Sophia locked eyes with Aren, determined to be the one to stop him. She gripped her sword tightly, rage boiling over. The humiliation of her earlier defeat burned deep within her.

She was an S-tier. She came from a great family. She had trained her entire life to dominate the Trials, only to be utterly disgraced by someone she had never even heard of.

All of that fury exploded at once.

She roared and launched forward at full speed.

Just as she swung her sword,

Aren vanished.

He reappeared directly behind her.

"Let's test this out," he muttered.

Using Shadow Harness, he drew upon the lightning power of his lightning shadow wolf. His hand shot forward at full speed, slamming into her back before she could react.

Lightning detonated.

The shock was terrifying. Her body spasmed violently before collapsing to the ground.

Aren stared at her blankly for a moment, then smiled.

"That was pretty cool," he said.

He turned away and looked toward the crystal, beginning to walk in that direction.

There was barely anyone left who could stop him.

The millipede was rampaging through the camp, drawing most of the attention just to avoid being crushed. The wolves tore enemies apart. The ants swarmed in massive numbers, their poison causing slow, agonizing deaths. Kira and Leon were cutting down others with ruthless efficiency.

It was complete domination.

All of it stemmed from Aren.

Still, he had to move fast. Maintaining this many summons was rapidly draining his soul energy.

Just as he reached the crystal,

A flying sword shot toward him, spinning violently through the air.

Aren dodged without even looking back. The blade barely missed him, grazing past the crystal and nearly striking it.

He turned slowly.

Sophia was back on her feet.

She was hunched over, breathing heavily. Her appearance was disheveled, her movements unsteady, but her eyes still burned with rage.

She charged at him bare-handed, throwing a punch.

Aren caught her fist effortlessly.

"Give up," he said calmly. "There's no point anymore."

Lightning surged through his grip.

The blast tore through her arm. Flesh split, blood spraying as the force knocked her hand violently back.

She staggered away, clutching her ruined arm.

She stared at him, fury and disbelief twisting her face.

"How is this possible?" she demanded. "How can you win over me in every aspect? Who are you?!"

Aren only smiled.

"If I told you," he said, "I'd be putting myself at a lot of risk. So, sorry. But not sorry."

He turned and placed his hand on the crystal.

Lightning crackled across its surface.

Sophia's heart sank.

"Is this how we lose?"

"Sorry about this," he said.

Black lightning surged down his arm and into the crystal.

In an instant, the crystal shattered into hundreds of pieces.

The battle was over. Hate was meant to last ten days, but it ended in one because Aren got tired of the whole thing.

The moment the crystal shattered, it didn't take more than two or three seconds before all of them suddenly vanished, forcefully taken away from there.

Aren's eyes opened.

He was no longer inside the cave of the trial. Instead, all of them now stood within a massive hall, one that resembled a throne room on an enormous scale. The floors were laid with polished marble, smooth and pristine. Towering pillars lined the hall, each accompanied by statues of warriors standing beside them, grand and imposing.

Torches flickered along the walls, casting long shadows and illuminating the vast space. At the very end of the hall sat a throne.

And upon it sat Elton.

As Aren looked around, he realized that everyone from his group had been brought here. Not only them, but the remaining members of the opposing group as well. Those who had died moments before the crystal was destroyed were gone for good, never brought back. The crystal had been the respawn point, and once Aren shattered it, resurrection was no longer possible.

The second group was left with fewer than fifty people.

Their faces were grim, exhausted, empty.

Elton watched them as they fully materialized. Her calm expression shifted into a slight frown. She rose from the throne and looked down at them.

"That was pretty fast," she said. "I didn't expect any group to clear their stage so soon. But what I witnessed was superb."

She offered a soft, forced smile.

"Congratulations to all of you for surviving the last stage."

Then she turned her gaze toward the losing group.

"Those of your members who died before the crystal was destroyed are truly dead," she said flatly. "However, the rest of you who managed to survive until the end will be allowed to live."

She paused.

"But fairness must be maintained."

Her voice echoed through the hall.

"For the next stage of the trials, every member of the losing group will suffer a fifty percent debuff to all stats and abilities."

The words hit like lightning.

Eyes widened. Breaths caught.

Half their strength, gone.

That wasn't just a disadvantage. It was a death sentence waiting to happen.

Elton saw the despair spreading across their faces, and a smile crept onto her lips.

"You should be grateful," she said. "The original plan was to execute everyone who failed the stage. Last-minute changes were made, and your lives were spared."

"Use your second chance wisely."

Then her gaze shifted.

To the winning group.

Over two hundred of them, Aren and the rest.

"The one who landed the final blow on the crystal," she said calmly. "Step forward."

Aren took a step ahead under the eyes of everyone in his group.

Elton looked at him.

Their gazes locked.

For a moment, her expression tightened into a faint frown before smoothing back into a neutral smile.

"Congratulations," she said. "You have earned yourself a reward for destroying the enemy team's crystal. What that reward is will be revealed as the next stage begins."

She turned her attention back to everyone.

"As for the next stage, you will not be facing it alone. Every group under my authority will gather here. Once all of them arrive, the next stage will commence."

She gestured around the hall.

"This castle is filled with resources, weapons, food, equipment. You may explore the castle as you wish, from the upper halls to the dungeons, even the hidden paths."

Her tone hardened.

"But be warned. Threats exist within these walls. Threats capable of killing you before the next stage even begins."

She continued, her voice steady.

"The next stage is the midpoint of the First Trial. Those who complete it will have crossed fifty percent and will gain true rewards at its conclusion."

She spread her hands slightly.

"Prepare yourselves. Explore or rest as you see fit. Stay in this hall or leave it, but understand this clearly."

Her eyes sharpened.

"Death is possible within this castle. Not just possible, likely."

With that, Elton returned to her throne and sat down.

Silence followed.

No one moved for several seconds.

The stage had ended without ceremony. No rewards. No healing. No explanations beyond her words.

Just tension.

The first to move was Aren.

He turned and began walking toward the far end of the hall, heading for the massive double doors. Elton watched him go, a slight frown forming as her eyes followed his back.

Then Aren stopped.

He turned his head, looking directly at her, as if he knew she was watching.

Their eyes met for a brief moment.

Then he turned away and continued walking.

Once Aren passed through the massive doors, others began to move as well. Some left the hall to explore. Others stayed behind, sitting against the pillars, backs pressed to stone as they rested and tried to process everything that had happened.

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