Chapter 803: He is back...
A while back, outside the elven planet where the Tree of Fate was dying, Nox held the unconscious dark phoenix in his jaws as he and Bia soared away from the chaotic battle raging fiercely behind them. Regius, Yue, Kurt, Nine, and all the powerful elves were valiantly fighting against Samara.
The atmosphere crackled ominously with dark, swirling energy as Samara harnessed the natural law of darkness and ordered many demons to fight alongside her.
Amidst the chaotic scene, all those below divine rank had fled the area, and even the divine and transcendent ranks were in poor condition because the heavy weight of the supreme ranks' pressure was enough to crush anyone blow divine rank.
The elven Queen, along with the others, had been battling against Samara for a long day without a break, but there was no sign of either side gaining the upper hand.
It was clear that the intense conflict was going to rage on for many more days.
Fortunately, due to the turmoil and the many people trailing Samara, Nox and Bia seized the opportunity to snatch the dark phoenix, who had lost consciousness after just a few strikes from everyone. The two couldn't help but snort at him. If he was so weak, why the hell did this tiny phoenix provoke the hornet's nest so boldly?
Samara screamed when she noticed the two beasts taking away the unconscious beast who possessed the remaining fragment of the Tree of Fate's core.
Her shrill cry grated on everyone's nerves, and they covered their ringing ears. Just as she tried to follow behind Bia and Nox, many figures blocked her path, as always.
Her eyes darkened like a bottomless pit, with veins protruding from her neck. The slits inside her pupils entirely vanished as she shattered the space around her.
"Get away from my path!! You ants!"
She shouted, and her sudden outburst nearly killed everyone in her vicinity; but fortunately, the elven Queen and Nine conjured a spiritual barrier just in time.
Bia and Nox successfully escaped the battle and paused at a safe distance.
Unlike the phoenix, who was laughing inwardly as if she had experienced the most thrilling moment of her life, Nox was sweating profusely. Only he knew how they had survived and managed to snatch this dark phoenix without losing their lives. He spoke directly into Bia's mind.
'Now, search for the fragment of the Tree of Fate's core on him. But the tree looks dead already. Can we even save it?'
Bia's eyes sparkled as she transformed into her human form. If they couldn't save it, she could simply take the spiritual fragment. It's not like it would be useful to the elves if the tree is dead, other than serving as a means for them to grow stronger.
-"Leave that for later... Hehe, I always thought it was a pity that we beasts don't have mind space. But considering that no beast on the enemy side has mind space either to hide things, it's not so bad."
Nox watched as Bia lowered her body toward the dark phoenix he was holding in his jaw and reached for the storage ring that had stretched around the latter's ankle, transforming into a dark bracelet after he changed into his phoenix form.
Bia clicked her tongue.
-"How do I get this thing out?"
She was about to break off the phoenix's ankle to get the bracelet out, but before she could, she felt a familiar presence that had vanished completely a few months ago.
Her eyes widened.
-"He is back..."
Bia murmured, and before Nox could comprehend her words, she turned and vanished into the distance, leaving the dumfounded lynx behind.
He wanted to unleash a torrent of curses, but when he saw Samara rushing toward him like a storm on the horizon, he quickly fell in line behind Bia, clutching the phoenix in his jaw as if it were his only lifeline.
'Damn it! I am never teaming up with her again! Where the hell is she going now??'
Samara watched the two monsters disappear into the distance, and her loud voice bellowed orders to the demons.
"Follow them!"
"Go! You idiots!"
With a frantic motion, she enveloped her four dark wings around her body, and when she unfurled them, a tornado erupted in her surroundings, sending everyone around her careening away in all directions.
She tore a rift through the space and vanished into it to escape the area.
Nine spat out the blood that had pooled in his mouth, his fingers trembling slightly due to overexertion as he clenched his fists.
"Follow them!"
With a shout, he vanished in the direction where he could sense Bia and Nox.
Regius, Yue, the elven Queen, and the others, despite their exhaustion from fighting for so long, immediately trailed behind him without hesitation.
They all hoped Samara wouldn't get her hands on the remaining fragment of the Tree of Fate's core before them.
