The abandoned citadel stood silently
Time had long since forgotten it.
Its towering walls were cracked beyond repair, countless vines creeping through broken stone as though nature itself had slowly reclaimed the city. Every building carried scars of an ancient war, and an indescribable loneliness lingered in the air.
Jade remained outside the entrance.
Even after surviving the Trial, something about the place made him uneasy.
It didn't feel like an ordinary abandoned city.
It felt...
Alive.
No.
Not alive.
It felt as though the entire citadel had become someone's Soul Sea.
The strange sensation caused Jade to frown.
"I don't like this..."
Instead of entering recklessly, he turned his attention toward the little shadow standing beside him.
During the past two days, Jade had finally given the mischievous creature a name.
Ling.
He wasn't particularly talented when it came to naming things.
His full name was Jade Hai ling, so he simply borrowed the last part of it.
The shadow had seemed surprisingly happy with the name.
Ling proudly placed both tiny hands on its waist before giving Jade an exaggerated salute.
Jade chuckled.
"Go inside first."
"See if anything dangerous is waiting."
Ling nodded enthusiastically.
Its body flattened into the ground before silently slipping through the broken entrance like flowing ink.
The moment Ling crossed the threshold...
Jade's vision split into two.
His own eyes continued staring at the ruined gate.
At the same time...
A second vision appeared inside his mind.
Ling's vision.
The little shadow wandered through the darkness with childlike curiosity, occasionally poking broken furniture or climbing over collapsed walls.
Then something strange happened.
Jade suddenly realized...
He could see everything perfectly.
Despite the complete darkness filling the citadel, every object remained crystal clear.
There wasn't even the slightest blur.
His eyes widened.
"...Wait."
"I can see in darkness?"
He blinked several times.
The darkness no longer felt like darkness.
It simply became another environment.
The realization left him speechless.
The Beast God's lineage had already granted him extraordinary instincts.
His living shadow had given him shared vision.
Now...
It seemed both abilities had unknowingly merged together.
Although the split vision still caused him a slight headache, Jade couldn't deny how useful it had become.
Ling continued deeper into the ruins.
The atmosphere gradually became colder.
Broken weapons littered the stone floor.
Ancient banners hung in tatters from shattered pillars.
Then...
Ling suddenly stopped.
Even through their mental connection, Jade could feel the shadow's surprise.
Before it stood an enormous skeleton.
Nearly five meters tall.
Its bones were black rather than white.
Massive horns curved backward from its skull.
Its claws alone were longer than Jade's entire arm.
Whatever creature this had once been...
It had undoubtedly been terrifying.
Even after countless years, the skeleton still radiated an oppressive aura.
Ling cautiously walked around it.
The giant skeleton remained motionless.
Dead.
Truly dead.
Only then did Jade breathe a sigh of relief.
Yet something else immediately attracted Ling's attention.
Words.
Ancient symbols had been carved directly into one of the enormous bones.
The markings glowed faintly with a crimson light.
Jade narrowed his eyes.
"...Ancient language."
He couldn't understand a single symbol.
He sighed helplessly.
"If Aaron were here..."
"He'd probably read this immediately."
His brother's Reflection ability had always been ridiculously useful.
Unfortunately...
Jade was alone.
Curiosity eventually overcame caution.
Through Ling's eyes...
He focused on the strange inscription.
The instant he did—
His entire body froze.
The world disappeared.
Blood.
Everywhere.
An endless ocean of blood stretched across the heavens.
Mountains collapsed.
Stars fell.
The sky itself burned crimson.
Countless gigantic creatures fought one another amidst a battlefield that seemed large enough to contain entire worlds.
One figure stood above them all.
He was impossible to describe.
His body appeared wrapped in flowing blood.
His mere existence distorted reality.
Every step caused countless beings to perish.
Jade couldn't clearly see the man's face.
The vision remained blurry.
Almost as though someone deliberately prevented him from seeing it.
Yet despite that...
One name echoed throughout his soul.
"Blood King..."
The words escaped Jade's lips involuntarily.
The moment he spoke them—
The vision shattered.
Jade staggered backward outside the citadel.
Cold sweat covered his forehead.
His heart pounded violently inside his chest.
"What..."
"What was that?"
For one terrifying moment...
He had genuinely felt as though he were standing inside that ancient battlefield.
He had heard screams.
He had smelled blood.
He had even felt the overwhelming pressure released by the mysterious figure.
If the vision had lasted only one second longer...
Jade wasn't sure his mind could have endured it.
He immediately broke eye contact with the ancient inscription.
