The trial had barely reached its halfway point, yet chaos already gripped the battleground.
Spiritual blasts rocked the forested trial zone, and cultivators darted through the terrain like shadows. Some formed alliances, others hunted alone, while the weakest scattered to avoid confrontations altogether.
And yet, in the middle of it all, Aamon Celastine stood calmly atop a shattered stone outcrop, his coat fluttering in the wind.
In his hand were six silver-edged badges, freshly taken from those who underestimated him.
[Current Rank: 1st Place]
Aamon glanced at the hovering notification beside his head before dismissing it. His instincts—sharpened through six months of closed-door training under the Clear Heart Tree—flared.
"…I've drawn too much attention."
And he was right.
From across the trial zone, three powerful auras converged—intentions sharpened like drawn blades. Among the thousands of trial participants, only three had reached the 5th Order before the exam. And now, all three were headed for him.
The trial had barely reached its halfway point, yet chaos already gripped the battleground.
Spiritual blasts rocked the forested trial zone, and cultivators darted through the terrain like shadows. Some formed alliances, others hunted alone, while the weakest scattered to avoid confrontations altogether.
And yet, in the middle of it all, Aamon Celastine stood calmly atop a shattered stone outcrop, his coat fluttering in the wind.
In his hand were six silver-edged badges, freshly taken from those who underestimated him.
[Current Rank: 1st Place]
Aamon glanced at the hovering notification beside his head before dismissing it. His instincts—sharpened through six months of closed-door training under the Clear Heart Tree—flared.
"…I've drawn too much attention."
And he was right.
From across the trial zone, three powerful auras converged—intentions sharpened like drawn blades. Among the thousands of trial participants, only three had reached the 5th Order before the exam. And now, all three were headed for him.
The air was heavy. Charged. Deadly.
Kael Varnoss roared first, his massive battleaxe cleaving through trees as he launched forward. Dirt exploded under his boots. The ground cracked with every step.
Aamon moved like a shadow—calm, focused.
Kael swung down in a brutal overhead arc, aiming to split him in half.
Aamon sidestepped, barely, the axe grazing his ribs and drawing a thin line of blood. Before Kael could recover, Aamon delivered a sharp blow to his side, enhanced by flowing spirit power.
Kael grunted but barely flinched.
Then the wind howled.
Selene appeared behind Aamon, her twin fanblades slicing through the air like silver lightning. One slashed toward his neck, the other toward his spine.
He dropped, spun, and unleashed a burst of spirit energy that cracked the earth, knocking her off her balance mid-flight.
But that gave Drex the opening he needed.
Amon's senses screamed danger. Invisible threads wrapped around his limbs—metal wires controlled by Drex like marionette strings.
"Caught you," Drex said coldly, yanking them tight.
Aamon's limbs strained as the wires dug into his skin. Blood welled up.
Kael came again—this time with killing intent.
"End of the line!" Kael bellowed, raising his axe for a final blow.
In that moment, Aamon's eyes narrowed. He let go of all resistance for a split second—and then surged.
A shockwave of spiritual force exploded from his body.
The threads shattered. Selene veered back, shielding her eyes. Kael was pushed back, arms crossed in defense.
Aamon's aura shifted.
Refined. Heavy. Limitless.
"I'll only say this once," Aamon muttered, voice low, eyes glowing faint green. "Fall, or be broken."
He struck first.
Kael lunged, but Aamon ducked and struck his gut with a reinforced palm, lifting the massive warrior off his feet. The impact sent Kael crashing into a boulder, shattering it into pieces.
Selene reappeared midair, spinning into a whirlwind of blades. Her speed was unmatched—but Aamon anticipated her pattern.
He stepped into her strike—one inch closer than she expected—and drove his elbow into her ribs.
She coughed blood and flew backward, crashing into the ground.
But Drex was ready.
Blades of condensed spirit metal formed in the air, hovering around Aamon like a death trap.
A rain of razors fell.
Aamon focused everything into his feet and vanished in a blur, weaving through the blades—his instincts guiding him perfectly.
"There."
He found Drex—still standing calmly, controlling the rain.
Aamon appeared before him and struck.
Drex tried to defend, but Aamon's foot swept his leg, followed by a brutal knee to the chin and a punch to the chest that cracked his ribcage.
Drex dropped.
Selene screamed and tried to rally, blood trailing her lips, but Kael was already unconscious. She flung a final wind blade—but it dissipated as Aamon threw one of her fanblades back at her, grazing her shoulder and forcing her to collapse.
The fight was over.
All three 5th Orders were down.
And Aamon…
He stood there, heaving, his robes torn and blood-soaked, green eyes dimming.
[Badge Count: 15. Rank: 1st.]
His body swayed.
The world tilted sideways.
And then, darkness.
Aamon collapsed to the ground, blood dripping from his fingers. His long golden hair, streaked faintly with silver, fanned out around him.
All across the battleground, silence fell.
From the shadows, examiners and observers finally stepped forward, their eyes wide in disbelief.
One of them whispered:
"That… That was the one who came from Dusk City?"
Another muttered:
"He defeated three 5th Orders… alone. And he's not even at the 5th himself…"
Medics rushed in, lifting Aamon's unconscious body with care, awe evident on their faces.
The legend of Aamon Celastine was only just beginning.