Celestial Bloodline Chapter 955: Consider it punishment

The Layer of Ancients quaked with ferocious intensity, over half of it transformed into shattered ruins by the moment the ancient legend displayed in the heavens dissolved. The chaos escalated relentlessly every instant—and all this while Azazeal and Nathaniel depended entirely on their raw bodily might.

In the distance, wrapped in shadowy haze, Cassian wandered without purpose and tripped, losing balance amid the falling wreckage from the rampaging destruction, nearly hauling him into the fracturing ground below that cracked open from the strain of Azazeal and Nathaniel's fierce confrontation. Yet just before the debris could entomb him, a bitterly icy hand clamped onto his wrist.

Cassian gradually raised his stunned crimson gaze, feeling the stinging frost from the hold on his wrist, only to witness a sheet of ice extending from the contact spot, rapidly encasing his entire form. He lifted his eyes higher, but they locked in place upon encountering the recognizable green stare fixed on him with chilling detachment.

No Celestial energy radiated from the possessor of that gaze—no crushing might or aura—as though the figure had deliberately concealed his strength to prevent aggravating the already chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind.

The tiny orb containing Ares’ soul tumbled from Cassian’s grasp as a glimmer of clarity pierced his haze. In that split second, his lips parted on reflex, as if eager to justify his miserable state to the imposing presence eyeing him, but no voice emerged. Finally, tears trickled from his eyes as he silently shaped the words.

’Please, kill me...’

’It’s okay if it’s you...’

Cassian struggled to comprehend how a Celestial could appear so divine, so utterly transcendent.

Even Azazeal’s imposing stature—which he had watched rise from the abyss of shadows—seemed utterly diminished by contrast.

In that instant, his thoughts proclaimed:

This embodied a genuine Celestial—one enveloped by the essence of nature, bestowed authority by it to command its principles, an entity chosen to dominate and safeguard the realms encircling them. Every motion, every glance, emanated the subtle command and force of a living symbol of the cosmic harmony that orchestrated all existence.

Kyle regarded him with unwavering focus before directing his attention to the small core that had slipped from his hold. His tone remained flat, though laced with subtle fury—a fury that would not exist if he hadn’t regarded the red-eyed figure standing there as a companion.

"I looked away for just a moment..."

He released a frosty scoff while scrutinizing him.

"...and this is what you have become."

His clasp on Cassian’s wrist constricted. The sharp crack of bones—scarcely repaired after devouring immense shadows—resounded once more through the air.

"Revenge. Revenge. If you were willing to walk this far down that path, knowing very well there’s no retreat, then why stop here? Why give up now? I don’t condemn that you crave revenge—hell, I would have done the same if I had endured what you did. But tell me this... why do you and that bastard want to destroy yourselves along the way? If you want to die so badly, just self-destruct!"

Kyle blurted the phrases with such haste that he needed to halt, sucking in a harsh breath as his own exasperation's burden overwhelmed him. A glacial chuckle ripped from his throat.

"Why do you want me to kill you?"

His tone sharpened, piercing and unfiltered.

"If you’re so desperate to die, then do it yourself. Self-destruct! Because if I decide to kill someone, it will be by my own will—not because someone is begging for it!"

The fury blazing in Kyle’s icy gaze burned hot, evident, and unchecked, as if poised to erupt without warning.

Cassian gazed at his expression in a hushed stupor.

A frosty yet reassuring force seeped into his thoughts. It commenced the restoration of his awareness.

Yet no matter its potency, that force could never mend his instinct for survival.

That drive lay beyond its reach, something he alone had to reclaim—vanished within the boundless waves of desolation and anguish.

Cassian longed to offer remorse, to voice an apology for his previous utterances upon detecting the wrath targeted at him—such biting wrath that exposed he remained significant to another, even following his betrayal of all. Why exactly? Simply for proposing alliance with this individual? An alliance he had pursued merely viewing Kyle as mighty and a potential tool? Still, the term lodged firmly in his throat.

Regardless of his struggles, that basic phrase weighed upon him like an insurmountable peak—crushing and unattainable right then.

Kyle settled after unleashing his outburst for some time and flicked his hand. The small core harboring Ares’ soul drifted to him, coming to rest in his palm. He examined it, and spotting the numerous fractures across its shell, discerned that the essence trapped inside suffered grave harm. Half of it had been devoured by shadows and now rotted away. He clenched his fist around the small core and shot Cassian a piercing glance. The rage in his eyes ebbed, giving way to a far-off look.

Cassian sensed an abrupt frost from that remote gaze, grasping the cause as the ice from his wrist surged forward. In a flash, it sheathed his whole body—even his flaring, confused crimson eyes. Then, his form exploded into innumerable snow particles.

Kyle watched the snowflakes. The following moment, he extended his arm and seized the shadow-tainted soul wafting among them. His features creased in a scowl upon realizing the soul stood enslaved by Azazeal’s power, shackled by the very darkness devouring it. With a derisive snort, he shaped a crystalline shell and imprisoned the soul inside.

"This is for harming the people you never should have, even when you felt like giving up everything. Consider it punishment. The next time you regain consciousness, if you still seek revenge, then just come for me."

He hesitated briefly, then appended.

"Idiot."

Kyle crafted a second shell and meticulously drew forth Ares’ soul from the core, encasing it to facilitate its mending. Although the frost failed to eradicate the darkness due to its advanced state, it would at minimum revive their battered essences and fractured awareness.

Cassian had already evolved into a Dark Celestial. Concerning Ares—he trusted the man wouldn’t overreact upon learning of his transformation into a Dark Celestial. Exhaling deeply, Kyle shredded the fabric of space ahead and flung both shells into the Library of Golden Guardians Clan—the site he judged most secure at present. Naturally, Kyle recognized it would demand ages for the pair to mend and rouse.

Thankfully, as a Celestial bearing the Crown of a legitimate Sovereign, the Layer of Ancients' barriers posed no obstacle to him. With merely a single flicker of his eyelids, he evaporated after perceiving Zami’s soul signature in the opposing direction.