Jolie, Tai, and Owin snapped out of their daze, their shouts echoing through the air.
"Leader!!"
Kyle covered his ears with a low hiss. But when a sudden silence fell behind him, he turned around—only to find no one there.
They had all been sucked into the ground.
A vein throbbed on his forehead.
"Are you kidding me? Really?"
He looked down at his feet. After seeing Cassian get dragged underground, he had started floating to avoid the same fate.
"Why would they stay on the ground after seeing what just happened? Do they have no brain cells?"
He cursed under his breath in frustration.
At first, he considered dropping down and letting the strange, vein-like tendril that had erupted from the ground and dragged Ares, Cassian, and the others pull him under too.
After all, he had already tried to extend his senses in this place, only to find they could envelop just a few meters around him. Any farther, and they were immediately pushed back by a force that even sent chills down his spine, revealing just how strong it was.
But realizing how powerful the group was—and that Ares and Guardian Zami were both at the 6th stage—he humed and shrugged.
"They can take care of themselves. Anyway, they are Celestials. Besides, we were going to part ways soon—so this is for the best."
Unbeknownst to Kyle—who couldn’t see or even hear where or how deep underground the others had been dragged by the tendril—they, who had been swallowed by a lake of magma after being dragged, could see him as clearly as sky and hear him just as well.
In their eyes, only a thin pane of glass separated them from him. But no matter how much they shouted or tried to extend their senses to reach him, everything was blocked by that clear, transparent barrier.
Helpless, they could only curse and glare at the heartless, silver-haired man who floated away after merely shrugging his shoulders.
In the end, all they could do was focus on survival—using their natural energy to keep their bodies from melting in the magma.
The space around them was bizarre.
It was like an endless ocean.
The magma churned like a tsunami, fiery waves crashing into one another, trying to drag them somewhere far deeper. Worse still, it was composed of the natural law of fire and the natural essence of destruction—an ancient force that fueled the chaos—making it impossible to extinguish. Even Ares and Zami were powerless against it.
So, they had no choice but to cover their whole bodies with natural energy and let the waves of magma carry them away.
At the same time, Kyle rose high into the sky, but no matter how sharply he focused, the mist around him swallowed everything beyond a short distance, leaving the Layer of the Ancients shrouded in uncertainty.
"Just how strong is this mist if even a powerful Celestial can’t see through it?"
Still, he drifted forward with a carefree expression. With his luck, even choosing a direction at random would surely lead him to the best spot in the Layer of Ancients—one overflowing with precious treasures.
Over the past two years, although not entirely, he had come to trust his luck.
He hummed a random tune as he floated forward, his pace neither rushed nor slow.
And he had to admit—his (SSS+)-rank luck didn’t disappoint him in the slightest.
In fact, it was working almost too well.
After drifting around for just a short while, he suddenly emerged into a bright clearing, where the thick mist that had blanketed the sky and land abruptly gave way, parting like curtains to reveal an awe-inspiring sight.
Kyle raised a brow, momentarily stunned.
Before him stretched a vast, ethereal field bathed in a soft golden glow, as if the very air shimmered with ancient natural power.
The ground below was strewn with natural crystals of varying sizes, each glowing with visible elemental pulses—water, wind, earth, fire, and countless other natural elements—all intertwining and flowing like veins in all directions, enveloping everything in sight.
Strange, luminous flowers and plants swayed in a wind that didn’t exist, their leaves glowing with dew that never fell.
Amidst this surreal expanse stood many towering doors arranged in a wide circle.
Each door was carved from smooth marble and bore a glowing symbol, pulsing with the essence of a different natural law—ice, fire, storm, shadow, light, and many more—each one flanked by colossal marble statues.
These statues looked almost alive, and he flinched when he noticed their marble eyes seemingly tracking his every movement.
It felt like a sacred realm untouched by the passage of time, yet Kyle couldn’t help but desperately want to retreat the way he had come when he saw the countless statues even turning their heads to stare at him.
What good luck?
It was still so shitty!
He wiped the invisible sweat from his forehead.
Every single statue around him radiated a power that made his skin crawl. If his real body had been there, maybe—just maybe—he would’ve stood a chance against them.
But he was here in a fake body that held only a small fragment of his soul. As a result, he knew he’d be completely obliterated before he could even lift a finger to fight back.
So, silently and without drawing attention—though, let’s be honest, every giant marble eyeball was already glued to his figure—he turned with all the dignity he could muster and disappeared into the mist like a very polite guest who had only come to visit.
Yet, after only a short while, he somehow ended up back in the same place, making him sweat even more. Damn his luck. He could swear it had indeed brought him to the best spot in the Layer of Ancients, but unfortunately, it was far too ’best’ for his currently unworthy self to loot or plunder.
Giving a polite nod to the statues, Kyle darted into the mist once again, groaning.
’Too much luck isn’t healthy either!’
While Kyle was busy trying to discover an escape route in the mist—to save the tiny fragment of soul his fake body held before the statues turned him into dust—Cassian and the others finally crawled out from the vast sea of magma. Their breaths came in harsh, ragged gasps, but it didn’t take long for them to steady themselves. They were powerful, formidable Celestials, after all.
Ares casually flicked his fingers, and in a flash, his scorched clothes were replaced with fresh ones. With his natural energy, he regrew his singed hair. The others followed suit, restoring their appearances with ease.
Cassian looked around the surroundings. They were on a vast, rocky shore, still deep underground. The air was thick with steam curling from the many cracks. Jagged cliffs loomed in the distance, and magma glowed brightly between the thin cracks like veins.
His eyes caught sight of many footprints—then he felt traces of many auras mingled with a familiar dark energy belonging to the crazy person they had encountered earlier.
"It seems everyone—even the Rulers who entered the Layer of Three Ancients—were dragged into the bubbling sea of magma."
He muttered, eyes narrowing.
"We’re on the right track... somewhat."
Gvette, who was busy straightening his fresh clothes, chimed in with a frown.
"Are you sure...? Kyle didn’t follow us. No way he would head in the wrong direction."
Every pair of eyes turned to glare at him. Seriously, could this man not shut up?
They all knew they had ended up on a far more dangerous route than Kyle—but so what? It was the route most people were forced to take, so by default... it was right!
Gvette quickly sealed his mouth, confused by the dark looks thrown his way. He didn’t understand what he’d said wrong. Looking aggrieved, he could only sulk in silence.
Ares crouched beside him, quietly closing his eyes with an unreadable expression.
Then he looked at Cassian.
"You have sharp instincts. Even though we can’t extend our senses far, I can also feel the lingering auras—and they are powerful. The Rulers didn’t bother hiding their traces, since they fear no one. But..."
He paused for a second.
"Why didn’t that man hide his traces? It’s... almost as if he wanted those who entered this ancient place after him to follow him."
Zami agreed with him. It was Jolie who raised her hand and offered a theory.
"That Dark Celestial knows Kyle. They both spoke to each other as if they were familiar. Maybe he just wanted Kyle to follow him?"
Cassian gave her a nod.
"You’re right. But we still don’t know much about that Dark Celestial. He was powerful. But I wonder who he wants to kill—and if he and Kyle are really enemies, then why did Kyle stop him from taking his own life?"
Clan Leader Ares let out a sigh.
"Let it go. Too many questions, but no answers. We don’t even know much about Kyle either. Their history must run deep."