Clan Leader Ares suppressed his irritation and closed his eyes. He wasn’t a 7th stage Celestial, so like those seated around him, he couldn’t use any energy in this place.
But he could still rely on his senses.
So, despite the tremor in his heart and the dread of being discovered by the Rulers, he quickly sent his senses into the misty lake, carefully searching for Kyle. When he finally found him—deep within the lake, watching those in the sky—he shouted in his mind.
’You reckless brat! Get back here!’
His clenched fists trembled slightly.
Even if he couldn’t drag that crazy man back physically, Ares sure as hell would give him a beating once this was over.
Yet, to his—and those seated around him—shock, let alone return to the shore and flee with them, Kyle didn’t even bother to reply.
The man simply remained lying in the lake, staring up at the sky with unreadable eyes.
His silver hair glistened in the water.
It was as if he hadn’t heard Ares’ furious shout at all—or worse, as if he didn’t care.
Kyle’s stillness wasn’t born of fear or defiance, but from something far more unsettling—he wanted to witness the battle of the obsidian-eyed man floating above.
There was a strange calm in his posture. No panic, no urgency—just a quiet silence.
As if being a witness to that clash was more important than his own safety.
Ares gritted his teeth.
’What the hell are you thinking, Kyle?’
That annoying bastard had always been reckless, but this—this was utter madness.
Suddenly, a loud, thunderous roar echoed through the misty air, shaking the lake and the space surrounding the floating Gate. In an instant, the faces of Ares, Cassian, and those seated around them paled. Because of Kyle, they had failed to escape in time!
And now that the obsidian-eyed man had released his ominous dark Celestial aura, they were completely unable to move.
And then, chaos finally erupted.
A bloody, all-consuming battle began.
They could only watch with held breath as the space around them shattered. The lake churned violently, and even the tall Gate of the Layer of the Ancients began to tremble.
The obsidian-eyed man had promised the nine Rulers a war—so he gave them one.
All seven of his bodies surged toward the nine Rulers without the slightest regard for defense. They didn’t shield themselves or dodge—only attacked with insane ferocity.
With each motion, darkness and ominous purple particles coiled behind him, twisting through the air like a storm given form. His bodies became streaks of light, zigzagging across the misty sky with terrifying speed.
Unlike the Rulers, who fought with caution, Azazeal fought like a Celestial armed with fury—chaotic, unrestrained, and unyielding.
Even when a limb or half of his body was severed or torn apart, Azazeal didn’t stop.
To everyone’s shock, his regeneration was monstrous. Purple particles and shadows coiled around his wounds, reforming bone, muscle, and skin within seconds, as if pain or such damage meant nothing to him.
Ares gritted his teeth, sweating.
"He’s insane!"
Sucking in a deep breath, he shouted.
"All of you, run the moment I use my physique to break the dark pressure!"
Those near him nodded hurriedly. Some eyes wandered toward Kyle’s location, but there was nothing they could do now. That crazy man had only himself to blame if he didn’t survive. They had tried to save him.
They truly had.
Before them, nine powerful Rulers fought against the seven bodies of a single man—a man who laughed like a mad Celestial as he rushed at them again and again, even as he was flung back violently. The Rulers were clearly stronger, greater in number, but that didn’t matter. The madness blazing in those obsidian eyes threw off their rhythm, made them hesitate, made them start to misstep.
Each strike from Azazeal was wild yet also deliberate, as if he knew he’d be injured but didn’t care—because his limbs regenerated just as quickly as they were destroyed.
The battlefield was carnage.
Energy crackled and exploded, rending the sky. The water of the lake started to dry up. The very space around the Gate bent and warped from the pressure of their powers.
If one Ruler manipulated ten laws, that insane man—using one body—channeled twice as many. And to their shock, he was forcefully devouring nature and its power.
Nature clearly wasn’t on his side.
It favored the Rulers more.
But the darkness surrounding him and guarding him was far too overwhelming.
And in the heart of it all was Azazeal—smiling darkly, bleeding, regenerating.
Still, among those watching the bloody battle, only Kyle, Clan Leader Ares, Zami, and Cassian could tell he was losing.
Gradually but inevitably.
The Rulers had been far stronger from the beginning. While he stood at the boundary of the 7th stage of the Celestial rank after merging the power of all his bodies, they were already at the peak of the 7th stage.
As time passed, whatever powerful law he was using to heal himself began to weaken.
But the fact that he had lasted this long against nine powerful Rulers was already something worthy of being remembered.
A feat that would go down in history as a testament to his madness, power, and will.
Ares tightened his jaw, preparing to slam his fist into the ground below to shatter it and create an opening for their escape.
But before he could, all the bodies of the obsidian-eyed man were flung back at the same time as the nine Rulers regrouped.
They all still looked the same—pristine.
Majestic, enveloped in an ethereal light.
Only the obsidian-eyed person looked bloodied, torn, and worn by battle.
Ares froze. Kyle did too. An aura strong enough to freeze everything—even time itself—erupted from the Rulers. They all stared at Azazeal with disdain, though a flicker of awe lingered in their eyes.
To think this person had fought all nine of them head-to-head for so long... he was truly deserving of the title Celestial.
If he hadn’t worshipped Darkness... he might have already defeated them all. But darkness, no matter how strong it became, could never triumph over nature—this truth was absolute, written across all laws.
Still, this man was far too dangerous.
They didn’t know what grudge this person held against the Rulers, but one thing was clear—if they let him grow any further, he would one day bring about their downfall.