Azazeal’s sharp eyes dripped with hatred and exhilaration as they locked onto the familiar yet unfamiliar figure before him.
The person he hated most was nearly unrecognizable—ethereal, otherworldly.
He stood tall, rivaling his own height, with long, glowing blond hair cascading over his shoulders and deep cyan eyes now flecked with red. Yet one thing was unmistakable: despite the pure, almost divine appearance, there was nothing pure under it. The aura he radiated was dark—just like his own.
Azazeal landed on the ground, his gaze staring into the cyan eyes before him.
"Congratulations for reaching the End."
Disdain flashed in his obsidian eyes. Who imagined he would be talking so casually when he finally stood before this bastard?
Maybe this was the calm before hell.
He tsked, a mocking glint in his eyes.
"Even after stealing from so many, you’re still third in line to reach it. But you know what. Hah. You weren’t even supposed to be among the three meant to reach it."
Nathaniel’s calm face twisted.
The beautiful facade cracked the moment he spoke, his voice sharp and shrill, though still laced with a strong, bewitching charm.
"So what? I still reached it."
His eyes narrowed as he studied Azazeal from head to toe, sharp and calculating.
"It really is you. I didn’t believe it when Kyle said it was you, but here you are—like a stubborn bug that refuses to be crushed."
Just as he spoke, the two vanished from their positions, colliding with a force like crashing meteors. The impact rattled the entire Layer of Three Ancients, ripping the air apart into a dark void of chaos. There was no natural power in their attacks, yet even so, the shockwave didn’t stop there—the tremor rippled outward, breaking the confines of the Layer of Ancients. They reached and shook the Celestial Realm.
Simultaneously, as the Layer of Ancients sensed that all three ancient powers left behind by its creator had been discovered and consumed, ancient symbols ignited across the sky, displaying an old story.
Yet, the two figures tearing at each other beneath the sky paid it no mind. It was a pair of ethereal green eyes, filled with the power of nature, stepping into the Layer of Ancients at that moment, that lingered on the unfolding story in silent observation.
Kyle narrowed his glowing eyes.
He had taken the longest time to awaken after completing his ascension. At first, he didn’t understand what was going on, since he had long reached the End. Only later did he realize the reason. It was all because of his soul. It was special. So, his ascension couldn’t conclude until his soul was whole.
Previously, Kyle had split two fragments from his soul to create two fake bodies.
This enabled him to do far more than he could with just one body. It also made it much easier to hunt for more treasures.
Those soul fragments couldn’t perceive what the real body was experiencing, nor could they share their experiences with it—at least, not until they returned to him.
This had given Kyle a headache.
After all, he knew one of his fake bodies had left to enter the Layer of Ancients to find treasures, while the other had gone to uncover how many Rulers actually existed and who else, except Nathaniel, controlled the powerful forces that oversaw the entry of new Celestials into the Celestial Realm.
With his (SSS+)-rank luck, he was certain the fragments would wander aimlessly for years without encountering any problems.
That way, they wouldn’t have a reason to return. That thought made him anxious—after all, he couldn’t remain asleep for so long while Azazeal unleashed chaos.
He was almost on the verge of forcefully breaking free from the ice cocoon around his body, without caring about any harm it might cause, when, at that exact moment, one of his two soul fragments returned.
He had felt a surge of relief—until he saw the memories within it. His relief vanished, replaced by a single desire: to go and tear Nathaniel apart into a thousand pieces.
Two days after the first soul fragment returned, his second fake body was also destroyed by Valance and several Rulers who, for some reason, had gone mad—slaughtering every Celestial they saw.
Valance was even enslaving the souls of fallen Celestials, utilizing them to create a terrifying army of undead Celestials! Due to the undead, everyone failed to stop them!
Kyle was losing his mind. So much was happening, and what was he doing? Just lying there, doing nothing! The moment his soul became complete, the indestructible ice cocoon encasing him finally melted.
As he stepped out from the ice, the first thing that met his eyes was the towering, frozen expanse of the Thousand Mountain Peaks, glinting coldly under the pale light.
Bright silver hair fell across his forehead, the tips now glowing with an icy, flame-like hue. His eyes were bottomless, yet within their depths lingered a natural purity that neither Azazeal nor Nathaniel possessed.
With a mere blink, natural energy swirled around him, coalescing into a set of attire. Threads of pure essence wove themselves together, forming a sleek, fitted shirt and durable trousers that shimmered faintly with the power emanating from his body.
Well, he wasn’t a fan of robes.
So, obviously, he created what he liked.
He paused momentarily above the frozen peaks, stopped by the sight of the elderly Celestials and many merchants who were still searching the area for the culprit who had frozen the Thousand Mountain Peaks and stolen all the treasures growing there.
Kyle’s brow twitched slightly. The entire Celestial Realm was engulfed in flames, thanks to Valance and several Rulers.
Yet, despite the devastation, these elderly Celestials were still stubbornly searching the peaks as if nothing else mattered, as long as they found the individual who had taken their treasures and frozen the peaks.
Shaking his head, Kyle eyed the peaks. Instantly, the ice coating the mountains melted into countless silver snowflakes, each dissolving into pure, radiant natural energy that silently swirled around him.
Obviously, Kyle knew that this time it was he who had unconsciously consumed the treasures in the vicinity, but there was not even a hint of guilt as he quietly vanished.
The elderly merchants stared in shock as the ice suddenly melted, yet they couldn’t even notice the man responsible—he had vanished into air like a fleeting shadow.