Chapter 871: Do you want to be my disciple?
Ares and Cassian finally reached the clan library. Ares paid the greedy old man sitting outside with a click of his tongue, securing entry for both himself and Cassian.
As they stepped inside, the words they heard made their eyes turn cold.
"Nathaniel is a ruler here?"
Kyle remained oblivious to their presence, completely engrossed in the book he held. A chilling laugh escaped his lips. To think, the person who was the reason everything began sat on one of the highest thrones in this realm, deemed the strongest.
"Who would have thought? Pfff! Is this some kind of sick joke? He stole another’s power and now he’s the strongest?"
His shoulders shook, and the young boy floating behind him looked over at him.
"Don’t lose yourself. I don’t know what grievance you have with one of the rulers. They aren’t someone you can trifle with, especially not Nathaniel. Forget about whatever issue you have with him."
Kyle shook his head, his eyes crinkling slightly as he looked at the boy floating behind him, wearing round spectacles.
"Me losing myself? No, I will never. It’s someone else who has lost themselves. I’m just worried about his well-being since he’s the person I want to kill. We came from the same place, it would be a devastating loss if he died under another’s hand."
The boy felt a chill down his spine when he saw the glimmer in Kyle’s eyes. Those dark eyes were reflecting a hint of green, and he swore he felt something very dangerous.
Ares and Cassian’s eyes were locked on Kyle, burning with a silent fury. They both knew Nathaniel, the chilling reality of his power etched into their very souls. If they could, they would tear him apart, piece by agonizing piece, until he begged for death.
But they knew they couldn’t touch him.
Not yet. Not with their current strength.
Cassian was the most affected. A cruel smile curled up on his expressionless face.
"You know Nathaniel?"
His voice echoed in the empty space.
Ares turned to him, frowning. Why did he feel like both Cassian and Kyle knew about that cunning bastard? What was actually wrong with the newcomers?
Kyle finally acknowledged them, his eyes sweeping over their figures. The amethyst eyes and white hair confirmed that one of them was Ares. Silver told him about him.
As for the red-eyed man, he remembered seeing him with Ares in the Golden Hall.
"Are you talking to me?"
He stared directly at Cassian. His eyebrow rose when he saw a familiar emptiness in those red eyes. One he could never forget. One he had always seen in Azazeal’s eyes.
’Hah!’
Kyle wanted to smile, but he held back.
Cassian cleared his throat. He could not believe he had reacted so strongly just by hearing that damn bastard’s name.
"I am. Can you answer the question?"
Kyle hummed, his eyes traveling to Ares.
He should show some respect to the clan leader, right? They had given him a place to live. He shouldn’t be ungrateful.
"That’s fine. Fellow clan member?"
He asked, and Cassian nodded to confirm they were clanmates. Kyle greeted Ares and thanked him for his help in the Golden Hall of Light before turning back to Cassian.
"I do know him, but not personally. If you consider the fact that he is the reason an entire universe was plunged into an abyss of unimaginable suffering. Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to read."
With that, he again engrossed himself in the book in his hand. The familiar sound of pages flipping echoed through the air, not just dumbfounding the young boy, but both Ares and Cassian too, who stared at him.
Ares arrived beside him, sneering.
"Are you just seeing the pages?"
Kyle didn’t turn to him.
"I am reading. This is my normal pace."
The young boy exclaimed.
"He is definitely joking."
Cassian wanted to speak with Kyle as well. But Ares, with a glint of interest in his eyes, was already circling the hooded man like a fly. So, he instead picked up a book to read, deciding to wait until Ares left the library.
He wanted to recruit Kyle to his team. The hooded man’s earlier words had revealed a shared animosity towards Nathaniel. It seemed his task would be effortless.
Ares turned to Kyle’s other side.
"Hey... remember I tossed a card toward you when I teleported you away from the golden hall? You still have that, right?"
Kyle stopped reading, his senses probing his mind space. A moment later, a small, square-shaped card materialized between two of his fingers. He hadn’t given it much thought since it was nothing special. He held out the card towards Ares.
"This?"
Ares pushed the card back to him.
"This is your ID card. The one you should have gotten in the Golden Hall of Light, but could not due to what happened. It’s blank right now. So, put your energy into it, and it will register your energy type as a legal resident of the Celestial realm."
Kyle let out an ’oh.’ He wondered why he needed to do this. Was it necessary? As if sensing his question, Ares responded.
"This is just a formality. Your name is recorded in a powerful artifact, alongside countless others, so it won’t impact you in any way. It’s simply a measure to prevent anyone from entering the Celestial realm unnoticed. One of the rulers implemented this rule. So, I acquire these cards, bribing some people to use them for individuals like you, whom I recruit for my clan."
Kyle nodded and muttered another thanks. It seemed he owed this clan leader a debt of gratitude for helping him out so much.
He was currently broke, and the clan leader wasn’t demanding repayment through labor, so he’d figure out how to repay them later.
Ares watched him, only to drop another bombshell. He had many questions. Like what did Kyle actually mean when he said an entire universe was plunged into an abyss of suffering due to Nathaniel?
"Do you want to be my disciple?"
He asked, a sudden shift in his tone.
He always pretended to be a weakling in front of others to lower their guards and to surprise them later by saving their lives, but Kyle already knew he wasn’t a weakling.
"I haven’t taken one in a long time, but I am a great master. After seeing multiple colors in your Celestial lake, I know you have a lot of potential as a Celestial. I am certain you will never regret this choice."
Hearing him, Cassian choked on his breath. Ares a great master?? The same Ares who couldn’t be bothered to teach a single thing to his own students in the past because he didn’t feel like it? Was this man kidding?
He just hoped Kyle wouldn’t agree! Or else he was going to regret this his whole life!
Even the young boy in the library stared at Ares with a deadpan expression.
Kyle’s eyebrow twitched. He slammed the book in his hand shut, placing it back in its place before picking up another book.
"My apology, but I would have to reject the clan leader’s offer. I am not going to stick around here for long."
Two individuals in the library let out a collective sigh of relief at his words.
Ares, on the other hand, was irked.
"Mark my words, you will regret this. Why are you just flipping through the pages? If you are not reading anything, just ask that kid in the library what you want to know!"