Ares’s eyes stung at the brilliance of the intricate array, which had just surged from the ground, bathing the clearing in a cold, radiant, yet strangely familiar icy aura.
"Kyle... Kyle..."
He whispered, taking in the intricate array enveloping them. It was like a net, trapping everything, silently encasing the bloodied forms of him, Cassian, and their people.
"That brat... h-he..."
"...still has the power to f-fight?"
Ares noticed his own body beginning to fade into the array and let out a chuckle.
That damn guy—Kyle—even in a time like this, still had the strength to protect them, secretly laying down an array underground to send them all to safety, despite the fact that the agony Kyle himself was enduring was far worse than what they were facing.
And what about him? Pathetically lying there, crying over his own weakness?
"Ahhh!"
He shouted, and with a burst of power, he tried to stand—only for his body to slump back in disbelief when he saw Kyle kicking Nathaniel, who had barely stood upright, followed by a relentless rain of punches.
"What the hell..."
Ares could hardly believe his eyes.
How? The question echoed in his mind.
How could Kyle beat Nathaniel, who was far stronger than him...? Clan Leader Ares hadn’t even begun to process what he was seeing when he witnessed the array around them—humming and sending all the other Rulers, including Valance, flying into the mist with a power that was otherworldly.
It was at that moment that he saw a few faint blue particles—so small that anyone would have ignored them, yet shining with the most dazzling brilliance. Those little particles were sustaining the large array.
His eyes widened in realization.
Finally, finally, he understood how Kyle could suddenly stand against Nathaniel, fight back when, just moments ago, he couldn’t even lift a finger against him.
He had long known that Kyle possessed something strong within him, but he had never imagined it was this formidable.
And yet... Ares’ eyes grew moist as he watched those tiny particles vanish into nothingness as their energy was spent.
It seemed Kyle had sacrificed something invaluable to save them—something even they might’ve hesitated to give up, if they had possessed it for the sake of others.
He watched the bloodied figure chasing after Nathaniel and felt a pang of sorrow for him—for losing a power that anyone would have given their life to safeguard.
"Thank you so much... I will never forget this precious favor. Never. Not in this life."
Obviously, Ares had forgotten to consider an important fact: that currently, in front of him, was simply Kyle’s fake body fighting.
The man was merely burning a handful of particles from the vast sea of cold essence residing in his real body to save them—the drop of essence placed in his fake body to protect the small fragment of soul it held.
If Ares had realized that this icy power, for which he thought anyone would give their lives to hide if they had, was just a drop to its owner, he would have fainted in shock.
With that, Ares’ figure vanished into the array alongside Cassian and the others. In the end, only two figures remained in the clearing, surrounded by the large doors.
While Kyle looked like a bloody, battered mess with not an inch of unscathed skin, Nathaniel was marked only by a few faint bruises from the relentless punches.
Kyle didn’t hear Ares’ parting words. His eyes were cold and emotionless. He was too focused on exacting his revenge with the burst of power he had drawn from the array, activated by the shard of Celestial essence he had quietly burned to fuel it.
Yes, just a handful of particles—and yes, they were precious—but burning them to save everyone he considered close and to exact his revenge was more than worth it.
Still... he knew this sudden burst of power wouldn’t last long. In truth, he had simply caught Nathaniel off guard with the array.
Seizing the brief moment while the man had been focused on the flower, Kyle had grabbed him by the hair and flung him out of the tall door with sheer, brute strength.
Unprepared, Nathaniel failed to fight back instantly, and he even wasted time cursing him. That was all Kyle needed to seize the upper hand, even if only for a moment, and send him tumbling like a ragdoll. Pure fury coursed through Nathaniel, so intense he almost felt as if he might cough up blood.
Nathaniel raised his arms to protect his face, but it was as if the man above him were overtaken by a beast—he didn’t give him even a single moment to breathe, let alone a chance to fight back. Even without the pain, Nathaniel felt humiliated, beaten by someone he had considered an ant.
But Kyle was just too fast. It was hard to believe he could maintain such a pace with the heavy injuries on his body, which were only worsening with every fleeting second.
Clearly, he had poured all the power of the array into teleporting his friends away and then gained a brief surge of power to beat Nathaniel, neglecting to heal himself. Just how could someone be so damn crazy?!
So, even at the peak of the Celestial rank, Nathaniel couldn’t find a single opening!
Moreover, as if the array had sealed his powers, he couldn’t even manipulate the natural laws, let alone spread his Celestial pressure to force Kyle to kneel as before.
"You—"
He choked midway as Kyle grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground—exactly like Nathaniel had done before.
The irony of the reversed situation made Kyle curl his lips despite the pain, yet his smile lacked any emotion. Blood dripped from the gleaming silver strands framing his forehead as Kyle watched Nathaniel’s hair be dyed a similar shade of crimson, whispering with a voice void of feeling.
"Am just settling all scores."
Dust and debris exploded into the air, mingling with his harsh voice and the crimson scent swirling around them.
Another powerful punch—this time, icy shards formed along Kyle’s knuckles.
Nathaniel’s eyes dilated, and in the next instant, his head was smashed into the ground with a sickening crack, followed immediately by another crushing blow.
The chilling scene lasted only another two seconds—before Kyle’s body began to lose its remaining strength. The power within his broken form completely faded, along with the array, which scattered into snowflakes.
Nathaniel screamed as he finally found an opening to move. He didn’t waste a second and sent Kyle flying. The move felt so easy that his earlier humiliation almost seemed like a mere fragment of his imagination. It actually caused him to momentarily freeze.
Therefore, he caught the mocking snicker echoing across from him, crystal clear.