The sky was a deep crimson, as though soaked in blood. Clouds churned like molten lava, and the very air seemed to vibrate with malevolent energy. Zhen stood at the edge of a jagged cliff, overlooking the warped landscape of the Crimson Sky Realm—a world rumored to be ruled by wrathful gods and tormented by endless war.
> [System Notification:
You have entered a Tier-4 Battle Realm — "Crimson Sky."
World Rank Potential: S
Objective: Survive and defeat the Warlord of Ashen Flame.
Time Limit: 72 hours.]
Zhen narrowed his eyes as he absorbed the system prompt. The difficulty of the realm was far beyond the previous ones. But he wasn't the same naive Ranker anymore. Since his confrontation with the Shadow King and the Oracle's revelations, his path had become clearer—even if it was more dangerous than ever.
Behind him, footsteps crunched across the blackened soil.
Lyria stepped up, her windborne cloak trailing behind her, pale eyes scanning the hostile terrain. "This place reeks of ancient resentment," she murmured.
"I feel it too," Zhen replied. "But this realm… it might be exactly what we need. If we defeat the Warlord, the system says it'll grant us a Flame Seed. It could be the key to awakening the next Authority."
Kael, the swordbearer from the Iron World, chimed in. "This world won't give up its treasures easily. The Flame Warlord is known to burn armies with a single gesture."
Zhen's gaze never wavered. "Then we won't give him the chance."
---
The First Trial: Fields of Regret
Their first test came in the form of an endless battlefield strewn with bones. Ghostly figures—warriors of the past—rose from the ground, bound by regret and the realm's curse. Each phantom carried the weight of unresolved war.
"They're not alive," Seraphine whispered, drawing her dual blades, "but they remember pain."
The spirits attacked in waves, their ethereal weapons slicing through space itself. Zhen stood at the center, his hand glowing with azure runes as the [Chrono-Strike] system skill activated. With a flash, he moved between attackers, distorting time to strike critical points.
Kael followed with wide arcs of his heavy blade, while Lyria summoned wind currents that shredded the incoming tide.
But it wasn't just about strength. The battlefield itself began to change, cycling through past versions of itself—turning from dry wasteland to burning inferno to flooded plains. It was a test of adaptation.
> [System Passive Activated: Dimensional Cognition Lv.3 — Predictive analysis enhanced.]
Zhen's eyes gleamed. "They're trapped in their own memories. We break the illusion—we break them."
With a coordinated assault, he and his companions pierced the illusion's core. The spirits cried out in release, turning into dust and leaving behind a glowing sigil.
> [Trial One Cleared. Rewards: +2 Rank Points | Memory Sigil (Crimson Path)]
---
The Scorched Spire
The sigil led them to a mountain shaped like a spiraling flame—the Spire of Ash, where the Warlord resided. They climbed for hours, enduring volcanic heat, gravity shifts, and time fractures. Each level brought new enemies: molten beasts, fire monks, and mirror knights.
Zhen was beginning to notice a pattern.
"The system's trials are no longer random," he said during a brief rest. "They're preparing me… for something. Testing leadership, resolve, insight. As if something beyond even the System is watching."
Lyria frowned. "You mean like the Oracle?"
"No," he said quietly. "Something older."
---
Final Confrontation: The Warlord of Ashen Flame
They finally reached the summit. There, upon a throne of obsidian and bone, sat the Warlord.
He was a giant of flame, with eyes like burning suns and armor forged in stellar fire. As he rose, the entire spire trembled.
"You come seeking power, little Ranker," the Warlord thundered. "But you carry something far more dangerous. I smell… the Void within you."
Zhen didn't flinch. "I didn't choose the Void. But I will master it."
The Warlord bellowed with laughter and raised his blade—a weapon made of condensed solar fire.
The battle that followed was unlike any Zhen had faced. The Warlord's strikes caused space itself to ripple. Lyria's winds evaporated before they could reach him. Kael's sword melted upon contact. Seraphine was knocked unconscious by a wave of burning aura.
Only Zhen remained.
He focused inward, activating the core authority he'd been refining since the Oracle's test.
> [System Authority Unlocked: Eclipse Flame — Convert Void Essence to Anti-Matter Flame.]
[Warning: Extreme Energy Output Detected.]
His body ignited in a dark flame that devoured light. The Warlord hesitated—then charged.
Zhen met the charge head-on.
When the clash ended, only one figure stood.
Zhen, scorched and bloodied, stood atop the remains of the Warlord. The realm began to collapse.
> [Quest Complete. Rewards: +5 Rank Points | Flame Seed (Ascended) | Title Gained: Voidflame Bearer.]
---
Aftermath: Choices and Shadows
Back in the Sanctuary Nexus, Zhen stood before the flame seed, which floated like a miniature sun.
"You've changed," Lyria said quietly, touching his shoulder.
"I can feel the Void growing," Zhen admitted. "But I'm not afraid. Whatever is watching me through the system—it's afraid of what I might become."
Behind them, in the shadows, a presence lingered. A figure cloaked in runes, whose face no one had yet seen.
The real war hadn't even begun.