Chapter 885: Hell’s Layer
Two long days later, Kyle floated out of a massive clan’s territory, his posture relaxed and his expression calm—as if the weight of a thousand burdens had just been lifted.
"That was the last mission."
He muttered to himself.
"Finally... done."
He exhaled, savoring the moment. At long last, he was free of those missions. Free to focus on what mattered: growing stronger.
His thoughts came to an abrupt halt. A flicker of danger prickled at his senses.
And he vanished instantly.
Not a moment too soon—because just as he vanished, a familiar sword tore through the space he had just occupied, slicing so cleanly it left a faint ripple in its wake.
Kyle raised a brow as he reappeared on the far side of the vast dark expanse. His gaze locked with a pair of glowing crimson eyes.
The sword that had nearly taken his head off hovered briefly in the air before gliding effortlessly back to its master’s hand.
Kyle tilted his head, his gaze eerily calm.
"What, no hello first?"
Cassian chuckled—a deep, hollow sound that echoed like wind through a crypt.
"Dead men don’t need greetings."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished, his emotionless voice lingering in the air.
"My apologies—but I have decided that you’re a threat that needs to be erased."
Kyle blinked, genuinely puzzled.
"Why? Because I learned your law?"
Cassian didn’t respond. Instead, gripping his weapon tightly, he continued forward.
His gleaming blade instantly tore through the space in a perfect, graceful arc, aimed directly at Kyle’s neck with lethal precision.
But the moment steel met steel, his crimson eyes narrowed in surprise.
A golden sword—that had materialized in Kyle’s hand in a flash—had intercepted the powerful attack with flawless timing, the two blades locking in a thunderous clash.
The clash unleashed a shockwave that rippled through the void, violently hurling both of them backward through the air.
The resulting explosion thundered across the surroundings like a deafening storm.
All the Celestials in the vicinity jolted, their attention instantly drawn to the sound. The sheer intensity of the raw power unleashed was far too overwhelming to simply ignore.
Even the Celestials from the clan Kyle had left just moments ago snapped their gazes skyward—surprised by the surge of energy shaking the space outside their territory.
Kyle wiped the blood from his lips.
"That was close."
He muttered, his eyes darkening—but he had no time to think. Cassian was already above him, crimson eyes gleaming wildly with murderous intent as he brought his blade down, aiming to cleave him in two.
Once again, his attack was intercepted.
This time, however, only Cassian was sent flying back. The two first strike had caught Kyle off guard—but when it came to sword fighting, his mastery was unmatched.
In his mind, only Alec could rival him. No, even Alec would suffer against him now.
Kyle gripped his sword tightly and instantly shot after Cassian’s hurling figure, his eyes cold and unflinching as he used his sword art—clearly intent on ending the man’s life.
"This is for wanting to kill me."
He uttered, his voice low and deep, but his words were lost beneath the rising roar as he flooded his blade with so much natural energy that it quivered—moments before unleashing the last move of his sword art.
His art, which had long evolved from a 3-Star to a 7-Star sword art after he had mastered all four of its moves perfectly.
A low murmur drifted through the chaos, barely audible amidst the surge of power.
"Void of Silent Darkness."
Kyle’s blade was completely shrouded in dark shadows, gliding through the air with elegance, pulsing with raw, natural power.
With a swift, precise arc, the blade shot toward the man before him—whose eyes widened in shock. Yet, just before it could strike and swallow Cassian in a void of nothingness, a hand seized the blade.
Kyle’s eyes dilated when the impact of his own attack being stopped so effortlessly sent him flying backward. Warm, crimson blood slipped from his lips as he coughed, the force knocking the wind out of him.
He couldn’t stop his body from hurling backward—only barely managing to hold himself in midair after several seconds.
His wild, dark eyes locked onto the figure who had dared to stop his attack—who had dared to stop him from killing the man who wanted to kill him. But he froze the instant he met a pair of eerily familiar cyan eyes.
He wasn’t the only one who froze.
Cassian did too.
But for an entirely different reason.
Between them floated a familiar man—tall, platinum-blond hair cascading like light, an aloof yet kind look etched into his face.
In that instant, both their minds loudly screamed a single name—Nathaniel.
Cassian almost laughed at the irony—the very man responsible for his death had just saved him. How funny. How revolting. How disgusting. He would’ve preferred death at Kyle’s hand over being saved by Nathaniel.
At least then, it wouldn’t have been him he owed. He wanted to rewind time, simply to rewrite that ending—because starting over from nothing felt less humiliating than this.
But he didn’t have the power to turn back time—not in the presence of a damn Ruler!
Kyle hovered in his place, his gaze icy.
Every fiber of his being screamed to scowl, to fight, to kill—to unleash the raging storm simmering within him. But he held back.
For now, staying still was for best.
Nathaniel shook his head. Behind him stood an army of Celestials, flanked by several other Rulers—the people he had taken along to hunt the Dark Celestial.
"What has the Celestial Realm come to?"
He muttered with a sigh, yet only a select few noticed that his voice was disdainful.
"Fighting near a clan’s territory, hah."
He glanced first at Cassian, then at Kyle. His cyan eyes gleamed with calculation.
Both of the young men radiated far too much power for his liking. How irritating.
What irked him even more was the way these weak, pathetic Celestials dared to meet his gaze with burning defiance—icy eyes filled with the desire to rip him apart.
Was it because he had stopped them from tearing each other apart? After all, he didn’t even know them. Hah—how troublesome.
"You both are young—I can tell."
He said, his voice sharpening.
"So, you should have settled your petty dispute peacefully. Disturbing the peace of the Celestial Realm has consequences—and your punishment will not be light."
Kyle stiffened. Cassian did too, their eyes boring into Nathaniel with searing intensity. If looks could kill anyone, Nathaniel would have already died a thousand times over.
The other Rulers accompanying Nathaniel chuckled. It was clear to them why he was punishing the young Celestials—Nathaniel had sensed too much potential in them.
And it could one day become a threat.
The Rulers couldn’t kill them outright, not without reason, so Nathaniel was simply taking a more roundabout approach.
A familiar, beautiful lady floated toward him, her voice laced with amusement.
"What punishment should we give them? It’s not every day we stumble upon little fledglings making such a mess."
She teased, and Nathaniel let out a quiet sigh, faking reluctance—as if handing out punishment was a burden he loathed. But the words that slipped from his lips next sent a shiver down everyone behind him.
"Throw them into Hell’s Layer. If they survive, their punishment ends... if not, they’ve only themselves to blame."