Chapter 526: 526

The moment the cloak dropped, no, even before it fully fell, Kael had already sensed something familiar. It was faint at first, like a memory buried deep under layers of dust. He did not want to believe it. He told himself it was impossible.

But now, seeing that face clearly, the immense hatred locked in his heart began to churn violently. It pressed against his chest, trying to break free but he forced himself to stay still.

But the suppression made him crazy.

What should he do?

Should he act?

But won’t this put others in trouble?

What about my identity?

Countless questions flared in his mind. In all his life, he had taken very few decisions on impulse, and that too when he was young and reckless. He was someone who weighed pros and cons. He calculated. He waited. He acted only after being sure.

But now that very logic was binding him. It wrapped around his heart like chains and tried to keep him calm.

He felt as if he was about to burst.

Then he remembered something his darling shad once said.

No, he could almost hear it echoing inside his head.

Act.

Kael... no, Leonard. Act on it.

When the sky falls, we will there to hold it for you.

We are there to support you.

"ACT!"

Go absolute nuts.

No need to hold back.

"SOOOO FUCKING ACTTT!"

He did not know if that scream truly echoed in his ears or if it was only inside his mind. But it was enough.

His decision was formed instantlym

Identity of Veydrin?

Fuck it.

What if he gets exposed?

Just fuck it.

What if others get harmed by God and he might be killed?

Fuck it. He had his lover to take care.

The moment that thought settled, something deep within his soul moved.

The divinity he had sealed away began to stir.

Then it broke.

The hatred of centuries that had been compressed in his heart erupted outward.

It was not just killing intent. It was something far heavier. It felt like a mountain collapsing on the world.

A crimson wave exploded from his body.

The sky darkened instantly. The air became thick and suffocating. Those below Demi-God realm dropped to their knees without understanding why. Their minds were struck as if someone had smashed them with a giant club.

Even the abyssal monsters froze. Some howled in fear. Others trembled and backed away.

The burst killing intent was majestic and cold. It was born from countless slaughterfields. It carried the weight of billions of lives harvested without mercy. It dyed the world in red. The clouds above seemed to bleed. The ground trembled as if it remembered death.

Even the Demi-Gods felt it.

Ramos stiffened. Ruth’s expression changed slightly. Azeth and Eroju felt their hearts tighten.

The blue-haired man looked at him, and his calm face cracked.

"LEONARDDDD!"

Hearing his name, Kael’s serious face twisted into an evil smile.

It was not joyful. It was not playful.

It was cruel and unhinged.

His lips curved slowly, and his eyes burned with madness.

He threw his head back and roared.

"HAAAAAA!"

"YES, IT’S ME, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

"IT’S FUCKING ME!"

"ERIC BATREMAN, the Hero of Forsaken... I, Leonard the Great, am back!"

His voice rolled across the capital like thunder.

Then, with a sweeping motion of his hand, space rippled.

A dead body appeared before him and fell heavily onto the broken ground.

The moment it appeared, several people staggered. Ramos’ eyes widened in disbelief.

"This... this is the dead angel we encountered in Heizen."

The corpse was twisted and lifeless, but divine energy still lingered faintly around it.

Kael ignored everyone.

He stepped forward and grabbed the dead body by the neck. His fingers dug into it as if it were nothing more than meat.

Then a cold voice akin to scratching of nails erupted across.

[DEVOURRR]

The moment the word left his mouth, the heavens shook.

The sky trembled violently. Thunder rolled without lightning. The ground cracked further under the pressure.

The angel’s body burst apart.

Not in blood and flesh, but in pure energy.

A massive torrent of divine power exploded outward, then bent unnaturally toward Kael. It rushed into him like a flood returning to the ocean.

Wind howled violently across the shattered capital as fragments of stone, broken pillars, and burning debris lifted into the air. Crimson light continued to surge around Kael’s body while the divine energy he had devoured flowed endlessly into him. Veins of glowing red spread across his skin like molten cracks, and his aura grew heavier with every passing second.

The pressure alone made the battlefield tremble.

Eric’s face turned pale.

For the first time since his arrival, fear mixed with rage inside his eyes.

The battlefield had completely changed.

"Do you think you can devour an angel before me?" Eric roared, his voice filled with fury as he shot forward like a comet tearing through the sky.

Ramos and Ruth reacted instantly.

Both moved at the same time to intercept him.

"Bullshit!" Ramos shouted while raising his sword, and Ruth followed with lightning bursting around his blade.

Eric did not slow down.

He simply waved his hand.

A thin motion done with carelessness.

Then in the next moment—

BOOOOOOOM!

An invisible force exploded outward and slammed into Ramos and Ruth before their attacks could even land. The impact rattled their bones and crushed the air around them. Both were thrown backward violently as shockwaves spread across the sky.

Ramos felt his arms go numb while Ruth was forced several meters back despite planting his feet midair.

Their expressions changed instantly.

The power Eric released now was completely different.

It was overwhelming.

It felt as if the Eric they had fought earlier had only been playing with them.

Eric did not even look at them again. He burst forward toward Kael, tearing apart the air itself. Space warped behind him as buildings below shattered from the pressure of his movement alone.

Martina and Elliot could not even blink.

Before their minds could process what was happening, the blue-haired man had already appeared before Kael.

Eric extended his hand, fingers curling as if ready to crush Kael’s skull.

Victory flashed across his face.

Then—

His expression froze.

A thin red line appeared across his cheek.

Blood slowly slid down.

Eric’s pupils shrank as Kael’s figure blurred.

A soft whisper brushed past his ear.

"Kekkee..."

"You are still wet behind ears."

For a fraction of a second, silence fell.

Then Eric’s roar exploded across the capital.

"NOOOOOOO!"

The sound shook buildings and sent abyssal monsters collapsing in fear. Eric spun around violently, the momentum tearing apart the ground beneath him as he searched for Kael’s presence.

But Kael was already gone.

Space rippled again.

In less than a blink, Kael vanished from behind Eric and reappeared dozens of meters away.

Right in front of Eroju and Azeth.

Both Demi-Gods froze in shock.

They had been watching Eric attack, believing Kael cornered, yet now the crimson-glowing figure stood before them like death itself.

Kael slowly lifted his head.

His eyes burned with madness and cold amusement.

The crimson aura behind him expanded like wings made of killing intent. The air trembled while reality itself felt unstable around his presence.

Azeth instinctively stepped back.

Eroju’s tentacles twitched uneasily.

Behind them, Eric finally realized what had happened and snapped his head toward Kael, fury twisting his face.

But he was already late.