Chapter 732: The old man is a scaredy-cat!
The instant Kyle's physical body shifted, a faint layer of coldness radiated from him, dissipating the ice that covered his body. He slowly blinked open his indifferent eyes but sighed when he saw that his frigid aura had frozen everything around him.
With a groan, he moved and placed his palm behind him for support as he sat on the icy bed. Even though his body had long since healed, it still felt stiff, likely because he hadn't moved at all for some time.
His eyes scanned the frozen surroundings before he silently extended his senses and noticed Bia and Hubert's presence quite far away. The duo seemed to be fine.
"Hmm..."
With a simple motion of his fingers, the ice surrounding him began to dissolve into tiny particles without harming the forest.
The vibrant colors of the trees and the sounds of rustling leaves, which had been stifled by the ice covering them, began to reemerge. In no time, the forest returned to its original appearance, as if it had never been encased in a glistening ice.
Kyle got to his feet and stretched his arms and legs a little, but he wrinkled his nose at the scent of blood surrounding him. And to make matters worse, it was his own blood, dried and stuck to his tattered clothes.
"Damn... that old man didn't help me change?!"
However, in the next moment, he suddenly blinked when he realized that his sense of smell had completely healed.
"Ah..."
A surprised noise escaped his lips as he hurriedly touched his nose. After fighting against one of Ceano's fake bodies, he had damaged his sense of smell, but it seemed that when his bloodline healed his body, his sense of smell was also fully restored. No, he actually felt it was stronger than before!
Before he could test his scent perception skill, which he had avoided using since his battle with Ceano's fake body, he suddenly felt a familiar pressure coming straight toward him from behind.
Just as he turned around, Bia rushed toward him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Kyle nearly lost his balance, but he quickly regained his footing.
He schooled his expression, and the indifference in his eyes vanished as if it had never existed. He gently patted Bia's back.
"Bia, you are suffocating me."
A frustrated huff pierced the air as the phoenix released him. Her eyes scanned his body, and she nodded upon confirming he was perfectly fine.
Hubert halted behind Bia and examined Kyle's body as well. The two had rushed back the instant they saw the ice around them dissolve into particles.
After confirming that Kyle was in good state, the concern in the old man's eyes vanished, giving way to a flicker of anger.
"So, you're finally awake, huh?"
His voice echoed in the air, drawing the attention of both Kyle and Bia.
With a raised brow, Bia quickly stepped away from Kyle, excited for a good show. Over the past few days, she had heard the old man repeatedly say that he would beat up Kyle the moment the human regained consciousness, so she was eager to see what Hubert would do.
Kyle simply lifted his gaze and met the familiar blue eyes fixed on him.
"Yes, I am awake, master."
His voice was firm, almost challenging, causing Hubert to swallow all his grief and nod stiffly in response.
"That's good..."
Bia was left speechless, even more so when she saw the corners of Kyle's lips curve upward into a faint, satisfied smirk.
-'Wow, the old man is a scaredy-cat!'
Hubert's eyebrow also twitched when he saw Kyle's smirk, but instead of getting angry, he just sighed softly inwardly. Unlike the emotionless man who had stayed in No Mana Land, this Kyle seemed much better, even though he was annoying. He cleared his throat to suppress the relieved smile that threatened to appear on his face.
"Regardless, now that Kyle has woken up, I believe I should leave. There is no use for my presence anymore-"
His words were interrupted by Kyle.
"No, master, you should stay with us for a few weeks. I'm not fully healed; my body is, but my strength has weakened a bit. I need to meditate to clear my mind. During that time, I don't think it would be wise for me and Bia to be alone, especially since I have killed the third and fifth shadow generals. I am sure the entire dark side is after my head right now. There's even a chance Azazeal himself will show up."
He clicked his tongue at the mention of Azazeal's name. It had been a while since he had seen that man.
Hearing his words, two pairs of extremely shocked eyes stared at him with mouths agape, both for different reasons.
Hubert was shocked by the fact that Kyle had killed two shadow generals! Doesn't that mean Kyle had killed the third shadow general after leaving No Mana Land? And if he remembered correctly, wasn't the fifth shadow general Onicuss? That meant Kyle had also successfully killed Onicuss even though Damien was protecting him!
On the other hand, Bia was astonished because it was the first time she had seen Kyle depend on someone else! He always acted alone, regardless of how perilous the situation was, so when he asked Hubert to stay with them, she could hardly believe her ears and thought she must have misheard!
There was a brief silence before Hubert cleared his throat and cautiously took a few steps away from Kyle. Grateful that he had refrained from seeking revenge against Kyle for his suffering, he now realized he would have deeply regretted it! Kyle had truly become very, very
dangerous.
Taking a deep breath to calm his troubled yet proud heart, Hubert nodded.
"Okay, I will stay with you two for a while. Anyway, I think Bia needs some training in her human form, so I will help her adjust. Once you're fine, we can part ways. I need to return to No Mana Land; I cannot leave my people alone for too long."
Hubert blinked in confusion when Kyle suddenly stretched out his hand toward him. He took
another step back.
"What now?"
Kyle tilted his head and flashed a dazzling yet insincere smile that Hubert was all too familiar with after all the years they had spent together in No Mana Land.
"The spear, master. So, I can call you for help in the future as well."
Hubert's heart sank then and there. The thought that he might have to endure even worse in
the future, after all he had already faced just to help Kyle, was enough to make him lose his
balance.
He laughed, and Bia couldn't tell if he was laughing or crying at his fate.