Chapter 767: Realm of the Dead II
James's head whipped around at the familiar voice. He clenched his teeth so hard that he drew blood as he cursed the first shadow general, who watched their struggle with a satisfied expression.
"You bastard! So, this was the dark side's plan all along? That's why you and Ceano were so silent; that's why more than half of the dark side retreated from the war? How the hell did you two pull this off?"
Damien chuckled, feeling the weight of countless piercing eyes upon him, as if they longed to tear him apart. Yet, he didn't care. The dark side had already won. No one in this world could change that fact now.
The corners of his eyes crinkled as he surveyed the scene before him.
He could see fear, desperation, and panic etched on everyone's faces, and he felt a twisted sense of exhilaration.
The sight was one of the most beautiful he had ever witnessed, igniting a thrill within him that he couldn't quite suppress.
"Are you sure you want to waste time chatting with me, James? Well, I am free, so I don't mind. But don't you have more important things to do, like preventing the Realm of the Dead from opening?"
He chuckled as he observed the expressions of everyone around the seal contorted in rage and horror. They couldn't stop what they were doing, which meant they couldn't fight him to shut
him up.
"Hmm, I wonder just how long you all can supply such immense spiritual energy to the seals? Tsk, tsk, it isn't even working."
The Will of the Universe shuddered.
Damien was right; no matter how much spiritual energy the people around the seals poured into them, the two pillars continued to crack, marred by so many fractures that they appeared on the verge of collapsing.
James's eyes turned red with fury. He wanted to fight Damien in a life-and-death battle. But he understood the gravity of the situation they were in; he couldn't afford to stop channeling spiritual energy.
The seals were already on the brink of breaking, and they needed every ounce of strength to hold back the impending chaos.
That's why he clenched his fists and swallowed his anger, battling against the fear that threatened to engulf him. He knew that if the seals broke, it wouldn't just be his life at stake; the fate of everyone he cared about hung in the balance.
Damien's smile faded, and he scoffed loudly when his provocation didn't work. Then, out of nowhere, his gaze landed on Kyle-the one person he most wanted to see gripped by fear and desperation.
He had hoped to see him curse or glower at him just like the others, but Kyle did none of that. Instead, he dismissed his presence, as if he held no significance whatsoever.
His green eyes were fixed on the seals as he channeled his spiritual energy into them and drew ancient symbols in the air that the first shadow general couldn't recognize.
Kyle's expression was calm and composed. If one overlooked the tremor in his body as he battled against the ice encasing his skin and his pained face, they might assume he was indifferent to everything and would not care even if the seals were to break.
A vein throbbed on Damien's head. Even in such a bad situation, Kyle didn't show him any fear! He wanted to see the same fear he felt due to Kyle reflected in the latter's eyes. He wanted to see him break as he could do nothing but watch everyone he cherished perish before his very eyes.
"That son of the "
Before he could rush toward Kyle and confront him, a hand grabbed his shoulder, halting him in his tracks. Enthrall sneered as he emerged from the crack behind him, accompanied by Ceano.
"Are you an idiot? Don't you realize he is similar to what one would call 'the son of fate'? Read some books in your free time. The villains always end up dead-because they underestimate the son of fate."
No one understood the nonsense he was spewing. Damien scowled and swatted his hand away, and like Cenao, could only glare at him, hoping he would shut up.
But Enthrall was far from finished. He continued to ramble on.
"Look, I know I lost to you badly when we battled last month. That's why you are still above me. I hate you, and you hate me. To be honest, I wouldn't mind if you died, but it would be a shame for you to die when we are so close to achieving something big."
"It would be bad if you charge into battle thinking you can end him, only to find out that you're completely outmatched..."
That's it. That was the final straw. Damien raised his fist to silence him, but he froze when the icy air turned even colder.
The three turned their heads and watched as a layer of familiar blue flames spread out to engulf the two crumbling pillars.
Kyle panted, exerting all his strength to control the space around him. He felt the bewildered and shocked gazes directed at him and shouted loudly.
"It's no use... We can't save the seals. Stop wasting your spiritual energy."
The Will of the Universe shook his head in denial and attempted to pass through the icy flames to save the seals.
"No! No! That can't be!"
Kyle ignored the old man. He slashed his palm with a wind blade. The crimson blood floated before his eyes and merged with the symbols he had been creating in the air.
Elder Razial's eyes widened in shock when he saw the golden symbols that turned red after absorbing Kyle's blood. It wasn't just him alone; the eyes of several other array masters in the area also widened.
Some of the symbols looked familiar; they had encountered them before!
They were used to gather life force! They were not difficult to draw, but they were too dangerous because they drained life force, so not many dared to use them!
So, why the hell did the kid draw such dangerous symbols?
Razial and the array masters couldn't decipher the other symbols glowing in front of Kyle, but the ones they recognized were enough to raise their alarm.
One of them raised his voice.
"What are you doing? Don't be reckless! Don't you know that once the symbols that drain life force are drawn, they can't be undone until they have satisfied their hunger and fulfilled their
purpose?"
Many others shouted as well. First, Kyle stopped them from pouring spiritual energy into the seals, and now this?
What was he doing? All of their lives, along with countless others in the Forsaken Land, were
in danger!
If they couldn't save the seals, they needed to at least make a good plan to escape this place before it collapsed, taking as many people as possible with them! But he was wasting precious
time!
The Will of the Universe, having failed to pass through the flames, turned to Kyle.
"Extinguish your flames!!"
The old man's voice thundered in the air. He could not interfere, nor could he harm any living
being in the universe. That's why he turned to James and the elders.
"Stop him! What are you all waiting for? We don't have time!"
James clenched his fists and turned to Kyle, but he didn't stop him. He already had a
premonition of what the man was trying to achieve. He understood it when Kyle said they couldn't save the seals.
If they truly couldn't, then at least they needed to save themselves!
The Will of the Universe gritted his teeth as James and the elders ignored his words.
"Have you all lost your minds?! You're entrusting everything to a kid who hasn't even lived long enough to grasp the vastness of this world!"
With that, he turned and resumed his struggle to pass through the icy flames to reach the seals. He couldn't allow the Realm of the Dead to open!
Elizabeth glanced at James to determine their next actions. But he shook his head. It wasn't that they trusted Kyle with their lives; it was just that they had no other choice.
If they tried hard enough, the two could escape this place with their friends... but what about the countless people fighting in the war? The ones on the floating islands?
Yue, Alec, Carcel, Regius, Sinon, Mia, and Lara rushed to float around Kyle. They had no idea what he was doing or why he had created such dangerous symbols, but no matter what, they would trust him and defend against anyone who attacked.
They all turned back when Kyle's voice echoed in their minds, asking them to help him
complete the array he was trying to create. He needed life force. They weren't the only ones
Kyle asked for help.
James and the seven supreme elders exchanged glances. Losing life force meant losing their strength, as it would reduce the number of years they could live.
Their bodies were nearly immortal, allowing them to live for a long time since they had reached the supreme rank. But that didn't mean they were invulnerable.
Alec glanced at the system panel, which was flashing warning signs of impending danger, and
took a deep breath. Then, he slashed his palm and watched as his blood was drawn into the glowing symbols in the air. Carcel and the others followed suit.
Seeing them trust Kyle completely, James moved forward and also slashed his hand, choosing
to sacrifice his life force. Odiak, Elizabeth, and the other supreme elders who believed in
James followed suit.
The other powerful individuals in the area were uncertain about what to do, but when they heard James's voice in their minds, they too followed without hesitation.