Across the whole Living Verse, these entities have made their appearances in almost every single mythology.
The entities that will bring the end.
The End Trio.
They are referred to by many names, but End Trio is the name that expresses their path better than anything else.
Their origin is still a mystery.
They were never born.
They were created.
However, their creator remains unknown.
They are the most powerful entities known to exist right now.
Something far beyond even omnipotent beings.
According to a stone tablet on Earth that specifically speaks of three dark entities, they exist outside the Living Verse because their mere presence can erase the entire Living Verse.
What Surya was witnessing was only a projection of their will within his subconscious.
And what they had given him was a choice.
Even if he refused, the End Trio would simply make someone else their prey.
Their initial goal is to eliminate Shadow Lord.
Something they consider a potential threat to their goal.
What is their goal?
That remains a mystery.
However, it is nothing pleasant.
That much is certain.
Being at the top of the hierarchy, they remain completely unchallenged.
Back to present ~
Surya's soul was floating within his subconscious space.
He knew what he needed to do.
But before he could speak, he was suddenly thrown somewhere.
Where?
He opened his eyes.
And saw his past.
Him playing with Nini when they were children.
All those memories were being shown to him for one reason.
To make sure he accepted the trial.
It was something the End Trio exploited before turning someone into their pawn.
Before Surya could react, child Nini was holding his hand.
[Nini]: You are leaving me?
The child asked with innocent, tearful eyes.
[Nini]: You are breaking your promise?
Hundreds.
Thousands.
And even more versions of Nini appeared around him.
They all began repeating the same words.
YOU ARE LEAVING ME?
YOU ARE BREAKING YOUR PROMISE?
Surya clenched his teeth.
A tear rolled down his eye.
The memories disappeared.
What remained was Surya's soul...
And the presence of the End Trio behind him.
It wasn't even a projection in the conventional sense.
Just three bright figures that were barely recognisable.
Everything seemed insignificant before them.
Surya turned back towards them.
[End Trio]: Accept or reject?
They asked.
Surya's answer had been heavily affected by those memories.
But now...
He knew the answer very well.
[Surya]: I reject!
He screamed.
[End Trio]: Very well.
In a flash, everything disappeared.
No.
Surya was still there.
Until someone riding a buffalo appeared.
Wait...
That buffalo looked as powerful as Haidoro.
Surya started sweating bullets.
The man riding the buffalo wore a cloak that covered his face.
[Guiding Angel]: Time to depart.
Surya nodded.
He knew who the man was.
The one who guides souls towards their final destination.
Heaven or hell.
A rope wrapped around Surya, and he was taken away by the guiding angel.
Back to the real world,
Surya's body lay lifeless.
Nini had fallen unconscious herself.
Grimori stared in disbelief.
Mala's eyes widened.
She couldn't believe what had happened.
It was hard to even perceive everything.
Everything had happened so suddenly.
Just a few moments ago, they were a team fighting together.
Three powerful members of the team.
And now...
One of them...
Had been eliminated?
Haidoro stood afar with his arms folded.
He finally broke the silence.
[Haidoro]: This is what you get for undervaluing life. Fighting someone far above your league will only bring you despair.
He paused.
[Haidoro]: Life isn't some fairytale that guarantees a merry ending. The weaker ones should either remain in the shadow of the strongest or accept their fate and become slaves to it. Only the powerful have the right to fight against fate.
He said while walking towards Grimori and Mala.
Pratik was still on his knees as tears fell from his eyes.
He knew this would happen.
The White Cloak's warning...
Pratik had realised it would be Surya who would lose his life.
He had realised it just a few hours ago.
No.
That wasn't exactly realisation.
It was simply Pratik's senses screaming at him.
Pratik had told Surya everything about the trial.
The entities would try to exploit his emotions and everything connected to them.
However, what he didn't tell Surya was that he should refuse them.
Pratik couldn't tell him that.
Because even he wanted Surya to come back.
How could he ask one of his allies to give up his life?
That was something unacceptable to him.
So Pratik left the choice to Surya.
Surya had initially been conflicted himself.
But when he encountered those memories, he realised what his true goal was.
To safeguard Nini.
If he lost his will, he could end up hurting Nini himself.
Moreover, Nini had grown powerful herself.
She wouldn't need him to protect her once she reached the Greto Empire.
With that realisation...
Surya rejected the trial.
The battle had now taken a completely different turn.
The PALGMK team had lost one of its strongest allies...
And a friend.
A violent Aura was running through the battlefield.
It was Haidoro.
He had recovered almost all of his power.
[Haidoro]: I must appreciate your efforts. I enjoyed a real fight after a long time. I will make this a fast end for you.
He said as he transformed back into his Dragon Beast Form.
The Red Dragoling was ready to end the battle for good.
Mala and Grimori watched his hollow eyes.
They weren't looking at the monster anymore.
They were looking at what they had lost.
Their friend.
And for what came next...
Utter despair.
Pratik stood up.
He was tired of everything.
Now, everything felt vague.
The battlefield.
The screams.
The destruction.
Even his own thoughts.
He would end this.
For sure.
He started walking towards the giant Dragon.
Mala tried stopping him, but Grimori stopped her.
Strong winds began blowing around him.
The planet had already lost its balance due to all the battles that had taken place upon it.
However...
The planet had yet to witness the greatest battle it had ever seen.
Dragon Beast Haidoro stared down at Pratik as he approached.
He could only give a smirk.
[Pratik]: Trigger 4..., PLASMA.
To be continued...