CHAPTER 280: FACING KAELOS WASN’T A GOOD IDEA

After leaving the dimension, Daniel appeared in the sky above the ruined Everlight Moon Guild building.

He looked around and down beneath his feet, letting out a sigh. From here, the scale of destruction was much clearer, and it was far worse than he had even imagined.

Quite literally, every building within several kilometers had been completely annihilated. Roads, streets, and even houses had all been reduced to ash.

’Would all of this still have happened if I hadn’t killed Aron?’ he wondered to himself, eventually coming to a conclusion.

Yes and no. If he hadn’t killed Aron, the capital and Everlight Moon Guild wouldn’t have been devastated like this. But Aron’s death back then had been inevitable.

After all, he and Aron had crossed paths as enemies on the first floor — their relationship was irreversibly hostile. With what Aron had done to them, even if Daniel hadn’t killed him, Aron would have definitely sent people to kill him.

And back then, Daniel didn’t even have the power to resist. He would have been killed outright. At least now, he had become strong enough to postpone his death a little.

But so what? In the end, the result was the same — his death seemed certain. Escaping from Kaelos was impossible.

Especially now, when he had no access to his skills. Even if he did, the outcome wouldn’t change. The difference in power was simply too great.

And on top of that, with that ring, Kaelos was practically invincible below demigod level.

’Does that ring even have a time limit?’ Daniel couldn’t imagine such a powerful item having no restrictions.

Even so, even if there was a limit, it wouldn’t matter. He still wouldn’t be able to handle him.

Before he could continue his thoughts, the space around him suddenly tightened. The entire sky and earth seemed to lock in place, and an overwhelming force descended from above, slamming him to the ground.

Daniel was smashed into the ground with a crushing impact, the force so immense that even his bones cracked. Blood burst from his eyes.

He tried to lift his head, but the pressure only forced him harder into the earth.

"So you’re the one who killed my son. This is our first time meeting, isn’t it?" Kaelos appeared high above him, standing in the sky.

Like a god looking down on the world with disdain, he looked at Daniel with contempt.

"You’ve got me. Let my family go," Daniel forced the words out, gathering every bit of strength he had to speak.

Under the weight of that force, he felt as though he might be completely crushed at any moment. It was beyond what a mortal mind could even comprehend.

Kaelos didn’t respond — instead, he began to laugh. A deep, genuine laugh from the pit of his chest.

The sound of his laughter shook the air itself. Then his gaze, thick with killing intent, fixed on Daniel.

The moment Daniel felt that killing intent, he felt his entire being collapsing. His spiritual sea cracked in countless places, on the verge of shattering entirely.

And that wasn’t all. His skin began to burn, his cells started to self-destruct, and dark blotches spread across his body.

"You killed my son. You think just your life is enough to make up for it? The lives of your entire family wouldn’t be enough," Kaelos roared with rage and flicked his finger.

Suddenly, a cage appeared in the sky. A metal cage, large enough to hold at least ten people, floating there ominously.

Inside were three figures — three figures Daniel had been searching for all this time.

"Mom? Sister? Tiana?" Though he couldn’t lift his head, and blood filled his eyes, blinding him, he could still use his spiritual senses.

With them, he confirmed it: his family had just appeared inside a cage... unconscious, seemingly only a step away from death.

"They didn’t do anything! I’m the one who killed your son! Let them go, you bastard!" he roared with everything he had left. He didn’t care what happened to him, but he couldn’t allow harm to come to his family.

"You need to feel the grief I felt. That sorrow that boiled my blood. That fury that drove me into madness," Kaelos said coldly.

Then, slowly, he descended, landing on the ground directly in front of Daniel. He grabbed Daniel by the hair and yanked him off the ground.

"After I slaughter your family in the most brutal way you’ve ever seen, I’ll come for you," he said, staring into Daniel’s golden eyes.

Daniel’s face was twisted in agony, drenched in blood. Yet when he looked into Kaelos’s eyes, he saw pure madness and hatred there.

It reminded him exactly of himself in his previous life, back when he had fallen into his own deepest madness and nearly destroyed the world.

Kaelos slammed him into the ground again. The sound of more bones breaking echoed loudly.

"Before we get started, I need to ask you one thing... the location of that girl... ah, what was her name again? Oh right, Eva. Tell me where she is, and I’ll give your family an easier death."

Daniel’s eyes widened at his words. Eva? Why did this bastard know about that girl?

And what business did he have with her? As far as Daniel knew, these two shouldn’t even know each other — they shouldn’t have met at all. So why was he after her?

He strained every unbroken thought in his mind, running through every possible scenario to figure out why Kaelos would be searching for her.

But he couldn’t come to any conclusion.

"I don’t know where that girl is," he finally said coldly. It wasn’t a lie. He truly had no idea where Eva was right now.

Kaelos said nothing. Instead, he slammed Daniel’s head into the ground again, even harder this time. The impact cracked the earth beneath them. Blood gushed from Daniel’s body, flowing across the ground like a stream.

"I gave you a chance. I won’t ask again. I’d like you to repeat your answer," Kaelos whispered coldly into his ear.

Daniel hesitated, unable to answer immediately. What was he supposed to say? He didn’t know... Pain had drowned out all rational thought. He couldn’t even think properly anymore.

"I said I don’t know."

Kaelos let out a sigh at the repeated response. In truth, he didn’t care about some girl named Eva. But he had a deal with the Church of Destiny, and he had to see it through.

He could feel that Daniel wasn’t lying. No one could lie in such a state. This boy’s mind was in chaos and absolute agony. Even if he wanted to, his thoughts wouldn’t betray the truth.

He let go of Daniel, who crumpled to the ground, powerless to hold himself up.

He had never thought he would end up in such a position, reduced to this. Funny world, wasn’t it? One day, fate favors you; the next, it crushes you.

Kaelos rose back into the air, leaving Daniel half-dead on the ground, and flew toward the cage.

The phantom of Devouring Darkness above him quivered with anticipation at the sight of its new meal.

"Hungry? Here’s your new feast," Kaelos said, glancing at the shadow.

When the phantom devours a living being, it’s far worse than simple death — especially when it consumes their soul.

The agony they experience in that moment feels as if it lasts for endless years, driving them to beg for death just to escape it.

The phantom lunged toward its new prey...

At that moment, Daniel’s hope reached absolute zero. The flame of his existence was flickering out.

But suddenly, a mark on his body began to glow. The world drained of color, and the sky suddenly split apart.

The gazes of the world’s most powerful beings — including demigods — all turned toward this single point. Even Kaelos, for the first time, felt a massive sense of danger and turned to look behind him.

From beyond the torn sky, a blurred figure seemed to step forward.