Chapter 785: Another Job?
Inside a beautiful forest, Ceano sat cross-legged atop a rock, healing his soul while absorbing a powerful treasure he had acquired after defeating a supreme rank water monster.
A dark phoenix perched lazily on a nearby tree branch, observing him. It had no idea why the second shadow general had asked for it, but it didn't really care. After all, even though the dark phoenix was weak, death was something it never feared.
Suddenly, its eyes flashed with the memory of Bia, the crimson phoenix-one of its kind. It couldn't help but think about her, as it had been so many years since the dark phoenix had encountered another of its race.
The phoenix race had dwindled over time, as many sought to possess them for their beauty and power. This ultimately led to their demise when the phoenixes refused to form bonds with those who hunted them.
To the dark phoenix shock, that crimson phoenix had broken through the potential limit of their kind!
Bia had surpassed the divine rank and reached the transcendent rank! Therefore, the dark phoenix couldn't shake the intense desire to go and find that red phoenix.
It was itching to slice open her body and uncover the secret of how she achieved such an extraordinary feat!
A low male voice resounded in the air as the phoenix transformed into its human form, with two beautiful dark wings.
"Why did second master summon me?"
Ceano opened his eyes, and the golden color within his gaze deepened a lot. Yet, he didn't smile; instead, he punched the space in front of him, shattering it completely.
"Why? Why? Why can't I heal my soul!? My strength isn't increasing! Ahhh!"
The dark phoenix quickly retreated to a distance, but he was still injured due to his slow reaction. After all, he was only at the peak of divine rank, unlike Ceano, who was at the supreme rank.
He coughed up blood as he observed the second shadow general's outburst. His dark pupils crinkled, and a bored yet amused smile curled at the corners of his lips.
'To think I would see the most composed shadow general like this... interesting. It's because of that human, Kyle, isn't it?'
He didn't dare to voice his thoughts aloud, for while the dark phoenix didn't fear death, that didn't mean he had a death wish.
Silently, he watched as Ceano obliterated everything around him. The once-beautiful forest was reduced to ruins.
After several long minutes, Ceano finally took a deep breath and smoothed out his rumpled clothes, as if his emotions hadn't just spiraled out of control once again.
Well, one couldn't blame him.
He had once been one of the strongest in this universe, but now his power had faded to a mere shadow of his former self! A disbelieving laugh escaped his lips.
To think, he, Ceano, had once stood at the threshold of the Celestial rank... Just one step away from breaking through to that otherworldly power that no one except Azazeal had attained!
Just one step... but now he wasn't even at the peak of the supreme rank! All because of a single human! A single damn human!
He had been striving to regain his true power, but all his efforts had been in vain. The treasures he discovered to heal his weakened state were proving useless.
To make matters worse, he couldn't even ask his master, Azazeal, for a reward for his sacrifices in destroying the last two seals of the Realm of the Dead, since the man had disappeared without a trace.
A smile spread across his face as he thought about how Kyle had died; yes, the one responsible for his suffering had finally met his end! That human, that bastard he could never kill was gone.
He had received the news from Damien, who informed him that Kyle hadn't been able to leave the Forsaken Land in time.
"The only regret I have is that I couldn't torture him until he begged for death but couldn't die! And that I couldn't get my hands on the power within him!"
Now he just needed to wait for Azazeal to show up and bestow upon him the rewards for all his sacrifices. Only then could he reclaim his lost strength.
The moment he got it, he was going to hunt down every single person connected to Kyle to unleash his anger! He couldn't make Kyle suffer, but he would make his friends pay!
Ceano hummed as he gazed at the dark phoenix floating in the distance, observing him in its human form.
He had summoned the phoenix to reward him, as this was the same beast that, with Damien, had placed the piece of the Tree of Fate's core they had obtained near the two seals in an advantageous position.
"Come here."
He spoke calmly. The handsome young man clad in a feathery dark outfit floating in the distance hesitated, but he moved closer. Ceano shook his shoulder.
"Good job. Damien and I have been busy, but we haven't forgotten what you did."
He tossed a storage ring in the air, and the phoenix hurriedly caught it in his hands. "This is your reward. I heard the demon you bonded with had died in the war?"
Ceano continued in an impassive tone as the phoenix nodded.
"It must have been painful to lose your bonded partner... But do you wish to form a bond again? Your inherited skill, which can make your presence invisible even around supreme ranks, is truly powerful."
He was truly surprised when the phoenix rejected the idea of forming a bond again. One forced bond was enough. The second shadow general chuckled at his boldness. But he did nothing to bind him, as he could sense that, like many strong monsters on their side, this one also had a dark flower on his body beneath his clothes.
"Then how about I give you another job? The rewards would be plentiful if you are successful. I know as a phoenix you can't go beyond the divine rank due to your racial limitations, but I can give you a drop of my supreme rank essence that will help. You will be able to surpass your limitations."
For the first time, the phoenix's dark eyes, which held nothing but boredom, shone with something beyond indifference.
"What does the second master require of me?"
Ceano chuckled at his enthusiasm. He was surprised by the depth of darkness this little beast concealed behind his indifferent face. He could sense the dark aura seeping from the man before him. The dark phoenix was weak, yet at the same time, he was not.
"You need to completely alter your appearance and infiltrate the enemies. Steal what remains of the Tree of Fate's core. I want to absorb it to heal my soul."