"You have five hours before the trial ends. Hurry if you plan to reach the top." Hearing Credo's words, everyone except Clifford started using methods they had learned to reduce the pressure on their backs. Reaching the 87th floor, Clifford noticed the temperature rising again, prompting him to look up at Credo.
"Descend." Muttering quietly, Credo reattached his spear as the clouds above him began disappearing, slowly revealing a horrific sight. Shivering in fright, Clifford witnessed a large creature descending upon Credo. The creature had no lower body, and its upper body was covered with a cloak made of rags. Its form was a human skeleton completely made of crimson flames and dark heavy chains that ensured the cloak remained covering its body.
Naturally, Clifford wasn't the only one aware of what stood at the top, as everyone had their eyes on it by the time it floated right above Credo, who no longer looked human at all. His skin and anything above it were gone, leaving his skeleton exposed as golden flames erupted from his eye sockets.
"Two hours left, but do you know what that means? It means the fun begins now!" Laughing loudly, Credo continued speaking, "What you see now is my soul form, and the one above me is my will." Finishing these words, Credo raised his scythe high to his right before making another statement.
"Starting now, my will form will descend a step every twenty minutes. If it reaches you, then you may not continue climbing. But that's not all!" Once done, Credo spun his scythe to his left, causing the stairs to rumble as the 91st step and above were separated from the rest with a big distance gap, forcing whoever wanted to continue to make the jump if they dared.
Surprisingly, eight out of the ten had enough courage to make the jump within the first ten minutes. Being at the 92nd step behind everyone else, the pressure started stimulating Clifford as his instinct took over. Pressure started rising from within as the world began to rumble. Feeling the pressure opposing him, Credo looked at the source with a surprised expression.
"Oh my! A will battle?" Watching the dark creature coming into existence high above Clifford, Credo grinned excitedly. Standing midair on four long muscular legs, the colossal creature had no skin as dark scaly armor covered the entirety of its back, and purple skin covered its chin and everything below. Two purple horns extended forward from its head, just above its eyes. The creature's lower jaw extended forward like a sword aimed at its enemies.
"Go easy on it." Witnessing Clifford's will, Credo's will let out a threatening roar aimed at the intruder. Unfazed, Clifford's will roared even louder, causing the world to rumble as his intense pressure collided with Credo's pressure, implicating the rest of the climbers the most.
"Prepare right now, but don't go too far!" Witnessing the dark ball forming between the creature's horns, Credo instructed his will to respond quickly. Waiting for the moment, Credo's will started forming a flame between its hands in response to the instructions.
Feeling the rumble, Credo's will instinctively shot the ball toward Clifford's will, which responded in time, turning the dark ball into a beam directed at its enemy. Soon, both attacks collided, and the beam was not able to go forward for a while. Unwilling to lose the battle, Clifford roared as his body started taking on its soul form, pushing his will to roar as well, putting more energy into the will.
Watching the devil closing in as Clifford climbed step by step, Credo witnessed his will's attack being pushed back by its opponent. As Clifford reached the 96th step, the beam pushed over the ball completely, hitting Credo's will in the process and earning him victory. The moment the impact happened, a rumble could be felt as the stairs below them started collapsing slowly. Soon, cracks started appearing everywhere as Credo's world began to crumble.
Finally, Credo's Infernal Aslume shattered completely, bringing them back to the real world once more. Spitting a mouthful of blood, Credo supported himself with his spear while looking at the unconscious boy lying on the ground in front of him.
"Shut the hell up! The boy will get the diamond token for the next trial. If you're pissed off because of the result, then simply hunt him and claim his place." Hearing the noise, Credo shouted, causing everyone to stop talking immediately.
"All of you present can follow this path forward. Once you see a special sign, turn right until you meet the elder responsible for the next trial." Carrying Clifford on his back, Credo guided the candidates toward a path before taking Clifford's body down another path. "The next trial will start tomorrow. If the boy doesn't awaken by then, I will awaken him myself. Now go!" Disappearing from his place, the elder appeared inside his special office before placing the boy on his bed.
"What an interesting fellow." Resting at his desk, Credo looked at the sleeping boy in front of him. He could only blame himself for losing the battle since it was he who instructed his will to hold back in the first place. However, he was satisfied with Clifford's performance. He had to admit that the boy's will was not weak compared to his own, not knowing that it had just formed during the fight against him.
"What the hell is that?" Inspecting Clifford's body, Credo saw Clifford's meridians that looked like a spider's web and his dantian. The sight shocked him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth once he concluded that the boy had no world at all.
"No… Not only no world. There are no elements at all!" Realizing the truth, Clifford turned into a gem in Credo's sight immediately. If the boy's dantian wasn't transformed at all, it meant the will that fought against him was either born at that moment or just recently. Either way, the boy had performed a miracle by forming a will before having a world to contain it. And it surpassed his by far!
"I hope you will wake up on your own, or I will have to be impolite." Looking at Clifford, the elder spoke quietly before turning around and meditating next to him on the floor.