Chapter 728: You are indeed still alive
James clenched his fists tightly. The strength Damien was displaying now was the reason he and the elders had never won the war against the dark side, even after Azazeal disappeared. He cursed.
'The people outside the barrier are here to save me! If it's really Kyle who had called them, I'm sure Elizabeth is with them too! They're in danger! Damn it!'
He gritted his teeth, fully aware that after fighting for so long, his body was teetering on the edge of giving in. It was nothing but sheer willpower that kept him going.
He fought against the relentless pressure weighing down on him. If only he could use the artifacts Odiak had given him; he could easily escape this suffocating force. But
unfortunately, at that moment, he couldn't even move his fingers, let alone retrieve those artifacts from his mind space.
His trembling gaze shifted toward Hubert, only to discover that the old dragon was in even worse condition.
He then scanned the planet for Kyle; if the man was still here, he would undoubtedly be enduring the same ordeal. But just as Damien had mentioned earlier, he couldn't locate Kyle. Therefore, he concluded that Kyle had already escaped the planet.
'At least he is not dead...'
He didn't expect a young man with such a bright future to sacrifice his life for him. He just hoped Kyle could warn those outside the planet that it was about to explode so they could leave the area and avoid dying.
'Please... Kyle! Take them away!'
However, even after a few seconds, the people outside the planet didn't retreat.
The planet's core emitted a deafening screech, resonating through the air as if pleading for help. The fractured land began to dissolve into bubbling lava, and in that instant, James made the decision to sacrifice his soul to stop Damien.
If he had to die anyway, he would at least save his partner and his people!
He smiled bitterly.
'So, this truly is the end then.'
Then he closed his eyes. But just as he was about to release the strength of his soul, a familiar yet pained voice echoed in the air.
"Ugh!?"
James snapped his eyes open, and the first thing he and Hubert noticed was a massive crack in the shattered space.
Kyle, who had just stepped out of the crack, dragging Onicuss's bloodied and struggling form, lost his balance in mid-air and, with a heavy thud, fell squarely to the ground. The impact sent a powerful tremor through the shattered space around them.
"Fuck!"
He let out a loud curse, yet he still refused to release Onicuss from his grasp.
Following Kyle, the familiar crimson phoenix surged out from the crack, only to follow him and plummet toward the ground due to the overwhelming pressure.
-"Ahhhhh!"
Kyle's eyes widened as he saw Bia's massive form coming straight toward him. He shouted with all his might.
"Turn back to your smaller form!"
As if sensing the urgency in his shout, Bia quickly transformed into her smaller form and landed on Kyle's back. While the impact didn't hurt him, she let out a hiss of pain.
-"Damn it!! We just left for no more than half a minute to catch the prey, and what the hell happened in this place?!"
Her bewildered and angry shouts echoed in the eerie silence as she struggled to move under the pressure weighing down on her.
Just a short while ago, when they saw Onicuss suddenly disappearing into the rifts forming in space, Kyle had created a portal, and they had followed Onicuss into the tear to catch him.
But who would have thought their brief absence would change everything here? Damien glanced at the struggling newcomers, his expression turning icy when he spotted Kyle.
"So, you are indeed still alive."
His gaze shifted to Onicuss's struggling figure, who screamed in agony since Kyle maintained a tight grip around his neck, even under the immense pressure.
The fifth shadow general shouted desperately at the first shadow general.
"Help me, Damien!"
Yet, the cold gaze that met his eyes sent chills down his spine, causing him to clamp his
mouth shut. Damien's eyes flickered with disdain and disappointment.
"What a useless fool. I sent you away, yet you still got caught."
He turned his gaze toward Kyle and increased the pressure on the human.
"Let him go."
Kyle scoffed and refused to release Onicuss. He ignored him and lifted his head to glance at Hubert with a solemn face.
"Master, I never knew you were so weak!"
At hearing those words, Hubert spat out blood. He had nearly sacrificed his life, and yet this insolent disciple still dared to call him weak? He swore that if he survived today, he would settle this with Kyle, even if it meant fighting a full-fledged battle!
A vein throbbed on Damien's forehead. With his peak transcendent rank strength, Kyle should have easily sensed that the planet he was on was about to explode!
Shouldn't he be begging for mercy?
What was with his attitude?
With a swift motion, a beam of light shot toward Kyle and Bia. And the human finally released Onicuss, just an instant before his hand was severed from his body.
Damien called for Onicuss, and the man hurriedly disappeared toward him, leaving behind the human and the phoenix, who stared at him with cold eyes.
The planet's core emitted another deafening noise, a loud cracking sound reverberating through the atmosphere-a chilling warning that in just a few more seconds, the planet would erupt in a cataclysmic explosion, annihilating everything in its path.
Damien hurriedly controlled the space around himself and Onicuss, creating a separate area that isolated them from the surroundings, allowing them to witness the fate of the people dying firsthand.
The first shadow general loathed taking risks, so he was determined to ensure that these individuals met their end right before his eyes. Meanwhile, Onicuss laughed at Kyle, who struggled to even move.
"What now? Weren't you supposed to kill me for revenge, huh? What happened now? Can't even move! Haha!"
His ominous laughter echoed in the air, instilling despair in James and Hubert. But when Kyle suddenly joined in with a wild, crazed laugh, Onicuss fell silent.
Damien stared at the human who was laughing uncontrollably with amusement, his expression solemn as he wondered if Kyle had completely lost his sanity.
For some reason, as he felt those green eyes fixed on him, Onicuss experienced a twinge of panic inside but he managed to maintain his outward composure. After all, the first shadow general was with him, so there was no need to worry!
Unlike the shadow generals who were fixated on Kyle, James and Hubert were too absorbed in finding a way to escape to take the time to comprehend Kyle's sudden laughter in such a dire
situation.
Only Bia felt a chill run down her spine at the sound of Kyle's laughter. She was all too familiar
with that eerie sound, which lacked even a hint of joy.
-'Oh no, he's gonna do something crazy!'