Celestial Bloodline Chapter 952: So what? I still reached it

Hatred and thrill seeped from Azazeal's piercing gaze as it fixed upon the figure standing before him, one that felt both known and alien.

The individual he despised above all others had become almost impossible to recognize—transcendent, beyond mortal bounds.

Towering to match Azazeal's stature, he possessed flowing blond locks that shimmered brightly over his shoulders, along with profound cyan orbs now streaked with crimson. However, something remained crystal clear: beneath that pristine, godlike exterior lurked no true purity. The energy emanating from him was shadowy—mirroring Azazeal's own.

Azazeal touched down on the earth, his stare piercing into those cyan depths ahead.

"Congratulations for reaching the End."

Contempt flickered across his dark obsidian gaze. Who could have foreseen such a nonchalant exchange upon finally facing this scoundrel?

Perhaps this tranquility heralded the storm of damnation.

He clicked his tongue, a derisive spark lighting his eyes.

"Even after plundering countless others, you're merely the third to claim it. But here's the truth. Ha. You weren't even destined to join the trio fated to attain it."

Nathaniel's composed expression warped.

The elegant mask shattered as words escaped him, his tone cutting and piercing, yet infused with an irresistible, enchanting allure.

"So what? I still reached it."

His gaze sharpened while he scrutinized Azazeal from crown to sole, keen and appraising.

"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."

The instant his words faded, both figures disappeared from their spots, smashing together with the fury of colliding celestial bodies. The clash shook the whole Layer of Three Ancients to its core, shredding the atmosphere into a swirling abyss of turmoil. Though their strikes lacked any elemental force, the resulting blast didn't end there—it surged beyond, shattering the boundaries of the Layer of Ancients. The vibrations extended to and quaked the Celestial Realm.

At the same moment, the Layer of Ancients detected that every one of the three primal forces its maker had bequeathed had been uncovered and absorbed, causing archaic glyphs to blaze in the heavens, revealing an ancient tale.

Still, the duo locked in savage combat below the firmament ignored it entirely. A pair of luminous green eyes, brimming with nature's might, entered the Layer of Ancients just then, watching the emerging narrative in quiet contemplation.

Kyle's radiant eyes tightened.

His awakening after finishing the ascent had dragged on longer than anyone else's. Initially, confusion gripped him, having already attained the End long ago. It took time to grasp the cause. Everything stemmed from his unique soul. Thus, his elevation couldn't wrap up until his soul was fully intact.

Earlier, Kyle had divided portions of his soul to form two illusory forms.

Such a division allowed him to accomplish vastly more than a single form permitted. It also simplified the pursuit of additional relics.

The soul pieces lacked awareness of the true form's sensations and couldn't transmit their own back to it—unless they rejoined him.

This situation had plagued Kyle with frustration.

In truth, he was aware that one duplicate had ventured into the Layer of Ancients seeking valuables, whereas the other aimed to reveal the true number of Rulers and identify who, beyond Nathaniel, commanded the mighty entities regulating newcomers' arrival in the Celestial Realm.

Thanks to his (SSS+)-rank fortune, he felt assured the duplicates would roam without incident for years.

Under those conditions, no impetus would draw them back. Such a prospect filled him with worry—since he couldn't slumber indefinitely amid Azazeal's rampage.

He teetered on the edge of shattering the icy shell binding his form, heedless of potential damage, precisely when one of his dual soul pieces reentered.

A wave of ease washed over him—only to dissipate upon viewing its contained recollections. Ease gave way to a burning urge: to rend Nathaniel into countless shards.

Two days following the initial soul piece's return, Valance and a group of deranged Rulers annihilated his remaining duplicate—frenzied killers preying on all Celestials in sight.

Valance went further, binding the essences of slain Celestials to forge a horrifying legion of reanimated Celestial warriors! The undead horde thwarted all attempts to halt them!

Kyle's sanity frayed. Chaos erupted everywhere, yet he lay idle, powerless! Once his soul unified fully, the unbreakable glacial pod surrounding him at last thawed.

Emerging from the frost, his vision first captured the majestic, iced vistas of the Thousand Mountain Peaks, sparkling icily beneath dim illumination.

Lustrous silver tresses draped over his brow, their ends aflame with a frosty, fiery glow. His gaze held infinite depth, harboring an innate innocence absent in Azazeal or Nathaniel.

A single flutter of his lids summoned ambient vitality to whirl about him, gathering into garments. Strands of refined spirit intertwined, crafting a form-hugging tunic and sturdy pants that gleamed subtly with his inner strength.

Truth be told, robes held no appeal for him.

Thus, he naturally shaped attire to his taste.

He halted briefly over the iced summits, halted by the view of aged Celestials and numerous traders still combing the region for the offender who iced the Thousand Mountain Peaks and looted every bounty there.

Kyle's eyebrow flickered. The Celestial Realm burned in turmoil, courtesy of Valance and those Rulers.

Even amid the ruin, these old Celestials persisted in their hunt across the heights, fixated solely on locating the thief who swiped their prizes and encased the mountains in frost.

With a head shake, Kyle regarded the summits. At once, the frost sheathing them dissolved into myriad silver flakes, each fading into brilliant, vital essence that drifted noiselessly beside him.

Of course, Kyle understood he had unwittingly devoured the nearby riches this round, yet remorse eluded him as he slipped away unseen.

The veteran traders gaped in astonishment at the abrupt thaw, but the figure behind it escaped their sight—he dissolved into nothingness like a passing specter.