The very ground beneath Lunette's feet gave one final, violent shudder, a groan echoing through the colossal space.
Then, an absolute, suffocating silence descended. Everything turned silent, the cries, the clatter of weapons, even the frantic, ragged breaths of the desperate. All sound was devoured.
The temperature decreased heavily. It wasn't just cold; it was an unnatural and soul-draining chill.
Lunette gasped, her breath frosting in the air that now felt devoid of warmth. Her muscles tensed. She could feel the vast reserve of her Primal Energy fighting against the drain. It was a constant battle, even for her, to keep the cold from seeping into her very Essence.
She heard faint, desperate gasps. The thuds of bodies collapsing onto the frozen ground. One after another, the students collapsed. The chaotic battle had simply... ceased.
Or almost everyone.
Through the overwhelming and oppressive dark, Lunette could still sense her own Primal Energy, vast and steady.
Her token, hidden beneath her cloak, emitted a faint and comforting green glow, meaning she was still in the trial. She tightened her grip on her silver spear.
She wasn't alone.
A few meters away, the silhouette of Vesper stood. His form was barely visible in the dark. His token, too, pulsed with a strong, vibrant green.
And then, she sensed a few more, barely there. Faint, almost unstable flickers of green. They were barely there. They were conscious, but just barely. Their Primal Energy reserve was dangerously low.
These survived but they couldn't help in the battle anymore. They lay slumped. They would offer no help, nor pose any threat.
The suffocating darkness didn't last. Slowly, it began to coalesce. The very air around them seemed to thicken, forming an immense and indistinct mass that pulsed with an oppressive, ancient power. It radiated a chilling wave.
This wasn't a creature; it was the dimension itself, finally revealed in its true, terrifying form. It was a living void, consuming light, devouring sound.
Its immense form was slowly solidifying into something terrifying.
A colossal, shadowy figure began to grow before them, its immense presence radiating power. This was a force on par with the highest steps of the 4th Cycle.
It was an entity born directly from the very energy it had drained from the fallen students. The pressure it emitted was unbearable.
Lunette's gaze, now adjusted to the oppressive gloom, snapped to Vesper. He was already looking at her, his cosmic purple eyes gleaming with an unsettling brilliance in the near-total darkness.
"Impressive," Vesper's voice was low. He spoke as if they were alone in a quiet room, discussing a trivial matter. "Most don't last this long. Especially not... the commoners."
Lunette's jaw tightened at the subtle insult, but she remained silent, her eyes locked on him.
"You've clearly understood more than the others," he continued, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Understood what?" Lunette finally asked, her voice sharp. "That the Heart-Moss was a drain? I figured that out days ago."
"Indeed. But you've understood the extent of that drain," Vesper replied, his smile widening slightly. "The Heart-Moss wasn't meant to give power. It was meant to take it. It was a bridge. A carefully designed bridge for energy." He gestured with one hand towards the colossal entity now fully formed and looming before them.
"A bridge for what?" Lunette pressed, a growing dread tightening its grip on her. "What is this?"
"For this," Vesper stated. "Every ounce of Primal Energy those fools poured into it, every cluster they shattered, every desperate surge they unleashed... it wasn't for them. It was for this. To feed it. It's the final stage of the trial. You might not know it but even in the previous years, there were stages like this which is known only to high nobles. "
Lunette frowned. A final stage?...this entity?
"But why?" Lunette asked. "Why doing this?"
"I simply accelerated the process, it was going to happen anyway." Vesper replied, his gaze unwavering. "The rumors of the Nexus Point, the rumours of 'ultimate power' waiting at the center…I made those. It was the best way for me to win. As you can see, I do not possess that much of a power compared to others; thus, rather than fighting them head on, I decided to erase them." He paused. "My actions were calculated, miss. I ensured the drain was as complete and as swift as possible. I made sure to spread those rumours when the number of students are less than what I wanted; otherwise, they would fight with each other. The 'Nexus' was something to prevent that. But of course, there were some who didn't fall into my game and didn't come to the 'Nexus'. They had seen through my game, and they are the qualifiers. Most people here will lose."
Lunette's mind reeled, replaying the scenes from the battle.
"This," he said. "is the dimension's ultimate challenge. It only manifests when it has consumed enough Primal Energy. And only those who didn't use the clusters or have a big amount of Primal Energy can withstand it. Since I knew beforehand, I didn't use the clusters and you, miss,...have a big amount of Primal Energy."
The dark entity pulsed once more, its form solidifying further. Its immense presence filled the entire cavern with an unbearable weight.
The true final trial had begun.
"And what about us?" Lunette challenged him, her voice low against the crushing pressure of the entity. "The rules state the last one who remains, takes the first place. Is this creature going to fight us to determine the winners?"
Vesper nodded slightly. "Naturally. This is the ultimate crucible. It will drain and test until only the strongest remain. Its purpose is to eliminate all but the final, most worthy contenders."
Most worthy...
Lunette's grip on her silver spear tightened. She knew, deep down, that fighting this entity was suicidal alone. Its power was immense, far beyond anything she had encountered. Even her vast reserve felt like a small pool against an ocean.
I can't take it down by myself. Lunette frowned.
"So, what's the plan?" Lunette asked. "Do you intend to fight this thing alone? Or do you expect me to simply… collapse, like the others?"
Vesper's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. "Hardly. That would be a waste of your unique resilience. No, miss. We are the last two remaining with the capacity to challenge this. We must overcome it. Together. For now."
The massive entity surged, sending a wave of chilling Primal Energy washing over them. The few barely conscious survivors nearby let out faint, pained gasps. Lunette knew they wouldn't last much longer.
She gripped her spear. Her sharp eyes locked onto the shifting form of the shadowy beast.
This will not be easy...