Samael softly landed at the foot of a mountain that stood tall and imposing in the middle of a vast, foggy expanse, where nothing else could be seen—no terrain, no trees, no sound, just the haze and the looming mountain.
In front of him, a winding path curled upward around the mountain's body. From his position, he could see hundreds of participants, each one desperately racing to reach the top as fast as possible, driven by urgency and fear.
Many of them were crying. Some screamed out in pain and anguish as they climbed, their bodies visibly trembling. Blood seeped from their orifices—eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—painting their struggle in clear and visceral detail.
The second trial was known as the Valleys of Falling Promises. The rules were simple in theory: reach the top of the mountain. But only the first six to do so would move on to the final trial.
Of course, it wasn't just a race.
Every step onto the spiraling trail brought with it a heavy, suffocating pressure that fell upon the body like invisible chains, accumulating with each upward movement.
But the true danger of this trial lay in something far worse—something known as death visions. These were brutal, mind-breaking mental attacks that forced climbers to experience vivid, horrifying visions of their own deaths, moment by moment.
Each step brought on another vision, another death. It was a trial that tested not only physical endurance but mental fortitude in the cruelest way imaginable.
WHOOOSH!
Samael's metallic armbands clicked into place, wrapping tightly around his fingers and forearms as he finished straightening the last folds of his robes. Qi surged and coiled around him, forming into sharp, dark blue runes that glimmered and pulsed across his skin.
His calves flexed, muscles coiling like a drawn bowstring. Then—he moved.
Each of his steps propelled him dozens of meters at a time, shooting his body up the path at a speed that blurred the vision. With fluid grace, he entered a state of semi-spiritualisation, snaking effortlessly through the struggling participants and the unmoving bodies of those who had already fallen.
Though the pressure clung to him like gravity intensified, his body responded differently. Rather than simply enduring it, it seemed to disperse the weight into the atmosphere, transferring the pressure into the ambient qi around him. It wasn't brute resistance—it was a natural redirection.
And something else became clear.
With every single step he took, his body's own density and weight seemed to subtly decrease. The change was almost imperceptible at first, but the more he moved, the lighter and faster he became. His speed surged as he familiarized himself with the newfound intricacies of his mind and body.
In mere moments, Samael was already upon the front-runner, the one who had until now been seen as the most likely to reach the top first.
The young woman—likely in her late twenties—had long red hair and burning crimson eyes. She turned, alarmed by the disturbance Samael's advance caused. Her heartbeat quickened as the gap between them closed.
She'd known the moment would come. She'd prepared for it. She had to be first—her own plans depended on it. And she couldn't allow someone like Samael into the final trial. Not when he might still be hiding more than he had already shown.
Without hesitation, she turned and unleashed her attack. A wall of roaring flames surged toward him with frightening speed.
Samael didn't flinch. He canceled his spiritualisation, planted his foot into the ground, and summoned his second elemental affinity—earth.
A wall of solid stone rose to block the incoming fire. But the flames were too fierce. His earthen defense began to melt, turning into lava within seconds.
Yet he'd anticipated it.
Samael waved his hand. The molten lava separated into several spiraling drills, which he launched straight at the woman with practiced precision.
She twisted her body and narrowly dodged the incoming attacks, closing the gap between them in an instant. She assumed—wrongly—that his control over water and earth meant he'd be lacking in close quarters.
Samael proved otherwise.
The moment she entered striking range, the lances embedded in the ground exploded behind her, sending shockwaves that disrupted her balance and threw her forward.
Samael shot toward her, aiming a clean punch at her midsection. She raised her palms and released an arrow of flame—but it was too late. He spiritualised again, slipping into the earth, and reemerged behind her in a blink.
His palm struck her back with a loud thud, sending her reeling.
He then extended his hand, gripping the air and pulling it toward himself. The earth responded, materializing a massive hand that erupted from the ground in front of her. It latched onto her mid-air body and held tight.
She screamed as the grip tightened and bones broke—but the scream transformed as flames erupted from her mouth, wild and chaotic.
Samael calmly enclosed her in a dense water bubble, sealing the heat inside. He adjusted the density, allowing the temperature to climb higher and higher, until eventually, her body gave in and she collapsed, unconscious.
He didn't spare her another look.
Samael resumed his sprint, a smile curling on his lips. His blood burned, the fire of battle still thrumming in his veins.
'I'm still not fully back, but this was fun,' he thought, satisfied.
He could feel his instincts returning, the layers of rust being chipped away. More chaos would come soon—chaos enough to refine him even further.
BANG!
He reached the peak. An explosion of qi enveloped him, a small reward for being the first. It was faint—barely a boost—but he welcomed it all the same.
As he waited for the other five to arrive, he delved into his body's new makeup, exploring and assessing the changes.
Minutes trickled by. Eventually, the second participant arrived. Then the third, fourth, fifth, and finally, the sixth.
The moment the last one arrived, the mountain shimmered.
And in the next instant—they vanished.
The third and final trial was about to begin.