1049 Celestial Rank

"What the hell is that?" Haedon took a step back instinctively, leaving Sarah and Sia to fall to the ground.

His eyes were fixated on the man shrouded in the mysterious lights of black and white.

It didn't look like the aura of a celestial ranker. It wasn't even in the same league. It felt simple and part of everything around him. Yet it felt incredibly deep so much so that for a split second, Haedon felt like he was staring at the divine paths themselves.

There were no words to describe the profound feeling emanating from those lights.

Varian's body floated into space and the light on him glowed brighter.  The space around him started to crack apart and collapse and even the time began to be distorted.

Then, a wave of light swept out from him and in a blink, reached every corner of the solar system.

At that moment, everyone freaked out.

The suns just went off and the solar system turned dark. The planets stopped moving and spinning.

In some places, the water started flowing up the waterfall. In others, fire no longer burned. The ground started to drown. The oceans turned solid. Mountains began to float. The asteroids nearby broke down into tiny pieces and started rearranging themselves into even spheres.

Haedon opened his mouth and stared at the figure in the space with utter disbelief. "Deva's legacy? No, not even the strongest kingdom is capable of such a legacy. Only an Empire…damn it!"

The conclusion caused Abyss Emperor to immediately pause. He had been giving credit to the Deva legacy for Varian's many paths. Hybrids weren't uncommon in kingdoms after all.

But he was wrong. Whatever Varian possessed was something far more dangerous.

'Thankfully, he chose to advance now instead of escaping.' Haedon jumped into the space and shot toward Varian at breakneck speed.

Celestial advancements would take a lot of time and must be done with enough care.

Fortunately for Haedon, he now had the best opportunity to take down Varian.

As he approached the young man, he realized that the strange lights weren't doing him any harm. They were completely concentrated inside Varian's body.

Haedon paused for a moment and stared at Varian with a complicated gaze. "Even after having such power, you wanted to die."

The discovery impressed Abyss Emperor and increased his determination to kill Varian.

Such a powerful legacy gave Haedon hope.

"Maybe one day…I could turn back time or bring back their souls and resurrect them." Haedon clenched his fist and stared at Varian with fiery eyes.

Resurrection was a taboo even for the Empires. But there had been rumors and myths that it was possible for the gods. No one knows.

But for Haedon who had nothing left, these little rumors and myths were everything. They were his hope and purpose.

"If they must return, you must come. Maybe this is the universe's way of compensating me…you took my family and you'll pay for it with yours." Haedon's right arm began to glow with golden starlight.

"The fairies and Zions will also pay," He punched out. "Starting with you!"

The golden fist passed through the distorted space and time unharmed. The sheer momentum of the punch sent shockwaves flying for miles. It went straight for Varian's head.

The black and white light covering Varian broke apart and the fist hit his head.

Or it should've.

A hand was grabbing the fist.

The simple action stopped the punch abruptly and caused a storm that wrecked the asteroids nearby.

"You!" Haedon gaped in horror.

Varian's eyes were still closed and he was just halfway in advancing. Technically speaking, his origin should be in the process of making the bond with his divine path.

It's the most critical state a sovereign must go through. When the origin completely bonds with the divine path, the awakener steps into the celestial rank.

Varian was giving off some celestial aura but he was still some distance from the complete transformation.

But Haedon was already dumbfounded by this development.

'Why is he advancing so fast? It'd take days, even weeks. Was it the special legacy…?'

Haedon gnashed his teeth and violently pulled his hand back.

Varian tried to hold it back with all his paths. But Abyss Emperor's strength trumped his and he failed.

"You monster." Haedon tried to feign reign to belie the fear in his heart. "You're dead."

BOOM!

Instead of fighting directly, Haedon dashed toward Sarah and Sia.

It's so despicable to threaten his enemy with his wives. But at this point, Haedon had no reason to care about his morality and dignity.

He didn't even want Varian's power that badly. He wanted the hope it represented. The hope of bringing back a lost family. Even if he had to become the vilest of criminals, Haedon was willing.

The reflection of Sia and Sarah in his eyes got larger as he reached them at a breakneck speed. Even if Varian tried to chase after him, he wouldn't be able to catch up.

Then, he'd have all the leverage!

'But leverage only works when they're not dead.' Haedon intentionally softened his landing so that he wouldn't harm the two human females that were already on the verge of death. To survive for so long, they were really resilient.

As he approached them, Haedon kept an eye on Varian who strangely hadn't moved at all.

'Does he not care about them anymore? If that's the case, it'd be useless for me to hold them. But he does care. Or else, he wouldn't be that sad…'

Varian's eyes remained closed and the black and white lights around him began to slowly dim.

Haedon reached his hands out for Sia and Sarah. But just as he's about to touch them, something changed.

His arms…slowed down. He was moving them with proper speed but for some reason, they were much slower. And his mind suddenly grew dizzy, slowing down his own reaction speed.

At the same time, the space around Sarah and Sia twisted.

"No!" Haedon broke out of the trance and grabbed at them. All he grabbed was empty space.

The Abyss Emperor turned around swiftly and stared at the shining man in space.

His eyes were finally open and staring right down at him.