Chapter 259: Plucking Strings (1/2)

The more Leonel learned, the more confused he became. Weren't these Zones meant to be based on human mythology?

With this premise, one would assume that the most preeminent versions of King Arthur's tale would sit atop everything else.

Until now, things followed this logic. Whether it was Guinevere's betrayal, Modred's existence, the Knights of the  Round Table, or even the mention of the sword in the stone, everything was as Leonel was familiar with.

However, if Leonel went a layer deeper than this, this world was still too different from what he was expecting. The existence of Lionus, the Magi, the existence of this world's magic system… None of these were things the tales of the past told of.

Leonel couldn't tell whether or not these were random things the universe was filling in as it pleased, or if there was another, deeper reason for this change.

Every time Leonel thought about such things, his mind would inevitably travel back to one idea… the future can influence the past…

If that was the case, could it be that these changes weren't random as Leonel thought? But maybe the result of changes to the legend future generations made?

When Leonel stepped on this path of thinking, he suddenly shuddered. His mind had just landed on something that made his heart go cold…

The influence higher Dimensions had on lower Dimension was obscene. It might very well be possible that something a higher Dimensional being did on a whim would be more impactful than thousands of years worth of stories passed down in Leonel's world.

And, if that was true…

'… If someone from a higher Dimensional world wanted to change the legend of King Arthur… it would be exceptionally easy…'

This alone was a benign thought. But, when it was combined with Leonel's subconscious thoughts of several months, it felt as though a bolt of lightning had gone off in his mind. And this time, rather than being the illusory bolts of his Dreamscape, this was a true arc of lightning accompanied by rolling thunder.

To this point, leonel still had no idea what Joan's goal in the French Zone was. None of her actions made sense.

Back then, Leonel simply followed his heart and did his best to save as many people as he could. It was never more complicated than this for him.

But, if he thought about it… what would happen if Joan succeeded? Was Joan succeeding mutually exclusive with him completing the Zone?

Think about it for a moment. What would happen if Joan's purpose caused Leonel to fail?

Well, Leonel and Aina would have then likely had to spend the rest of their lives in medieval France, growing old together. The details aren't very important… but, what is important is what would happen after they died…

In that case, wouldn't the Zone reset, allowing a new group to enter and attempt to clear it?

If that happened, what would have been the point of Joan's mission? What reason would there have been for her to hinder Leonel's success?

If that was the case, then their purpose couldn't have possibly been to hinder Leonel. If Leonel foolishly thought the matter would be over as long as he cleared the Zone, he would be sorely mistaken.

The more Leonel thought about it, the less sense it made. Unless…. The matters that occurred in Joan's Zone were related to this Mythological Zone!

Leonel felt as though a thumping drum was raging through his Dreamscape. His ability seemed to be screaming at him, as though trying to tell him something he couldn't quite grasp.

This wasn't because there was a connection Leonel had yet to make, but rather because of the most unfortunate weakness of his Dreamscape… He simply didn't have enough information!

Who were those people who almost turned Joan's Zone into a Unique Zone? How was Merlin's legend related to what they were trying to do? How was this Camelot Zone related to it all?

Leonel grew more and more serious the longer he thought. He didn't even realize that Elys had shrunk into a corner like a timid little mouse, unable to even steady her breathing.

Unfortunately, this matter was too important for Leonel to think about Elys' wellbeing.

Zones were inextricably linked to the future of Earth. Even though Leonel didn't have much ties to Earth remaining, his normal disposition wouldn't allow him to sit idly by as its fate was being toyed with.

Unfortunately, Leonel didn't take part in every Zone clearance. It was impossible for him to do so even if he wanted to. As a result, he had no idea if other instances like what he and Aina lived through had occurred elsewhere…

It was very possible that as Earth cleared one Zone after another, they were simply playing into exactly what some other entity wanted…

'According to Uncle Montez, Earth was among new worlds with the greatest potential even compared to the history of the universe. We have the talent necessary to become an Eighth Dimensional World. It's for this reason that so many Higher Dimensional worlds were invested in our progress and are even pooling together to give us rewards for the Zones we clear…