The First Trial

After the group entered the grand hall, they were surrounded by majestic tall pillars adorned with beast statues, their surfaces illuminated by the eerie glow of ghostfire. The group pressed forward through the corridor, and after a short distance, they encountered a massive metal door. They halted before it. "Come in," the familiar voice echoed in their ears, and the door swung open automatically. Kaia and the others cautiously peered inside before stepping through. Once everyone was inside, the door slammed shut behind them. "Is this… a trap?" Emily asked. "I'm not sure. Everyone, stay alert," Kaia replied. Suddenly, a piercing roar echoed from the ceiling. The group looked up to see a monstrous creature with the body of a dragon and the head of an eagle swooping down, standing at least ten meters tall. At the same time, a massive magical circle appeared on the floor, and a five-headed giant serpent, over twenty meters long, slithered out. "Spread out! Keep your distance from the monsters and avoid getting hurt!" Kaia shouted to the group.The serpent abruptly spewed corrosive venom, striking a dozen warriors. "Argh!" Their screams filled the air as they melted away. "Damn it!" Kaia swung his sword at the serpent, but it retaliated with a continuous stream of venom, forcing him to dodge left and right, unable to get close. The others joined the fray, with the four hundred or so fighters splitting into two groups to face the two beasts. The eagle-dragon unleashed flames from its mouth, scorching those too slow to dodge. "We need to defeat these monsters quickly, or the casualties will mount," Judo said. "Yeah," Kaia replied, beginning to channel energy for his Holy Light Slash. But the eagle-dragon attacked him again, forcing him to focus on evasion rather than charging his attack. "I'll cover you!" Judo shouted, launching a lightning-based magic attack at the eagle-dragon. The creature, unscathed, lunged at Judo. Meanwhile, the warriors managed to keep the serpent occupied, giving Kaia a brief moment to catch his breath. Emily cast a mist spell to obscure the monsters' vision.Kaia, now fully charged, debated which monster to target first. He decided on the slower-moving serpent. With a swing of his holy sword, he unleashed a sharp blade of light, severing three of the serpent's heads in an instant. But the creature quickly regrew them, seemingly unaffected. The serpent retaliated with a toxic mist, and more warriors collapsed, overwhelmed. "Damn it, what do I do?" Kaia muttered in frustration. "Leave the snake to me. I have a move to counter it. You handle the other one," Judo said to Kaia. "Alright, it's yours," Kaia replied, and the two switched opponents. Judo unleashed a high-tier spell, Ten Thousand Thunderbolts, sending countless high-voltage lightning strikes at the serpent. It let out a pained scream before collapsing. The warriors seized the moment, rushing in to hack the creature to death. Emily then used high-tier fire magic to reduce its body to ashes.Now only the eagle-dragon remained. Kaia leapt into the air, using a new technique, Twin Divine Slash, to sever its wings. As it plummeted, he followed up with a Holy Light Slash, cleaving it in two and ending its life. The battle was finally won. Exhausted, the group collapsed to the ground. Emily took a headcount: over fifty dead, more than thirty injured. Their numbers had dwindled significantly. Tired and uncertain of what lay ahead, the remaining three hundred or so fighters rested briefly before continuing down the newly opened corridor.