Celestial Bloodline

Ceano's eyes crinkled at Kyle's words. Like the human, he had sensed the presence of the individuals who had previously arrived in the area to observe their battle.

Naturally, he knew they wouldn't remain silent after seeing him near their territory. After all, he could annihilate their small planets with just a wave of his hand.

"Okay, as you wish. I will finish you as quickly as I can. However, how about you surrender to expedite the process?"

Kyle tilted his head as their weapons collided with a sharp metallic clang, and noticing that Ceano was fixated on his sword, he quickly let go of his grip and delivered a punch to Ceano's abdomen, sending him reeling backward.

"Surrender? What's that?"

Ceano chuckled. He could see the sweat trickling down his body, mingling with the blood oozing from the wounds Kyle had inflicted on him in such a short time.

He wasn't seriously injured and could have easily healed his injuries, but he refrained from doing so because he had noticed that Kyle frowned whenever they were too close to each other, indicating that the scent was making the human uncomfortable.

The scent of his blood was heightened by the dark energy within him. And given Kyle's discomfort, it was evident that the skill he was using to monitor his surroundings was closely connected to his sense of smell.

From this, Ceano concluded that the more potent the surrounding scents became, the more overwhelmed Kyle would feel.

'Honestly, I can't just harm myself on purpose to make him feel more uneasy, especially since he's not even reacting to my provocations anymore. I need to come up with something else... something that would wreck his sense of smell.'

He noticed Kyle moving toward him, the sword tightly gripped in the latter's hand. But instead of engaging, he moved back and steadied his breath, then a familiar artifact materialized in his hand.

Kyle halted in his movement as he noticed the round artifact enveloped in dark energy. It resembled a crystal but emitted no luster; it was purely dark and ominous.

With a swift flick of his fingers, a teleportation portal instantly materialized behind him. He then locked eyes with the second shadow general, wearing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Go on, use it. What are you waiting for? I told you, didn't I, that you are allowed to use all the artifacts you possess in this battle? I would never go back on my word."

Ceano tightened his grip on the artifact. He wanted to reach the phoenix, but the human stood in his way. That's why even if he used the artifact, it would be pointless since Kyle could easily escape the explosion's range through a simple teleportation portal.

"Who said I was going to use it?"

A smirk spread across his face as the artifact began to levitate, its dark aura swirling and seeping into his body.

"I never intended to invoke a natural law merely to defeat an individual who hasn't even reached the supreme rank, as it drains too much of my strength, but it seems I have no other option this time."

Kyle hummed nonchalantly, but all his attention was on the man before him as a powerful, destructive aura began to gather around the latter's body.

"A natural law? So you do possess one."

He pondered in his mind, attempting to discern what type of natural law Ceano had mastered, all the while silently channeling all his remaining spiritual energy into his sword to unleash the final move of his sword art: the Void of Silent Darkness.

'If the threat I am sensing from the man intensifies, I will eliminate him with one swift strike, even if it means sacrificing a body part in the process.'

Bia, who was watching the battle from a distance, noticed when they both paused in their movements. Kyle didn't say anything, but she instinctively sensed that he was planning something dangerous.

However, it wasn't like she could interfere; that would only complicate things for Kyle. Nevertheless, she possessed a life-saving artifact-the ring on her ankle that she had discovered in the tomb. If things spiraled out of control, she would position herself between the two men to activate it.

So, the artifact would instantly transport both her and Kyle to another location.

She became alert when Ceano began to laugh loudly. The dark energy surrounding the man had completely engulfed his form. Even his long, peach-colored hair was turning dark with each passing second. He placed his palm over his face and glanced at Kyle through the gaps in his fingers.

"Just one natural law? I suppose you underestimated me far too much. Third was lazy, so even though he had the chance to learn the law of darkness because the dark energy favored him, he didn't and met a pathetic end at your hands. But the other shadow generals are different from him."

He blinked, and his pupils darkened. The golden color within them vanished as if it had never existed in the first place.

In that instant, Kyle felt as if the entire universe had collapsed upon him, throwing him off balance. He cursed and desperately attempted to steady himself, but it was as if the very fabric of space was compelling him to fall. He failed and even lost his grip on the sword in his hand as he struggled, and began coughing up blood.

Bia's eyes widened at the sight. Instantly, she rushed toward Kyle, ready to catch his body on her back. However, the moment she entered his vicinity, she too lost her balance as an overwhelming pressure pressed down on her body.

Ceano crouched down and observed the duo. Below them lay an infinite dark space as they plummeted deeper and deeper.

"Pfff!"

His body quivered slightly as he stifled the uncontrollable laughter that threatened to escape his lips. With a mere wave of his hand, both Kyle and Bia's falling bodies came to a abrupt

stop in mid-air.

Instantly, the two of them spat up blood because all their internal organs were shaken when their bodies were forcefully yanked from beneath the overwhelming weight that had pressed

down on them.

Bia cried out from the pain coursing through her body and cursed the shadow general and his entire lineage. She suffered more injuries compared to Kyle, as her physique wasn't as strong

as his.

- 'This funkin' son of a witch! If only I were a bit stronger, I would have torn him apart for causing such harm to my precious body!'

She tried to used all her agility to leave the area, but her injuries left her barely able to fly. So, she quickly began to channel her spiritual energy to heal herself.

In the distance, Kyle wiped the blood from his mouth and called for his sword, which had slipped from his grasp earlier.

His fingers trembled as he grasped the sword and lifted his head to face the man now hovering

above him.

"What was that?"

Ceano locked eyes with Kyle. His smile wavered when, instead of fear, he detected genuine

curiosity in the human's gaze.

What an weird individual.

But since the human was about to die anyway at his hands, he opted to respond to the latter's

final question.

"It's weak since there's no mass beneath. However, the last time I used the natural law of gravitational domination, I took countless lives simply by increasing the gravitational pressure around them until their bodies could no longer endure it."

He paused for a moment, allowing the weight of silence to linger in the air. When he spoke

again, his voice was imbued with an ominous yet laughing tone.

"Do you want to know what happened to those people when their bodies could no longer withstand the pressure?"

Kyle's eyes crinkled slightly, but instead of joy, they glimmered with a dark curiosity, as if he had discovered something fascinating that he desired at all costs. He clenched his fist and

raised it toward Ceano.

"Oh, no need for that since I know."

He opened his fist suddenly, fingers unfurling to spread wide.

"Their bodies exploded into pieces, right?"

Ceano's eyes chilled at his words. The human spoke with a peculiar tone, as if he were eager to

try what he had just said.

"You are truly insane."

Kyle burst into laughter and inwardly instructed Bia to instantly leave the area, as he was

about to obliterate everything, even the very space they were in.

"But you haven't even seen the real me!"

Ceano lifted his head as he sensed a powerful individual approaching his location from a

distance.

'What a nuisance. Wasn't James injured? Why is Odiak himself coming here for this human when he needs to guard the seals? He could have sent another elder. I need to finish this

before he arrives.'

He blinked, and the darkness that had gathered around his body began to absorb his blood, adopting a hint of scarlet. Ceano glanced down to lock eyes with Kyle. And his gaze flickered with a hint of greed.

"It's odd that I can no longer sense that unique essence I once detected within you. However, I still want to uncover whatever Celestial your body contains. So, don't worry; I will leave your

body intact."