Celestial Bloodline

A while back, when the massive array encasing the entire sky above the Gladiator Arena was erected and Kyle faced the two Shadow Generals with Alec and Carcel.

Alec was floating in mid-air behind Kyle with a determined expression, ready to end both the shadow generals alongside him and Carcel with the newfound strength coursing through his body.

His body was brimming with divine and spiritual energy. But he could easily handle his power thanks to the divine rank artifact, his system that had been with him for a long time and grown with him.

Also, luckily, the air in the Sacred Divine Land was devoid of mana. Hence, his mana reserve was empty; otherwise, the scenario would have been even more overwhelming.

Alec's gaze shifted towards the two shadow generals. He could see everything was under Kyle's control, and with the array, he was confident they could effortlessly overcome the shadow generals.

But when Kyle's voice resonated in his mind, instructing him to eliminate the third shadow general while Kyle dealt with the golden-eyed one, Alec's mind went blank.

It was a sudden blankness, as if someone else had taken over his consciousness, followed by intense pain that shot from the back of his head to his entire body. Then, a dark voice sounded in his mind.

'Kill him.'

Those two words echoed in his mind like thunderbolts. He couldn't help but question, who? He no longer comprehended what was happening around him, and the voice resounded once more in his head. This time, followed by a surge of excruciating pain, as if someone had just squeezed his soul. The pain was so intense that Alec wanted to scream, but nothing emerged from his mouth. Then the voice persuaded him to do as asked, promising an end to the pain.

'It would end...?'

He asked in his mind with a blank expression and did what the voice asked him because he just wanted to get rid of the pain. He couldn't bear it. The pain was consuming his entire being, and he felt like he would die if it didn't stop.

His body moved on its own with lightning-fast speed, and he grabbed someone... the face reflecting in his eyes was familiar. Silver hair and green eyes, but he couldn't remember who it was... and just did what the voice asked him to.

'Kill him.'

He raised his hand, and surprise flashed through the green eyes staring at him as he struck the man's chest with all his strength. The silver-haired man was flung backward and Alec positioned himself in front of two familiar but strangely unfamiliar men because the voice asked him to.

Alec stared at the silver-haired man as the latter steadied himself in mid-air and said something, but with the pain looming to engulf him, he couldn't grasp a word.

The two men behind him were also talking, stating that they have control over his life. Alec attempted to focus on the discussion with all his might but couldn't understand what the four people around him were discussing. Then, another command resonated. This time, it echoed in his ears, not in his head.

"Go and fight them both, but don't kill them because I will end their lives."

Alec blinked, and his vision blurred, followed by a sharp, pounding pain in his head that left him disoriented and suffocated. He knew that to get rid of the pain, he needed to do what the voice asked him to do. So, he quickly sprang into action and attacked the golden-haired man, who was closest to him.

The golden-haired man was yelling at him, saying things he couldn't understand as he attacked the man without stopping. There was only one thought in Alec's head – he needed to fight this man. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but then a chill filled the air around him.

Alec sensed another presence, other than the golden-haired man, and turned his head toward the silver-haired man, who emerged from the icy flames surrounding him.

He swiftly swung his sword at the man without a moment's pause. But before his attack could land, icy flames surged out to halt his actions. Then the silver-haired man grabbed his neck and easily snatched the sword from his hand.

Alec struggled to break free from the vice-like grip on his neck. However, it tightened, causing a sharp, searing pain to shoot through his skin. Just as despair crept in, a mysterious dark aura enveloped his being. His resistance waned, and his already befuddled mind spiraled further into confusion. Now, his surroundings plunged into an abyss of pitch-black darkness, obscuring all vision.

He peered into the darkness, and bit by bit, his ability to think clearly and comprehend his surroundings began to return.

"What's happening...? Weren't we fighting the shadow generals?"

As his mind cleared, the darkness around him shifted into a vast battlefield strewn with broken buildings. Up in the sky, the two shadow generals were watching him while sitting on two colossal thrones. Will and Ceano ordered him to eliminate all his friends with sinister smiles.

Alec glanced ahead... Kyle, Nine, Carcel, Jian, Lara, Yue, Mia, Sinon, Regius. They all floated before him with their weapons raised towards him.

He attempted to stop his body, yet it refused to obey his commands and instead followed the shadow generals' orders to battle his companions, who implored him to come to his senses.

His face lost colors, and he silently screamed within himself to stop. He dreaded harming his friends! The shadow generals' sinister laughter echoed in his ears as he wounded Carcel and several others who were hesitating to harm him because they knew he was under the shadow generals' influence.

Alec's face went ghostly pale with each passing moment as he swung his sword, meant to kill the shadow generals, at his friends. A bitter yet twisted smile appeared on his lips when, unlike the others who were still trying to bring him back to his senses, Kyle lost his composure.

With fury ablaze in his green eyes, the silver-haired man floated toward him to ensnare him within a cage crafted from his icy blue flames. Alec wanted to yell to Kyle that he never meant to hurt them, but his body wouldn't listen.

He hoped they would all flee from him so he wouldn't hurt any of them more. When Alec and Kyle confronted each other in the sky, one of the shadow generals rose from his seat and spoke to Alec with an eerie smirk.

"Kill him."