"No..."
"I'm definitely not reading that again."
At least...
Not until he became much stronger.
Taking a deep breath, Jade calmed himself before turning toward Ant Demon.
"Take me inside."
The towering woman silently knelt before him.
Jade climbed onto her shoulder.
Despite his damaged essence pathways and injured body, Ant Demon carried him as though he weighed nothing at all.
Together they slowly entered the abandoned citadel.
The deeper they traveled...
The more obvious it became that this city had once belonged to humans.
Collapsed houses.
Ancient furniture.
Training grounds.
Whatever disaster had destroyed this place...
It had happened suddenly.
Eventually...
They arrived at the deepest chamber.
There, resting beneath layers of dust and broken stone, stood an enormous transportation array.
Its surface was cracked.
Half the ancient runes had faded away.
Several pillars supporting it had collapsed.
Even so...
Faint blue light still pulsed beneath the damaged platform.
Jade's eyes lit up.
"It still works..."
Or at least...
He hoped it did.
Ant Demon gently lowered him beside the platform.
Jade dismissed her.
She dissolved into countless black ants before disappearing into his shadow.
Then he looked toward Ling.
The little shadow happily jumped onto his shoulder.
"No."
Jade smiled weakly.
"I need your help."
Ling immediately understood.
It wrapped itself around Jade's injured leg like a second skin.
Instantly, the pain lessened.
Although the shadow couldn't heal him...
It supported his weakened muscles enough for him to walk.
Jade slowly limped toward the center of the ancient transporter.
Each step sent pain shooting through his body.
His damaged essence pathways felt as though they were burning beneath his skin.
Still...
He continued walking.
Finally...
He reached the center.
The ancient runes beneath his feet suddenly flickered to life.
A low humming sound echoed throughout the chamber.
Blue light slowly surrounded his body.
Jade took one final glance at the forgotten citadel.
Something told him...
This wouldn't be the last time he visited this mysterious place.
Then—
The ancient transporter activated.
Brilliant light swallowed everything.
The ruined city disappeared.
The abandoned citadel faded into nothingness.
And Jade's consciousness slowly returned to the Human World.Jade slowly opened his eyes.
The soft humming of the sleeping pod gradually faded from his ears as reality returned.
A transparent glass cover slid upward with a quiet hiss.
Cool air greeted his face.
For a few moments, he simply lay there without moving.
His entire body still ached.
Although returning from the Spiritual Realm had eased part of his burden, the damage done to his essence pathways remained.
The strange burning sensation deep within his body refused to disappear.
Jade slowly climbed out of the sleeping pod.
Rows upon rows of identical pods stretched throughout the enormous hall. Some were occupied by sleeping Initiates, while others remained empty.
Medical staff walked calmly between them, checking equipment and recording information.
Everything looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Compared to the blood-soaked battlefields of the Spiritual Realm, this place almost felt unreal.
Jade quietly left the building.
Far above countless worlds...
On Planet Asterion...
Peace did not exist.
BOOM!
The heavens exploded.
A violent shockwave swept across the sky as countless streaks of black lightning collided with crimson flames erupting from a gigantic dimensional crack.
The sky itself had been torn apart.
The enormous portal hovered above the capital like a second moon.
Its edges twisted violently as countless horrifying creatures poured from the darkness beyond.
Some resembled gigantic insects covered in black armor.
Others possessed countless legs.
Some had no eyes.
Others possessed hundreds.
Their shrill cries echoed throughout the world.
They ignored the towering defensive walls surrounding the capital.
Instead, they devoured everything before them.
Buildings collapsed.
Roads shattered.
The ground became covered with black corpses.
Government forces rushed into battle.
Hundreds of Ascendants.
Dozens of Masters.
Every available elite warrior had been summoned.
Yet despite their numbers...
The monsters continued emerging.
Far above the battlefield floated two calm figures.
Unlike everyone else...
Neither seemed remotely worried.
One wore silver armor decorated with ancient runes.
A long spear rested comfortably upon his shoulder.
His expression remained completely relaxed.
Rylan.
Beside him floated a woman dressed in flowing white robes embroidered with golden lightning.
Her long silver hair danced wildly in the storm surrounding her.
Golden electricity constantly crackled around her fingertips.
Seraphine.
The couple silently observed the battlefield below.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Finally...
Rylan sighed.
"I was hoping Father's final trial would at least be peaceful."
Seraphine smiled faintly.
"When has anything involving your Father ever been peaceful?"
Another explosion erupted nearby.
