Kyle was the last one to emerge from the gate, so he was caught off guard when a sudden, powerful impact crashed straight into him, driving the air from his lungs. He groaned and pushed the figure off him—only to find it was Ares, bleeding heavily.
This time, the gate behind him remained open, unlike all the previous ones that had locked once they had left through them.
Kyle squinted at his surroundings, only to see a familiar, radiant clearing bathed in a golden glow and encircled by thick mist.
"This place—!"
He eyed the numerous eerily familiar tall doors, each bearing a glowing symbol of a natural law and flanked by colossal statues scattered across the clearing, and cursed.
It was the very place he had discovered after Ares, Cassian, and the others were dragged into the ground—the exact spot where he had been beaten by statues!
The same place he had already stripped bare of its herbs and crystals... in a fit of anger before escaping to find the others.
Another curse slipped from his lips as he swiftly dodged the statue that seemed to be the reason Ares had crashed into him.
"What the hell!"
Everyone else had already been flung in different directions by the tall statues.
Kyle and the others had actually stepped out from one of the towering doors in the clearing, rather than from the surrounding mist. The gate bore a large crown symbol—and it was now wide open, thanks to them.
It seemed that all the statues in the area, including the two flanking the gate, had activated the moment they stepped out—and they seemed to have gone berserk!
Kyle hissed as he darted back to avoid another attack, shouting at Gvette and Jolie, who were about to enter the mist.
"Don’t enter the mist! The mist is governed by a natural law related to illusions—you’ll all be lost if you step inside! Keep moving! The statues are strong, but they are big, so we can use their size to stay out of reach!"
Hearing him, the two froze before quickly scattering and running about chaotically.
Cassian, Ares, and Zami took the lead, drawing several of the statues away.
These statues looked almost alive, their blank marble eyes tracking everyone with unnerving precision. Each statue around radiated an aura that made them tremble.
Kyle’s gaze turned cold when he was flung back by an attack while trying to kick open another door so they could slip inside. After all, they definitely couldn’t re-enter the door they had just come from—otherwise, he felt certain they would all perish! Actually... he wouldn’t die, but the others surely would.
The scene was chaotic, echoing with the thundering footsteps of the tall statues as they chased them. Kyle paused and wiped the blood from his lips, glancing around.
Everyone was already injured.
So, he knew he had to do something.
He could have disappeared into the mist—after all, he had already comprehended the natural law within it and could easily leave this place. But after he had chosen to stay with Ares and the others, there was no way he was going to abandon them. Though he rarely showed emotions and often seemed indifferent, he would never forsake those he considered close. His gaze flickered toward Cassian and Ares. Annoying as they were, he knew he already considered them allies.
No, he wasn’t going to use the term ’friends.’ After all, they were annoying.
Kyle tsked, his eyes flashing white as he stared at the statues. There was a reason he had run from this place the first time he arrived here. All these statues were strong enough to kill his fake body. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t fight back—he could. His face turned expressionless, and the space around him immediately grew icy as he unleashed countless natural laws at once, shocking everyone in the surroundings.
"Congratulations..."
"...on getting on my nerves."
He muttered before vanishing, throwing a few herbs into his mouth as he absorbed their natural energy to replenish his own.
The next moment, his fist slammed into one of the marble statues chasing Zami with such force that it actually staggered.
But, as expected, not a single scratch appeared on its hard surface. It was Kyle who felt his knuckles throb painfully.
Zami had noticed Kyle taking out herbs from his mind space and throwing them into his mouth. So, she was left stunned.
"Right, we can do that too!"
Ares’ frustrated voice rang out beside her as he helped her dodge a powerful attack.
"Yes, we could! But tell me, who here has countless treasures gathering dust in their mind space like the anomaly, Kyle?! Finding powerful treasures rich in natural energy in the Celestial Realm isn’t easy at all! Not to mention, herbs contain impurities, which is why Celestials rarely eat them directly."
"Kyle here is just a crazy exception!"
Zami was left speechless, yet she found herself silently agreeing with his words.
Kyle was really a crazy exception.
Dodging the statues, Zami hurriedly took out all her natural crystals, crushing them to absorb their energy. Though it felt quite wasteful—these natural crystals contained the power of natural laws and could aid in comprehending them—this was the only way she could replenish her lost energy.
Seeing this, Ares also pulled out all the natural crystals he possessed—his heart ached, knowing they were the currency of the Celestial Realm, but saving others and himself currently was more important.
The others watching did the same.
At last, they had enough energy to fight using their natural laws and abilities.
Meanwhile, Kyle had unleashed his Ice Domain, the power of countless natural laws he had activated crashing into the statues. Seeing him fight, Ares and the others joined in instead of just running.
Though injuries mounted on their bodies with each passing second, a surge of thrill and exhilaration coursed through them as Kyle managed to crack one of the statues.
It shattered when everyone attacked the cracked area together with their abilities.
Just as they rejoiced at having broken at least one of the damn statues, a familiar figure stumbled into the clearing from the mist, his clothes bloodied. At the sight of the group, Nathaniel’s eyes curved darkly.
He smiled unsettlingly, his gaze sharp.
"Heh, we meet again so soon."