Chapter 7. The Awakening.

When Ignis was unconscious, he saw a figure—a devil embraced by blue and crimson flames. The figure didn't say anything to him but simply touched the center of his chest. Suddenly, Ignis opened his eyes and regained consciousness.

He felt something off with his body. When he tried to summon his Hellfire of the Abyss, he realized that his sword was now also engulfed in blue and crimson flames. Confused but determined, he swiftly utilized this new power and launched an attack on the Apex, who was about to slay his teammates. The attack stopped the Apex in his tracks.

The commander beast's attention turned to Ignis. Seizing the opportunity, Indraksha slashed and destroyed two of the beast's eyes.

The Apex, now enraged, charged at Ignis. However, Ignis enhanced his speed using the blue flames and swiftly maneuvered behind the Apex, delivering a devastating slash across its back. The Apex, unable to match Ignis's newfound speed, attempted to punch him, but Ignis used his Hellfire to sever the Apex's right arm.

In retaliation, the commander beast captured Lilithra and began tightening his grip around her. The commander, now left with only one hand, opened his mouth and started inhaling the gases around him. Team 252 and the alliance were confused until light began emanating from the commander's mouth.

Realizing the danger, Kharos quickly severed the commander's remaining hand, freed Lilithra, and retreated. A powerful beam of light burst from the commander's mouth, destroying everything in its path.

After losing his right arm, the Apex went berserk. His severed arm regenerated, and he summoned his Aqua Scythe, which was accompanied by the manifestation of a massive, water-formed figure resembling Leviathan. The Apex roared, "ULTIMATE LEVIATHAN!" and charged toward Ignis with the massive figure behind him.

As the Apex attacked, the figure Ignis had seen in his unconscious state suddenly materialized behind him, surrounded by the same blue and crimson flames. Ignis charged forward, roaring, "THE AFTERWORLD HELLFIRE!" When the Apex's scythe and Ignis's flames collided, a massive explosion occurred, reducing everything to ash. When the explosion subsided, the commander beast and the Apex were nothing more than bones and fur.

In the heat of battle, Ignis had unknowingly created a new ultimate move—the Afterworld Hellfire.

An announcement followed:

"To all participants still alive in the Celestial Cage, the leader of the celestial beasts, the Apex, has been slain by participant Ignis. I will now teleport all remaining participants back, but before that, I would like to announce the current leaderboard:

Ignis, with 1,236 killing points, achieved by slaying 12 elite beasts (earning 36 points), playing a major role in defeating the commander beast (25 points), and single-handedly defeating the Apex (1,175 points).

Indraksha, who played a significant role in defeating the commander beast and slayed an elite celestial beast.

The remaining members of Team 252, who also contributed to defeating the commander beast.

All top 3 participants are declared to have successfully passed all the trials. That is the privilege of being in the top 3. Therefore, all top 3 participants can now officially join the army."

After the announcement, everyone was teleported back to the Inferno's Crucible. To their surprise, every devil who had died in the trial was now alive and well. The Scorched Arbiter addressed the crowd:

"I know you're all confused about why those who died are alive. The truth is, no devil can truly die in the Celestial Cage. We simulated death to test your will. In real war, many of you will face true death, and to prepare for it, you must develop ironclad willpower."

He then turned to Ignis. "Ignis, come to the stage."

Ignis stepped forward, and the Scorched Arbiter asked him to place his palm on a machine that resembled a coffee brewer. The moment Ignis touched it, his strength and mana surged to new heights. "What's happening to me?" Ignis asked. "Why do I feel this much power that doesn't even seem like mine?"

The Scorched Arbiter smiled. "You're mistaken—it is your power. The killing points you earned were converted into experience points. One killing point equals 100 experience points. You earned 1,236 killing points, giving you 123,600 experience points. This system exists only for trials to help newcomers prepare for real combat. On the battlefield, your power will grow through fighting and training like any other devil."

He then called the other participants with killing points to claim their experience. Once this was completed, the first trial officially ended.

Ignis was soon approached by his teammates, now his former teammates, as they had all joined the army and would soon be assigned to new teams.

Kharos spoke first: "You were amazing out there, Ignis. None of us expected you to take down that monster alone. But what happened to you? Before you passed out, you were struggling, but when you woke up, it was like the Apex was nothing more than a toy for you."

Ignis replied, "I don't know exactly. While I was unconscious, I saw a shadowy figure surrounded by blue and crimson flames. It touched my chest, and the next thing I knew, I was awake and using the legendary blue flames."

Before the conversation could continue, the Scorched Arbiter interrupted, "Oh, you're all still here? Why don't you head to the Nether Spire? If you're lucky, you might get assigned to the same team."

The Nether Spire, the army headquarters of the Infernal Legion, was their next destination. On their way, Lilithra asked, "Which division does everyone want to join?"

Kharos replied first, "I'd like to join the Eclipse Sentinels."

Indraksha followed, "I want to join the Ethereal Conflux."

Nyxara added, "I'd love to join the Necroguard Battalion."

Lilithra said, "Then I'd like to join the Velvet Temptresses."

Finally, Ignis answered, "I want to join the Hellflame Phalanx."

When they arrived at the Nether Spire, they approached the receptionist and presented their trial certificates. The receptionist asked each of them for their information:

Nyxara: "I'm 17, from the family of Hel, and I want to join the Necroguard Battalion."

Indraksha: "I'm 17, from the family of Asura, and I want to join the Ethereal Conflux."

Kharos: "I'm 17, from the family of Hades, and I want to join the Eclipse Sentinels."

Lilithra: "I'm 16, and I want to join the Velvet Temptresses."

Ignis: "I'm 17, and I don't know my family's name—they've always refused to tell me. I want to join the Hellflame Phalanx."

The receptionist assured them that their forms were submitted and instructed them to visit their respective division offices for selection. After two days, they returned to find they had all been selected. The receptionist informed them that they were assigned to the same team, mixed from different divisions for better survival rates.

Their team name: The Shadow Reapers.