Chapter 699: A fake body?
Bia's eyebrow twitched violently, and her anger surged as she sensed the ranks of the old individuals. All of them were merely at the first stage of the transcendent rank, yet they had the audacity to watch Kyle and Ceano battle as if they were esteemed!
- "Leave this place before I do something that will erase all of your existence!"
The older individuals exchanged wary glances when they heard the threat of the phoenix. They had seen the golden flames the phoenix wielded and the devastation they could cause. Therefore, they certainly didn't want to get on her bad side.
Quickly, they all began to pick up their belongings to leave the area. Suddenly, the only woman among them glanced at Bia.
"Ah, right! We reached out to one of the seven elders who are overseeing the war happening at the other end of the universe. While we don't know much about the elders, some time ago, when the nature's favorite injured Ceano, many planets that had sent their people to join the war were instructed to notify the elders if they even saw a glimpse of the second shadow general!"
The demi-human beside her paused in his actions and let out a melancholic sigh.
"Did you just mention the famous figure known as the nature's favorite? That strong young human I want to meet before I die? I have only heard stories about how he killed the third shadow general and even injured Ceano from the youngsters who competed in the Gladiator Arena!"
Everyone's attention was captured by his words, and Bia's ears also perked up at the mention of the title Kyle had chosen for himself in the Gladiator Arena.
-'What did he just say?'
Confusion flickered in the phoenix's eyes as she fixed her gaze on the group.
-'Famous? Who? Kyle?'
She was about to use her flames on the older individuals, intending to drive them away to prevent any accidental deaths if Ceano triggered another artifact. However, upon hearing the demi-human, she paused and began to listen to the conversation.
The old demi-human glanced at the battle happening in the distance.
"Regardless, I never thought another powerful individual who could fight Ceano head-on existed. I nearly thought he was the nature's favorite, if only I didn't know that the nature's favorite have silver hair!"
The two humans with him nodded in agreement, one of them even gestured toward Bia with a sigh.
"Right, he even has a formidable fire phoenix! What a coincidence!"
Suddenly, the old woman next to the trio smacked them. The phoenix had just given them a warning that could threaten their lives, yet they still had time to chit-chat!
It was true; they all held deep respect for the nature's favorite because of the feat he had accomplished. They were well aware of the fear that the shadow generals had been instilling throughout the entire universe, and Kyle's actions had earned him considerable acclaim in their eyes. They would always honor the nature's favorite, whoever he may be. However now wasn't the time to praise him! They needed to leave before the phoenix burned them to ashes! The woman glared at the trio, and they quickly began to scatter back to their planets. In the end, only the woman remained. She glanced at Bia.
"I sincerely apologize for our actions. The reality is, we have grown old, which is why we were overcome with emotions when we saw that the enemies we had been battling for years were eliminated just like that..."
She looked at the fierce battle unfolding between Kyle and Ceano in the distance.
"It's so easy for him, isn't it? Fighting someone so powerful... Even though I can tell he's weaker from their exchange, he's still confronting Ceano head-on."
Bia sighed in agreement. Suddenly, golden light enveloped her entire body, and she transformed into a human.
-"He is strong... but what sets him apart from others is the fact that he's crazy. Just look at how the injuries are accumulating on his body, yet he continues to fight!"
She adjusted the feathery outfit around her body, feeling slightly uncomfortable before glancing at the woman.
-"You may have never seen him before, but I can tell from your eyes, you recognized that he is the nature's favorite."
The woman nodded quietly. She hadn't given it much thought when she followed the others to investigate the sounds of the explosions. But now, feeling the sharp gaze of the phoenix upon her, she felt a wave of nervousness. It seemed wiser not to lie.
"The others are a bit slow on the uptake, so they easily missed the fact that hair color can change for a variety of reasons."
She took a deep breath.
"I shall take my leave. Please tell your companion to stay alive; I am certain one of the elders is on their way to help him."
Bia chuckled at her words and shook her head, her golden hair flowing in the air.
-"Well, he wouldn't die even if no help came. I've known him long enough to assure you of that. Just go and make sure I don't see you or anyone else near this area again."
The woman let out a wry smile.
"Alright... I said that because I don't want to see the man who had the potential to end the chaos this universe is facing to die."
She turned around to leave the area but paused and glanced at Bia.
"But... does the nature's favorite know that the person he's fighting right now might just be a fake body of the original?"
She pondered for a second, unaware of how Bia's eyes darkened at her words.
"I guess he knows since he has fought Ceano before. The second shadow general never takes risks. He would never fight the nature's favorite with his real body when he knows what his enemy is capable of."
The woman's figure vanished in the distance. She wanted to help Kyle and Bia, just like the others individuals who were with her, but they refrained from interfering in the battle after witnessing the strength that Kyle and Ceano were displaying. With their current abilities, they would only end up dead if they attempted to help.
Bia glanced at Kyle and Ceano as they clashed in the distance once again. She couldn't pinpoint their exact location due to their speed, but through the connection she shared with Kyle, she could sense that he had nearly exhausted all his spiritual and divine energy. A curse
escaped her lips.
-"Damn it! Kyle is sacrificing so much, but in the end, the person we're trying to eliminate might just be a fake body of the original!? There's no gain in this battle!"
She transformed back into her phoenix form and tried to communicate with Kyle. At first, he didn't hear her, as his mind and attention were consumed by the enemy before him. But after several failed attempts, Bia's eyes lit up when Kyle finally caught her voice. A weary voice
resonated in her mind.
'What... are you saying? Repeat it.'
Kyle's expression turned even more emotionless when Bia revealed that the person he was fighting might just be a fake body! In the Gladiator Arena, Ceano had also used a fake body. If this was true now as well, there was no way they could kill him!
He mused to himself as he swiftly executed the first move of his sword art to send Ceano staggering back to catch his breath.
'A fake body? I have my suspicions, but I'm not sure. I need to look deeper into his body to confirm, but there's a barrier around the space where his soul resides.'
He had sensed the presence of the old people watching the battle from a distance the moment
they arrived in the area, as his scent perception skill was active.
However, since all of them were relatively weak and posed no threat to him or Bia, he dismissed their presence. Regardless, if they had interfered, he would have found a way to eliminate them. Fortunately, they left before that became necessary.
Kyle glanced at Ceano. They had been fighting for some time, and he had already sensed the
man's desire to reach Bia, as the latter had attempted it multiple times during the battle. He concluded that Ceano wanted to use an artifact similar to the ones he had employed earlier again but this time on Bia. But would he allow that? Of course not!
'It doesn't matter if it's a fake body or not because I am going to end him!'
He charged at Ceano again while Bia informed him about the conversation she had with the people she met, revealing that a powerful elder from the war occurring at the other end of the universe would arrive soon to assist them to defeat Ceano.
Kyle clicked his tongue as he locked eyes with the golden-eyed man staring at him. Beads of sweat trickled down both of their bodies due to the immense pressure they were exerting on
each other.
"It's going to become problematic if someone comes here to interfere... Let's try to end this
as soon as possible."