Chapter 21: The Battle Beyond the Golden Heavens Part 1: The Ancient Ancestor's Wrath The sky shattered. The moment the Garuda Ancestor moved, the entire Celestial Golden Sky Citadel entered chaos. Golden energy erupted from the ancient fortress. The clouds surrounding the floating city were completely dispersed. The countless formations protecting the Citadel trembled as if they were unable to withstand the pressure released by their own ancestor. The younger Garuda warriors stared upward. They had never witnessed such power before. Even the three ancient elders, who had stood at the peak of the Garuda clan for countless years, had never seen the ancestor fight with his full strength. This was not simply a battle. This was the awakening of an existence from an ancient era. At the center of the battlefield... Adrian stood above the Originless Heaven Ark. The golden storm surrounded him from every direction. Yet his expression remained calm. The Void Sovereign Skyblade floated beside him. The silver light surrounding the sword became sharper. The Garuda Ancestor looked at Adrian from above. "Human." "Your courage is impressive." "But courage alone cannot overcome the difference between eras." The ancestor raised his claw. The golden energy around him condensed. A massive image of a Garuda appeared behind his body. Its wings covered the entire sky. The pressure descended. "Ancient Garuda Divine Technique." "Heaven Devouring Golden Wing." The giant golden wings moved. The sky disappeared. For a moment... The entire world became golden. The attack did not simply crush the enemy. It sealed every possible direction of escape. The Naga warriors watching from the Originless Heaven Ark felt their hearts tighten. Even the three ancient elders looked serious. The ancestor's technique was not something they could compare with. But Adrian remained still. His eyes observed the incoming attack. Not the power. Not the size. The structure. The movement. The weakness. Then... Adrian lifted the Void Sovereign Skyblade. "Originless Sword Art." The sword moved. A single slash. "Void Severing Blade." A silver line appeared across the golden sky. The two forces collided. BOOM! The heavens exploded. The shockwave spread across thousands of kilometers. The outer formations of the Celestial Golden Sky Citadel cracked. Countless Garuda warriors were pushed backward. The Originless Heaven Ark also moved several hundred meters. But Adrian remained standing. The Garuda Ancestor's eyes narrowed. The golden wing behind him slowly disappeared. "Interesting." "Your sword can cut through my technique." "But..." The ancestor disappeared. The next instant— Adrian's expression changed slightly. A golden claw appeared directly before him. Fast. Extremely fast. Even faster than the previous attack. Adrian moved the Void Sovereign Skyblade. CLANG! The sword and claw collided. The force pushed both sides backward. The Garuda Ancestor moved again. One strike. Two strikes. Ten strikes. Hundreds of strikes. His attacks became a golden storm. Unlike the younger Garuda warriors... The ancestor did not rely on overwhelming numbers. Every movement was perfect. Every attack contained thousands of years of battle experience. Adrian stepped across the battlefield. The sword followed his movement. Silver light and golden light continued colliding. The sky became filled with afterimages. The Garuda warriors could no longer follow their movements. The second elder watched silently. "He is matching the ancestor's speed..." The third elder clenched his fist. "No..." "He is adapting." The three elders understood something terrifying. Adrian was not only fighting. He was learning. Every exchange. Every clash. Every technique. His understanding continued growing. The Garuda Ancestor noticed it as well. "You are different." His voice echoed through the battlefield. "Most beings seek power." "They chase inheritance." "They steal the knowledge of those before them." "But you..." "You create." Adrian did not answer. The sword in his hand changed. The previous techniques were no longer enough. The enemy before him was different. The Garuda Ancestor was not an opponent that could be defeated by repeating existing moves. A new technique began forming. Movement. Sword. Space. Timing. Everything connected. Adrian disappeared. The Garuda Ancestor's eyes moved. Too late. A silver flash appeared beside him. "Originless Mirage Step." A sword strike descended. The ancestor blocked. BOOM! The golden feathers around his body exploded. He was pushed backward for the first time. Silence filled the battlefield. The Garuda warriors froze. Their ancestor... Had been forced back. The Garuda Ancestor looked at the mark left on his golden armor. Then he smiled. Not with anger. With excitement. "Good." "Very good." "It has been countless years since someone forced this body to feel pain." The golden flames surrounding him grew stronger. The entire Celestial Golden Sky Citadel responded. The ancient formations beneath the fortress awakened one after another. The three elders immediately realized what was happening. "Ancestor..." "The Golden Heaven Bloodline..." The first elder's expression changed. "He is releasing his true power." The atmosphere became heavy. The Garuda Ancestor spread his wings. This time... The wings were different. They were not simply golden. They contained countless ancient symbols. Each symbol represented a battle. Each symbol represented an era. The ancestor's voice echoed across the heavens. "Human." "You have proven your strength." "Now..." "Show me whether your path can survive against the power that protected the Garuda clan for millions of years." Adrian looked at the ancient wings. The Void Sovereign Skyblade released a deeper vibration. The Originless Heaven Ark activated its hidden formations. The battle had only reached the next stage. Above the clouds. Between the ocean and the heavens. Two different paths were about to collide again.