Chapter 21: The Battle Beyond the Golden Heavens Part 6: The Origin of the Garuda Bloodline The heavens remained silent. The appearance of the Primordial Garuda had changed everything. The battle between Adrian and the Garuda Ancestor had already reached a level that ordinary beings could not comprehend. But the existence before them... Was different. The Garuda Ancestor represented the strongest guardian of the current era. The three ancient elders represented countless generations of inheritance. But the Primordial Garuda... Was the beginning. The first existence from which the Garuda bloodline originated. Every Garuda warrior felt their blood tremble. They did not need to be told who this being was. Their instincts already knew. The moment the Primordial Garuda opened its wings, every Garuda in the Celestial Golden Sky Citadel felt an ancient connection awaken within them. The younger warriors lowered their heads. The elders remained silent. Even the Garuda Ancestor stepped backward. Not because of fear. But because of respect. The Primordial Garuda looked toward Adrian. Its golden eyes contained countless years of wisdom. "You are strange." The voice was calm. Yet every word carried the weight of ancient time. "You do not carry the bloodline of a supreme race." "You do not inherit the power of an ancient civilization." "You do not follow the path created by those before you." Adrian stood on the Originless Heaven Ark. The Void Sovereign Skyblade floated beside him. The silver glow of the sword reflected in his eyes. The Primordial Garuda continued. "Yet you have created something that even ancient beings struggle to understand." "The Originless Path." The battlefield became quiet. Even the Garuda Ancestor looked toward Adrian. The existence before them had immediately recognized the nature of his power. Adrian did not answer. Because there was nothing to explain. A path was not proven through words. It was proven through action. The Primordial Garuda slowly raised one wing. The movement was simple. But the entire sky changed. The golden clouds surrounding the Citadel disappeared. The endless space above the heavens became visible. Countless stars appeared. The Garuda warriors looked upward in shock. The Primordial Garuda had not attacked. It had merely changed the battlefield. "Since you seek freedom..." "Then you must understand something." "Freedom cannot exist without strength." The Primordial Garuda's wing moved. A single golden feather separated. Only one. But the moment it appeared... The entire battlefield became heavy. The three ancient elders immediately changed their expressions. That feather contained more power than thousands of ordinary Garuda attacks combined. The Garuda Ancestor spoke quietly. "The Primordial Feather..." A technique from the beginning of the Garuda bloodline. A power that existed before the current Garuda techniques. The golden feather moved. Slowly. Almost casually. But Adrian's eyes became serious. This attack was different. It did not contain killing intent. It did not contain destruction. It contained absolute control. The feather contained the origin of the Garuda race itself. Adrian raised the Void Sovereign Skyblade. The sword released a silver vibration. "Originless Empty Heaven." The same technique that had shattered the Garuda Ancestor's final slash appeared again. The silver sword light moved forward. The golden feather and silver sword light collided. Silence. No explosion. No shockwave. Only a strange stillness. Then... Crack. A small crack appeared on the golden feather. The Garuda warriors widened their eyes. But before they could react... The silver sword light also began disappearing. Both attacks vanished. The Primordial Garuda looked at Adrian. "Interesting." "You did not destroy it." "You removed the conflict between the two powers." Adrian lowered the sword. "The strongest clash is not always decided by greater force." The Primordial Garuda remained silent. Then... For the first time... A trace of approval appeared in its eyes. "Your understanding is different." The ancient existence spread its wings completely. The stars behind it disappeared. The sky returned. But now... The entire battlefield had changed. A golden domain appeared. Unlike the Garuda Ancestor's Golden Heaven Formation... This was something older. The domain of the first Garuda. "Primordial Sky Domain." The world transformed. Adrian found himself standing in an endless golden sky. No Citadel. No warriors. No Naga. Only endless heavens. The Originless Heaven Ark floated beside him. The Naga warriors disappeared from sight. The Garuda warriors disappeared. Only Adrian and the Primordial Garuda remained. A battle between two paths. The Primordial Garuda moved. It did not use a weapon. It did not need one. Its wings became blades. Its claws became swords. Its feathers became countless attacks. Every movement represented the origin of the Garuda race. Adrian stepped forward. The Void Sovereign Skyblade moved. The battle began. A golden wing descended. Adrian blocked. A golden claw followed. Adrian redirected. Thousands of feathers surrounded him. Adrian disappeared. "Originless Mirage Step." A silver flash crossed the golden sky. The Primordial Garuda turned. Its wing blocked the attack. BOOM! The collision shook the entire domain. Adrian moved again. Step. Slash. Turn. Counter. The battle became faster. Unlike the Garuda Ancestor... The Primordial Garuda did not rely on overwhelming power. It relied on perfection. Every movement was flawless. Every attack contained the understanding of the first generation. Adrian's eyes became sharper. This was not simply a battle. This was a lesson. The Primordial Garuda was showing him the peak of a completed path. And Adrian's Originless Path was responding. The sword began changing. A new technique was forming. Not from copying the Garuda. Not from stealing its power. But from understanding the principle behind it. Movement. Freedom. Sky. The ability to exist without restriction. The Void Sovereign Skyblade trembled. Adrian raised his sword. A new technique appeared. "Originless Skybreaker." A silver slash crossed the golden domain. For the first time... The Primordial Garuda moved backward. The ancient existence looked at the mark left in the sky. Then it smiled. "Good." "Very good." The golden domain began shaking. The battle between the origin of the Garuda bloodline... And the existence who created his own path... Had only just begun.