That's why no one expected that while following her, they would stumble upon a half- destroyed Sacred Divine Land.
A vast portion of the once-majestic Divine Land lay in ruins; the natural barrier of pure spiritual energy that surrounded it had been utterly destroyed, causing the aura of pure spiritual energy within to seep out.
Due to the shattered barrier, mana that had never been allowed to enter the Divine Land was now flooding in, contaminating the air and forcing the mystical spirits to hide.
Their eyes widened at the sight, but they didn't have time to dwell on it because they all saw Samara in the distance. But before anyone could reach her, numerous powerful supreme ranks who had been searching for the Celestial surrounded her.
The supreme rank elves all sighed with relief. They had no idea what so many supreme ranks were doing there, but with such a formidable assembly, they finally had the opportunity to kill the demon who had destroyed their home.
Samara cursed loudly, and everyone watched as she tried to escape, but how could the supreme ranks allow such a powerful enemy to slip away?
Odiak and Jane also appeared, and together they all attacked the woman who looked on the verge of going berserk. The dark space erupted into a display of large sparks as powerful skills
and the very fabric of natural laws collided with each other.
Kurt, Nine, Yue, and Regius paused to catch their breath in the distance as they took in the battle. Yue scanned the surroundings.
"Where are Bia and Nox?"
She reached out to Nox, but he simply replied that he was following Bia, who had gone crazy as usual. They weren't the only ones looking for the duo; the elven Queen, Wesley, and a few other elves arrived before them, urgency etched on their faces. The Queen was the first to
break the silence.
"We need to find them... The core. We must have it as soon as possible. The tree..."
She choked, her eyes red with anger and sadness. If only she were strong, she could have saved
her people, her planet.
Seeing her condition, Yue moved to shake her shoulder with a serious face.
"We will get the core and give it back."
The Queen nodded and watched as the group of people disappeared. A few elves followed them as Wesley helped the Queen heal her injuries while also healing himself.
They already knew the chances of saving the Tree of Fate were now close to zero, but they couldn't afford to lose hope.
That tree symbolized their race; it had stood tall and unwavering, a guardian that had protected them for generations. That's why they were determined to try everything within
their grasp to save it.
The thought of losing such a vital part of their heritage ignited a fierce resolve within them, fueling their desperation to fight against the encroaching darkness.
Just like the many elves, Mia and Carcel, familiar figures, were also lurking inside the still intact part of the Sacred Divine Land, searching for a familiar man. The duo was fighting to save a planet when they sensed the Will of the Universe's presence.
They were not able to follow Odiak and Jane instantly, which is why they failed to see the battle between Kyle and Azazeal. However, once they had eliminated all the powerful enemies on the planet they were assisting, they set out to investigate, only to find that something big truly had taken place.
That commotion led them to the Sacred Divine Land, where they met up with Odiak and learned from him that the Celestial who fought alongside Azazeal could be Kyle. One could only imagine their shock when they heard the old dwarf's thoughts. Carcel laughed wryly. Here he was, contemplating a one-on-one confrontation with Kyle when the man appeared to settle old scores, only to discover that there was a ninety-nine percent chance that Kyle had reached the unreachable Celestial rank.
So many people were searching the new Celestial, but the one who found him first was none of them. A familiar woman clad in a blue robe, with long dark hair cascading down her shoulders, peered into the crater where Kyle was, her heart beating wildly.
Her hands were clammy with a mix of fear and excitement. She had heard the echoes of the
powerful battle between Azazeal and Kyle and nearly believed she would perish as collateral damage like so many others, but she had managed to survive.
If not for the fact that she had seen where Kyle's body fell and followed the direction, she would have never known he was here since she couldn't even see him even when he was right
in front of her.
"Are... you okay?"
Lily tucked her hair behind her ears and asked softly, making sure to conceal her emotions,
even though she couldn't see him. When she received no response, she stepped into the deep crater, but who could have anticipated that the moment she laid eyes on him, she would forget to breathe?
His ethereal, glowing face and body now seemed to transcend even immortality, appearing as someone no one should ever dare to touch with their filthy hands.