Chapter 756: It kind of smelled like the Tree of Fate
Kyle paused a short distance from his friends and fixed his gaze on Sinon. He had already overheard Sinon telling Alec, Lara, and Yue that he had mastered a formidable natural law. As an added bonus, he had also learned how to hide his wings.
Noticing Kyle's arrival, Sinon grinned and flashed him a boastful look.
"I have become much stronger! Even more so than that half-fish!"
Kyle raised an eyebrow, and without needing any prompting, Sinon voluntarily raised his hand and announced to everyone around him that he would now demonstrate the natural law he had learned.
Sinon wore a solemn expression, and to heighten the dramatic effect, he decided to bring out his wings, which had become more beautiful with his advancement.
In the next moment, a stunning pair of silver wings with golden edges emerged from his shoulder blades.
His eyebrow twitched when he heard the sound of his shirt tearing-alright, he forgot to think about this important issue.
However, everyone was focused on his wings and didn't notice his small mishap.
The silver wings were embellished with intricate, swirling designs that mirrored the gentle flow of the wind. The golden accents within the silver shimmered in the dim light, casting a radiant glow that highlighted their ethereal beauty.
Kyle gazed at the wings in silence. They were truly beautiful, and he wondered if he could get a pair for himself. Yet, when he thought about how heavy they might feel on his body and the responsibility of caring for them, he decided against it.
Bia has wings, and that was more than enough for him to manage.
He snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed the gentle breeze swirling around Sinon suddenly surge with overwhelming intensity; in no time, the wind transformed into a calm yet ferocious whirlwind.
Carcel and Mia, who had witnessed this once, maintained their distance from Sinon, while the others instinctively moved back.
They watched as the space around the demi-human began to buckle and collapse under the immense pressure of the wind.
The air crackled with various types of energy, swirling fiercely, as if the very sky itself were responding to Sinon's presence. Then, it all transformed into a gentle breeze and vanished, as if what they had seen was merely an illusion.
Alec let out a chuckle when Sinon finished his flashy demonstration. He moved closer and draped his arm over his shoulder.
"That was powerful! You can now command the wind. Well, I wouldn't expect anything less from someone who chose the title 'Ruler of the Skies' for himself."
He paused for a moment, as if recalling something very important.
"Truthfully, Nine and I thought the first natural law you would comprehend would be related to water, given that you have so many water-type skills!"
"I guess we were wrong!"
Sinon's lips turned downward when he heard his words. Instantly, he recalled a time in the past when he had seen Kyle taking a very weak water-type skill core.
At that time, he believed that water-type skills were powerful and began collecting them. As a result, nearly 80% of his skills were now water type. He almost pulled out his hair when he later discovered from Nine that Kyle only had one water-type skill, and the man used it solely to take a bath!
His expression soured at the memories, and with a swift and precise motion, he elbowed Alec squarely in the stomach, causing him to hiss in surprise.
Alec clenched his stomach and hurriedly distanced himself from him when he saw another attack aimed at him.
"Why??"
He groaned with an aggrieved look, but Sinon just sneered at him with a tsk.
While they were chatting, James and the elders watched them with expressions filled with complexity. They had witnessed Sinon effortlessly demonstrate the natural law he had mastered, leaving them feeling sour.
And why wouldn't they be?
It had taken them countless years to learn the natural laws they could manipulate!
But these youngsters were mastering the natural laws with such ease, as if it were a simple stroll beneath the sky...? It seems their generation had finally been outpaced by a new and more formidable one.
James shook his head and turned his gaze back toward Elder Razial, who was floating in front of the two tall, radiant pillars.
"Is there any issue with the seals or the ancient array protecting them?"
Razial traced a few strange symbols in the air for one last check and shook his head.
"There's no problem. The seals are secure. But if the shadow generals weren't here to destroy the seals, then why...?"
James narrowed his eyes, his mind racing to uncover the reason behind the sudden attack as The glanced at the elders.
"I have a bad feeling about this, but the universe's will hasn't come to check on the seals, which means they are not in danger. Still, we must strengthen the guards around the seals. Now, alongside Kurt, Hal and Sophia, you two should also stay here."
Hal and Sophia nodded.
After Odiak placed a few more protective artifacts around the two pillars, despite the presence of many strong artifacts already guarding them, James turned around and announced for everyone to return.
Kyle glanced at James when he heard his words and silently trailed behind Yue and the others as they followed the individuals who were going back.
