Not just Yue, Ray also shouted at him, telling him to be quiet. Kyle blinked, unsure of what was happening, but he noticed they were staring at him with a horrified expression.
'What...?'
He felt something wet, not tears, something else. The hand that tried to wipe Yue's tears paused as it reached beneath his eyes.
He lifted his fingers and examined them. They were red, completely soaked in blood.
Oh, it seems his eyes were bleeding. Kyle closed his eyes, but then Neon slapped his chest and urged him to stay conscious no matter what. Kyle let out a chuckle.
"... You're still getting the better of me..."
Another potion was poured into his mouth, but nothing seemed to work. Kyle glanced at Yue and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Don't cry... You... look ugly when you cry."
Yue paused, blinking in disbelief. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind, as he seemed to be joking in such a serious situation. But before she could respond, a familiar sentence echoed in her mind. She tried to recall the blurry memory, but suddenly, a tearing sound filled the air. Her gaze shifted to Kyle, realizing that the sound was coming from his body.
Kyle's eyes dilated, and he finally let out a piercing scream that sent shivers down the spines of everyone present. All the people around him froze in their tracks, and the air turned eerily silent.
Instantly, the red aura around his body gathered above his chest, and with a faint ripping sound, a small dark red crystal sprang out from his chest.
The crystal pulsed with a sinister energy, emanating a faint golden light along its edges. When Alec laid eyes on the crystal, his eyes widened and he let out a terrified shout. After all, unlike others, he could see everything about the crystal because the system window showed him the details.
Alec reached out to grab the crystal. However, as he tried to grab it, a powerful blast of energy was unleashed, causing everyone around Kyle to be forcefully thrown back as if their strength meant nothing.
Kyle's body lifted off the ground when the crystal moved. Amidst the chaos, faint voices called out to him, but he shut his eyes as a numbing, heart-wrenching pain consumed him. It felt like a part of him was swallowed by darkness. Deep down, he knew this moment would come someday, but he couldn't help but question why now, and why so soon.
His body dropped to the ground with a soft thud and the crystal zoomed towards something above in the clouds. Yue, Neon, Ray, and a few others rushed to his side, but Kyle wasn't responding anymore.
The phoenix cried out loudly when the connection she had with Kyle broke. She couldn't sense anything from him anymore, nothing at all.
Alec screamed at Jian and a few others to follow the crystal, but they froze in their tracks when a pair of emotionless golden eyes appeared in the sky. In the next second, a bone-crushing pressure weighed down on their shoulders.
Not just them, even Cedric, Retric, and the many older individuals around Kyle felt the same pressure on their shoulders as they dropped to their knees. Alec stared at the man with bloodshot eyes.
"Why the hell did you do it? How dare you!?"
He used his newly acquired divine skill on the man. The man in purple robes was taken aback for a moment. However, instead of fighting back, he grabbed the crystal and vanished before Alec's skill could even reach him.
Alec's eyes widened. He couldn't believe he had let the man slip through his fingers so easily. He froze when a notification popped up, telling him that the mission to kill the man who was harming the planet's core had failed.
"So... "
He looked back at where Yue and the others were trying to wake up Kyle. Then, Retric shouted and asked everyone to take Kyle to the Academy for better treatment, but Alec knew no one could treat Kyle now. His eyes welled up with tears, and he raised his head to hold them back.
'His soul...'
Jian, who had been beside him, started shouting with anger. He promised to find the man who harmed his friend. But just as the situation calmed down, a loud rumble shook the entire sky.
"Huh..?"
Alec looked up, and not just him, everyone around the planet raised their heads to stare at the sky. It cracked like fragile glass, breaking into countless fragments.
"No way...?"
Alec let out a disbelieving laugh. He couldn't believe he had failed so badly. He wasn't able to save his friend, nor was he able to stop the destruction that awaited the planet, even if only for a few months.
...
At the far end of the planet, as the cracks emerged, a pair of astonished eyes peered inside, gazing at the world through the fissures.
"Huh... another hidden planet?"
The woman let out a soft sigh, and the black three-petal flower engraved on her forehead glimmered faintly. She glanced back at the man floating beside her, a wicked grin spreading across her face.
"Hay, tell me, how long do you think it would take for the fourth shadow general's army to arrive and conquer this planet?"
Hay, the man with pointy ears, pondered the question. He had been oblivious to the planet's existence for so many years. Despite his concealed presence, a hoarse voice escaped his lips as he responded.
"I'm not sure about the fourth general, but a portion of the third general's army is on planet azure. It's pretty close, so I think it would take a week or two, maybe?"
The pink ears on top of the woman's head perked up slightly as she narrowed her eyes with mischief.
"Let's have some fun, shall we? We haven't found the man who stole the general's divine artifact and ran away. Plus, I didn't receive any recognition when I reported back about the universe projection. So, why not take credit for discovering this planet? Maybe it'll help lighten our punishment."
Hay hummed and nodded in agreement.
"You're stronger, Diora. As always, I'll follow your lead."
Diora, the demi-human, burst into laughter. She wiped her eyes and smiled at Hay, batting her thick lashes.
"You know, I sensed a few divine presences on this planet, but they're not very strong, almost like fragments of their consciousness. How about we go and take them out first?"
"Okay."
The duo locked eyes for a moment before leaping into the planet through the cracks.
Diora took a deep breath and the corners of her eyes lifted.
"Ah... the air is so fresh. I don't like it one bit. And you know what? If I don't like something, I'll change it to my liking, right?"
In an instant, a whip materialized in her hand, and a dark aura enveloped her. The aura extended towards the lush trees below, causing them to wither and the land to dry up.
