Chapter 632: So, need a hand? Or-!
Unlike Bia and Kyle, Asher was completely shocked by the woman's words. He was clueless about the Celestial realm, but he had heard of many individuals who had touched the Celestial rank.
After all, despite being a half-dragon, he was part of the dragon race and had only been trapped in this tomb for a century.
At the top of the list were the first and second shadow generals, but it was a well-known fact among the dragon race that even though the first and second shadow generals had advanced from the supreme rank, they had only touched the boundary of the initial stage of the Celestial-rank, like many others.
'In this universe, there exists only one individual who has truly attained the true Celestial rank – Azazeal, the leader of the dark side. So, who exactly is this Nathaniel? If he is the last human to ever reach the true Celestial rank in this universe and has ascended to the Celestial realm, wouldn't that indicate that the other person she's talking about is Azazeal?'
Asher's mind raced with thoughts, yet he chose to maintain his silence.
He needed to gather more information before confirming anything.
Asher watched the human's back as the latter questioned the woman entirely made of light about the other person she had been mentioning in her words.
Kyle's gaze was locked onto the woman as she lowered her voice with a sob.
"It is... him."
He furrowed his brows.
"Who?"
Suddenly, the spiritual energy cage surrounding the woman shattered, and she let out a chilling scream that shook the entire chamber. She swiftly leaped in the opposite direction, aiming to flee the area and hide for the time being while internally committing to deal with the human later. However, before she could make her escape, Kyle raised the metallic nail in his hand and drove it into her abdomen.
"I believe I asked you a question?"
A monotonic voice emanated from his lips as he grabbed the woman's shoulder and quickly pinned her to the ground.
She writhed with a look of horror on her face, witnessing the spot where the nail had been driven disintegrate into particles. A big part of her was destroyed just like that...? She opened her mouth to quickly answer the human's question. Her existence was more important than anything else!
"It's... Az-!"
She gasped as the core of her body fragmented into particles due to the human's tight grasp. Kyle swiftly let her go upon seeing her body disintegrate, yet it was too late. The remainder of her form shattered into particles, scattering throughout the chamber.
"Ah, the gloves... boosted my strength. I didn't put much pressure when I grabbed her, but they magnified the force."
He glanced at the gloves adorning his hands. The symbols on them gleamed briefly before returning to their usual state. Kyle shifted his gaze back to the phoenix and the half-dragon. "I suppose no more information."
Bia rolled her eyes at his words. The phoenix floated towards him and settled on his shoulder as he stood up.
Asher glanced at the remnants of the disappearing particles swirling inside the chamber, which was completely destroyed by the icy flames Kyle used, and sighed inwardly with a solemn expression.
'I was so close to knowing if that person who reached the Celestial rank alongside Nathaniel is Azazeal or not. Az...? Her final words for some reason gave me the creeps. I haven't even seen the leader of the dark side and would rather not. All I want is to make it out of this tomb in one piece.'
He massaged his forehead, feeling weary from the influx of information he gained due to the silver-haired man in just a day. It felt like he was learning far more than he should, even delving into knowledge he wasn't meant to explore.
Asher jolted as a cold hand touched his shoulder. He lifted his gaze to meet the familiar pair of green eyes, now exuding a sense of nonchalance. Kyle tilted his head and gestured towards the portal he had conjured moments ago, only to find the half-dragon lost in thoughts.
"What happened? You are not going to follow me anymore?"
Asher flashed a smirk at his question, but as usual, before he could touch the human, the latter retreated a meter away from him. This time, he wasn't even surprised and just patted the place Kyle touched with a smile as he watched the human step into the portal he had crafted.
"I just had this sudden realization that I don't want to die. It's frightening because I will vanish completely just like her..."
He glanced at the empty chamber and followed Kyle to exit the space. The trio reappeared in the chamber filled with marble statues they had left earlier.
Kyle looked at Asher. He heard what the man said before stepping into the portal.
'I don't want to die either. The pain isn't scary for me anymore, but death itself is something I don't wish for.'
He didn't say it out loud, and the air around the duo fell into a heavy silence. Bia sensed the sudden change in the atmosphere.
-"What's next?"
Kyle turned his gaze toward the phoenix perched on his shoulder.
"Hmm? Let's conquer this trial ground."
Asher nodded and observed the numerous statues surrounding them, which began to move closer.
"So, need a hand? Or-!"
His sentence remained unfinished as Kyle vanished from his position.
Bia nearly stumbled, but she had grown used to Kyle's sudden disappearances, so she steadied herself effortlessly. The phoenix watched alongside Asher as the statues closing in on them began to shatter one by one, and in just a few moments, Kyle reappeared in the exact spot he vanished from, with hardly a wrinkle on his clothes.
"Done."
Kyle grabbed the base of his gloves and adjusted them to sit snugly on his hands.
The half-dragon chuckled as he surveyed the shattered statues around them. It was quite swift, even for him. Nevertheless, they had successfully completed the first stage of the trial
ground.