Chapter 286 - : 286 lord of Thunder.[2]

Vern Kael raised the sword in his hand.

The moment the blade lifted, the space in front of him began to distort. It did not crack loudly or shatter like glass.

Instead, it folded inward, slowly collapsing into itself as if something unseen was pulling it from the inside.

A dark tear opened in the air.

Without hesitation, Vern Kael stepped forward.

His figure slipped into the broken space, vanishing completely as if he had never been there to begin with.

For a brief moment, the sky stood empty.

Then…

He appeared right in front of Indra.

There was no delay between his disappearance and his arrival.

One instant he was gone, and the next he stood within arm's reach of the god, his sword already in motion.

Indra's eyes flashed.

Before Vern Kael's blade could fall, thunder struck.

A violent bolt of lightning crashed down exactly where Vern Kael had appeared, the sound tearing through the sky like a roar.

The impact spread outward, pushing the air aside and shaking the clouds above.

"Do not think you can defeat me!"

Indra's voice thundered across the mountain, loud and filled with fury.

The storm around him responded instantly.

All the lightning that filled the sky began to coil toward him, moving like living creatures.

Bolts twisted and turned, wrapping around his body, circling his arms, gathering into a violent mass of power that refused to stay still.

The air trembled under the pressure.

Indra raised his hand.

The lightning followed.

It twisted together above his palm, forming a spinning vortex made entirely of thunder.

The light from it burned bright, casting sharp flashes across his face and the sky around him.

The vortex grew larger, louder, more unstable with each passing second.

Then…

"Boom!"

The entire mass of lightning crashed down.

It struck Vern Kael directly.

The force of the impact sent him flying through the air.

His body was thrown back at high speed, cutting through the wind as the storm chased him.

His robes tore apart under the pressure, the fabric ripping as lightning continued to strike around him.

"If it wasn't for the condition, I would have killed you long ago!"

Indra roared again.

His anger did not fade. If anything, it grew stronger.

The storm around him responded in kind. The clouds darkened further, and the lightning grew sharper, more violent, as if they shared his rage.

Without pausing, Indra threw his weapon.

The moment it left his hand, it disappeared.

There was no travel, no path through the air.

It simply vanished….

And appeared right in front of Vern Kael.

Vern's eyes sharpened.

He raised his sword instantly.

The two weapons collided.

A harsh, sickening sound echoed through the sky as metal struck against metal. The impact sent a violent shock through Vern Kael's body.

His arms trembled slightly from the force, and blood rose in his throat.

He coughed.

A small spray of blood escaped his lips, carried away by the wind.

Still, he did not lose control.

His body steadied in the air.

His feet found balance even without ground beneath them, as if the sky itself was enough to support him.

Then he moved.

He rushed forward.

"It's as you say…"

His voice came out strained, the pressure of the clash still weighing on him. Yet beneath that strain, there was something else.

Defiance.

A sharp edge that refused to bend.

He swung his sword down.

The space in front of him tore apart once again.

The slash did not only cut through the air, it split the very fabric of space itself, opening a path that did not belong to the natural world.

"You are stronger than any being…"

His figure stepped into the tear.

In the next instant, he appeared beside Indra's head.

There was no warning.

No build-up.

Just sudden presence.

At the tip of his sword, a purple vortex began to form. It spun slowly at first, then faster, drawing in the air around it.

The light it gave off was dim, yet heavy, as if it carried something deeper than simple energy.

He moved the blade toward Indra.

But just as the strike was about to land…

Indra moved.

His weapon swung.

This time, there was no clash between blades.

The weapon struck directly.

It hit Vern Kael's head.

"Bam!"

The sound was heavy and dull.

Vern Kael's head shattered instantly.

It burst apart into a spray of blood and fragments, the force of the blow leaving nothing intact.

His body remained floating in the air for a brief moment, unmoving, headless.

The storm quieted slightly.

Indra withdrew his weapon in a single smooth motion.

He looked at the body.

His gaze was cold, steady, without any trace of doubt.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then…..

The broken flesh began to move.

Slowly, the pieces pulled back together. Blood reversed its path, fragments reformed, and within moments, the shape of a head began to take form once again.

Skin returned.

Bone reconnected.

Eyes opened.

Vern Kael's head restored itself completely, as if it had never been destroyed.

"It's no use."

Indra spoke calmly this time.

His anger settled into something quieter.

He turned away and flew down toward the mountain. His feet touched the ground with ease, his presence still carrying the weight of the storm above.

With a simple snap of his fingers, a gourd appeared in his hand.

He lifted it and took a drink, his eyes still fixed on Vern Kael, who was now descending slowly from the sky.

"I can't kill you… and you can't kill me."

His voice remained steady.

He threw the gourd toward Vern Kael.

The object spun through the air before being caught easily.

Vern Kael looked at it for a brief moment.

Then he smiled.

He lifted it and took a mouthful.

The liquid burned slightly as it went down, but his expression did not change. He lowered the gourd and tossed it back.

"Well… it's been this way since long ago," he said with a small chuckle.

The sound was light, almost casual, as if they were not standing in the aftermath of a violent clash.

He lowered his sword.

The weapon disappeared from his hand, fading away like it had never existed.

"Anyways…" he continued, his tone relaxed, "what do you think?"

He looked toward Indra.

"Would he be able to succeed this time?"

Indra sat down on the ground.

He took another drink before letting out a deep chuckle.

"It's hard to say," he replied.

His voice had calmed, but something beneath it remained firm.

"But as you know… this is the best chance so far."

He lowered the gourd slightly.

"And we can only hope… that he grows strong enough to end you."

His words were simple.

But the intent behind them was not.

His gaze remained steady on Vern Kael.

In his mind, thoughts moved quietly.

'Vern Kael…'

This human had mastered everything.

Across the three realms, the human realm, the celestial realm, and the demon realm, there was no one who could stand above him.

No one except…

Himself.

Indra held the boon of being undefeated.

Because of that, neither of them could truly end the other.

Vern Kael could not defeat him.

And he could not kill Vern Kael.

Not a being who had stepped beyond the strings of fate.

Only someone else could do that.

Only….

"By the way…"

Vern Kael's voice cut through his thoughts.

Indra's eyes shifted slightly.

"Isn't the girl your daughter?"

The question hung in the air.

Indra did not answer immediately.

He remained silent, his gaze lowering just a little as something distant stirred within his mind.

'My daughter…'

The thought felt heavy.

'Though… it is her soul, to be precise…'

His mind drifted back.

Back to the first cycle.

Back to a time when everything was still whole.

The celestial realm had not been destroyed.

The demon realm still stood.

And she…

She had been his daughter.

He remembered her clearly.

The way she spoke, the way she smiled, the quiet strength she carried despite her gentle nature.

And then…

She fell in love.

With a human.

At the time, she did not know who that human truly was.

But Indra knew.

He had seen it.

He had understood it.

And because of that…He did not interfere. He let it happen. But it did not last. It ended too quickly.

And from that grief… she chose to follow him.

Cycle after cycle.

Her soul did not break apart. It did not fade. Instead, it remained.

It stayed bound to his fate.

And somehow…

It followed him through every single cycle that came after.

Even now. Even in this broken world.

She was still there. Still walking beside him.

Still tied to him in a way that could not be easily explained.

Indra's grip on the gourd tightened slightly.

The storm above had calmed, but a faint rumble still echoed in the distance.

"…Yes," he finally said quietly.

His voice was lower than before.

Carrying something heavier than anger.

"…She was."