837 How about we go home
Kyle stepped out of the crack and slowly settled into the chair behind Bia and Jian once again without uttering a word, as if he had not just destroyed an entire realm.
Unlike him, the three older men, Alec and Regius, looked around to grasp just where they were. Alec muttered.
"The Sea of Consciousness?"
Kyle turned toward him, placing a finger on his lips in a gesture for him to stay silent.
Alec closed his mouth and nodded. The three older men also dared not to speak. They surveyed the land, which felt familiar. Breathing the air of the outside world after so long was a new experience for them.
The five vanished into the ruined demon city before the Sea of Consciousness.
Alec and Regius were stunned to see the city desolate, with no one alive except for the lingering scent of blood. It was hard to believe that this was the same place where they had once come with Nine to learn the laws of nature. They had to disguise their identities to blend in with the demons.
However, now it appeared that Kyle had conquered not just the demon city but the entire expanse of land that contained the Sea of Consciousness during the year the two had been away.
The older men with the duo quickly found some vacant clothing shops in the city and began to gather new clothes to replace the tattered ones they wore. The clothes of the demons weren't decent, but fortunately, they found some fine robes.
Afterward, the five of them found a suitable inn and took warm baths to wash away the filth from their bodies before resting in the soft comfort of beds in separate rooms.
The entire city was peaceful, devoid of noise. After a full day of rest, they set out to find Kyle, only to see him seated in the very spot where they had left him, showing no signs of tiredness.
Alec and Regius entered the Sea of Consciousness. Their faces contorted with pain, but they endured it. Like Jian, they sat down in a corner, half-submerged in water.
The three older men watched them. They wanted to know what was unfolding in the universe and explore the outside world. But they had no idea where to start.
They had spent too many years trapped in the Second Realm, and all their friends and relatives had already died in the past at the hands of Azazeal. Thus, they could only follow Alec and Regius to do the same.
Kyle watched them silently. He could tell that the three older individuals wanted to speak with him to learn a lot. But he wasn't skilled at conversing. It would be better for Alec or the others to handle this matter.
The following day, the aura around Bia spiked, and he quickly used his natural law of space to break the section of space they were in, ensuring her progress wouldn't interfere with Jian's concentration.
Kyle watched as a powerful aura of a natural law surrounded her body before it dispersed in all directions. Bia's eyes snapped open, sparkling with joy.
-"I did it! I learned my first natural law! Wow, just how more amazing can I become?"
The phoenix was rejoicing in her bird form, her wings stretched wide and ready to dive into the sky, when she turned her body only to meet Kyle's gaze. Her smile faded faster than it had appeared. Of course, she didn't feel the least bit embarrassed about being caught praising herself. With narrowed eyes, she circled his body.
-"You came out of the water?"
Kyle sensed that she was very angry with him for disappearing again for so long. So, he could only sincerely apologize.
Bia clicked her tongue but didn't approach him; instead, she turned her head away like a grumpy little bird, making him chuckle.
His smile only fueled her anger, and her face puffed up as she began cursing.
-"You're laughing? Laughing?? So, you no longer care about me?? That's it, right? No, maybe you want me to really make you bald this time for you to understand your crimes! How dare you laugh in front of this majestic me instead of making amends for your wrongdoings, you jerk! You prick!"
Bia's eyes narrowed sharply as golden flames erupted around her body, surging toward Kyle. But she gasped when her flames didn't even burn his clothes.
-"Shit! That's not fair! So, now that you're a Celestial, you won't even feel the fire! It was already annoying when my attacks did little to you; now they can't do anything at all!"
Kyle watched her calmly, a smile on his face. However, his eyes didn't reflect that same smile; they appeared distant. He brushed off his clothes and sighed.
"Bia, how about we go home for a while?"
The phoenix froze. It took her a few seconds to understand his words, and when she did, she huffed and landed on his shoulder. She was still angry, but his words made her forget that for the time being.
-"Home? You mean back to our planet?"
Kyle hummed, and Bia blinked. What was going on with him all of a sudden? Why did he want to go back? But considering how they hadn't returned home for so long and who knows when they would get another chance, she didn't dwell on it too much.
-"Okay, let's go. Wait... Contact Yue. She reached out to Jian to know if he had seen you since she wasn't able to reach you, only to find out that you had vanished again. So, get in touch with her."
Bia yawned at the end. She had been in deep concentration for too long, and now she was very tired and wanted to rest.
'I don't think he can fight Azazeal yet. He is a Celestial, but Azazeal has been one for a long time. There would be a vast difference in strength. If I recall correctly, every step in the Celestial rank is like a vast ocean. So, he can't bridge that gap easily.'
The other two agreed with him. They pondered deeply and for a long time. While seated in the Sea of Consciousness, they spread out their senses, and the state of the universe left them disheartened.
Many planets reeked of blood and dark energy, and even the very fabric of space was tainted with this ominous force. It was slowly devouring the mana, transforming it into something insidious. The effects were faint and not harmful at the moment, but in a few hundred years, the state of the mana would deteriorate significantly, and the dark energy would begin to consume the Divine and Spiritual energy as well. Moreover, they could not detect another Celestial within the reach of their senses. This indicated that the one before them was the sole being who had ascended to that rank.
Old Fedric rubbed his chin.
'How about we teach him to fight with weapons if he doesn't already know how? That could give him an advantage in battle if he faces Azazeal. Ma was known as the strongest sword master of his era. I can wield a hammer like no other. And Garrick, you can provide this young Celestial with more knowledge of close combat.'
The three of them agreed with this. It seemed plausible. The Celestial was very young, so it wouldn't be surprising if they discovered that he had only focused on getting stronger and nothing else.
They knew he was a skilled array master. But in such a short time, he couldn't have learned anything else, right? These were their thoughts as they all turned to Kyle.
However, the tall man had vanished along with his little companion. Old Ma stood up.
Old Ma nodded and inquired about the Celestial through their minds. He turned to Garrick and Fedric when he learned that Kyle had returned to his home planet.
09:01
"Where did he go?"
Alec quickly hushed him so they wouldn't disturb Jian, who was still deep in focus.
'Senior, please don't speak. We can communicate through our minds.'
Kyle had asked him to stay silent and ensure no one made any noise before he vanished. He mentioned that they could find him back on their home planet if they needed him or contact him through the communication crystal.
Old Ma nodded and inquired about the Celestial through their minds. He turned to Garrick and Fedric when he learned that Kyle had returned to his home planet.
Seeing the three of them talking to each other with solemn expressions as if they were making a significant decision, Alec couldn't help but ask why they wanted to know about Kyle's whereabouts. When he found out that they wanted to teach Kyle the way of weapons and make him even more skilled in close combat, he couldn't stop himself from laughing.
Alec pressed his hand over his mouth, recalling that he had to remain quiet, his shoulders shaking.
The three elders frowned and turned to the laughing blue-haired man. Old Fedric asked him what was wrong, and Alec wiped the corners of his eyes, shaking his head.
'It's nothing, seniors. However, I believe it would be better if you taught me and my friends here instead of the Celestial. Kyle doesn't need instruction anymore because when he wields a weapon, his strength doubles, and no one can touch him.'