Celestial Bloodline

Someone softly touched Kyle's back, prompting him to turn around and discover Yue standing there, wearing a smile.

"Don't push it too far; the shadow generals pose a serious threat. Let's steer clear of stirring them up for now since they hold more power than us."

Kyle's expression softened.

"I was simply feeling a bit playful after meeting the others... but rest assured, I'm fully aware of my actions."

His soft eyes hardened as he felt the eyes on him shift towards Yue. Immediately, the corners of his mouth drooped. Despite having everything planned, he doesn't want the shadow generals or anyone else targeting those he holds dear.

'A bunch of bastards... I'm the one provoking them, so they should focus only on me, not on anyone else. But it's not like I can expect them to leave the others alone just because I want them to.'

Yue blinked as he glanced away with a frown, and before she could inquire about what happened, Kyle began to levitate. In that precise moment, Kyle's voice resonated in her mind.

'Let's talk later and give it your all.'

She looked at his retreating figure, and a smile appeared at the corner of her lips. It seems he doesn't want the focus of the two shadow generals to turn towards her.

Lara and Mia exchanged glances with her, and after bidding goodbye to Nox and Bia, who were sitting on Zron's shoulder, she started floating with the two women to locate her own stage where she would encounter her first opponent.

Kyle, who had already found his stage but was still awaiting his opponent, was taken aback when Carcel's floating form halted above his stage. He arched a brow and gestured to the back of his hand.

"Same stage?"

Carcel took hold of his spear and descended onto the stage opposite him.

"Thankfully not."

Kyle shook his head with a faint chuckle when he noticed the relieved look on the golden-haired man's face. He knew his strength and agility stats were high, but it's not like he would beat his friends too badly if they fought with him in a friendly spar. However, as he glanced at the blue spear in Carcel's hand, he felt like the spear in the man's hand was somewhat familiar, so he complimented without much thought.

"Your weapon looks impressive, and I can sense it's quite powerful."

Carcel blinked at the sudden compliment and twirled the slender spear in his hands.

"Of course, it's because I snatched... No, it was gifted to me by a very strong man."

Kyle hummed as he gazed ahead at his opponent who just landed on the hovering stage. It was a middle-aged woman with long hair from the demi-human race.

"Who?"

He stole a glance at Carcel from the corner of his eye when the man remained silent at his question, only to observe a deep frown between the man's brows.

'Did I say something wrong?'

Carcel was about to mention that he snagged the spear from Kyle himself, then learned it was a growth-type weapon, just like Alec's sword that evolves with its user, so he made it his main weapon.

But he kept quiet as his opponent also showed up. However, he couldn't help but wonder why Kyle didn't remember. A sudden thought crossed his mind that maybe there was something wrong with Kyle's memory, considering Kyle's odd behavior when he first met everyone. It seemed too unusual, so he pushed the thought aside and focused on his opponent.

The illusionary figures on his and Kyle's stage told the people on stage to prepare without delay. A smirk crossed his face as he glanced at the silver-haired man casually rolling up his sleeves, unarmed.

"You planning to fight barehanded? I know you are stronger than me in strength and agility, but how about we compete to see who can take out their opponent first..."

He paused for a second.

"I think the difference between us wouldn't be that significant because ultimately, we are both at the same rank."

Kyle's eyes flickered with a mischievous glint as he heard the golden-haired man.

"Oh, why not, sure."

Both Carcel's and Kyle's opponents were ticked off by the duo's behavior, as the two men were busy in their own conversation, completely disregarding their opponents as if they could easily eliminate them. As the illusory figures on both platforms signaled the beginning of the battles, a thunderous boom reverberated through the air. Carcel and his opponent who were still rooted in their spots, were distracted by the sound. But before they could even turn to look at the source of the noise, Kyle's opponent was already hurled off the stage.

A painful cry echoed in the air, startling Carcel and his opponent out of their daze. The duo watched as the illusionary figure on Kyle's stage declared him the winner. A dry smile appeared on the golden-haired man's face... it appeared he had lost even before the competition started.

Carcel and his opponent weren't the only ones affected by Kyle's sudden burst of strength. Everyone on the nearby stages was also taken aback by the swift and victory the silver-haired man secured.

Kyle shot a final smirk at Carcel and floated off to locate his next opponent, hoping for a swift match without much delay and an empty stage for his upcoming battle. In the meantime, all the people sitting behind Old Hal, who had been eyeing Kyle intently this time to figure out just how strong he was to act so cocky and why in the world the arena had showered him with so many extra points, all murmur in bewilderment.

"What on earth? Did he really win... in the blink of an eye?"

"Why is his agility so off the charts?"

"No, it's not just agility; his strength must be insane as well, or he would not have sent his opponent flying with a single punch."

"But he's only divine rank, right? So, how..."