Chapter 22

A labyrinth formed when the fundamental laws of the universe shifted in a phenomenon. There are two types of labyrinths: man-made and naturally born.

The world everyone knows is merely one layer of reality.

There are beings who have transcended the limits of the world, cultivators of such immense power that they can rip holes in the fabric of space and weave new, smaller worlds from the threads of their own will and Qi.

A labyrinth is created for many reasons. Some serve as private sanctuaries, hidden from every mortal adversary to achieve ascension from the said world.

Some are vaults, designed to safeguard a creator's most priceless treasures. And some, like this one, are created as elaborate crucibles. They are trials, forged to test generations of cultivators, searching for a single, worthy successor to inherit a formidable legacy. This labyrinth seemed to be such a trial.

[Welcome to the Battle for the Legacy!]

[The Trial of Aethelian Commences]

[Your Goal: Reach the Heart of the Labyrinth, where the Legacy awaits.]

[Your Obstacles: The Echoes of Life. Beings of this realm are but memories given form. They do not fear death, for they have already tasted it. To vanquish them, you must obliterate the very memory of their existence.]

[Your Reward: Only one may claim the Inheritance. The unworthy will serve as fuel. The worthy will prove their resilience and claim a power that transcends mortality.]

[The Battle has begun. Persist, or be forgotten.]

[Total number of participants: 1002]

The regal purple screen faded, leaving Rhys alone. He was greeted by the sight of the Ashen Courtyard.

It was a world of grey. A perpetual twilight hung in the violet sky above, casting no shadows.

All around him stood a forest of colossal, petrified trees, their stone bark etched with strange, indecipherable glyphs.

The entire courtyard was a vast labyrinth of countless paths snaking through the stone forest.

"System, analyse the structure of this courtyard. Find the most efficient path."

[…]

"Don't tell me…"

[The foundational energy of this realm exceeds mortal parameters.]

Rhys frowned, a deep unease coiling in his gut. First the girl, now the Labyrinth itself.

Things beyond the mortal world were appearing one after another. Was it a coincidence? He doubted it.

He pushed the thought aside. He had to focus on what lay before him. Rhys took a cautious step forward, hand resting on the hilt of his dagger.

The ground was covered in fine, grey ash that puffed with every step, muffling all sound. It was unsettling.

He moved through the winding paths between the stone trees, his senses razor-sharp. The unmoving, petrified branches of these trees were eerie, the silence oppressive.

Suddenly, the ash beneath his foot gave way. With a startled yelp, Rhys plunged downward.

It wasn't a deep pit, only sinking him to his waist, but the shock was jarring. He scrambled out swiftly, his heart hammering.

"The ground," coughing out the ashes that had invaded his mouth, Rhys cursed, "is not solid."

That made his movements perilous. A wrong step, and he might plummet to his doom.

He inhaled deeply, his constitution surging as he steadied his breathing. Simultaneously, the weight he applied to the ground lessened considerably.

He pressed on, moving more cautiously, his eyes darting between the trees and the treacherous ground. He had been walking for ten minutes when his instincts roared. Danger.

It came from his left, a silent blur of lethal motion. Because he was too focused on his footing, he only sensed it when it was nearly upon him.

Rhys sidestepped, barely evading the incoming force.

His basic lifeskill "Basic Movement" kicked in, saving him from tumbling as the ground beneath his next step collapsed.

Rhys gasped, staring down at the abyssal chasm that had opened where he'd just stood. Then his gaze locked onto the monster that skidded past, a few meters away.

Massive claw prints scarred the ash where it had torn through.

"Grrrr…"

Rhys took stock of the beast. It resembled a panther, but sleeker, deadlier. Its fur was the color of a starless void, devouring the light.

Its yellow eyes blazed with malevolent cunning.

[Ancient Shadow Stalker detected. A primal ancestor of the modern Shadowcat.]

The stalker didn't hesitate—it lunged at him. A streak of silver, the moonlight glinting off its fur, was all he saw before he evaded.

This time, he slashed his dagger while dodging, carving a shallow gash across the beast's belly.

Not giving it a chance to recover, he pursued, spinning mid-air and hurling his dagger at the base of its skull.

That's where he struck Shadowcats for an instant kill. It seemed the Shadow Stalker shared the same weakness, as it let out a silent, agonised scream, its body convulsing before it collapsed lifeless onto the ash.

Rhys panted, staring down at the corpse with an exhilarated grin. The fight wasn't easy, but it wasn't insurmountable either.

The creature was faster than any beast he'd ever faced, its movements fluid and erratic.

But his constitution was superior, his senses sharper. Even if he couldn't predict its strikes, he was agile enough to overpower it.

This battle thrilled him. Facing such a foe, pushing his body to its limits, ignited a euphoric fire in his veins.

He knelt, eager to loot the carcass, to claim his first trophy in this deadly realm.

But as his fingers brushed its void-black fur, the body dissolved. It crumbled into shimmering particles of violet light, rising into the air.

"What the hell?" Rhys muttered, staring at the empty ground and the swirling dust.

Before he could process what had just happened, a claw smashed through the shimmering particles.

Searing agony erupted across his chest as a claw, sharper than razors, shredded his clothes and flesh, sending him hurtling backward.

He crashed hard, skidding through the ash. Clutching the deep, bleeding gashes on his chest, he looked up.

The same Shadow Stalker stood where he had knelt, its yellow eyes blazing with even greater fury. The dead monster had returned.

"Wait…"

He recalled the obstacles in this labyrinth.

"Echoes of Life."

Beings of this realm weren't real, but memories given form. He glared at the now-charging Shadow Stalker. They didn't fear death because they were already dead. His "Basic Stealth" flared with power as his form melted into the shadows.

With a surge forward, his body sliced through the ash with terrifying momentum, his fists slamming into the beast's jaw with a bone-shattering crunch that echoed through the silent courtyard.

To truly kill them, he had to erase the very memory of their existence.

"What's that?"

He couldn't fathom it. But…

"I'll slaughter it again and again until its memory is nothing but my victory."