Ares shut his eyes for a mont, took a deep breath, and finally raised his head as the pressure over him lifted. He glanced at Kyle and Cassian, muttering an apology. He couldn’t endanger his entire clan for them.
Yet his eyes burned with resolve as he secretly sent one final ssage to them.
’Stay alive. I will co for you. You joined —it’s my responsibility to protect you.’
Then, he turned and left.
If Ares wanted to save the two, he would need to gather more allies—powerful ones.
Kyle watched his fading figure, his vision blurring from the pain tearing through his body. But there was no way he would let Nathaniel leave without a parting gift. So, with a deceptively innocent expression, he looked at the man. He didn’t speak aloud—just smirked and silently mouthed the words before being dragged away.
’Azazeal is here. For you.’
Nathaniel blinked, watching as Kyle and Cassian were effortlessly dragged away.
"Aza... what? Was he threatening ?"
He didn’t catch Kyle’s seemingly innocent parting gift right away—understandably so, as it had been too long for him to recall the nas of those he had hard in his past.
He turned away with a shrug, a faint smile playing on his lips as the two Rulers beside him praised his wise judgnt. Obviously, they had no idea how wicked he truly was—he had mastered the art of doing terrible things under the guise of righteousness.
But just as they moved a little farther, Nathaniel suddenly froze in his tracks.
The na finally registered.
His cyan eyes widened in disbelief.
"Azazeal... Did he just say Azazeal?"
He placed a hand over his mouth as the na echoed in his mind like loud blaring alarms. A sharp breath escaped his lips.
"Impossible... he’s alive? But... how?"
The Rulers with him noticed the sudden shift in his deanor and paused as well.
The beautiful lady among them stepped closer and gently patted his shoulder.
"What’s wrong, Nathaniel? We shouldn’t waste any more ti. It’s been days, and we have yet to find the Dark Celestial who caused chaos in our territory. Let’s search for another day and then just call it quits. Hopefully, he’s already dead sowhere."
Yet instead of responding to her, Nathaniel vanished—rushing after the Celestials who had dragged Kyle and Cassian away earlier to carry out the punishnt he’d ordered.
The lady was stunned but sighed and turned to leave with the other Ruler.
"He must have rembered sothing important. Let’s head back to the castle."
The other Ruler glanced back.
"What about the Dark Celestial we were searching for?"
She shrugged casually.
"Do you think I care? Nathaniel likes to be absolutely sure—he eliminates anyone who might pose a threat, just to avoid risk. I only follow him because he is one of the Rulers who holds a Celestial Crown. Let’s just go. If he needs us, he will contact us."
The other Ruler chuckled.
"Just admit he’s the strongest around, your type—and you like that tainted smile of his."
Her lips curled upward.
"Perhaps. But I know one thing—in the end, we’re all just using each other in the pursuit of absolute power. I’m no different. Neither are you. Everyone is corrupted. It all began when the Rulers discovered there’s an End."
Yet, the other Ruler simply sighed.
"The End? But doesn’t that an another beginning? Isn’t it just a myth? Who even knows if the ancient texts are accurate?"
***
Simultaneously, Nathaniel arrived at the entrance of Hell’s Layer—a vast wormhole surrounded by dark, chaotic currents. He muttered to himself as he looked around.
"Impossible. Azazeal is dead. I made sure of it. How did that insect know his na? And... did he say Azazeal is here—for ?"
He scanned the area for the Celestials who were supposed to throw Kyle and Cassian into Hell’s Layer—a place no one knew who had created or left behind. It had existed since the birth of the very first Celestial.
When he finally found them, he realized he was too late. The two young Celestials he had punished had already been thrown into Hell’s Layer before his arrival. He shot an icy glare at the Celestials responsible.
"The one ti I don’t want you all to be efficient, you go and do the job perfectly?"
He rubbed his forehead in frustration.
Now that the Celestial who ntioned Azazeal was gone, there was no way to uncover how that insect knew the na—much less why he claid Azazeal was here, or how he knew about their past.
"Hah, just when I start to think things are settling down, another pain shows up."
Nathaniel turned and left.
If it was true that Azazeal was alive and had co for him—shouldn’t he welco his old friend properly? Yes, he should.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, well. I don’t know how you survived—or even managed to enter this realm when I sealed the gate with my own hands. But if you’ve really crawled your way so far, my friend, don’t bla for being ruthless."
His gaze darkened. Azazeal was the only na from his past he still rembered—because the power he had taken from him was the strongest and most exquisite.
Nathaniel absently rubbed his collarbone, where a familiar purple flower shimred faintly, pulsing with a quiet, radiant glow.
He had been wondering why it had been acting up lately—now he understood... it was because its true owner was nearby.
"I can’t stand anything that threatens . Besides, I’m sure you’re still very weak. No Celestial can advance beyond the 4th stage in the lower universes, no matter how hard they try. The lesser universes simply lack the resources to fuel that kind of growth."
His lips curled into a cold, cruel smile.
"I’ll find him... and erase him before he becos a threat. Convenient, really—the idiot, dood to die in Hell’s Layer, handed the news on a silver platter. That’s why I always say lower beings are plain foolish. They just never learn their lowly place."
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