The demi-human stared at the storage ring Kyle tossed at him, stunned. After that, no one dared to question Kyle and all the array masters started working.
The guards stationed around the tents stared at Kyle's figure as he floated beside the tower with George to observe the array masters.
After a while, Han wiped his sweaty forehead and looked up at the two figures floating leisurely above him. He rolled his eyes and tossed the mana stones in his hand toward the duo with an evil smile.
"You two better start working, or else don't blame me for being cruel."
Kyle caught the lightning-fast mana stone in his hand before it could strike his head. He took a deep breath, and before Han could toss another mana stone at him, he quickly landed on the ground and started helping the array masters.
George looked at Kyle's figure and let out a laugh. It seems his lazy partner had run away. Now he needs to work as well. But just as he was about to land, another mana stone came flying at him and almost struck his head, but fortunately, he grabbed it in time.
It was already late in the afternoon when the array masters started working, and nobody noticed when the dim sky darkened with countless little stars twinkling above their heads. Kyle stood before the tower and stared at it. The other array masters had long settled in the distance to rest for a while. He hummed and closed his eyes, trying to sense the mana inside his body. Different from the usual mana he used, there was something more powerful coursing through his body.
'So, this is Divine energy. I don't know how it's different from mana, and if I use it... how should I replenish it? Just like mana?'
There were a lot of questions in his head because absorbing mana was easy. After all, he just needed to wait, and his body would automatically absorb mana from the atmosphere.
So, what about divine energy?
Kyle raised his hand and used mana to conjure blue flames on the tip of his finger. He waved the flames toward a small hidden area of the tower, and just as he expected, the flames couldn't break the hard surface. A faint icy layer did appear, but when it turned into particles, the tower's surface remained intact.
Then, he tapped into his divine energy. The amount was much lower than his mana, but it was enough for now. He guided it just like mana, and another spark of flame flickered above his finger.
Kyle waved the flames toward the same spot where he had previously experimented, and his lips curled into a smile because it worked. The small area of the tower where the flame touched instantly froze, and in an instant, it crumbled into countless particles.
'If only I had enough divine energy to cover the entire tower, but the divine energy in my body is too low right now. So, for now, I'll have to rely on the array.'
He didn't turn around because he had long sensed Han hiding behind him. Not just Han, but the other array masters were also secretly keeping an eye on him. Kyle's lips twitched, and he rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
'Just what the heck are they doing?'
He turned around, but all the people scattered as if they were never even there in the first place. Kyle shook his head and vanished from his spot. The few eyes that were still peering at him were stunned, but no matter where they looked, they couldn't find the grey-haired man.
After the space in front of the tower fell silent, the area that Kyle damaged was covered in a layer of bright particles, only to revert to its original, undamaged state. In the midst of it all, a tired and almost silent voice echoed in the air.
"This prick... the guardians are also dying to come out. You all just need to use the correct method."
...
Kyle appeared above a boulder and lay down to stare at the sky. He wanted to close his eyes, but his communication crystal buzzed.
Kyle grabbed the crystal and was surprised to see Nine's familiar face.
"So soon?"
Nine laughed and cocked a proud brow.
"Who do you think I am? I'm a pseudo-divine rank individual! Haha, I didn't have to do much, the Queen and the older merpeople around her were scared shitless when I released my earth-shattering pressure. She agreed to send her strongest soldiers. But Kyle, I don't think she would let the normal citizens join the war."
He lowered his voice for some reason.
"Oh, and by the way, Seraphine and a few old geezers are planning to poison me. Little did they know, I could hear their scheming loud and clear, even from outside the castle, haha!"
Kyle shook his head at the man.
"Don't you dare to swallow the poison just to test your strength. And as for the soldiers, I think they'll be enough. No need to involve normal citizens. That way, we can avoid any unnecessary deaths."
"After you gather them all, head over to the new Continent and meet up with Alec and the others."
Nine hummed.
"Alright, leave it to me. What about you?"
Kyle stared into the distance, where the tower stood tall and proud.
"I'll join you guys in a day or two."
Nine nodded and ended the connection. Kyle paused for a second, then contacted Yue. She answered almost instantly, and her face appeared on the crystal.
"What happened, Kyle?"
Kyle stayed quiet for a second, and before he could answer, a familiar voice echoed behind Yue. It was Jian, shouting that he had reached the pseudo-divine rank.
Yue let out a soft smile and pointed behind her, where Jian was jumping around.
"I haven't seen Bia, Mia, Sinon, and Regius yet. However, Alec and I reached the pseudo-divine rank the moment we consumed the essence. But we didn't feel any pain, I think it's because we have already reached the (SSS+)-Rank. After us, Carcel and Lara were also successful in their attempts."
She paused for a second.
"The two of them felt the pain you mentioned earlier, but everything went fine. Jian took a lot of time. He was a little grumpy that you didn't give him the divine essence, but the flower was enough for him."
Kyle listened attentively and didn't interrupt as she talked about a lot of other things. In the end, when Yue noticed that he hadn't spoken a word, she paused. Kyle tilted his head with confusion.
"Don't you want to continue?"
Yue blinked and stammered a little.
"It's not like I wanted to talk so much. It's because you asked!"
Kyle nodded with a smile that went against his words.
"Of course, it's because I asked."
The elf rolled her eyes and closed the crystal connection before Kyle could stop her. He let out a chuckle and closed his eyes to rest for a while.
