ch 45,46,47

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Chapter 45 – Forced Alliance

The sky above the Trial Gate twisted, clouds swirling in unnatural patterns as the forest thickened, the air growing heavier with each passing step. Kael felt it—a weight in his chest, like something was coming, something more dangerous than the beasts they'd fought before.

"Everyone stay alert," Kael said, his voice low but steady.

Mira was already scanning the surroundings, eyes sharp. "Yeah. This place is starting to feel... off."

Yren clutched his staff, a flicker of unease in his eyes. "I agree. The mana flow here is unstable. Something big is nearby."

Kael nodded, his hands hovering instinctively over the small, blackened bones of his summon, Snap. The skeleton stood at attention, its eyes glowing faintly in the mist. Despite the creature's eerie silence, Kael had come to trust the summoning; it had proven invaluable so far.

Then, without warning, a growl echoed through the mist.

Louder than before.

Something massive was closing in.

"Get ready," Kael muttered, his voice barely audible.

But before they could react, the ground shook violently beneath them.

A roar split the air, and a creature the size of a house burst from the underbrush. Its body was covered in spiked, chitinous armor, glowing with an unnatural green light. The Thunderclaw—a creature known for its vicious speed and deadly talons. It charged, its enormous limbs propelling it forward like a living mountain.

"Scatter!" Mira yelled, darting to the side as the creature's claws swept through the air.

Kael didn't hesitate. He raised both hands, calling for his other summons.

"Bone Wall!"

A mass of skeletal bones rose from the ground, forming a protective barrier just as the Thunderclaw's claws came crashing down. The wall shuddered but held.

"Kael, Yren, go! I'll keep it distracted!" Mira shouted.

But just as they moved to flank the beast, a familiar voice rang out.

"Tch, not these guys again."

Raze's voice.

Kael whipped around, spotting Raze's team emerging from the mist, their weapons drawn. Their eyes were full of cautious curiosity, sizing up the situation.

"You," Kael growled, his grip tightening on his staff. "I thought you were gone."

Raze's smirk was gone now, replaced by something more serious. "I was just about to say the same thing. But that... thing... looks like it's a bigger problem than your team can handle."

The Thunderclaw roared again, its massive claws tearing through the Bone Wall with ease, and the fight continued, the ground shaking violently under the weight of its movements.

Mira cursed under her breath, still running circles around the creature, trying to find an opening. "We need to work together!"

Kael glanced at Raze's group. Despite their apparent reluctance, it was clear that they couldn't just let the beast rampage. Even Raze, usually too proud to cooperate, was watching the creature with something approaching apprehension.

"Fine," Kael said, stepping forward. "But this doesn't mean we're friends."

"I didn't come here to make friends," Raze muttered, unsheathing his sword. "Let's just take this thing down."

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2. Teamwork Through Necessity

The fight that followed was unlike anything Kael had experienced before. The Thunderclaw was relentless, each swipe of its claws sending shockwaves through the ground. Mira and Yren darted in and out, creating openings while Kael's summons acted as distractions.

Raze's group wasn't any better equipped—they lacked the cohesion of Kael's team, but they knew how to fight. The one with the longbow, a girl named Lyra, peppered the beast with arrows, each one landing with deadly accuracy but doing little more than grazing its armored hide.

"I can't break through its armor with just arrows!" Lyra shouted.

"We don't need to break it," Kael said, focused. "We need to weaken it."

He raised his hand, calling his summons into action.

"Snap, Bone Spear!"

The skeleton rushed forward, thrusting its spear into the Thunderclaw's underbelly, piercing through the exposed chinks in its armor. The creature howled in pain.

"Yren!" Kael shouted.

"I'm on it!" Yren's voice rang out, and a wall of mana surged around the group, encasing them in a protective barrier just as the beast tried to retaliate with a swipe of its claws.

Kael's mind raced, calculating the perfect moment.

Then it hit him.

