I will not die !!

As soon as Julian entered the portal, he was engulfed in darkness. His vision cleared to reveal a long, dimly lit hallway with torches lining the walls. He glanced behind to see Letoile looking around, indicating they hadn't been shuffled again. He wasn't too worried about Finral, confident in his ability to escape danger with his spatial magic.

As they moved forward, the torches ignited one by one with an eerie blue light. The place felt ominous, and Julian's apprehension grew as they passed various animal and human skulls, broken armor, and weapons. He felt constantly watched but sensed no trace of any living being.

The walls were adorned with partially destroyed drawings, some depicting winged figures in combat—one pure black and the other pure white. Another showed people bowing to a floating figure holding the heads of the combatants near his legs. Julian found these inscriptions fascinating, stirring his interest in the world's history. Unfortunately, he couldn't memorize them all for later study.

Letoile stepped onto a block on the floor that exploded, but Julian's shield activated almost instantly, saving her. As they continued, they faced numerous traps: arrows, explosives, poison-speared pits, and illusions. Letoile struggled, especially when they encountered a mental trap that made her throw up. After regaining her composure and drinking an elixir, they pressed on.

Eventually, the path opened into a large, dark chamber. The previous exit closed behind them. Julian noticed two other groups already present. He focused on the left and saw Finral and David, seemingly unscathed.

"Finral!" Julian called out.

"Julian, you're safe! I was so scared; I thought I would die," Finral replied with tears in his eyes.

David explained, "We had to survive an hour of arrow onslaught. Finral saved us by creating a portal around us to let the arrows pass through."

Julian nodded, understanding that spatial magic could serve as the ultimate defense. "What about the second trial?" he asked.

"What second trial? Wasn't this the second trial?" Finral responded, confused.

Julian realized they hadn't gone through the same hallway. Their journey must have been different, perhaps based on their performance in the first trial.

He turned his attention to the other group of three, who bore tattered clothes and injuries. "Tsk, the savages are alive. I thought the share would be less," one of them sneered, irritating Julian.

The torches around a structure in the center of the chamber ignited, revealing a pyramid-like structure topped with a floating black orb and covered in gold and gems. Statues of animals made from various gemstones surrounded the pyramid. The area remained dimly lit except for the structure.

Julian's body reacted to the orb, his mana core urging him to grab it. He fought the impulse, sensing a trap. He warned the others to wait, suspecting the floor guardian hadn't appeared yet.

However, the Purple Orca members, driven by greed, rushed towards the pyramid. "There's something wrong with this area. Don't rush ahead; the floor guardian hasn't appeared yet. That may be a trap!" Julian warned loudly.

Ignoring him, they started grabbing the treasures. "See, you Black Bulls are just scared cats. And Golden Dawn are nothing without your captains. Taking words from a Black Bull? Shame on you," one taunted, moments before being squashed by something.

"Move back!" Julian shouted, but the second Purple Orca member was too petrified to react before being halved. The last member, a spatial mage, barely avoided death by teleporting to a corner.

As blood reached the pyramid, all lights illuminated the area, revealing bones and disfigured bodies. The creature that killed the Purple Orca members emerged from behind the pyramid—a giant wingless dragon, one of the extinct species at the top of the food chain, Zinogre.

The Zinogre stood ten times Julian's size, with hard scales, two horns on its head, fur around its body, large fangs, and a spiky mace at the end of its tail. Its body crackled with purple lightning. It opened its mouth, releasing a powerful mana pressure that halted everyone's movement.

The sheer force induced primal fear, causing Letoile, David, and the remaining Purple Orca member to faint. Finral and Julian fell to their knees, with Finral struggling to breathe. The dragon's intent was clear—it wanted to kill them all.

For the first time in this new life, Julian saw death flash before his eyes. A sense of powerlessness and frustration filled him. He refused to die weak, not after getting a second chance at life. He fought against the pressure, determined to move, to attack, to survive.

That is when Julian heard a voice inside him.

Although it was my first time hearing it, it felt familiar to me as if he was always with me.

Just for a second, Julain found myself face to face with the Dark phoenix with its path black body developed in black flames. 

"Use my power....

You know how to use it...you have always known how to use it..... it's our power after all" the phoenix smiled for a second before disappearing. 

Julain felt he had found the final piece to unlock his mana pressure. 

A dark red mana pressure spread out around Julain forming a figure of a dark phoenix behind him releasing a cry .

This gave Finral chance to breathe but his eyes widened looking at Julian

Julian looked at the monster in front of him as he prepared for the hardest battle of his life so far.