Something popped out of the rubble. Taking the boy by surprise, two Otherworlders tackled him from behind, pinning him down. Opal was knocked out of his hand, the sword falling just out of his reach.
'A divinity relating to camouflage!' He cursed under his breath, getting thrown onto the floor.
"Get him, boss!" One of them yelled.
Steel chains pinned him to the ground as the other one unleashed his divinity.
Nox struggled, but he was unable to get out. The weight of two grown adults was too much for the frail Challenger. There was a point where no amount of technique could overcome power.
'Idiots… he's going to end up killing all of us.'
He waited patiently for his divinity to activate, but it never came.
Neo was getting closer.
'Does this mean.. the fight is equal?'
Trusting the Phenomenon, he quickly thought of a solution. If 'Struggle' was unable to activate, then it meant he had another chance of winning.
Nox extended his arms as far as he could. Focusing on Opal, he dove into his concentration.
A Living Weapon. That was what she was.
Unbeknownst to the two survivors, the azure longsword started to vibrate. First slowly, then it ascended into the air.
Noticing the floating sword, one of the Otherworlders hurriedly spoke.
"What in the worl-
The sword quickly accelerated, jamming into his throat. Grasping it with both hands, the man tried to pull the blade out.
In doing so, he tumbled off Nox, giving him room to breathe.
The Otherworlder manifested steel chains to help his teammate, also grabbing onto Opal. Using this opportunity, Nox gathered all the energy in his body.
Unleashing it, he created a shockwave of force, knocking the Otherworlder off just as Neo threw a beam of light.
The scent of burnt flesh drifted from Nox as he finally escaped from the chains. The boy grabbed onto his burnt arm, it was in a horrible condition.
Neo's divinity had burnt through his skin and bones, leaving one of his arms crippled.
"Boss, it's us!"
The Otherworlder tried to signal to him, but to no avail. Neo let off a ray of light towards his past teammate, leaving him scrambling away.
Nox gritted his teeth and sprinted towards the other Challenger, the one with the blade still inside his throat.
'Great job, Opal! You really put that supernatural strength into good use there..'
As soon as his remaining hand grasped the living weapon, it shone.
The Challenger widened his eyes in horror.
[You have met the requirements.]
[You have unlocked your Second Aspect.]
+
[Divinity: Mythmaker]
> Struggle: Faced with an opponent stronger than you, this aspect will serve as an equalizer.
> Slice: When holding a blade, this aspect blurs the boundaries between the mortal and other worlds.
+
The other Challenger silently approached him from behind, looking to tackle Nox away once more.
Time seemed to slow as Nox felt an otherworldly sensation. He gripped the slick blade as a wave of power flooded into his body.
A drop of sweat dripped down his body as he embraced the newfound strength.
"AHH!" The Otherworlder rammed into him.
However, the boy didn't even budge. His eyes shone with an otherworldly light. Nox took a breath.
[Faced with various obstacles, the orphan boy stayed calm. Using his resources, he outsmarted and outmaneuvered his adversaries. Now, only one enemy and hand remained. He grasps the living weapon, aiming to Slice apart the golden sun.]
[You have written the fifth Myth.]
'Slice.'
Nox swung his blade, drawing a beautiful arc around him. The steel chains separated like thin sheets of paper, shattering apart on the broken stone floor.
Two heads tumbled through the air as they were shortly incinerated by a glowing hand.
The boy glanced at the last person standing as a murmur drifted into his head.
[You have slain…]
[You have gained 2 points.]
[Total Points: 9]
[Constellation: Emperor of Noxus laughs in excitement!]
Neo seemed unperturbed as he summoned a beam of light. The rays of sun disintegrated the corpses of his fellow team members and slowly descended on the boy.
Instead of backing down. Nox raised his sword. His eyes bled as he forcibly entered the world of strings. A huge pile of golden threads was compacted into the wave of light.
'There's no openings…'
He dove deeper. Underneath the golden strings, there were thin gray lines weaved in between. His vision blurred as he quickly deactivated his divinity.
His muscles tore from the inhumane movements as he unleashed his aspect a second time.
'Slice.'
In a single motion, he sliced apart the beam of light, and with it, the Otherworlder. The grey threads fluttered into the burning cinders around them.
The blonde-haired man fell to the ground as a huge gash appeared on his chest. Blood spilled out of him as control returned to his eyes. Neo looked around him, horrified.
"Gods… what have I done?"
Nox stared at the Otherworlder as the flames slowly crawled onto him, engulfing its master.
[You have slain an Unawoken Challenger.]
[You have received 1 point.].
[Total Points: 10]
...
[You are currently in 1st place.]
With no time for regrets, he hurriedly made his way to Elysia. Waving apart the smoke and ashes, the boy searched for his teammate.
He stumbled to the floor. Coughing out blood, he realized his current condition.
Nox was losing vision in both his eyes. His skin was flayed and peeling away from the heat. One of his arms swung uselessly by his side, blackened to the point of no return. The other arm was torn from the use of his aspect, barely usable.
Using his remaining arm, he crawled across the dungeon floor. Inch by inch, he felt his consciousness drifting away.
A mere 20 meters away from Elysia, Nox collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
The flickering inferno engulfed the entire room as a spacial tear ripped apart the space around them, swallowing the fallen two Otherworlders.
[A foreign entity has intervened.]
[You have entered a restricted Dimension.]
[Initiating transportation...]