Skyler watched the five of them. The little snake and the mermaid were both with the Demon Queen, so when he subconsciously reached toward his shoulder but touched nothing there, he let out a quiet sigh. Even the gem hanging from his wrist was gone.
"I already miss them."
He glanced toward the towering Demon Castle and, meeting the familiar crimson gaze watching him, smiled softly. Then, he sat down cross-legged in the center of the five people breaking through around him, keeping a close watch on their condition.
Sweat poured down their faces, soaking through their clothes completely as their brows furrowed. Their expressions grew increasingly pale with each second under the agony coursing through their bodies.
Skyler sensed the powerful fluctuations in the air and noticed Isaac’s trembling figure. His eyes narrowed when he saw the blood slipping from the corner of his lips.
"Don’t force it. If you can’t, give up."
Isaac clenched his fists. His mind was blurry, but he could hear Skyler’s words.
But his only response was a silent refusal. There was no way he was going to give up!
He knew all of his friends would reach the Divine Rank, and he refused to be the one left behind. He didn’t want to experience the feeling of watching them move forward as he remained stagnant. That thought burned fiercely in his mind, giving him the strength to endure and push forward, even when he felt like he had reached his absolute limit.
Skyler’s eyes flashed with a smile when he saw that Isaac didn’t stop. A minute later, a faint golden glow enveloped Isaac’s body before fading. He had actually become the first among them to reach the Divine Rank.
Zack was second, while Austin was third. Charles and Yuris followed soon after.
When the five of them finally opened their eyes, their gazes, now a lot more profound than before, were filled with mirth. Feeling the immense power coursing through their whole bodies, they all felt as though they could handle any disaster at that moment.
However, strangely enough, even though they could now sense the divine energy in the atmosphere alongside Evol, it was extremely scarce, almost nonexistent.
Five pairs of eyes fixed on Skyler.
Yuris chuckled and swung his arm.
"How about a spar? I’m sure I can finally beat you now!"
Hearing him, the others’ eyes lit up as well. Now that they had reached the Divine Rank while Skyler still hadn’t broken through, this was a rare chance to settle all old scores.
Otherwise, who knew when they would ever get another such opportunity in the future.
None of them cared about the shocked gazes of the demons around them, who were still unable to believe that all five of them had successfully broken through to the Divine Rank.
As they rose to their feet and hurriedly approached Skyler, who sat at the center, evil smiles appeared on their faces.
505, who had been observing everything, hissed at the scene. The system secretly felt that its host deserved this moment. It even laughed with Zack and the others.
Ah, how the situation had reversed!
But what happened next scared 505 so much that its data almost froze. It began pretending to be dead, wishing its host would never discover its ill thoughts.
Skyler let out a chuckle.
"A spar?"
He curled his fingers into fists.
"Why not."
Just as his words fell, a faint golden light flickered around his body. As Zack and the others drew closer, the glow grew brighter and more distinct. They froze in their tracks, Charles’ black eyes widening in disbelief.
"You’re breaking through... like that?!"
Skyler merely let out a low hum. His eyes, filled with mirth, remained fixed on them as they stopped. Catching the smile tugging at his lips, Yuris couldn’t help but curse.
"You’re insane!! How the hell are you smiling while going through that hell?!"
Isaac stumbled back in horror.
"What are you doing?! Quickly close your eyes and focus! That’s dangerous!!"
Skyler’s smile deepened as he watched them retreat into the distance even faster than they had rushed toward him moments earlier. The panic on their faces only made the amusement in his eyes grow stronger.
Finally, he rose to his feet. The instant he stood, everything around him trembled.
The dark, gloomy sky overhead let out a deafening roar, as though witnessing the awakening of something extraordinary.
The golden light surrounding his whole body didn’t fade as it had for the others.
Instead, it intensified with every passing second, growing brighter and brighter until it became impossible to look at directly.
Behind him, the faint silhouettes of many pairs of enormous wings slowly emerged, stretching across the darkness like divine phantoms. The pressure radiating from his body spread in every direction, causing the ground to crack beneath his feet as violent gusts of wind swept across the land. The dazzling light swallowed the entire area.
Even the demons watching instinctively shielded their eyes, while Charles and the others were forced to look away, unable to endure the overwhelming brilliance.
When the light finally began to fade, a solitary figure stood calmly at the center.
Skyler slowly unclenched his fists before flexing his fingers, as though testing the strength flowing through every inch of his body. His blue eyes subtly glowed with an even brighter, almost ethereal hue. Several golden strands of hair peeked through his ash-brown hair. With that, the faint outline of the pairs of wings behind him gradually dissolved into tiny specks of golden light before disappearing into the dark sky. Yet the terrifying aura surrounding him stayed, leaving the entire area in absolute silence.
Snapping out of his daze, Austin subconsciously let out a bitter smile.
"Why is his breakthrough so different?"
His words snapped Charles, Zack, Yuris, and Isaac out of their daze too. Blinking, they exchanged glances, already planning to flee. The confidence they had moments ago had completely vanished. Sensing the pressure surrounding Skyler, none of them believed they could beat him anymore.
And they knew exactly how petty Skyler could be. That jerk would make sure to thoroughly fulfill the request for the ’spar’ they had so eagerly suggested earlier—a wish they now regretted ever making!