You never change

Kyle raised his hand, and the silver spear zoomed out from the pit in the ground he had created and landed in his palm.

He turned back and looked at the screaming man with bat-like wings, whose hand he had just broken after the latter had tried to plunge his blade into the stomach of the red-haired man. His eyes gleamed with a menacing glint, radiating a sense of ominous intent as he maneuvered with an agility that even a transcendent rank individual couldn't hope to match.

The tip of the silver spear in his hand gleamed dangerously with a golden hue as he executed a rapid series of thrusts and spins in just a split second.

Each movement was swift and precise, aimed directly at his opponents' vital points as he effortlessly weaved through the people with bat-like wings encircling Jian, leaving behind a trail of blood and agonizing cries in his wake.

The sudden, piercing screams startled everyone fighting around the area. The cries also drew the attention of the supreme rank demons battling high above in the sky with opponents of similar ranks. However, the supreme rank demons were hindered by their opponents and could only watch with dilated eyes as a lone human decimated numerous dark race individuals solely with sheer strength and a single spear.

Jiam's eyes turned dazed as he tried to locate Kyle's figure, but he could only see a faint afterimage because before his eyes could even catch on, the man had already moved to another place. He sucked in a deep breath when he realized that Kyle wasn't using instant teleportation.

The silver-haired man's agility alone was enough to give the impression that he was teleporting from one place to another. Jian cursed under his breath as he witnessed the grim fate of the dark race individuals who were desperately trying to track down Kyle when the man wasn't even utilizing instant teleportation.

"Dang, what the heck. I knew the gap between us would be huge when we met again, but I never knew it would be... this wide. What on earth did he consume to gain such speed when he's obviously a divine rank like me? No, his divine energy is clearly weaker than mine! So how?"

His words barely faded when a familiar figure clad in a blue shirt paused in front of him. Kyle's clothes were spotless, not a drop of blood in sight, but his silver spear was drenched in crimson as he let it go and it started floating behind his body. Jian blinked as Kyle extended a hand towards him. His eyes widened when he realized he forgot to get up from the ground because he was so engrossed in watching Kyle! He muttered a curse under his breath and grabbed Kyle's hand, noting that it was extremely cold, just like ice. The man pushed him up, and Jian stood up.

Jian let out a sigh as he ran his hand through his shoulder-length red hair. The strands were messy, scattered all around his shoulders due to the ordeal he had just been through. He shook his head and looked at Kyle with a grin.

"Bro, how about a hug? It's been a while. I have to admit, as always, you showed up, and the enemies were taken care of without even getting the chance to fight back."

He laughed and lunged at Kyle for a hug because unlike Xavier and the other two humans who were still struggling, all the enemies surrounding him from every direction were killed.

Kyle eyed his figure covered in dust from head to toe and sidestepped to the right to evade the outstretched hands. But it looked like the red-haired man saw that coming as he switched directions halfway and pulled Kyle into a hug with a smirk before giving him two pats on the back.

"You never change..."

Jina stepped back and a hint of amusement flashed through his eyes when he saw Kyle's surprised expression, as if the man hadn't anticipated it.

"What? It's typical for you to dodge me. So, this time I was prepared! Besides, I already knew that you would move to the right to avoid getting blood on your shoes, haha."

Kyle furrowed his brows and brushed his shirt to clear the dust that clung to his clothes after Jian hugged him.

He glanced at the gray-haired human battling in the distance and, upon sensing Xavier's rank, he knew that man was the strongest among the group. A low voice came out from his mouth as he asked the red-haired man next to him.

"That is?"

Jian followed his gaze.

"Oh, it's Xavier. I made some friends after separating from you and everyone else."

Kyle nodded and recalled the name inscribed on the golden gate. Yue had told him many names, and only one of his friends name was missing in the engraved names. To confirm his suspicions, he patted the red-haired man on the back. "Indeed, it's been a while... Jian?"

Jian didn't notice the strangeness in his eyes, unlike Bia, who had her solemn eyes fixed on Kyle's face and let out a chuckle.

"Of course, it's been so many years!"

Kyle nodded and retracted his hand. It seems like all his friends were currently in this land. What a coincidence...

A faint smile appeared on his lips but quickly disappeared as he grabbed the spear floating behind him.

"Jian."

He called out seriously, causing the red-haired man to look at him.

"What?"

"It's time to cleanse this place of the individuals emitting the scent of the repulsive dark energy. Can you fight?"

Jian rolled his eyes.

"Of course, I can! Just because I have depleted my divine energy doesn't mean I'm useless! Wait, now that I remember, you mentioned Yue-!"

His words got interrupted as a blade lying on the ground flew towards Kyle's hand before the man handed it to him.

"Good. Now, less talking and more fighting. They must pay for touching my bonded beast. We can always chat later."