Chapter 886: Even crazier than me...
Kyle didn’t know what Hell’s Layer was. He hadn’t come across anything about it in the library where he’d studied everything about the Celestial Realm and the Rulers—and he had no intention of finding out either. All he wanted was to vanish from the scene.
But before he could even use teleportation, an overwhelming pressure slammed down on his shoulders, pinning him in place with a brutal grip. Kyle couldn’t move a muscle.
His eyes trembled as they flicked toward Cassian—only to see him frozen as well, caught under the same crushing force.
’Fuck it!’
He tried to summon his natural energy but froze when a satisfied chuckle cut through the silence like a blade. His dark eyes—now darker than a storm-laden night sky—turned toward the platinum-blond man—the person radiating the suffocating pressure, pinning both him and Cassian in place like insects.
The one who had delivered punishment as if they were not Celestials but mere slaves.
Nathaniel.
Kyle clicked his tongue—the sound loud, sharp, and sudden. It surprised everyone.
A vein throbbed on Nathaniel’s forehead as his cyan gaze sharpened, and he increased the pressure on Kyle’s body without mercy.
In an instant, the sound of cracking bones echoed through the air, and all eyes turned solemnly toward the tall, young, handsome Celestial as agony bloomed within him.
Yet the young, unknown Celestial didn’t flinch. He simply stared into Nathaniel’s eyes, his smile unwavering and fierce.
"I had no direct grudge against you."
Kyle said, his voice hoarse but steady.
"Clearly, you’re not meant to fall by my hands. But I’ll remember this. I swear..."
His words broke off in a hiss as his lower body was suddenly sliced clean off—like a loaf of bread under a butcher’s knife. And still, through bloodied lips, Kyle chuckled again—a manic, defiant sound.
"I’ll make sure to return... the favor."
Cassian’s crimson eyes crinkled as he let out a laugh at Kyle’s determined words, the sound ringing through the air—boisterous.
A strange sense of euphoria washed over him, knowing that Kyle didn’t want to end Nathaniel. Just knowing that was enough for him to forgive him for stealing his law.
The Rulers looked at him as if he had lost his mind, bewildered by the joy in his laugh. Yet his red eyes remained fixed on Kyle.
’Even crazier than me... I see. I take back what I said earlier. I won’t kill him. After all, Kyle’s goal seems different from mine.’
Nathaniel waved his hand, his sharp gaze sweeping over the Celestials behind him.
"Take them away. What are you standing around for? Do I personally need to hand out invitations for you to do your job?"
The Celestials flinched, then rushed into action to carry out the Ruler’s command.
They seized Kyle and Cassian, effortlessly dragging them off to cast them into Hell’s Layer—one of the most accursed places in the Celestial Realm, a perilous place from which no one had ever returned alive.
The other Rulers floating around Nathaniel remained silent. They were about to leave, as they had yet to locate the dark Celestial, when a loud voice suddenly stopped them.
All eyes turned toward the short Celestial who had just appeared on the horizon.
Everyone present recognized the man.
It was Clan Leader Ares.
The leader of the Golden Guardian Clan—one of the most ancient and respected clans in the Celestial Realm. A figure who had long since made a name for himself.
His gaze landed on Kyle and Cassian, and his expression immediately hardened. He had only left them alone for a little while—how had these two newcomers already managed to cause so much trouble?
Sighing, Ares bowed to the Rulers.
"Esteemed ones, these two belong to my clan. They have just arrived in the Celestial Realm and are still unfamiliar with its laws. Please, I ask you to show mercy. It would be greatly appreciated if you could forgive whatever mistakes they may have made."
His amethyst eyes met those of Kyle and Cassian, both of whom gazed back at him in silence. Cassian already knew that Ares would do anything to safeguard those who had joined his clan, as this was the second life in which he had met him—but even he hadn’t expected him to go so far as to beg.
Kyle, on the other hand, felt a surge of anger. He disliked the clan leader. Yet who would have thought the man would go this far for someone he barely knew? Whether Ares succeeded in saving them or not, he vowed to remember his act of support.
Yet Nathaniel showed Ares no respect. It didn’t matter that Ares was well-known or had many powerful connections. He might be able to intimidate other clans with his clan’s influence—however, not the Rulers.
Moreover, it was no secret that Ares’s clan had recently weakened, mostly due to the old Celestials hoarding all the resources.
"Clan Leader Ares."
Nathaniel smiled at him. Ares wanted to raise his head, but an unfamiliar pressure forced him to remain bowed. All he could do was grit his teeth and listen quietly.
"Don’t make me out to be the villain here. The punishment has already been handed down, and I won’t take it back. If these two are new Celestials, you should’ve ensured they didn’t leave your clan’s territory before being properly educated. But you failed. So, I’m simply making an example of them."
Ares clenched his fists.
"We know each other, don’t we? You joined my clan when you first arrived in this realm with nothing. Can’t you let this go—for the sake of our shared past, Nathaniel?"
Yet he was met with indifference.
"Clan Leader Ares."
Nathaniel’s tone was cold and cutting.
"Don’t mistake history for leverage. I may have once needed your clan, but sentiment has no place in judgment—and mistakes deserve no mercy. And one more thing... address me with respect. Since when did Celestials start calling a Ruler by name?"
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Leave, before I am forced to make an example out of you too."