Chapter 70: The Sun

It seemed like he was about to explain more, but we were interrupted.

"No, sto—ahhhh!"

"What are you doing? STAY AWAY!"

Another scream.

Then one final, "I won't say anything. Synthia, plea—"

I turned just in time to see the last girl fade from existence with hardly a yell to accompany her.

I didn't know what had happened on her side, but I could guess. Probably had something to do with not stopping me from killing her leader.

Not that she had the ability to.

From the return portal, only she and her companion remained from their original group.

I glanced up at the old man, but he seemed completely disinterested, not even sparing a glance.

"Let's go, Peter."

Callum's voice pulled me back.

My last look at Synthia showed her companion disappearing back to wherever he came from and her rushing forward towards our side.

Then I stepped through my own portal.

The environment was mostly the same as before, though many had chosen to progress. Callum and I, of course. The first girl who had turned on her companions in the first trial. And Synthia arriving last.

There were also two other complete groups standing off to the side, exchanging whispers I could barely make out.

Most of it was pretty normal. "Be careful." "Stay prepared."

Some of it bordered on arrogance, the same kind Dain had carried before his death.

Nothing of real value that I care to repeat.

Then, a cruel chuckle echoed from above.

"To have made it this far…" The ghostly eyes in the void pulsed with amusement. "You are far more useful than the worms that came before you."

The old man had once again adopted a new personality.

And a level of arrogance that suited the statue that had sent me here, even refusing to reveal his full form. Just a pair of ghostly, red, orbs to banter with us.

"This trial… you may notice something. Your spirits have been restored, along with your abilities."

I searched inward.

He was right.

My Grand Channel. My Beast Force. Even my Precursor Energy, all of it was back. Thankfully no cracks either.

But I only let out a true sigh of relief when I felt the gauntlets.

My effort hadn't been wasted.

The old man continued.

"This is a trial of battle. You may be better than worms, but only just. There will be four levels. If you finish one, you may proceed to the next… or you can join those who retreated before."

His gaze loomed over us with thinly veiled disappointment.

"You pass if you complete the third level."

"Begin."

The void shifted.

Darkness spun around me, twisting and unraveling like ink in water. My vision snapped, the weight of reality reasserting itself. I blinked, my feet now planted on solid, well, something. The space around me wasn't empty, but it wasn't whole either.

I was alone.

Then, the first shimmer.

A small rift tore open just ahead, spilling out flickering blue light. A single armored leg stepped through. Heavy, plated, glowing with an eerie luminescence.

Then another.

A figure emerged fully, its armor smooth and almost too perfect, like polished, glowing, blue-glass shaped in the outline of a warrior. A massive greatsword rested against its shoulder, jagged and pulsing like it had been forged from moonlight.

A person. Or at least something pretending to be one.

So, just like an arena battle then?

Five levels, right? Best to conserve my internal force for now.

Still, having access to my actual body or spirit, whatever this was, felt so much better than before. My energy flowed smoothly, circulating like it was supposed to.

Alright. First fight. Let's get to it.

I activated Swift Stride, the familiar surge of power kicking through my limbs. The moment the technique flared, I launched forward, crossing the space between us in a breath.

But to my surprise, the knight reacted.

It moved backward in one swift step simultaneously swinging that block of steel in a wide arc.

I dropped to my knees, cutting off my movement skill instantly. If I hadn't, I'd be two halves of a person right now.

The Air Lance gathering in my arm shot out, aimed straight for the knight's chest. But before it could connect, the knight immediately lifted its blade, catching my attack with a dull ring.

Either it could sense my energy… or it could see the power.

When the blade lifted, I noticed something.

Its free hand was raised behind it... pointed straight at me.

Oh. Yeah. Maybe he couldn't see my attack. Obviously a hand pointed at you in a world like this? That's never good.

I moved, rolling away swiftly.

An invisible blast tore through the space I had just been standing in, sending a shockwave rippling through the galactic water.

But it wasn't just a hit. The water splashed up, droplets suspended midair before being sucked back in the pool, like they were struggling to exist out of it.

I didn't have time to focus on that, though because he wasn't done.

The knight adjusted his aim, hand still raised, and fired again. This time in rapid bursts.

Less powerful than the first blast, but fast.

I pushed myself to my feet and took off running, moving in a circular path, trying to close the distance.

Of course, he noticed.

He immediately cut off the projectiles and lifted his chunk of metal with both hands again.

Then, he charged, meeting me head-on.

A powerful thrust of his blade tore through the space between us.

For something that large, you'd think it would be slower than a normal saber, not that I had an enormous amount of experience with that but trust me… It was fast enough to make me want to jump out of my skin.

The sword whistled past me, missing my torso by the width of a hair.

Yeah. No. That thing is way too dangerous.

The sword? Too deadly to mess with. The rapid-fire projectiles? Also a problem.

I had to get in closer no matter what, so I finalized my approach.

I had a single Blasting Wave ready.

