The Trial of the Great Demon!

Puff!

Carmen staggered out from the stone wall, a mouthful of blood staining his lips as he gasped for air. His eyes locked onto James and the monstrous flesh-winged monkey that loomed beside him. Fury burned in his chest, his teeth clenched tight as flames erupted beneath his feet. Without hesitation, he turned and raced along the stone wall towards the exit.

A wave of frustration crashed over him as he ran. *What was I thinking?* he scolded himself. *James isn't on my level. The flesh-winged monkey was too much for me to handle, yet he... he killed it in a single strike.* If James could take down that terrifying beast so easily, how could he possibly be expected to share the rewards with Carmen? Why had he even stayed? *To die for nothing?*

He shook his head in disbelief, his feet pounding the stone floor as he fled.

...

From inside the grand hall, the flesh-winged monkey made no move to chase after Carmen. It didn't even spare James a glance. Instead, its form shimmered, the space around it distorting until it vanished completely.

James remained, his breathing heavy as he scanned the hall cautiously. Suddenly, a faint voice echoed in his mind, subtle yet unnerving, as if it were his own thoughts.

"How could someone so weak kill Futianmo? Or... was it an undead? No matter. It's all the same."

Startled, James's mind raced as he spun around, his eyes darting across the room in search of the source.

"Relax, little one," the voice came again, this time more clear. "I am speaking directly into your mind."

James froze, his muscles tensing as he realized there was no escaping this presence. The voice continued, calm and almost condescending.

"You've come this far, passed the first trial. So, why stop now? Continue... break through."

As the last word echoed in his mind, the massive demon stone statue in the center of the hall trembled violently. The already heavy atmosphere thickened, and an overwhelming aura filled the space, pressing down on James with crushing force. His knees buckled under the weight, his body sinking involuntarily, just like Carmen had experienced earlier.

But unlike Carmen's slow and gradual depletion, the vitality within James began to drain at an alarming rate; 200 units per second, vanishing as if consumed by the very air around him.

*Roar!*

The sudden pressure shattered the mask on James's face, splitting it into two pieces that clattered to the ground. His robes, once pristine, tore apart, revealing his true form; a body made of straw. His eyes flared a deep red, glowing with an intense, unearthly light. With a guttural roar, he threw his head back, his legs trembling under the strain but refusing to give in. Straws from his legs snapped, and the stone beneath his feet cracked under the pressure, yet he remained standing.

"Heh..." The voice in his mind chuckled with a dark amusement, and the pressure doubled. But James, despite the agony, kept his legs straight, refusing to kneel.

"Bones or no bones..." he gasped, his voice a growl of defiance. "You want me... to kneel? Not a chance!" His scarlet eyes blazed with fury as they fixed on the towering stone golem.

Memories flashed in his mind, times when others had tried to force him to his knees. Even when they shot him in the legs, thinking they could break him, he had refused to bow. Today would be no different.

Another ferocious roar escaped his throat as he reached into his storage bag. His hand moved swiftly, transforming the blood crystals inside into vitality, desperately feeding it into his body to replace what was being drained at such a terrifying speed. He had no idea what would happen if his vitality ran dry, especially with his body made of straw, but he wasn't willing to find out.

Time blurred as he fought against the crushing force. How long he endured, he couldn't say. But eventually, the suffocating aura dissipated as suddenly as it had come. Exhausted, James collapsed to the ground, his body limp.

His legs, once strong and unyielding, were now a mess of broken straw, yet even in this state, they remained straight, unyielding.

A warning flared in his mind, mechanical and cold:

*Warning: Body damage exceeds 90%. Consciousness shutdown imminent. Please repair the body immediately.*

The voice returned, its tone almost approving.

"Good. You've passed the second level."

As the words faded, the giant stone golem in the center of the hall pulsed with light, casting a brilliant glow that enveloped James's unconscious form, cradling him in its warmth.

