Near the end of the chamber, there lay a gate. The gate was similar to the one they had just passed through but this one was completely intact.
Beside the gate stood a bronze statue seemingly guarding it. The bronze statues towering at a staggering ten meters height stood imposingly. It clutched a colossal spear in its right hand, the weapon glinting ominously in the dim light. The statue was clad in bronze armor, weathered by the passage of time but still imposing.
Boom
The gate they had entered through slammed shut with a deafening noise. Loki and Athena spun around, eyes wide with alarm. Loki approached the closed gate and struck it with his sword, but the metal didn't even dent.
"This is bad," Loki muttered, feeling a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest.
creak creak
The statue seemed to have come alive as its eyes glowed with dark light.
It slowly marched forward and arrived at the center of the chamber.
"Challengers! Welcome to the Trial of Strength. I am Arun, the guardian of this trial." A horse voice echoed from the statue's lips.
"Trial of Strength?" Loki and Athena exchanged uncertain glances.
"The trial has started. You must defeat me to proceed towards the next trial." Arun announced and took his combat stance.
Loki thought about his situation and realized that he had no choice. They are locked inside this trial chamber and their only exit is the gate near the end.
[Name: Arun]
[Age: -]
[Title: Timeless Warrior]
[Tier- Epic]
[Rank: mid-Platinum]
[Affinities: Earth]
[Abilities]
[ Host's strength is too low…]
[Cannot access the abilities…]
[Copy condition: Defeat him.]
He nodded at Athena and they both unsheathed their swords and cautiously stared at Arun.
Swish
Both of them rushed forward with great momentum and closed the distance between themselves and Arun in an instant. They drew their sword in a vertical arc and aimed at Arun's vital parts.
Ting
Arun lifted his spear and clashed with their sword. He swung his spear horizontally and pushed them back with his great strength.
Loki quickly analyzed his opponent's strength and whispered to Athena.
"Athena. He is strong."
Athena nodded, her face set in determination. She infused her sword with a green aura, while Loki's blade glowed with a white light.
[Life Severing Art: Life Cataclysm]
[Blossoming Sword Art: Petal Whirlwind]
They both activated their skills simultaneously and rushed towards Arun.
clang
Arun held his spear high and met their attack head-on. His spear deflected Loki's attack while his spare hand blocked Athena's sword.
swirl
A whirlwind of petals surrounded Arun and trapped him within. The petals struck his armor from all directions like a sharp blade.
Arun spun his spear, creating a shockwave that dispersed the petals. Though his armor bore scratches, he remained largely unscathed.
[Life Severing Art: Severing Slashes]
Countless slashes forming a crescent moon escaped his sword and approached Arun. Arun slammed his spear's butt at the ground and dispersed the whirlwind with its shockwave. He held his spear high and drew a vertical arc dispersing the slashes.
[Root Shackle]
Several roots appeared from underground and bound Arun's feet. The roots held his feet tightly and fixated him on the ground.
Loki seizing the chance activated his movement skill [Shadow Swap] and appeared before Arun. He gripped his sword tightly and rammed it into Arun's armor. The sword couldn't pierce through his armor and its tip got stuck on it.
Arun swung his spear towards Loki but Loki smirked and uttered.
[Dark Beam]
A beam of dark energy shot from his sword, piercing Arun's armor. He stumbled backward due to the shockwave of the attack and landed a few meters away from Loki.
Loki's attack did pierce through his armor but it didn't cause any significant damage.
During their battle till now, they've only managed to cause light scratches around his body and a small hole near his chest. Since he is a statue, the hole was pointless.
"This is bad." Loki felt the situation was getting out of their control pretty quickly. He took a deep breath and formulated a plan.
"Athena, we should activate our ultimate skills," Loki suggested, his gaze on the statue.
"Alright, but we must finish this quickly," Athena agreed. She muttered an incantation and drove her sword into the ground.
[Nature's Blessing]
Several Saplings popped out from underground and started growing rapidly. Instantly a forest was formed in the middle of the chamber.
A tiara adorned with emeralds appeared above Athena's head, emitting a radiant green light. The tiara fell slowly and attached itself to her head. Athena sheathed her sword on the scabbard and it transformed into a wand.
A serene and peaceful aura surrounded her as the trees danced slightly upon her presence.
Loki didn't want to fall behind her so he similarly activated his ultimate skill.
[Elemental Overload]
The four basic elements fire, water, earth, and wind surrounded him and merged themselves. A crown emitting an intense elemental aura appeared from the merging and slowly landed atop his head. His overall aspect underwent a great boost and an imposing aura surrounded him.
They exchanged a determined nod.
woosh
They vanished from their location and appeared beside Arun. Arun clutched his spear and swung forward with great momentum.
clang
A metallic hum echoed through the chamber pushing Arun's gigantic body slightly. Their clash continued with both Loki and Athena displaying their brilliant swordsmanship. Arun struggled to keep up, his spear deflecting their relentless assault.
ziiing
His spear glowed lightly with a dark aura and he swung it towards them in a horizontal arc. They clashed with the sword's tip and got thrown backward.
"Very Well. I shall display my true strength now." Arun announced, his body underwent a sudden transformation. His armor glowed lightly and the minor scratches were healed instantly. His body became a lot more livelier than before and even his aura changed from rusty, and desolate to grand and imposing.
Loki and Athena felt intense danger witnessing his sudden transformation, they quickly activated their respective skills and tried to defeat him.
[Life Severing Art: Life's Wrath]
[Nature Entanglement]
Loki's sword gleaned with intensity, a powerful force generated upon his swing and clashed with Arun's armor.
Athena's wand glowed lightly, the trees surrounding them went berserk and encircled Arun with their roots.
Arun swung his spear deflecting Loki's attack and kicked his right at his guts.
"Urghh..." A painful groan escaped Loki's lips as he was flung into the chamber walls, crashing with such force that he went unconscious.
Simultaneously, Arun applied immense force on his legs and dashed intensely toward Athena.