Chapter 288: Chapter 288 : The Villain vs The Devil (9)

Until now, never once in his entire life had Kyle Celestian felt true fear.

Not when his adoptive parents were slaughtered before his eyes. Not when he was left alone in that filthy orphanage, fighting for scraps of food each night. Hell, not even when he first stood before Sabrina and Demeron—primordial gods—when they descended and chose him as their avatar.

All his life, the feeling of superiority came naturally to him. Like breathing. As if destiny itself whispered that one day he’d surpass them all. The emotion called fear had never once crossed his mind. He was above it. Beyond it.

Even when Alex had beaten him down earlier, Kyle never wavered—because deep inside, he knew he still had a trump card. A weapon no one in this world could escape: the Seven Sovereigns. Seven sins made flesh, each one capable of annihilating entire civilizations.

And for a brief moment, he thought he was right. Watching Alex get torn apart, thrown through mountains, bled dry—it all confirmed his belief. Victory was inevitable.

But then the impossible happened.

Alex didn’t just survive—he reversed everything. Within his Astral Domain, the Sovereigns weren’t just defeated… they were obliterated. It wasn’t even a fight.

And now, for the first time in Kyle Celestian’s cursed life, mind-numbing fear tore through him.

His system healed his wounds automatically, sealing the hole in his chest, but it didn’t stop his body from trembling. His hands shook violently. His breath hitched as he stared at the silver-haired figure walking toward him, bathed in blood and starlight.

Kyle took a step backward, stammering, “S‑Stay… stay away. What the hell kind of monster are you?! You… you can’t be human! It’s impossible!”

Every instinct screamed at him: run. Run now.

Then Alex’s cold voice sliced through the silence, calm and steady.

“You can heal from almost anything, right?” he said. “So what happens if I slowly peel your skin away… one layer at a time?”

Kyle’s breath caught in his throat. The horror of those words sank deep into his soul.

’I have to run. Now. Or I’m dead.’

In a blur of incomprehensible speed, Kyle turned and bolted—every ounce of his power fueling his desperate escape. His only thought: get as far away from that devil as possible.

But just as his body ripped through space, Alex appeared before him.

Thud!

A devastating kick slammed into his ribs. The bones shattered instantly, splintering inward as Kyle’s scream tore through the dimension. Even as his system hurriedly healed the damage, the pain was unbearable.

Before Kyle could recover, black flames materialized in Alex’s hands. They flickered gently, almost playfully, yet the heat they radiated warped reality around them. The Flames of Chaos.

Alex tilted his head slightly. “Let’s try burning only your skin,” he said softly. “I’ve heard the pain of burning alive is the worst… and it gets even worse when only your skin burns, leaving the muscles bare. They say that pain can break anyone.”

Kyle’s eyes widened, sheer terror flooding his expression. “No… no, stay the hell away from me!”

But the flames descended.

The moment they touched him, his scream ripped through the heavens—an inhuman, broken sound.

“No! NO! SPARE ME! PLEASE!” Kyle’s voice broke as his skin began to blacken, peel, and melt away. The agony was beyond comprehension. His flesh exposed itself, raw and bleeding, nerves screaming as the flames devoured only the surface layer.

“It’s burning! IT’S BURNING!” Kyle wailed, clawing at his own body as if that would stop it. The more he thrashed, the more the flames clung to him, slowly eating him alive.

And Alex? He stood there, watching. A maniacal grin stretched across his face. His laughter echoed through the dimension—low, twisted, and utterly devoid of mercy.

—

Across the world, on holographic screens still broadcasting the battle, people who had been cheering fell completely silent.

Mothers covered their children’s eyes. Soldiers turned away. Some vomited, others simply closed their eyes, trembling.

The sight was too much. Even those who wanted Kyle dead couldn’t bear to watch.

This wasn’t justice. This was torture. This was a nightmare made real.

—-

Meanwhile, Kyle’s broken voice screamed into the void. “SABRINA! SAVE ME! DO SOMETHING!”

Inside his mind, a familiar voice responded, steady but tense.

{ Kyle, hold on. I’m descending. Just endure a little longer. }

Far above, in her divine realm, Sabrina stood from her throne. Her pale face was flushed crimson with fury, her fists clenched so tightly that divine energy pulsed around them.

“How dare he,” she hissed, her voice trembling with rage. “How dare that mortal torture my avatar like this.”

Her aura exploded outward, cracking the pillars of her realm as she prepared to descend. The power of the abyss surged around her like a living storm.

But then—

Crack.

A fracture split through her realm’s very foundation. From that crack, a golden light poured forth, illuminating the darkness.

Sabrina froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

From the light stepped a figure so radiant, so impossibly beautiful, that even the abyss trembled in her presence. Her long golden hair flowed like liquid sunlight, her golden eyes gleaming with divine authority. She was perfection incarnate.

It was Aurora, the Goddess of Light.

Sabrina gritted her teeth, her voice dripping with venom. “Aurora… how dare you set foot in this realm.”

Aurora’s expression was cold, utterly devoid of warmth. “The moment you try to descend into that world,” she said quietly, “I will kill you with my own hands.”

Sabrina’s aura flared violently. “And do you think I’m afraid of you?”