As the overwhelming pressure dissipated, James's body, which had been tensed to its limit, suddenly relaxed. The tension melted away so quickly that he couldn't help but collapse into unconsciousness.

When he finally stirred, his senses came back slowly, and he realized something was different. The hard stone floor of the hall was gone, replaced by something soft and cool beneath him.

"Where… am I?" James blinked, his eyes struggling to adjust to the blinding sunlight. His small, round eyes squinted as they fought to make out his surroundings. Slowly, his vision cleared, revealing a vast, vibrant green grassland stretching endlessly around him.

A gentle breeze swept across the field, brushing through the grass, and softly caressing his body. It was a peaceful, almost surreal scene, a stark contrast to the chaos he'd just endured.

He pushed himself up from the ground, still disoriented, gazing blankly at the seemingly endless sea of green before him. His hand instinctively moved to his body, searching for any sign of injury. To his amazement, every wound he'd sustained, every bruise and cut from resisting that immense pressure, was gone. Not only that, his once-torn cloak, shredded in battle, was now completely restored, as if it had never been damaged.

"I… I was hurt… Wasn't I? Am I dreaming? Or… am I dead?"

He muttered, his voice trembling with confusion.

"No, you are neither dead nor dreaming," a calm voice echoed from behind him, one that seemed strangely familiar. James recognized it immediately; it was the same voice that had spoken to him in his mind before. But now, there was something different in its tone, a softness, almost as if it were amused.

James spun around, startled, to see a towering figure standing a few paces behind him. The creature was humanoid in form but far from human in appearance. Enormous fleshy wings stretched out behind it, large horns curved from its head, and small, delicate tentacles swayed above its brow.

It was the great demon.

Without a word, the demon stepped forward, coming to stand beside James. Its presence was imposing, yet there was an undeniable calmness about it.

"This is my world," the demon said, its gaze drifting over the landscape before them. "I created it, and I brought you here." A faint smile tugged at its lips. "It may not be vast, but it's beautiful, don't you think?"

James, still stunned, found himself nodding. His eyes traced the rolling hills and distant mountains, the vibrant fields stretching as far as he could see. "Yes… It is beautiful," he said, his voice carrying genuine awe. He couldn't deny the splendor of this place, despite the circumstances.

The demon turned slightly, its eyes now focused on James. "Little one, I can tell the mental method you've been practicing is a common one, without any elemental attribute. Has the Undead Clan fallen so far?"

James blinked in surprise at the question. Shaking his head, he answered honestly, "I don't know much about the Undead Clan. Creatures like you, the strange beasts, magic, and mental methods, they've only been a part of our world for about fifty years. I've only recently transformed into what you call a dead creature. I don't even know what the current state of the Undead Clan is."

The demon nodded thoughtfully, understanding flashing in its eyes. "I see. But you're mistaken about one thing. We, too, are creatures of this world, though perhaps not in the way you would understand."

As it spoke, the demon lifted its hand, and within its palm, the shadows of planets began to appear, spinning slowly. With a casual flick of its sharp fingers, the planets shattered into pieces, only to reassemble moments later. The cycle repeated, destruction followed by rebirth.

"Everything in the universe," the demon continued, its voice quiet but filled with a deep, ancient wisdom, "from planets to stars, follows a cycle of destruction and creation. The alien species you spoke of; those strange creatures, they are simply survivors of the last cycle, evolved and adapted to the new order." The demon paused, letting its words sink in. "As for me… you could say I'm the same as them, a remnant of the past cycle."

The planets in the demon's hand dissolved into nothingness as it lowered its arm, a moment of silence settling between them.

James, finally grasping some of the meaning behind the demon's words, opened his mouth to ask a question, but before he could speak, the demon's voice cut through the air again, its tone shifting.

"Little one," it said with a curious glint in its eyes, "would you like to hear my story?"

The question hung in the air, filled with the weight of untold centuries, and James couldn't help but feel that whatever the demon had to say, it would change everything he thought he knew about the world.