The moment the phantom recovered its weapon, I jumped forward, landing square on its chest.

I thrust my palm forward aiming for the head but, of course, the knight resisted.

It grabbed for my hand, forcing me to release the blast early straight into its chest.

*Thud.*

The knight's body convulsed, spasming under the impact. It didn't dissipate, but it stopped moving for a moment.

Then… rustling.

Nope. Not dealing with that.

I did the most power-conserving thing I could think of.

I beat it into a pulpy, force-filled mess.

Fist after fist, sparks of energy burst from its form.

Its glow dimmed and faded bit by bit until I felt my fist sink a little deeper.

*Crack.*

The problem shattered and the first round cleared.

Eyes opened in the sky.

"Congratulations. You have proven yourself worthy to face the next challenge. Phase two will begin in one minute."

With a blink, they vanished, leaving me in silence.

I exhaled and sat down, focusing on recovering as much as I could. But I couldn't automatically convert the force here into my own anymore.

Great.

Guess that meant just breathing for now.

"Luna?"

A shift on my bracelet.

"...What?" Her voice was strained. "I'm almost there, but it's difficult. Is this an emergency?"

"Noooo, but I'd like you to test if you can control this version of my power as soon as possible."

"Later."

She didn't say anything after that.

I let out a breath. Ghosted by a weed. Fantastic.

Now that I'd caught my breath, I stood up, summoning two Air Lances in each hand, bracing myself for whatever came next.

One minute really isn't a long time.

Two figures emerged. I barely noticed until they took several steps from the portals behind them.

This time, they weren't heavily armored or wielding massive weapons.

The first, a lithe figure in robes, a disk in one hand, a staff in the other, and the second, a ghostly thin assassin, twin curved daggers gleaming under the void's blue-tinted light.

Just the thought of those blades rifling through my guts made my stomach twist.

I would become minced meat. Literal minced meat.

I inhaled, ready to charge, but I didn't have to as the assassin had decided to strike first.

I shifted my stance, adopting Commander Griffith's style. Wait for the right moment.

Last time, I was too obvious. The knight saw my attack coming and hid his counter behind his own blade. Nearly causing me some serious damage.

Can't make it so clear this time. I had to wait. Time it perfectly.

Just before he closed in, he threw a dagger at my foot, driving me away from any thoughts of strategy.

I stepped back on instinct just as the second dagger swung wide, aiming to split me open.

That was an oddly nostalgic feeling.

No ice mage shooting spears at me from behind this time at least. He was fast but I could keep up. Not easily, but I could plan now.

My eyes flicked toward the mage in the back.

The disk glowed, the staff raised, but… nothing yet. No immediate threat.

Maybe these ghosts had some sense of camaraderie? No friendly fire allowed, apparently. Though something was happening.

I should keep an eye out when possible.

Honestly, the fight felt easier than the last one.

For a smaller, supposedly faster enemy, he was calm.

Swing. Dodge. Stab.

Jab with an unarmed fist.

Front kick.

Swing.

Stab.

You get it.

Predictable. Slow.

The pattern formed in my mind.

He threw another weak jab after a failed swing... the perfect opening. I landed a heavy blow to his face, deciding to trade blows in order to deal some damage of my own.

The assassin recoiled, stumbling backward several steps.

I raised my hand, preparing to release an Air Lance.

Then a surge of heat slammed into me.

A thin wave of fire cut across my vision as I released the attack.

I had to move. Dove out of the way, twisting mid-air, arm still extended, locked into my attack.

It hit the rogue, but when I recovered, all I saw was a thin hole burned into his side.

And he looked unfazed.

He charged again, not giving me a second to glance at the mage.

But now I knew one thing: while the dagger-wielding ghost was near me, the mage wouldn't strike.

That was important.

Except something was different.

He was faster now.

Before, I could keep up, but now? My dodges barely missed.

The kicks and jabs that followed hit harder, each one snapping through the air with a force that made me reevaluate my durability.

Taking a hit to land one of my own hurt more than before.

But I could still keep going. I could still see the pattern forming.

It wouldn't matter how fast he was if I knew where he'd be.

Wait.

Longer.

Fists. Slashes. Kicks. Blades.

Non-fatal blows traded, neither side giving ground.

Now.

The slowest attack. A thrust toward my head.

I shifted to the side, my eyes locked on his front leg, waiting for the expected kick.

At the same time, I grabbed his bladed arm and pulled.

My free palm shot up under his chin, ready to end this with a final Air La—

"AGH!"

A deep gash split across my wrist.

No blood, just a splatter of purple energy, the pain searing through my body.

I kicked out, sending the assassin flying backward.

He landed and stood, now holding two daggers instead of the one.

Somehow, he had summoned the other into his hand, waiting until now to reveal the ability.

But that wasn't the worst part.

I could feel it now.

A heat, I previously thought was just from combat.

It was above me, radiating with power.

The mage had never been holding back for the sake of its ally.

It had been charging up its ability... a miniature sun.

Already large and still growing rapidly.