What Cassian failed to see was the eerie darkness gathering above his limp body, coalescing into a razor-sharp blade, ready to tear his soul apart. Azazeal’s eyes were detached, cold. He had already exhausted the last remnants of restraint the last time he had let Kyle and the people with him go alive—and that had been the last time. He had said there would be no next time. No mercy, once his ascension was complete.
And he hadn’t forgotten that.
Asking Cassian to extract the souls of those close to him and offer them was nothing more than a passing whim. After all, Azazeal knew that those around Kyle were stubborn—unlike himself, who had nothing to live for. They would rather die than betray the ones they held dear.
So, he truly had no expectation that Cassian would agree to his demand.
However, this time, he had miscalculated. Before the dark blade could strike, Cassian called out to him. His calm voice carried a hollow sound—the kind that comes from having given up everything to reach a goal.
"I will do it... I will do it."
"I will, I will bring you what you want."
"So, please... help me."
Azazeal paused for a moment, then let out a low, cold chuckle. The blade of darkness scattered as he gazed into Cassian’s eyes.
"Ah, you’ve just made things a little more interesting. You are... different—I can tell. You’re not ordinary, are you? So weak, yet your future is strangely unpredictable. Very well. Since it will be priceless to see Kyle’s face when he finds out about this, I’ll give you what you want. Serve me faithfully."
"My first Celestial Shadow General."
Azazeal didn’t even need to move a finger, and the darkness surrounding him surged forward, slipping into Cassian’s body and enveloping his soul. But it wasn’t enough.
Simply controlling him wouldn’t satisfy Azazeal—he wanted to erase Cassian’s consciousness entirely, to turn him into a puppet like Valance and the other Rulers.
After all, he despised surprises. What if Cassian changed his mind later and Kyle helped him find a way to betray him?
That was a no-no.
Everything should be in his grasp.
Nothing should get out of control.
Until he killed everyone and everything.
Unlike the Rulers, however, who couldn’t resist the darkness that consumed their minds, several symbols flared to life on Cassian’s forehead, shielding his mind.
They were the same protective symbols Kyle had crafted for everyone after they entered the chamber where Azazeal had discovered the Crimson Crown, designed specifically to protect them from being bewitched by the darkness. And in that moment, they protected Cassian again.
Azazeal eyed the symbols glowing on Cassian’s forehead and laughed heartily.
How amusing.
He stopped what he was doing.
Well, he had already enslaved Cassian’s soul. Consuming his consciousness was just a precaution—but it seemed that if he tried, the symbols on Cassian’s forehead would send his soul and consciousness away.
"Well, well... he’s really infuriating. And by the looks of it, he has reached a level in array mastery that no one else has."
He hummed and turned to leave.
"I have given you power. Do as I asked earlier, and I’ll grant you even more."
Just like him, Cassian also noticed the glowing symbols illuminating the dark.
Obviously, he sensed it clearly how the symbols protected his consciousness.
A familiar voice echoed in his ears as he dazedly stared at Azazeal’s figure, which quickly disappeared into the distance.
’Dare to move again, and I swear I will break all your bones without hesitation!’
’Bind him to you and keep an eye on him!’
’That was the last time.’
’I helped you.’
Cassian laughed, then broke into tears.
Kyle had said all those words.
He had even said he wouldn’t help him again, yet time and again, he helped him.
Even when he gave up on all of them for power, Kyle was still here to protect him.
But now... no one could save him.
Not even Kyle, that kind human.
Ultimately, he could only whisper.
"I am sorry... I am sorry... for being impatient. For being greedy. I am sorry."
His injuries healed with a speed visible to the naked eye. New flesh formed over his broken bones, knitting themselves together as the darkness coursing through his body pulsed. The remnants of the golden clock symbol between his collarbones trembled, struggling against the darkness even more powerful than the one that had turned him into a Dark Celestial, before finally fading into nothingness and returning to nature.
Cassian pushed himself upright after his body was healed. The injuries on his soul were still recovering, giving a pricking pain whenever the darkness Azazeal had given him touched them. His body broke through its limits and directly reached the boundary of the 7th stage of the Celestial rank. For a long time, he stared into the dark sky in a daze. Yet, he only felt even more broken.
"Is this how you feel, Azazeal?"
"So painful."
"But I really don’t pity you. Because if I pitied you, then who would pity me."
He stood up, countless old memories flashing through his mind like mirages.
He remembered the day he first learned to wield energy. The day he mastered his first skill. The moment he discovered a natural law. The time he found the existence of the Celestial rank. The day he decided to leave everything behind to pursue it. The day he succeeded and entered the Celestial realm.
The day he met Nathaniel.
The moment he was betrayed.
It was all still there, like unhealed scars, even though he had already come so far.
Cassian gathered the power of all his natural laws to scan his surroundings.
This ancient realm held no energy of its own, but now he no longer needed it. The darkness Azazeal had released across the realm with his ascension flowed like a vast ocean, endlessly replenishing his power.
Finally, his eyes grew distant, just as they had been when he arrived in the Celestial realm for the second time with one goal—revenge—before meeting Kyle and Ares.
"Strange... I can’t locate them anywhere. Where could they have teleported to?"
He wiped the blood from his face and vanished into the distance, muttering.
"You can blame me. I promise that once I am done, I will pay for betraying you all—with my own life. I will, really, I promise."