Chapter 19 - "Trial by Fire."
Inside the observation room, Lleana watched the trial with deep worry. She couldn't fathom how a child was allowed to participate in such a brutal trial. Moments later, the person beside her exclaimed, "That's the child who's Valeria's younger sister! What is she doing there? Why would they allow a child to take part in this trial?"
Lleana, hearing this, gripped the person's arm tightly.
"Argh! What are you doing? Don't grip it so hard!" the person protested.
"What did you just say?" Lleana replied coldly.
"I—I meant the child in the trial, the one with white hair!" the person stammered, pointing at Eira on the screen.
Seeing Eira's terrified face, Lleana retracted her grip and focused on the girl, who was on the verge of tears, witnessing the cruel events unfold. Lleana's gaze hardened, and an aura of heat radiated from her in anger. She imagined the trauma the child was experiencing, intensifying her fury. "Valeria, my dear friend, I can only hope that you won't witness this gruesome sight. If you do, I fear you won't be able to control your anger," she muttered, her frown deepening as she studied the trial.
Back in the tower, Eira and Mira were still bracing themselves, staring at the countdown displayed in the sky.
...| 8 seconds left |...
"Hahh... Hahh..." Mira was panting, blood streaming from her eyes, ears, and mouth. Eira staggered as she witnessed the bloody scene, shaking and struggling to find her voice.
"I... this... I..." The traumatic experience was unlike anything she had faced even in her previous life. This was her first encounter with true horror. Her heart raced uncontrollably, and her pupils flickered with a mysterious blue energy. Suddenly, her heart stopped beating, and she lost consciousness, collapsing onto Mira's back.
Mira felt Eira's breathing halt and frowned, nearly losing her focus. Just then, the tower announced:
...| 1 SECOND |....
...| 0 SECONDS |...
......| CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE PASSED THE EXTREME TRIAL. THE REWARD WILL BE THE TRIAL ON FLOOR SIX. THE TOWER WILL ADJUST ITS ENVIRONMENT TO FIX THE PREVIOUS DAMAGE. "DING" THE TRIAL WILL BEGIN AT 50 SECONDS. SUCCESSFULLY PASSING THE TRIAL WILL GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO EXPLORE THE 13TH FLOOR. "DING" THE TRIAL WILL ADJUST ACCORDING TO THE PARTICIPANTS' TALENT.|....
Mira didn't look at the sky; exhaustion had drained her body, and witnessing the child she loved cease to breathe left her in a daze. Tears streamed down her cheeks, mingling with the blood, giving her a sinister appearance.
"....Hahahahahahahaha..... Good, very funny...sniff.. sniff..... This fucking tower is ridiculous," she laughed, her voice chilling those in the observation room.
She retrieved a mysterious white sword from her necklace, standing there emotionlessly, like someone who had lost everything, waiting for the trial to continue, indifferent to the prospect of death.
"Mira, what are you doing? Compose yourself! I know you're sad, but please, just forfeit the trial! It's the safest option!" the sword god inside her necklace urged, frustrated. The sword god was also perplexed by Eira's sudden collapse, but one thing was clear: Mira was unresponsive to the warning, appearing numb and emotionless.
As the countdown reached fifty seconds, a tremor rippled through the surroundings, signaling something monumental. The tower materialized a familiar figure for everyone in the observation room.
"Huh? What the hell is this? Why is he here?" Lleana exclaimed, shocked. She hadn't expected to see her father appear as a younger version of himself, emotionless and eerily lifelike, which stunned everyone in the observation room.
Meanwhile, Mira fixated on the figure floating in the air, her expression hardening. The materialized figure, radiating a dark red fire, looked menacing.
In an instant, the figure pointed a finger at Mira, unleashing a massive blast of dark red flame toward her.
Mira remained calm, then leaped forward, facing the flame head-on. With a swift motion, she swung her mysterious white sword, murmuring the name of her technique.
(Celestial Blade Arts)
"Starlit Slash!" Her body radiated with white mana enveloping the sword, and she unleashed her full strength.
"KLANG!" The clash resonated through the air, but Mira's sword didn't stop there; it sliced through the flame. "..Whoooosh..."
In a shocking display, she cut the materialized figure in half, obliterating the caster even from a distance. The spectators in the observation room, including Lleana, were left dumbfounded. Earlier, the materialized clone of her father had flawlessly mimicked the ultimate technique of the Blazeborn family, leaving Lleana in disbelief. But witnessing Mira's decisive strike changed everything.
The door to the observation room swung open, revealing a white-haired girl with blue eyes, her expression clearly irritated. It was none other than Valeria Nivara. Lleana's gaze shifted to Valeria, then back to the screen, her heart racing with apprehension.
"What's the matter, Lleana? Why are you nervous? Did something happen?" Valeria asked, confusion etching her features as she regarded the fidgeting girl. Moments later, Lleana pointed at the screen, shattering Valeria's calm facade.