Several enormous insect-like monsters burst through the clouds.
Without even looking at them...
Seraphine raised one finger.
A single bolt of golden lightning descended from the heavens.
BOOOOOOM!
The sky itself seemed to split apart.
The lightning struck the swarm.
Thousands of monsters vanished instantly.
Nothing remained.
Not even ashes.
The clouds themselves disappeared, leaving behind only clear blue sky.
Far below...
Government soldiers paused.
Many instinctively looked upward.
Every single time Seraphine attacked...
It resembled divine punishment.
That was why countless worlds knew her by one name.
The Thunder Slayer.
She rarely needed a second strike.
Meanwhile...
Rylan slowly rotated his spear.
The ground beneath the battlefield suddenly trembled violently.
Mountains of monster corpses scattered throughout the city began moving.
Stone.
Metal.
Bones.
Even shattered buildings.
Everything merged together beneath his control.
Within moments...
An enormous earthen giant rose from the battlefield.
Its body was formed entirely from compressed stone and monster remains.
Without hesitation...
The giant charged directly into the largest monster horde.
Each punch flattened hundreds of creatures.
Each step crushed dozens more beneath its feet.
Rylan watched quietly.
Then smiled.
"Much better."
Suddenly...
Another wave emerged from the portal.
This time...
Far larger creatures appeared.
Each measured nearly thirty meters tall.
Their countless legs dug into the earth as they charged.
Government forces immediately struggled.
Several Masters were overwhelmed almost instantly.
Seeing this...
Rylan disappeared.
No.
It only looked that way.
His true body never moved.
Instead...
A clone formed entirely from earth erupted beneath one of the gigantic creatures.
The clone wielded the same spear.
Its movements were identical.
With a single thrust...
The spear pierced through the monster's head.
Before the corpse even reached the ground...
The clone had already vanished beneath the earth again.
Seconds later...
Another enormous creature screamed.
Then another.
And another.
The earth itself had become Rylan's battlefield.
He appeared everywhere.
Nowhere.
Everywhere again.
No one could predict where the next spear strike would emerge.
Government soldiers watched in amazement.
Even experienced Ascendants found themselves unable to follow his movements.
Far above...
The true Rylan merely folded his arms.
"I suppose that should be enough."
Seraphine glanced toward the enormous dimensional portal.
"It isn't over yet."
As though responding to her words...
The portal suddenly became unstable.
Violent spatial energy erupted outward.
The entire world shook.
Everyone instinctively looked upward.
Then...
The impossible happened.
The dimensional crack slowly began shrinking.
The monsters still trying to emerge were sliced apart by collapsing space itself.
The battlefield fell silent.
Even the surviving creatures stopped moving.
A deep rumbling echoed throughout the heavens.
Then—
The portal closed.
Completely.
Silence.
For several seconds...
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Then...
Cheers erupted throughout the city.
Government soldiers collapsed where they stood.
Some laughed.
Others cried.
Many simply stared at the sky in disbelief.
They had survived.
Seraphine slowly lowered her hand.
Golden lightning gathered above her palm.
Without warning...
She flicked her finger.
Thousands of lightning bolts descended simultaneously.
The remaining monsters never even had time to scream.
The battlefield became silent once more.
Every surviving creature had been erased.
Rylan's clone emerged from the earth one final time.
Its body had become cracked after hours of endless combat.
It looked toward the original Rylan.
Then smiled.
Moments later...
The clone crumbled into dust before scattering into the wind.
The real Rylan stretched lazily.
"That was decent exercise."
Seraphim rolled her eyes.
"You call this exercise?"
Rylan laughed.
Below them...
Government officials immediately began organizing cleanup operations.
Without waiting for orders...
Rylan gently tapped the ground with the butt of his spear.
The earth responded instantly.
Massive stone hands rose from beneath the city.
They carefully gathered every monster corpse into enormous piles.
Countless glowing shards were separated automatically before being stacked neatly beside the roads.
Everything happened with unbelievable precision.
Government workers could only watch in stunned silence.
Within minutes...
The battlefield looked almost orderly again.
One elderly official slowly approached the couples.
He bowed respectfully.
"Our gratitude..."
"Without your assistance..."
"The casualties would've been unimaginable."
Rylan smiled warmly.
"We only came because Asterion is currently occupied."
Seraphim looked toward the distant mountains.
Beyond them...
Far above the clouds...
A terrifying divine pressure continued shaking the heavens.
Asterion's final trial...
Had not yet ended.
And no one knew...
Whether the man challenging godhood would return alive.