Aurora’s gaze sharpened. “Looks like you’ve forgotten what happened when we fought last. You’re only alive because *they* intervened.”

Her tone dropped even colder. “But if you lay your filthy hands on Alex… I’ll forget all about the truce between the Outer Gods and us. And I will erase you. Right here. Right now.”

Sabrina snarled. “You know perfectly well that will start a war. You’ll be blamed by all sides—even if by some miracle you manage to defeat me, the Outer Gods will never remain silent.”

Aurora stepped forward, divine energy pressing down on Sabrina’s shoulders like a mountain.

“Then let them come,” she said softly. “The moment you try to descend, you’ll become vulnerable. And that will make it all the more easy for me to kill you.”

For the first time in ages, Sabrina hesitated.

Sabrina’s thoughts churned in a storm of fury and frustration.

’Damnit… this bitch is right,’ she growled inwardly. ’A god is at their most vulnerable the moment they try to descend into a mortal vessel.’

Her jaw clenched as she stared into the rift showing Kyle’s agony. His burned flesh, his hoarse screams, Alex’s cold eyes—every second scraped at her pride.

In her mind, she shouted, ’Demeron! Demeron, answer me!’

Silence.

’Kyle is in danger and I can’t reach him,’ she pushed harder. ’I know you hate direct involvement, but help him. He needs us now more than ever!’

But no voice answered. No presence stirred. The other primordial remained maddeningly absent.

Sabrina’s hands tightened into fists as she glared daggers at Aurora.

“I won’t forget this, Aurora,” she said in a low, venomous tone. “I’ll make sure to pay you back for this one day.”

Aurora’s golden eyes didn’t waver.

“Yeah,” she said coldly. “We’ll see about that.”

Meanwhile, back in the Astral Domain, Alex’s laughter grew louder as Kyle’s pleas echoed through the shattered world.

With a lazy flick of his finger, the black flames vanished.

Kyle’s charred body collapsed to the ground, twitching. His skin was half‑gone, raw muscle exposed, blood dripping in steady streams. Tears mixed with soot on his face as he trembled, his voice weak and broken.

“F‑Forgive… me…” he whispered, barely audible.

Alex tilted his head. “What was that?” he asked mockingly. “Say it louder. I didn’t quite catch that.”

Kyle forced air back into his lungs, his throat burning. “F‑Forgive… me…”

Alex burst out laughing.

“Did you hear that?” he shouted into the sky, toward the still‑flickering holographic screens. “Cult of the Abyss! Your undefeated god, your savior, your symbol of hope—begging for forgiveness.”

He pressed his foot onto Kyle’s head, grinding it into the broken ground.

“Did you ever imagine this scene?” Alex sneered.

Kyle coughed blood, his eyes unfocused. Alex leaned down, spit landing across Kyle’s half‑burnt face.

“What was that line you said to me before?” Alex asked, pretending to think. Then his eyes lit up. “Oh, right. ’You’re nothing special…’”

He smirked darkly.

“Well, look at you now, Mister Kyle. Turns out *you’re* the massive failure. Even your goddess abandoned you.”

He gestured around at the empty heavens.

“And that just proves it.”

—

Elsewhere, on a different battlefield, Albert and Reynard’s duel raged on.

Albert, bloodied but still fighting, blocked another sword swing and spat on the ground. “It can’t be… Young Master Kyle lost…”

Reynard was panting as well, blood running down his arms and face, but a wide grin stretched across his features as he looked at the holographic screen in the sky.

On it, Alex’s foot rested on Kyle’s skull.

Reynard chuckled darkly. “That kid is cruel beyond measure,” he said. “But I like it.”

He smirked. “I knew my daughter could never make a bad choice.”

He turned back toward Albert, his eyes sharpening. “Now… let’s finish this.”

Reynard’s aura exploded outward, whipping the air into a storm. His blade hummed with overwhelming power as he raised it high.

“Sovereign Blade, 8th Form…”

The air howled as a massive aura blade formed around his weapon, towering like a tidal wave of raw destruction.

“Annihilation Tide!”

Albert’s face went pale. Seeing Kyle defeated, the last of his fighting spirit shattered. Blue aura burst around him as he tried to flee, voice shaking.

“I’m leaving now,” he snarled. “But don’t think this is—”

“This is over.”

A voice cut him off—calm, steady, absolute.

Time froze.

Albert’s eyes widened in terror as the world around him turned motionless. Dust hung in the air. Flames paused mid‑flicker. Even the sound of clashing armies went silent.

Standing behind him was a golden‑haired boy, hand extended, eyes glowing with white energy.

It was Ethan Williams.

’Impossible…’ Albert’s mind reeled. ’The hero… he’s awakened Time affinity too?’

He couldn’t move. Couldn’t blink.

Reynard didn’t hesitate. In the frozen moment, he swung his titanic aura blade downward.

The Annihilation Tide crashed into Albert, tearing through his body, shattering flesh, bone, and soul alike.

In one strike, Albert was erased—ripped apart into invisible pieces by pure force.

As time resumed, only ash and scattered blood remained where he’d once stood.

Reynard exhaled slowly, lowering his sword. “Looks like it’s finally over…” he murmured.

But just as he allowed himself that breath of relief—

Something unexpected began to stir in the distance.

—-

A/N:

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