Chapter 21: The Battle Beyond the Golden Heavens Part 2: The Golden Heaven Bloodline The sky became silent. Not because the battle had ended. But because every existence present understood. The true battle had only begun. Above the Celestial Golden Sky Citadel, the Garuda Ancestor stood with his ancient wings fully opened. The countless golden symbols carved into his feathers shone brightly. Each symbol carried the memories of battles from ancient eras. The younger Garuda warriors looked at their ancestor with admiration. For them... This was the image of the supreme guardian of their race. The being who had protected the Garuda clan through countless disasters. The three ancient elders lowered their heads. They knew what this meant. The ancestor had awakened the power that had remained sealed for countless years. The Golden Heaven Bloodline. A power that only the oldest members of the Garuda lineage could awaken. The first elder spoke quietly. "The ancestor has finally returned to his original state." The second elder stared at Adrian. "Can he withstand that?" The third elder remained silent. Because he did not know. For the first time in thousands of years... The outcome of a battle involving their ancestor was uncertain. On the Originless Heaven Ark... The Naga warriors watched the battlefield. The pressure released by the Garuda Ancestor was suffocating. Some of the younger Naga warriors struggled to remain conscious. But Adrian stood calmly. The golden storm around him could not force him to retreat. The Garuda Ancestor looked at Adrian. "Why do you continue fighting?" His voice carried across the heavens. "You are not a Naga." "You are not part of this ancient conflict." "You could leave." "You could ignore everything." Adrian remained silent for a moment. Then he looked toward the Naga behind him. The injured warriors. The elders who had survived countless years. The young Naga who had only known fear toward the sky. Then Adrian looked back at the Garuda Ancestor. "Because someone has to end it." The ancestor's eyes narrowed. "End it?" "Do you believe defeating the Garuda clan will erase thousands of years of hatred?" "No." Adrian answered calmly. "Power alone cannot erase hatred." "But someone must be strong enough to stop it from continuing." The battlefield became silent. The Garuda Ancestor looked at Adrian for a long moment. Then... The golden flames around his body exploded. "Then prove it." "Prove that your strength is enough to carry that responsibility." The ancestor moved. The heavens trembled. His wings created a golden storm that covered the entire battlefield. "Golden Heaven Wings." Thousands of golden feathers separated from his wings. But unlike the previous attacks... These feathers were different. They were not weapons. They were fragments of his bloodline power. Each feather contained the weight of an ancient mountain. The feathers descended. The space around Adrian became heavy. Movement became difficult. The Originless Heaven Ark's formations activated immediately. Countless defensive barriers appeared. But the moment the golden feathers touched the barriers— Crack. Crack. Crack. The barriers began breaking. The Naga elders' expressions changed. "This power..." "It is completely different from the elders." Adrian looked at the incoming attack. Then he stepped forward. The Void Sovereign Skyblade disappeared from his hand. For a moment... Everyone froze. Had he abandoned his sword? No. The next moment— The sword appeared behind Adrian. Then beside him. Then above him. Then around the entire battlefield. Not illusions. Not clones. Every sword image carried Adrian's sword intent. "Originless Thousand Reflection." The silver swords moved. Golden feathers collided with silver blades. The sky became a battlefield of endless light. Boom! Boom! Boom! The collision continued. The Garuda Ancestor watched carefully. Each attack from him was being redirected. Not destroyed. Redirected. Adrian was not trying to overpower his technique. He was changing the flow of the battle itself. The ancestor's eyes became sharper. "Interesting." "You are not trying to break my power." "You are changing its direction." Adrian appeared above the battlefield. The Void Sovereign Skyblade returned to his hand. "The strongest force is not always the one that destroys." "The strongest force is the one that controls the outcome." The ancestor smiled. "Your understanding is unusual." "But..." His golden wings moved. The entire sky changed. The remaining feathers gathered together. They transformed into a massive golden blade. The Garuda Ancestor grabbed it. A weapon created from his own bloodline. "Ancient Garuda Imperial Weapon." "Sky Emperor Feather Blade." The pressure instantly increased. Even the three elders stepped backward. The ancestor swung. A golden slash crossed the heavens. The slash was so powerful that the clouds beneath the Citadel were separated. Adrian raised the Void Sovereign Skyblade. Silver energy gathered. "Originless Sword Path." The two swords collided. BOOM! The entire Celestial Golden Sky Citadel shook violently. Ancient formations shattered. Several golden towers collapsed. The battlefield was completely transformed. The Naga watched silently. The Garuda watched silently. Everyone understood. This was no longer a battle between races. It was a clash between two supreme wills. One protected an ancient inheritance. One created a path that had never existed before. Inside the clash of golden and silver light... Adrian's eyes remained calm. The battle was pushing him. The Garuda Ancestor was forcing him beyond his current limits. And for Adrian... That was exactly what he needed. Because every true battle created a new possibility. A new understanding. A new step forward. The Void Sovereign Skyblade trembled. The Originless Core inside Adrian responded. A new technique was beginning to form. The battle above the heavens continued.