"Bone Bind!"

The ground beneath the Thunderclaw cracked open, bones shooting up from the earth, binding its legs and halting its movement. With a roar, the creature struggled, thrashing violently—but it was held fast.

"Now, Mira!" Kael yelled.

Mira was already there, leaping onto the Thunderclaw's back. With a twist of her blade, she carved into its armored shell, aiming for the gaps where the scales met.

The beast shrieked, rearing back, but it was too late. It was trapped.

In the final moments, Raze moved in, his sword flashing with mana as he delivered the final blow.

"Crimson Slash!"

The blade sliced clean through the beast's neck, and with a massive, wet thud, the Thunderclaw collapsed, dead.

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3. The Aftermath

Kael stood over the fallen creature, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his face. His summons had already retreated to his side, watching the scene with hollow eyes.

"That was… actually not bad," Raze admitted, wiping sweat from his brow. "I didn't expect you to handle it so well."

Kael didn't respond right away. He was still processing the fight.

His team had worked together seamlessly, each of them contributing their skills. But Raze's group… had their strengths too. Kael had to admit that, despite his distaste for them.

"I think we make a good team," Mira said after a moment, leaning against her blade.

"Not friends," Raze said, shooting her a half-grin. "But yeah, we survived. For now."

Yren shook his head. "Next time, I'll pass on working with you."

Raze chuckled. "Fair enough."

As they caught their breath, Kael found his thoughts drifting again. There had to be more to this Trial than just fighting beasts. The gates, the strange world… the trial felt like it was testing something deeper than just physical strength.

Before he could voice his thoughts, a low hum vibrated through the air, a distant rumble.

Kael looked up, eyes widening.

"It's opening…"

The sky, now tinged with blood-red light, parted.

A portal was f

---

The gates of the crimson tower stood open like a beast baring its fangs.

The structure, rising high into the sky, was a mix of bone, metal, and glowing runes that shifted every few seconds. The closer Kael's group moved toward it, the heavier the air became. Mana pulsed like a heartbeat beneath their feet.

Kael glanced around. Other teams were approaching from different landmasses—some walking cautiously, others rushing ahead like it was a race.

"We're not the only ones here," Mira said quietly.

"No," Kael murmured, "but we will be the ones who make it through."

Beside him, Snap gave a low grunt. The skeletal beast had begun to glow faintly—absorbing the strange mana in the air. Even Kael's undead seemed to stand taller here, more solid. As if the very fabric of this world favored him.

Seventeen's voice rang out in his mind.

"Caution: You are entering a Trial Tower. Rules have shifted. Summons are bound to your core. If you fall, they will vanish. Resurrection is not possible within the Trial. No help will arrive."

Kael nodded. "Understood."

"Recommendation: Do not face this alone."

He looked at Mira, Yren, Raze, and the others. "We move together. No heroes. No rushing."

"For once, we agree," Raze said, tightening the straps of his blade.

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First Floor – Labyrinth of Stone and Light

The moment they crossed into the tower, the light dimmed.

The doors sealed behind them with a deep thud, leaving nothing but a narrow hallway ahead—walls lined with runes, floor marked with shifting patterns.

Yren stepped forward cautiously, hand glowing with detection magic. "Trap runes... lots of them."

"Disable?" Mira asked.

He shook his head. "Not possible. They're tied to the tower's mana flow. But we might be able to trick them."

Kael stepped closer, observing the glowing tiles. "Every third rune pulses... but that one doesn't."

He pointed to a faintly flickering sigil. "It's cracked."

"Could be the safe path," Mira said. "Or a decoy."

Kael summoned one of his skeletons and directed it forward.

The moment the skeleton stepped on the glowing rune, a spike of energy shot from the wall, piercing its ribcage. It collapsed, bones scattering.

"Trap confirmed," Kael muttered.

He sent another skeleton along a slightly different path—this time avoiding the cracked rune and stepping only on dim tiles.

