Chapter 859 I won't lose next time
While everyone, including Kyle, looked at the three glowing, old celestials in robes, Azazeal stared blankly into the air.
Kyle's words had ripped a tiny hole in the wall of his rage, a hint of sanity seeping in like a fragile, precious light. It was enough. Enough for him to think clearly.
Azazeal inhaled a tired breath, his heart a throbbing, agonizing furnace within his chest, his mind threatening to shatter.
He couldn't even laugh again, as he knew the reason for this excruciating torment.
He had lost control.
That's why all the emotion—grief, a soul-crushing, agonizing pain—swallowed his thoughts whole. For the second time in an eternity, he had succumbed to the primal darkness he had hidden deep within him.
All because of one single person.
He gasped. The blood trickling down his eyes made him look even worse.
Hearing the sound, those familiar green eyes turned to him again. A hint of sadness lingered in them, but he could see there was no pity. Not even a hint of it. Perhaps that's why he didn't hate this person so much.
However, he had gone ahead and done something Azazeal hated so much again. The very act twisted his gut painfully, a knot of bitter regret that refused to loosen.
He wanted to destroy this universe. To obliterate every single living being, every flicker of life, every whisper of hope. Why? Because he knew he wouldn't be able to find peace even if he killed Nathaniel.
This was the place that killed his people. This was the place where it all began.
Azazeal had calculated the future, and he remembered he succeeded in that future.
Amidst the destruction that was supposed to swallow this universe, only two figures should have remained breathing.
Him, and the man floating before him.
Yet, the man before him changed that future. He knew he had many chances to kill Kyle. He could have easily taken his life, but he didn't. All because he was useful.
All this time, he thought he was useful, though he couldn't quite grasp why.
Sure, Kyle's presence could attract the Celestial spirits, and that could help him. But he could have found them on his own, given a little more time. After all, his body had recovered, grown stronger. So much that no one in this universe had the power or ability to stop him. What was another few years after waiting for thousands?
So, why did he think he was useful?
Was it because he felt they were alike?
Or maybe it was because he sensed the Celestial essence deep within him, which reminded him of his people who were born with something Celestial in their bodies?
No, Azazeal knew deep within him, with an unshakeable certainty, that his decision not to kill Kyle had nothing to do with the flimsy justifications he had just listed.
It was simply because that man felt a bit different from others... from everyone else who had only approached him with ulterior motives, driven by greed, fear, or a need for something he could provide.
If only... The thought flickered, a phantom limb twitching in the void of his mind.
No, there were no ifs.
He was the one who said it.
He could sense his entire being loudly screaming at him to destroy everything, to kill every single breathing individual floating around him. His regret, hatred, and pain had become a monstrous entity, twisting and contorting within him. It had gone beyond normal, beyond even his own control.
However, he couldn't lose his grip on sanity just yet. Kyle's words echoed in his mind.
'So you want to lose your sanity before you kill Nathaniel? Is that it? That's the reason you've suffered for so many years?!'
'No way! I won't let you! You have to die by my hands, not because of your power!'
He couldn't give up, not when he had so much left to do. How could he surrender to the very darkness he had embraced, when he had yet to kill the person who had made him the monster he was today?
Azazeal gathered the remnants of his composure, carefully reconstructing the sandcastle that had crumbled earlier. His eyes had regained a semblance of clarity, albeit very small. It was enough.
His gaze met Kyle's.
The man relaxed visibly, as if he could sense the haze clearing from his eyes.
Azazeal wanted to laugh at him, mock him even, wondering how Kyle could relax when he was still the strongest, capable of killing him and those burdens he cared for.
Yet, his lips stayed downturned even when he tried to smile. So, he gave up.
With a flick, his messy hair smoothed, and the blood beneath his eyes vanished.
Azazeal looked as if he wasn't the one who had just lost control. So prim and proper.
Kyle spat out the blood in his mouth, a bit annoyed at the stark contrast between their conditions. He tried to straighten up, only to frown as his broken bones scraped against each other, trying to realign themselves.
He was one hundred percent sure that if someone didn't know what had happened, they would think he was the only one who had fought, and Azazeal had just watched.
His eyes were calm, so calm that even Azazeal was a bit surprised. It seemed that when he wasn't paying attention, Kyle had again gone through something difficult.
Azazeal opened his mouth.
"You..."
A heavy silence hung in the air.
Even the three Celestials didn't interfere.
They had come, expecting to fight a corrupted monster or entity. Instead, they found a Dark Celestial who seems to be wreaking havoc and abusing his power.
They could handle the other Celestial, but the Dark Celestial was stronger than them. So, they were observing what was actually going on, while prepared to call for help if the Dark Celestial attacked them.
Kyle understood what he wanted to say, even without him voicing it, and sighed. He still wanted to destroy this universe.
"You said so yourself. I won this time."
"Just... accept it."
Azazeal's lips finally curled upward. It wasn't actually a smile, but more of a snarl. His anger, hatred, and pain were still there. But this time, he would step back, as he was the one who had made a mistake.
"Right, you won. But..."
He tilted his head, and his gaze swept across the many familiar figures floating far away in the distance, sending shivers down their spines. It was almost as if he were etching their faces into his memory, his eyes burning with a dark intensity.
"...once I am finished in the Celestial realm, I will return and tear this universe apart with my own hands. Remember that."
He turned to Kyle, who stiffened at his words, feeling the weight of the threat.
"I won't lose next time. So, my friend... make sure to end me before that happens. Because afterward, you won't get another chance, as I will cease to exist."
Kyle coughed, a strangled gasp escaping his lips as a heavy weight descended on his shoulders. Azazeal was telling him he had the power to obliterate him, to shatter this entire universe into a million shards. But this time, he would hold back.
He would first kill Nathaniel, then he would return to unleash a cataclysmic fury that would turn this universe to nothingness.
Finally, he would end himself, leaving nothing but a cold, empty void.