The Forsaken Lord lifted his powerful arm into the darken atmosphere and energy passed between him and the world.
The runes on this hideous creature changed color from a deep crimson to hurtful black-red flames.
Then
BOOM!
The ground shattered.
The ruins responded to the Forsaken Lord's movement because Natasha lacked time to dodge when reality deformed into floating stone platforms above a vast void.
Ah is met a terrifying System Alert when she read:
[You Have Entered the Forsaken Trial]
Movement Restricted: Platforms Shift Randomly.
Getting past this trial must follow the completion of its task.
Special Rule: One Hit = Instant Death.
Nobody spoke as the group felt quiet wash over them.
Alison exhaled sharply. "Of course, it had to be something like this."
Eldric turned his eyes toward the edge of the platforms while speaking in his serious voice. "The space is unstable. If we fall—"
As a blade-sharp sound the Forsaken Lord declared his message through the emptiness.
"You cease to exist."
The feeling of inevitable danger engulfed everyone present.
"Prove your worth… or vanish."
———
The initial strike hit without any notice.
Chains made of dark energy fired from the body of the Forsaken Lord and moved in the air like living snakes.
Natasha's instincts screamed.
She performed an acrobatic move only to miss a steel chain that struck the platform right behind her.
CRASH!
The stone crumbled into pieces the moment it hit the bottom of the abyss.
"No room for mistakes," she muttered, landing lightly on another platform.
Dren let out an angry cry by pounding his fists. "Then we hit first!"
His body emitted golden power as it traveled through his arms. After gathering his power he moved ahead punching with blazing light.
The Forsaken Lord remained motionless when hit.
Dren landed a heavy punch that struck the monster's muscular body segment.
The energy burst forth briefly from his body.
Then it flickered.
Something was wrong.
Dren's eyes widened. "What—?"
His entire body stiffened.
The shining glow that protected him disappeared
With her eyes wide open Natasha watched him change from human to pale statue.
His swinging fist stopped still after delivering the punch as he solidified instantly.
The system warning indicates Dren remains frozen in his current position.
No.
Natasha's heart pounded. "Dren—!"
As the Forsaken Lord finished his laugh his voice echoed with an icy tone.
"Reckless. Foolish. Who's next?"
———
Natasha gritted her teeth.
Dren was gone.Not dead but trapped. One error would make any person become like him forever.
Alison moved first.
He sliced alongside the platforms in perfect jumps with violet sword light running through his blade.
The Forsaken Lord faced Alison while turning his featureless exterior.
From his position he threw chains to restrain his opponent during flight.
But Alison was faster.
He changed position instantly and brought down his sword against the monster from above.
CLANG!
Despite the shock of contact no signs of weakness appeared on the Forsaken Lord.
Instead—
Alison held back just as his sword blade reached the monster's flesh.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
Then—
Energy from its body exploded in black pulses.
Alison's sword shattered.
His pupils dilated. "Impossible—"
He had no moment to defend himself before the stand collapsed beneath him.
Gravity seized him.
He was falling.
Natasha moved on instinct.
Immediately she reached out to catch Alison's wrist.
He tugged at her body which almost made her slip from her position.
But she held on.
"I've got you!"
Alison held his breath hard while he kept his broken weapon. "Tch… I underestimated it."
Eldric's voice cut through the tension. "No physical attacks work. It's absorbing them."
The Forsaken Lord controlled their fight as a game.
By inducing self-destruction the Forsaken Lord achieved its goal without fighting.
Natasha's mind raced.
A working strategy must exist to defeat this enemy.
Then—
The runes on the Forsaken Lord transformed into fresh signs across his body.
A second notification appeared.
[Stage Two: The Forsaken Reflection]
The Forsaken Lord uses your offensive strikes as your enemy.
Survive For Five Minutes.
The Forsaken Lord smiled.
And then—
Their own shadows moved.
———
Ira barely had time to react.
At that second she was projecting a defensive shield but
A duplicate of her copied from the ground matched her physical shape exactly.
The shadow duplicated all her combat attributes as it launched its attack.
The two blades locked together when Ira defended herself exactly as her attacker performed.
"What the hell—?!"
Exact copies of Natasha and Ira rose up from the ground without purpose but with an understanding of their surroundings.
It raised its sword. She did not. The woman held her position and observed the fight. The shadow hesitated. It's mimicking my every move.
She took a step backward. Her shadow did the same.
A test? Or a trap?
Then—
Alison's shadow attacked first.
The knife hit faster than someone could in human form.
Alison unfolded her guard just in time to push away the assault
His own movement struck him in the back instead of the enemy.
He fell backward while trying to keep his feet on the unstable platforms.
Natasha's breath hitched.
The rule was clear.
One hit = instant death.
They were told to combat themselves even though their life depended on a single misstep.
And worse—
The Forsaken Lord was watching.
Judging.
Waiting.
For the first one to fall.
———
Natasha's eyes flickered with realization.
The Trial… isn't about winning.
It's about survival. Which means She held her sword harder in her clutch.She looked at her shadow.
And lowered her weapon. The shadow did the same. Alison, Eldric, and Ira noticed. They exchanged glances.
A private agreement flowed between them.And one by one They stopped fighting.
The shadows paused.
Then The Forsaken Lord's expression shifted. The dark figure showed a split down its abnormal countenance.
The Trial had been broken.And suddenly the platforms collapsed. The void swallowed them whole.
And the next moment They were somewhere else.
Somewhere worse.