No spike.

Kael smiled faintly. "Path confirmed."

"Looks like our little necromancer is pulling his weight," Raze said with a grin.

Mira rolled her eyes. "He always does."

---

They crossed the labyrinth slowly, one step at a time, bones triggering false paths while they followed the safe route Kael mapped out.

Every floor tile felt like a coin toss.

Every flicker of light brought tension.

And then—

They reached the next chamber.

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Second Floor – The Hall of Echoes

The room was massive.

A dome-shaped hall with dozens of mirrors on the walls. Each reflected the party—but not perfectly. The reflections twisted, exaggerated, and then...

...stepped out of the glass.

"Hostile mimics," Mira cursed, drawing her blade.

Their reflections had become them—clones made of shadow and glass.

Kael's clone moved first—its summons appearing as twisted, corrupted versions of his. Snap's double had red-glowing eyes and an extra arm made of bone shards.

"Seventeen?"

"Defeat your reflection. Only then will the mirror shatter."

Kael didn't hesitate.

He stepped forward and summoned his remaining two skeleton warriors, directing them to flank the corrupted Snap.

The clone smiled. Kael's own smile, turned cruel.

Their blades clashed.

The others were locked in similar battles. Mira danced with her shadow, a duel of speed and precision. Raze fought his with unrelenting aggression, fire clashing against fire.

Kael focused on his version.

Unlike beasts, this enemy thought like him. Predicted like him.

So he changed tactics.

He ordered his warriors to retreat—then summoned a fourth skeleton behind the clone.

The surprise worked.

The corrupted Snap turned, confused, and Kael charged in, thrusting a spear made of bone through its core.

The clone staggered—

—and shattered into a thousand shards.

The mirror behind it cracked.

One by one, the others followed.

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Third Floor – The Heart Chamber

The tower pulsed louder here.

A circular room, walls lined with beating crimson crystals. At the center stood a massive crystal heart, floating above a pedestal.

"The source of the tower's mana," Yren guessed. "But... look."

Inside the crystal, suspended in red fluid, was a single core—the size of a human heart, glowing with immense power.

Kael felt it call to him.

So did everyone else.

"Only one team leaves with the reward," Mira whispered. "That's what the voice said."

At that moment, a second group entered the chamber—two men and a woman, dressed in blue and black armor. One of them had a staff crackling with lightning.

"Seems we're not the only ones who made it," the man said. "Stand aside."

"Not happening," Raze growled.

The tension exploded.

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The Battle for the Core

Lightning flew.

Raze roared and met the enemy blade-for-blade.

Kael summoned Snap again, now armed with a glowing bone glaive purchased from the God Shop earlier. His undead surged forward, clashing with the enemy mage's summoned golems.

The chamber became chaos.

Mira and the female warrior danced around each other, blades clashing with incredible speed. Yren raised a protective dome, shielding Kael long enough for him to begin casting.

"Seventeen, options?"

"Core locked. Must defeat all threats before absorption."

Kael gritted his teeth.

He focused on his strongest undead—a skeletal knight with armor fused from earlier beast remains.

"Go."

It charged.

Snap lunged beside it, and together they overwhelmed the enemy's tank.

With a final strike, Kael stabbed his spear into the enemy mage's chest.

Silence.

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Claiming the Core

Kael stood before the floating crystal. The others were panting, bruised, but alive.

Seventeen spoke softly.

"Would you like to absorb the Core into your Domain?"

"Yes."

The crystal dissolved—its essence flowing into Kael's chest. He gasped as raw mana surged through him. A new pulse echoed in his Domain. A new field appeared.

"Domain upgraded. New structure unlocked: Beast Grave. Summon production enhanced."

He fell to one knee.

Mira rushed to his side. "Kael!"

"I'm fine... just... tired."

The tower rumbled.

"Trial Complete. Portal opening."

A rift shimmered in the chamber.

Kael stood. "Let's go home."

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