Chapter 478: Just seven more to go

Azazeal's eyes traveled toward the tunnel Kyle's figure disappeared into, and he let out a hum as he gazed back at the spirit whose form shrank inside the layer of darkness.

"How sly aren't we?"

"You wanted to secretly consume a part of the essence present within his body and gave him a bit of spiritual energy in return? Can you even compare yourself with that cold, threatening thing inside his body?"

His gaze sharpened when the spirit ceased its struggle and stilled, as if it grasped the mistake it would have committed had he dared to touch the essence.

"Oh, you realized it on your own? The fact that even though he is weak and you can easily control him right now... you would have lost a lot if you had tried to touch that thing within his body."

"I have to admit that you indeed managed to perfectly conceal your presence from his essence and even made sure his essence would show itself on its own after sensing the vast spiritual energy inside the mountain."

"But it's a pity that you forgot to consider the fact that even though his body is weak, the essence in his body is purer than the one you possess."

Azazeal clenched his fist, and the spirit emitted a loud noise before the hollow space began to crumble, with dust and debris falling to fill it completely.

However, the floating man stayed completely unfazed and observed as the spirit shrank in size inside the darkness until it transformed into a dark ball and obediently landed on his palm.

"Just seven more to go, and I can finally shatter the barrier preventing me from reaching them once again."

In the next moment, the ball exploded into limitless energy that flowed into his body, only to transform into darkness... But he heard it clearly as another crack appeared in the barrier he was so eager to shatter.

Azazeal's form vanished from the space just a split second before it crumbled entirely, causing the entire mountain to resonate with a deafening rumble.

Instantly, the shape of the mountain underwent a drastic transformation as numerous large rocks cascaded from all directions towards the ground.

In the next second, he appeared beneath the sky that had started to turn dark compared to before when he and Kyle sat together atop the mountain. His eyes traveled downward only to pause at the silver-haired human who was busy descending the mountain.

"His speed has increased."

Kyle leaped in a different direction to dodge a massive rock hurtling down from above. He then seized a long, cascading gray plant and covered a significant distance within seconds by letting his body fall while keeping his hand around the plant.

Azazeal followed his every movement before he vanished and his feet landed at the base of the mountain where Kyle would arrive after a while. In that very moment, low growls and many rustle shook all the trees surrounding the mountain.

"The worst case... did these monsters gather due to the spiritual energy the spirit let out in the air."

He watched as countless pairs of glowing eyes blinked behind the trees, and many creatures without a defined shape, with a color similar to molten steel, emerged from the trees to encircle the mountain from all directions.

Their bodies were constantly shifting and flowing, like liquid metal in motion, and Azazeal could sense many more were approaching in the same direction.

But even though the manaless beasts spotted him, they didn't dare to approach him, almost as if they were intimidated by his mere presence.

"They have keen instincts. It seems they can instinctively discern what poses a threat and what benefits them."

He remarked and looked up at Kyle, who was descending the mountain and nearing the very area teeming with beasts, each possessing strength no lower than a pseudo-divine rank.

"I already knew he chose the worst path, even worse than the three I predicted. But will he survive? I can't seem to predict if he will... Should I watch? It's not like I have something urgent to do."

As Azazeal stood in that place, he remembered how just a while ago, he warned Kyle not to approach the spirit.

It wasn't because he thought Kyle might absorb the spirit because he knew the human's body was still too weak to handle even a fraction of the spirit's boundless energy. Besides, Kyle had not even grasped spiritual energy yet. He stopped Kyle because he sensed that the essence in the human's body was becoming restless after encountering the spirit, who was eager to exchange a part of itself with Kyle for a part of his essence.

"It seems his bloodline cares more about itself than its host... Or maybe it simply can't bear to part with Kyle, even though it hasn't fully merged with his body yet."

"It was really a surprise when I sensed a threat from his body — not directed towards me but at the spirit."

Azazeal closed his eyes but he stepped back to give Kyle enough space to pass when he sensed his presence. Kyle's feet screeched to a halt not because he also saw Azazel but because of the countless manaless beasts in front of him.

Kyle's eyes dilated as he let out a dry, strained laugh while staring at the beasts closing in on him from all directions.

"Tell me this... is a joke!?"

He sprinted towards the mountain to ascend once more, his heart pounding in his chest. Overwhelmed by panic, he didn't even care about Aze's presence and why the beasts didn't move towards the man.

Kyle's breathing was ragged, his clothes completely drenched in sweat because he had been struggling against the mountain's gravitational pull all this while. Moreover, due to rolling rocks, he had to exert more pressure on his body as he knew he would suffer a lot if he was just a little bit careless.

But no one could fathom the depth of his anger when he caught an amused glint in Aze's eyes, the same eyes that had once again regained their usual purple color as they observed his struggle.