Chapter 20: The Celestial Golden Sky Citadel Part 5: The Awakening of the Ancient Ancestor The entire Celestial Golden Sky Citadel trembled. The clash between Adrian and the three ancient Garuda elders had already shaken the heavens. Golden energy and silver sword light continued spreading across the battlefield. The younger Garuda warriors remained silent. None of them dared to move. The three elders who had protected their clan for countless generations had joined forces. Yet even after their combined attack... Adrian was still standing. The Originless Heaven Ark continued moving forward through the storm of energy. The sight created a strange silence. For the Garuda warriors, this was impossible. Their ancestors had told them countless stories. Stories about the strength of their elders. Stories about the invincible Celestial Golden Sky Citadel. Stories about enemies who could never reach their homeland. But today... A single human had broken through everything. The first elder looked at Adrian with a complicated expression. He was not angry. He was not afraid. He was simply unable to understand. "Human..." "Who exactly are you?" Adrian stood on the deck of the Originless Heaven Ark. The wind created by the clash moved his clothes slightly. His expression remained calm. "Someone walking his own path." The first elder's eyes narrowed. "A path..." He repeated those words quietly. For thousands of years, the Garuda clan had followed the path created by their ancestors. Their bloodline. Their techniques. Their traditions. Everything had been inherited. But the person before them... He did not follow an existing path. He created one. The second elder looked toward the center of the Citadel. His expression suddenly changed. "The seal..." The third elder also turned. The atmosphere instantly became heavier. Deep inside the Celestial Golden Sky Citadel... An ancient formation that had remained silent for countless years began to activate. The golden towers surrounding the fortress started glowing. Ancient symbols appeared across the entire floating city. The clouds above the Citadel were pushed away. The sky itself seemed to be making space for something. The Naga elders felt their bodies become heavy. "What is happening?" The Naga King stared at the fortress. The ancient energy coming from inside was completely different from the three elders. The elders were powerful. But this presence... This was something that had existed before their generation. Before the current Garuda clan. Before the current era. Adrian looked toward the depths of the Citadel. His eyes became slightly serious. A powerful existence was awakening. Not because of anger. Not because of hatred. But because the fortress had reached the point where it needed its final guardian. The ground inside the Citadel cracked. A massive golden pillar of light rose into the sky. The entire floating city shook. Then... A pair of ancient golden eyes slowly opened. The moment those eyes appeared... Every Garuda warrior lowered their heads. Their bodies instinctively reacted. Their bloodline trembled. The three ancient elders immediately bowed. "Ancestor." Their voices echoed through the battlefield. The ancient presence slowly emerged from the center of the Citadel. A massive figure appeared above the fortress. Unlike the younger Garuda warriors... Unlike even the three elders... This existence carried the feeling of an ancient era. Its golden feathers were not simply bright. They contained the power of time itself. Each feather looked like it had witnessed countless battles. The Garuda Ancestor looked down. His gaze passed through the battlefield. Through the damaged formations. Through the three elders. Finally... It stopped on Adrian. For several seconds... Nobody spoke. The ancestor observed Adrian silently. Then he spoke. "You carry an unfamiliar power." His voice was not loud. But the entire sky heard it. "You are not a member of the ancient cultivation civilizations." "You do not possess the inheritance of any supreme race." "Yet you stand before my clan's homeland." Adrian looked at the ancient existence. "Your clan attacked the Naga for generations." The Garuda Ancestor remained silent. Adrian continued. "The conflict between your races has continued for too long." "The weak suffered." "The innocent paid the price." The ancestor's golden eyes became slightly colder. "Human." "You speak as if ending this conflict is simple." Adrian looked at him calmly. "No." "It is not simple." "That is why someone has to do it." The battlefield became silent. The Garuda warriors looked at Adrian. Even the three elders remained quiet. The ancestor stared at him. Then... A powerful pressure descended. BOOM! The clouds beneath the Citadel exploded. The Originless Heaven Ark shook. The defensive formations around Adrian activated instantly. The Naga warriors struggled to remain standing. This pressure alone was enough to suppress countless powerful beings. But Adrian remained unmoved. The Void Sovereign Skyblade floated beside him. The sword released a quiet silver glow. The Garuda Ancestor looked at the blade. For the first time... A trace of surprise appeared in his eyes. "That sword..." "It does not belong to this era." Adrian placed his hand on the sword. "It was created for my path." The ancestor watched silently. Then he raised one hand. The entire sky changed. The golden energy of the Celestial Golden Sky Citadel gathered toward him. The fortress itself was lending its power to its ancestor. The three elders immediately retreated. They understood. The battle had entered a completely different level. The ancestor was no longer testing Adrian. He was preparing to fight. "Human." "Show me." "Show me whether your path is truly worthy of standing above the heavens." Adrian slowly raised the Void Sovereign Skyblade. The silver sword light illuminated the golden sky. The Originless Heaven Ark released countless formations. The Naga elders watched silently. The Garuda warriors held their breath. Two completely different existences stood above the clouds. One represented an ancient civilization that had survived countless eras. The other represented a path that had never existed before. The ancestor moved. The sky shattered. A golden claw descended from above. Adrian disappeared. BOOM! The entire Celestial Golden Sky Citadel shook. The final battle had begun.