was always far off into the distance.

At first, he wanted to blame it on the fact he was born into her plans and was at a disadvantage as a result. But the more stuff like this happened, the more he wondered if it would even matter if they had started on a level playing field.

flared, and several who were eyeing him felt a stinging pain in their eyes.

Many of the weaker ones screamed out in terror, their eyeballs bursting into a rain of blood and gore at the same instant.

Leonel didn't say a word, but he also didn't need to. He was pissed.

Looking into the skies, his rage flashed by his irises before he slowly calmed.

His rage wasn't going to get him anywhere.

He would let it simmer for now. But anyone unlucky enough for it to erupt upon would realize too late there wouldn't be time for regret.

Leonel found a corner of the room to sit in, his aura stormy. He was given a wide

berth and no one got close.

The time silently ticked away, and those that made it through the corridor began to slowly trickle in.

Then, what must have been weeks later, there was a flash.