Elder Sophia, Hal, and Kurt stayed behind with several other powerful individuals. The three elders floated and observed as James and those following him ascended the array they had used to arrive at this place.
As Kyle stood on the array, the icy aura emanating from him caused him to keep a small distance from those around him. Yue cast him a very disapproving glance, but he acted as if he didn't sense her eyes boring holes into his head.
He glanced in the direction of the seals of the realm of the dead as the array beneath him illuminated. If he recalled correctly, he had sensed a faintly familiar scent among the various odors surrounding the seals while he was fighting Ceano.
But he wasn't able to identify what it was because the faint scent entirety vanished after the
shadow generals left.
"It kind of smelled like the Tree of Fate..."
He mumbled almost instinctively, but his words were lost in the air as his figure vanished alongside the others.
....
A while ago, Damien gasped sharply, clutching his pounding heart tightly as he stepped out of the crack before him and tried to shut it. He panicked when he sensed Kyle following closely behind him and only relaxed a little when he closed the crack with all his might.
A cold snicker echoed behind him, and he turned to see Enthrall laughing at him with a mocking expression.
Damien's eyes turned cold as he met the familiar sapphire gaze of the man who held the power to create true illusions and even drive every type of living being mad with just a few
glowing particles.
"You want a fight? We will go back and fight in front of a crowd, just as you wish."
He uttered with an blank expression, but Enthrall just clicked his tongue in response.
"You two still think you're strong, huh?"
He pointed at Ceano's two bodies; one of them was fine, but the other was coughing up blood and had fallen to the barren land below with a ghostly pale face.
"Look at him. You can sense it, right? He lost another of his fake bodies. That means he lost a
portion of his strength and a piece of his soul! How wasteful! If only he had given that part of
his soul to me!"
Damien clenched his jaw as he glanced at Ceano's real body below on the barren land, clearly
handling immense pain.
It was an open secret among the shadow generals that if Ceano lost a fake body he had created with a fragment of his soul as a catalyst, he would also lose a significant portion of his strength. After all, such a formidable ability to create fake bodies came with its own set of
consequences.
Enthrall sighed with mock sadness.
"Now Ceano's current power is at the mid-stage of the supreme rank. I'm sure that person...
what was he called again? Kyle, right?! He must have also noticed that his opponent has grown a lot weaker compared to before. Ha! If Ceano loses another body, his strength will drop to the initial stage of the supreme rank."
"Then even a single attack from those useless elders under James would be enough to end him
His words were cut short when Ceano screamed from below.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Or else I will help sew your mouth shut!"
The air around Ceano trembled as an overwhelming aura surged from his body. He raised his
fist and punched down on the ground, causing the land beneath him to disintegrate into a
cloud of dust.
"That bastard!"
He screamed and unleashed his anger, destroying everything in sight. Enthrall immediately clamped his mouth shut and, under Damien's scornful eyes, fled the place. He knew his tongue was trouble, and he had a habit to make sharp remarks that made everyone want to draw his blood. But he wasn't an idiot; he understood when it was time to
retreat.
Damien stared at his fading image with pure disdain and ridicule before moving away to let Ceano release his anger.
It was very rare for Ceano to lose his composure, but he understood why he had done so. Ceano valued strength above all else; the only reason he had joined Azazeal was his desire for
power, and now that very thing was being taken away from him.
After a long while, Ceano paused and hovered in the sky as he silently surveyed the
devastation he had caused.
The barren land lay in utter ruins, the surrounding mountains reduced to dust, and the scant greenery that had once been visible was now nothing but ashes.
He straightened his wrinkled clothes and properly tied the loose strands of his long peach- colored hair in a ponytail as they cascaded down his back.
The frustration and indignation in his golden eyes subsided completely, and he glanced back
at Damien with a calm face, as if his earlier outburst had been nothing but a figment of
imagination.
"So, I believe you succeeded?"
Damien nodded, not considering that the mental state of the man before him was far from right. They were all crazy anyway; that was why they followed Azazeal.
"I planted the fragment of the Tree of Fate's core that Enthrall stole. If everything goes
according to plan, the two seals will crumble on their own in a few months. We just need to
inform master when it's done."
Ceano's lips curled upward into a sweet smile as he looked away.
"Good, I expect a substantial reward from master after we are done. After ll, I have sacrificed
the most in all of this."