Chapter 766: Realm of the Dead I

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    Kyle''s smirk faded when a pair of very familiar eyes stared back at him-eyes he had not seen since leaving the Lost Treasure Tomb that had exploded.

    They radiated a madness that was starkly different from the calm and emptiness he had grown accustomed to.

    Azazeal''s figure, laughing maniacally, looked at him from his position at the heart of what could only be termed devastation.

    Surrounding him, everything disintegrated into nothingness, echoing with the haunting and bewildered cries of confused souls.

    He mumbled frantically as he tore apart and destroyed every confused soul in sight without a hint of hesitation.

    "Where is she?? Where is she?!"

    Even after seeing Kyle, he paid him no attention, as if he were trapped in a trance.

    Kyle staggered from his position, his heart racing wildly at the sight he was seeing, as if it were trying to escape his ribcage.

    His pupils burned and stung painfully, yet he refused to stop using his skill. He could see his breath coming out in erratic bursts, and sweat dampening his palms.

    The reality of the present around him blurred at the edges as he stayed focused on what he was witnessing, determined not to look away or close his aching eyes, even as the weight of what was about to come threatened to crush him.

    The space around Azazeal twisted and shattered into fragments, but he remained unfazed. A multitude of figures in white and dark robes, their forms obscured by layers of spiritual and divine energy, surged forth from the massive gray void that had formed where the two remaining crystal pillars of the Realm of the Dead should have stood.

    The figures tried to stop the destruction, to halt the man surrounded by darkness, and to gather the escaping souls, but they were all consumed by the purple and obsidian particles emanating from Azazeal.

    The countless particles roared hungrily as they merged with the darkness, giving birth to a beautiful purple flower with numerous petals that bloomed to hold the falling sky.

    The flower petals radiated a faint yet brilliant purple light, but they were tainted by countless red and dark spots.

    Kyle spat out blood as he stared at the flower. His ears rang with the haunting cries of the souls being destroyed. But before he could lose himself in the future, a familiar voice cried out his name.

    His mind registered... Yue was calling him. Her trembling hands were gripping him. He needed to stop. He severed the connection with what he was seeing.

    But his head spun because if this was the future, then what had happened to him and all those who were in the Forsaken Land?

    What had become of them?

    Where did they go?

    How had the seals been destroyed?

    Kyle''s lashes quivered as he blinked the blood oozing from his eyes and glanced at the worried people around him.

    Alec placed his arm around his neck and helped him land on the ground, which was covered in a thick layer of ice. He gritted his teeth as he pressed his hand against his back to transmit his spiritual energy into his body to heal him if he was injured.

    "Why are you always worrying everyone?!"

    Carcel and Sinon did the same.

    Yue rubbed his palm as everyone surrounded him, calling out his name. They had no idea what had happened. Suddenly, Kyle''s floating figure began to convulse, and blood started to pour from his eyes and mouth. Sinon was the first to notice his state and cried out to alert the others.

    James shouted toward Odiak, Elizabeth, and all the elders, urging them to gather every healing treasure they possessed.

    They couldn''t let anything happen to the person who had given them hope for a better future, the one who had proved that the supposedly undefeatable shadow generals could be defeated.

    Alec and the others also retrieved all their healing treasures, but in that moment, Kyle finally exhaled. He raised his hand to stop them as he calmed his racing heart.

    He grabbed Yue and Sinon, who were still beside him, and shouted as he summoned his strength to tear the fabric of space in the sky, creating a massive crack.

    "Leave! Go!"

    He pushed them toward the crack but gritted his teeth when they refused to leave.

    Yue clenched his arm.

    "No! We can''t leave everyone behind! The others are still on the floating islands!"

    Dread and horror filled her entire being as she thought about the people fighting in the war

    and the many on the floating islands.

    Her friends and Nox... Nox and Bia! Her mind supplied as she tried to rush toward the floating islands, only to be stopped by Kyle as he grabbed her waist.

    He panted as he rested his head on her shoulder, holding her tightly.

    "I will not let anything happen to them. I promise. I promise. Please believe me. Just this

    once. Just for the last time."

    Yue froze when his touch became even colder, so much so that it pained her, as if it were not a

    human hand but a block of ice.

    She glanced at the seals and took a deep breath to steady herself.

    She needed to stay clear-headed.

    "I will! Okay, I will!"

    Sinon grabbed Kyle as he staggered, his expression filled with concern and dread.

    "What the hell is going on? Everything was fine just a moment ago! Why the hell is this

    happening?!"

    Seeing Yue calming down, Kyle relaxed a little as well. He knew that Yue and Sinon wouldn''t

    leave without him and the others, so he didn''t waste any time urging them and vanished

    toward the seals.

    Yue and Sinon followed behind. They expanded their spiritual energy just like the others to

    prevent the seals from breaking.

    At that moment, Damien''s familiar voice echoed from the distance as he stepped out from a

    crack that formed in the air.

    "It seems I am right on time."

    He chuckled with pure amusement and mirth dancing in his azure eyes.

    "I would have regretted it if I had missed such a beautiful sight."