After Nathaniel, the other Rulers—including Valance—stepped into the clearing as well, still cursing Kyle with ugly expressions for destroying the chamber and making them all endure so much suffering. It had taken them a lot to leave the chaotic space and its violent currents and find a way out, only to end up appearing inside the thick mist.
Luckily, many of them were well-versed in the laws related to illusions, allowing them to easily discern what the mist was hiding.
Valance’s face twisted the moment she saw Kyle. Her calm voice turned shrill.
"Kill him for me!"
Two Rulers behind her lunged forward to carry out her command, eager to twist the neck of the tall, silver-haired Celestial who had made them go through so much.
Kyle clenched his jaw tightly.
Fighting the statues had already drained everyone, including him, and they were all badly injured currently. Why did the Rulers have to show up at this damn moment?
"What great timing!"
He muttered darkly, swiftly dodging the statues’ attack. However, his body went rigid as a massive flower bloomed directly above his Ice Domain, swallowing the ice effortlessly and leaving nothing behind.
The flower’s energy easily devoured the power of his countless natural laws as if they were nothing. Then, its purple petals unfolded in all directions in the sky like a radiant, living blanket, casting a shadow over the clearing bathed in a soft glow.
The Rulers who had lunged to kill Kyle all froze at the sight of the familiar flower.
Startled, Kyle snapped his head back like the Rulers, only to find Nathaniel there.
Nathaniel’s left hand was raised in the air before him as he snapped his fingers, and the blood and dust on his attire vanished, restoring his clean and saintly appearance as if he had never suffered any grievance.
Serenity settled in his cyan eyes as he glanced at everyone around Kyle calmly.
Then, he opened his mouth to deliver his judgment—calm, yet dripping with malice.
"Ah... don’t blame me for taking matters into my own hands. Blame yourselves for..."
He let out a long, hollow sigh, as if the weight of their sins bore down on him.
"...being in the wrong. You were the one to defy the rules of the Celestial realm. Then even dared to disrespect the Rulers. Every life that will be taken today lies on you."
As his words faded, he closed his fingers, and the power of the purple flower in the sky wrapped around Kyle in a deadly grip.
Yet Kyle only snorted in response, his icy flames spreading out to raze the flower.
He felt repulsed when he saw Nathaniel wield the Celestial symbol he had stolen.
"Still talking, are we? How long are you going to keep spouting nonsense, huh? Come kill me if you really have the guts. Let’s see who ends up regretting—"
He couldn’t finish his taunting words as an unbearable pressure suddenly descended on his body, making him choke. Only then did he realize the storm simmering within the calm Celestial before him—provoked, yet still wearing a faint, nonchalant smile.
This time, Nathaniel didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even pause to consider the many eyes watching. That was simply how he was—cold, decisive, and utterly ruthless.
Once he had marked someone as a threat, he would do anything to kill them. Whether those in the area—innocent or not—lived or perished was completely irrelevant to him.
He unleashed the full power of the purple flower to crush both Kyle’s body and soul, who tried to teleport away, only to discover the space around him completely sealed.
Kyle’s gaze blurred as he dropped from the air and knelt on the ground, every fiber of his being trembling under the force, while the world around him seemed to twist and wrap in response to the crushing pressure.
While Zami protected Silver, Gvette, Jolie, Tai, and Owin, Ares and Cassian rushed to assist Kyle without hesitation, dodging the large statues they were battling. Nathaniel, however, just smiled at them—a calm and friendly smile. And that smile sent shivers down the spines of the Rulers present.
Valance, well acquainted with that smile from having seen it many times whenever Nathaniel wanted to kill, quickly retreated, signaling the other Rulers not to interfere. This time, the man seemed truly enraged.
The Rulers watched in tense silence.
Lui was the most shocked, nervously swallowing as she took in the scene.
Nathaniel spared neither Clan Leader Ares and Cassian, who had rushed to help Kyle, nor Zami and the others in the distance, as the shadow of the flower engulfed them.
Their hovering forms instantly fell to the ground under the pressure, writhing and screaming, yet his fury showed no mercy.
Cassian clenched his teeth so hard that blood flowed, summoning every ounce of strength he had to lift himself upright. His eyes burned with fury and desperation as he stared at the ethereal man floating far away like a god. He didn’t dare scream—no, he would never give him that satisfaction!
Not again. Not this bastard!
Even if his body shattered under the pain, even if death itself came for him, he would endure every ounce of agony and activate the law of rebirth. He would survive, even if that meant starting over once again from scratch. He would return. And when he did, he would tear this man apart, limb by limb, until the world itself remembered his wrath.
Yet the desperation in his hazy eyes was proof that, deep down, he was unsettled.
And he wondered... could he ever truly defeat him? Just Nathaniel’s mere gaze, and all his hard work over hundreds of years to grow stronger—by any means necessary—crumbled in an instant.
Was it all in vain?
His struggle, his thirst for revenge?
Would he ever find an outlet for his anger, his agony, his pain? A bitter laugh escaped him as he forced his bleeding body forward, dragging himself toward Nathaniel, driven by the urge to leave just a scratch on him.
Yet the target of his fury didn’t even notice his struggle. The more pitiful he appeared to himself, the more he lost his composure.
The statues in the clearing froze under a flick of Nathaniel’s fingers, struggling to break free from the powerful pressure.
The massive flower vibrated, thrumming with lethal essence as it obeyed his every command. At last, the image Lui had held of Nathaniel as noble was a bit shaken.
Kyle sealed his lips, stifling a scream, as blood seeped from every pore of his body.
He was bearing most of the weight of the pressure. It seemed Nathaniel’s complete focus was fixed on him, as if the man were afraid he might somehow slip away. Well, he was planning exactly that... but couldn’t this bastard look away for even a second?!
From the corners of his eyes, Kyle could see Ares’ and the others’ bloodied forms, yet all he could do was watch. He had to escape the pressure first; only then could he help them. But why, he thought bitterly, hadn’t Clan Leader Ares and Cassian fled this place instead of rushing to aid him?
They knew this wasn’t his real body and that he couldn’t die even if ten Nathaniels were present, yet instead of escaping with the others, what did they do? These fools!
Damn it. The thought of their reckless behavior stirred an urge to go and beat them—but it also hardened his resolve.
He couldn’t let anyone die today.
In the past, he was weak, and many died around him. He still remembered the time he fell into a slumber due to an injury to his soul, and the entire blue planet was at war. Many people had sacrificed themselves at that time. But now he was strong. So, why should anyone around him have to die?
Unlike the others, he could still withstand the pressure with his icy flames and laws, so he cast a defiant grin at the man trying to crush him. Even with blood soaking his entire body, his eyes gleamed brightly, and his aura radiated an unshakable majesty.
Watching the scene, Nathaniel’s forehead throbbed, and he waved his sleeve, a calm yet unnervingly kind smile on his face.
"I will admit, you are the first in years to force me to unleash so much power."
Instantly, an ethereal clock symbol glowed between his collarbones. Unlike the flower in the sky, it didn’t appear before everyone’s eyes, yet its aura was equally powerful. The clock’s power was directed solely at Kyle.
The Rulers behind Nathaniel drew in sharp breaths as the marble statues surrounding Kyle crumbled to dust and faded away, their eyes fixed on Kyle, anticipating his screams for mercy. They wanted to see this Celestial—who looked and radiated an aura far more majestic than theirs—cry and beg. To their shock, he didn’t beg. Instead, he spat out.
"R-Really, really, how amusing. Do you... even have a power of your own? Heh!"