Sora and Stark enter the [Memories Museum], and without wasting them begin to train for the next four hours, Stark testing out his news kills, and Sora as well, though she just mostly watched him in awe, seeing everything her friend could do.
But on the other hand, there were also other people, the other participants, getting ready for the trial, in their own way that is.
…
A figure stood alone on the rooftop of a high-rise building.
She wasn’t admiring the view, though. Her eyes remained locked on the horizon, unblinking, lost in thought. The faint ticking of the panel before her was the only thing she acknowledged.
[Time remaining: 4h10m]
Her fingers flexed, then tightened into a fist.
This trial was a looming shadow over her mind, a battle that would test her will as much as her skill. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, centering herself.
‘I will survive this.’
With deliberate care, she knelt on the rooftop, lowering herself into a meditative position.
Her breathing slowed, and the tension in her body melted away as she prepared her mind.
She was not training or fighting. She was finding her calm—her focus. This wasn’t the moment to panic. There would be no mistakes. Not in this trial.
The sky darkened above her as time continued to slip by. Her heartbeat was steady, the seconds slipping like sand through her fingers.
She stayed in her meditation, unmoving.
For in the end, she was sure that only one person would survive this trial.
…
Another participant, this time, sat behind his sleek, polished desk in the dim glow of his office.
He was sitting in a luxurious office, observing the city above.
[Time remaining: 3h45m]
But he couldn’t forget that he also needed to participate in that shitty trial too.
This would disrupt his business for a few months, but he had already survived two of these, so he didn’t care.
His fingers drummed against the desk with a rhythmic precision, his eyes scanning the various screens before him.
Each one showed different feeds: security footage, financial reports, and more importantly, information about the possible participants of the trial, gotten from the [Domination Association], which registers all [Domination users].
“Worthless,” he muttered, closing the files of several weak contestants.
His eyes stopped on one though: Stark Heartsouls.
But right as he was about to open it…
A knock at the door.
Two people entered—silent, obedient, their eyes dull and lifeless.
They were his best assets, ones he had groomed personally to serve him without question, and also other participants of this domination trial.
“Prepare yourselves,” he ordered, his tone cold. “We’ll kill everyone there.”
The two nodded without a word and left.
The man leaned back, steepling his fingers as the timer ticked down on his panel.
He watched it impassively, his mind already working through strategies.
The world outside his window continued to bustle, but the businessman was already far ahead, calculating every move, planning his domination.
…
In a dimly lit room filled with the scent of paint and varnish, an artist stood before a massive canvas, his movements frantic and precise.
His hand moved furiously, splattering colors across the canvas with almost violent intensity.
[Time remaining: 3h15m]
His breath came in gasps as he took a step back to admire his work.
The painting was grotesque, a twisted mass of shapes and shadows, barely recognizable as human forms.
The artist’s eyes were wide, gleaming with a mix of excitement and madness as he stared at it.
“It’s almost perfect,” he whispered to himself, his voice trembling with delight.
He reached for another brush, dipped it into a deep crimson paint, and splashed it across the center of the painting, as though adding blood to a wound.
The clock in the corner of his eye ticked away, but he barely noticed.
This was his masterpiece—his art, and it would be remembered long after the trial, after he killed all of the others.
As he stepped back again, a twisted smile curled his lips. His gaze flicked to the timer.
[Time remaining: 2h50m]
“Soon, you will all become part of my masterpiece.”
…
In a dimly lit, candle-filled chapel, a man knelt before the altar, his head bowed in silent prayer.
The figure was wearing dark, tattered robes, and the sound of his whispered words echoed faintly in the vast emptiness of the chapel.
[Time remaining: 1h58m]
His hands were clasped tightly, skin pale, but his eyes—half-hidden behind his hood—were wide open, staring into the shadows ahead.
The candles flickered, casting long, dancing shadows on the stone walls.
He murmured something incoherent, his voice hoarse from hours of prayer.
“Lord Godless… We will eliminate all the threats…”
“Lord Godless… Give me some of your power… I shall eliminate all those who oppose you…”
[Time remaining: 1h30m]
The panel floated before him, its countdown relentless. He didn’t need to see it. He could feel it—time slipping away, dragging him toward something inevitable.
But then, an answer came.
“You wish to eliminate all those that threaten me?” a manifestation of the [Godless Demon] appeared.
“LORD! LORD!” the man jumped in joy.
“If you wish to do so…” Godless snapped his fingers, transferring a small amount of aura to the man, “Then get rid of all the participants, especially the black-haired boy with the crimson aura.”
“Yes… Yes… I will, Lord,” The man kneeled, feeling the newly gained power.
The air in the chapel grew cold as he stepped toward the doors, his robes trailing behind him like shadows.
His eyes, once filled with devotion, were now hollow, consumed by the darkness that had taken hold of his soul.
With a final glance at the altar, he pushed open the doors and stepped into the night.
“It shall be done.”
…
Inside a rift, while fighting hundreds upon hundreds of monsters, a man and his companion were fighting hordes of monsters after the other.
The woman was able to transform herself into a massive beast made of shadows, cutting through anything and everything, her skin so hard that it was almost impossible to cut through it.
The man, on the other hand, raised his arm and with a single slash cut through dozens of monsters.
The two of them were confused, almost unbothered by the sheer amount of monsters, each and every one of them level 400 and above.
[Time remaining: 30m]
[Warning, the domination trial is starting, every participant needs to be ready.]
“Should we go, Dan?” the woman asked, transforming back into her human shape, except for her arm which was now black and with a massive mouth that could extend, eating one monster after the other.
“Sure,” the man nodded, “Just wanted to experience that adrenaline of being cornered again.”
“Don’t worry, none of these people have anything of us,” the woman smiled, “You kill them, I eat them.”
“Right.”
…
And finally, back to Stark and Sora, who were still training inside the [Memories Museum].
He had pretty much mastered the usage of [Asura’s Arms], which wasn’t that difficult, but he didn’t use [Crimson Spear]’s ultimate attack as he didn’t feel like showing it, plus there was nothing to master with it: the angel would do everything.
And so…
[Time remaining: 5m]
