While Leo's group finalized their pact, the other factions were embroiled in a far more sinister selection process.
For Steven Lockwood, it wasn't really a vote at all. He had been worried he was out of the running after the hard battles they faced, but when Athena said three people could compete, he felt hopeful again. He assumed that through sheer numbers, his followers would secure his place as the representative.
The betrayal was silent and absolute. As Rose called for the vote, Steven watched in horror as his entire squad turned toward her with glazed, vacant expressions. The voting was a landslide. Even Steven's own arm had risen in support of her, moved by a will that was not his own.
''I shall carry your hopes to the center,'' Rose remarked, her eyes twinkling with a cold, predatory amusement.
Steven realized too late that he had walked into a cage. Rose wasn't a strategist like Elias or a powerhouse like Leo; she was a Ring Master, and they were merely the animals in her show.
With the finalists confirmed—Hye-na, Rose, and Elias Crowe—the atmosphere shifted.
Athena Evergreen ascended, her presence expanding until it seemed to touch the corners of the sky. ''The path is set. I shall await the one worthy of my heart at the island's core. Speak now if you have lingering questions.''
''What happened to the others who entered with us?'' Elias asked, his voice echoing in the clearing.
''They were merely insignificant now,'' the Empress replied dismissively. ''Once you entered your trials, the rest were returned to the cathedral. They are no longer part of this story.''
She clapped her hands, and the world dissolved into a blur of green and gold. When the light faded, Leo's team stood in a dense thicket of the ancient forest, the air thick with primordial aether.
Leo adjusted to his new D-rank senses, feeling the heartbeat of the woods around him. He ignored the notifications still pinging in his mind and focused on the shimmering island hanging in the glittering sky above.
''Does anyone have levitation-type skills?'' he asked, his voice calm as he began to calculate their vertical path.
Noel shook his head, looking up at the towering trees that seemed to scrape the bottom of the floating island. ''I can jump pretty high, but I am not a bird."
Ben and his team looked equally stumped. As E-rankers, their skill sets were mostly focused on basic combat and utility. Flight or levitation were high-level abilities usually reserved for specialized mages or those who had reached the C-rank and above.
"I have a burst skill, but a 500-meter ascent is mathematically impossible with our current output,'' Hye-na noted, her gaze fixed on the shimmering island above.
'The Empress gave us autonomy. The method is irrelevant as long as the goal is met,' Leo mused. A reckless plan began to take shape. He observed Elias's faction constructing a glacial staircase of light, a slow but inevitable progression. Rose's team had vanished into the foliage.
''Follow me,'' Leo commanded, pivoting back toward the river.
''Why are we retreating?'' Hye-na demanded, her tactical mind reeling at the apparent lack of logic.
Leo offered no explanation, sprinting into the shadows of the canopy with the team in tow. With his D-rank perception fully flared, he scanned the aetheric signatures of the forest, hunting for a specific mountain of flesh.
The Empress, perched on the island's precipice, tracked his movement. 'What is he hunting?' she wondered. Then, her eyes widened as the truth dawned on her. 'He isn't that bold... is he?'
Luna's anxiety spiked as they plunged into the primordial depths of the woods. Suddenly, the atmosphere vibrated with a rhythmic, thunderous sound—the kind of breathing that didn't just move air, but displaced trees. As they broke through the final thicket, the source was revealed. Luna felt the blood drain from her face.
'Unbelievable,' she thought, glancing at Leo's grinning profile.
''Found you,'' Leo whispered.
Resting against a mountain-sized slope was the 200-meter colossus they had encountered upon arrival. Her axe, a monolithic slab of metal, stood beside her like a fortress. Even Hye-na's icy composure cracked at the sight.
Leo approached the sleeping titan, suppressing his instinct to flee. ''Pardon the intrusion. May I have a moment of your time?'' he asked, his voice steady.
The giantess didn't acknowledge the speck at her feet. Leo's smile sharpened as he unleashed a [Berserker Roar], the sonic shockwave finally piercing her slumber. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, opening a single, house-sized eye.
''What do you want, shorty?'' her voice rumbled, the sheer volume threatening to burst their eardrums.
Leo didn't flinch. ''Help my companion reach the island. Name your price, and we will settle the debt.''
The giantess snorted, a gust of wind that nearly knocked the E-rankers off their feet. ''You possess nothing of value to me, little thing. Begone.''
''We should leave. This is a dead end,'' Hye-na said, already turning away.
But Leo remained rooted to the spot. His voice dropped into a dangerous, silken register. ''What if we offered you a duel? Surely a minute of entertainment is worth more to you than this nap.''
The giant's eye snapped open again, this time looking directly at Leo. A low, thunderous chuckle started in her chest, making the ground shake.
''A duel?'' the giant repeated, her voice full of amusement. ''You are a D-rank sprout who just stopped being a seed. You think you can entertain me?''
Leo didn't back down. He stood his ground even as the aetheric pressure from the giant threatened to crush the E-rankers behind him. ''I don't need to beat you. I just need to make you move. If I can force you to stand up, you help us. If I fail, you can do whatever you want with us.''
Noel whispered to Luna, ''Is he crazy? She could flatten us just by rolling over in her sleep.''
Luna bit her lip. 'He's gambling again. But he's D-rank now... maybe he has a trick.'
The giant sat up slowly, the movement creating a literal windstorm in the clearing. She looked at Leo like he was an interesting bug. ''Fine, shorty. I'm bored anyway. You have one minute. If I move from this spot, I'll throw your friend to the island myself.''
Leo's dark smile returned. He didn't look at his team. He just looked at the giant's massive axe.
''Everyone, retreat!'' Leo's voice cut through the heavy atmosphere, a sharp command that brooked no argument.
As Noel, Luna, and Ben's team withdrew into the safety of the deep timber, Hye-na remained rooted to the spot. Her silver eyes were fixed on the reclining colossus. ''I am not hiding while you do the heavy lifting,'' she stated firmly. ''This is my trial. I will stand by your side.''
Leo offered a brief, sharp nod. He knew the risks better than anyone, but he also knew that Hye-na wasn't the type to seek shelter while her allies bled. If she chose to face the mountain, he would let her.
"If we can draw even a single drop of blood, I think I can make her move,'' Leo whispered, his fingers closing around the hilt of his chipped, battle-worn dagger. The dark metal thrummed with the residue of his recent breakthrough.
Hye-na glanced at the damaged blade in his hand. It looked pitifully small against the backdrop of the giantess's skyscraper-sized axe.
'I have no idea what madness you've calculated this time, Crimson,' Hye-na thought, her senses heightening as the giantess began to sit up further, her movement sounding like a tectonic plate shifting. 'But if this gamble fails, we won't just lose the trial. We'll be crushed into the soil.'
The giantess leaned her head on one hand, her grin widening until it was a cavernous display of white teeth. ''You've managed to catch my interest, little lord. Come then. Show me if that broken piece of iron can even find my skin.''