Dimensional Descent

The trek back was long but not particularly arduous. If it wasn’t for the dense Anarchic Force in the air, it would have been quite a simple hike. With Aina’s strength, even if Leonel was a hundred times heavier, it would have hardly made a difference. If it wasn’t for the difference in their sizes, she could have just lifted him up and over her shoulder. 

With Leonel’s teasing, she was almost tempted to do it anyway. But, she eventually decided that she would give him some leeway. 

Leonel, though, was greatly fascinated with Aina’s Blood Force. Even now, he couldn’t really understand how it worked. It seemed to both be a really sharp weapon and simultaneously a powerful shield as well. And, that was only when Aina didn’t consume it. 

Leonel knew that Aina could benefit greatly from blood. He still remembered her absorbing his own blood through her fingers. The result of that was her curse being burnt away and her true appearance being locked into frame. 

Still, it seemed odd. What was it about Blood that could make it such a powerful tool? 

The answer seemed obvious enough. Blood carried much of what we were. But, that was mostly the answer of someone obsessed with talks of bloodlines and lineages. The reality was that every piece of a human’s body, so long as it contained a cell, carried just as much information about their genes and DNA as their blood did. 

Maybe the only reason blood became such a forefront of such talks was because it was among the easiest and less disgusting things to sample. You could just as easily get a full picture of someone’s genes from their spit. 

This was how things were if you looked at them logically, anyway. But this left Leonel all the more fascinated. 

Aina’s control over Blood went beyond just manipulating it. She could absorb and assimilate it. In fact, if she absorbed enough of Leonel’s blood, he wouldn’t be surprised if she birthed a Scarlet Star Force affinity no worse than his own, much the same way she had taken all the strengths of the Abyss Panther of Terrain for herself as well. 

“… Maybe those things are true for Earth and the Third Dimension, but Blood represents much more in the Dimensional Verse. The simplest way I can describe it is that it’s the conduit that Life Force resides in.”

“Life Force? So your Blood Force is that powerful because of Life Force? Then why the hassle, then? Why not just use Life Force directly? That way you don’t need to cut your enemies to make use of their blood.”

Aina shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that. Life Force is like gasoline or electricity while blood is the engine that runs on it. 

“Alone, gas and electricity, or most forms of that type of energy, are useless. It’s only when they’re applied across certain modes that they gain power. 

“Blood is like a vehicle I’m driving and Life Force is the fuel. There’s no better fuel than Life Force and there’s no better vehicle for it than Blood. 

“If I use Life Force alone, I can only really apply it to my body and it becomes difficult to apply it to others. That’s because unlike other Forces which have universal signatures to them, the Life Force of everyone differs from one to another. Hopping between them is inadvisable and only someone skilled enough to make Life Force neutral could use it to heal someone other than themselves. 

“It’s similar to blood types in that way.”

Leonel was suddenly enlightened. 

If what Aina was saying was true, it was no wonder she was so powerful. Her Life Force affinity was exceptionally high. This would make her greatly in tune with her particular Life Signature, which would in turn lead to many of the abilities she seemed to have. 

At the same time, because her Life Force was so powerful, it made her Blood Force just as powerful. The end result would obviously be physical strength. 

It all seemed to tie together quite nicely and Leonel came to very solid understanding. 

“So when you take the blood of an enemy, you’re essentially taking their Life Force with it. Then you use their own Force to fuel the strength of your blood manipulation.”

Aina nodded. “It’s also a bit more complicated than that as well. Life Force is tied to your vitality and how long you can live as well. Because of that, when within the body, the responsibility of Blood Force is to regulate how much is used over time. 

“That means that at any given time, the active Life Force within your blood is only a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of your total Life Force. 

“When I rip someone’s blood out of them, that regulation falls under my control. I essentially gain access to the total sum of a person’s entire life’s worth in an instant and can use it as quickly or slowly as I please. 

“The more powerful the person, the more difficult it is to take their blood. But, likewise, the results are also far better. 

“The power I can output with blood by my side is exponential. Theoretically, I don’t really have a limit. It’s just that I don’t use it very often in battle because it feels like a cheat. I prefer to hone my foundational skills, knowing full well that when I want to, the power I can output easily tenfold or even many more times that stronger.”

Leonel chuckled. “Should I be scared of you?”

Aina nodded eagerly. “Very. Very scared.”

Leonel laughed. He knew that his assessment of Aina wasn’t off and this explained a lot. Her base strength was one thing, but her power when multiplied by her Blood Force and Life Force affinities were on a completely different level. 

“So how does this relate to you saying you could have a baby whenever you want?” Leonel suddenly asked.