As Follower rose from his bow, blood still dripping from his blade, he felt an intoxicating rush
Killing Dave and Claire hadn’t merely been a victory.
It had been a revelation, a stepping stone that allowed him to get closer to ascending as an Apostle.
The Godless Demon’s voice, distant yet omnipresent, pulsed in his mind like a silent drumbeat, a low, resonant call that he felt deep in his bones.
[Kill. The. Chosen. One.]
It wasn’t a task anymore.
It was an order.
A cold gust swept through the square, rustling the hem of his cloak as he surveyed the square, the flickering torchlight casting ominous shadows over the Hollow Tower’s towering facade.
“Where is he,” Follower kneeled, “Show me where he is, master Godless, and I shall execute him on the spot.”
[…]
The silence hung heavy, as if the entire world were holding its breath.
[Very well.]
Then, slowly, a dark, shimmering arrow materialized before him, floating in midair, and pointed steadily in the direction he was to go.
It pulsed with an unnatural glow, almost breathing with life as it awaited him to follow.
The Godless Demon’s voice resounded once more, its power vibrating in his very core.
[It will show you Chosen’s position wherever he goes.]
Follower grinned, nodding in appreciation. “Thank you,” he murmured, straightening and locking his gaze on the arrow.
Without another word, he began to follow it, every step bringing him closer to his target.
…
Back to the Orphanage.
Far from the square, deep within the courtyard of the orphanage.
Stark blinked, his vision struggling to adjust.
But there was only darkness, a thick, oppressive void that smothered everything in its path.
All he could make out were two pinpricks of light, faint but deadly, piercing through the black—the cold, glowing eyes of Father Hugo.
“Lost, are we?” Hugo’s voice slithered through the shadows, mockingly, his laughter echoing in every direction.
A notification flashed before Stark’s eyes.
[Test of Faith]
[Task #19: Survive Father Hugo’s “Test of Faith.”]
“God damn it…” Stark cursed under his breath, his fists clenched tightly.
He felt his heart pounding, each beat sounding like a war drum in the silence, but he forced himself to stay calm.
This was just another obstacle, another twisted trial.
But as he reached out for his powers, the dark energy of Hugo’s spell constricted around him, dulling his senses, his focus slipping from his control.
He struggled to summon his crimson aura, but it was like grasping at smoke.
Every skill, every bit of his strength was being suffocated by this hellish darkness.
“Show yourself!” he roared, his voice echoing uselessly into the void.
But Hugo only chuckled, his voice omnipresent. “Show myself? Why would I, when you’re already so… helpless?”
A cold shiver ran down Stark’s spine as he realized that Hugo’s voice wasn’t just taunting him—it was everywhere.
Surrounding him, closing in on him.
And then, suddenly, pain shot through his body, sharp and unyielding.
-14,924
“Your senses are so dulled you don’t notice pain until it reaches you,” Hugo laughed, “So weak.”
He staggered, his legs buckling as he struggled to stay on his feet.
Father Hugo had punched him in the gut, and to put it in perspective, each one of Father Hugo’s punches could destroy a small building.
No kidding.
Stark was running out of options, and fast.
“Do you not see that everything is useless?”
PUNCH! BAM!
“ARGH-”
-17,493!
‘That guy isn’t attacking Sora at all…’ Stark thought, ‘Good… it’s better this way.’
PUNCH! PUNCH!
Two more swings at his face brought him back to reality.
-14,495! -13,921!
Father Hugo took pleasure in knowing Stark was defenseless.
“COME ON!” Hugo shouted for the first time, “SHOW ME!”
Crimson Ball Transmission!
Stark tried to teleport, but Hugo would be there, waiting for him.
Crimson Purification!
He would send a wave of aura outward, but it didn’t hit anything.
“Tsk tsk,” Hugo appeared in front of him, shaking his finger, “Bad child.”
PUNCH!
-18,384!
Stark’s HP was getting dangerously low.
Domi-Chain Restrains: Chains of Judgment!
He sent all three chains toward the white eyes he could see, and also summoned [Gortox] to send a few dozen more.
But even then.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
“Do you think these can hold me down?” Hugo kept laughing, “This. Is. Nothing.”
None of this worked.
NONE OF IT IS WORKING!
“Do you believe…” Hugo’s figure appeared before Stark, looking down on him as he was nothing more than a bug, “That you can win?”
“…” Stark’s looked down, clenching his fists.
There was no way he could win against [Father Hugo] and [Eternal Regret].
But Hugo hadn’t finished his sentence.
“When even she couldn’t?”
He grabbed onto the darkness, and from it pulled Sora’s head, completely separated from her body.
Her eyes were hollow, blood dripping from her mouth, eyes and nose.
“!!!” Stark’s eyes widened, completely shock written on his face.
“Your little friend won’t be watching your dying face, but at least see hers.”
At that moment, Stark saw red.
He couldn’t even feel his surroundings anymore.
[This is fake, by the way.]
A panel appeared before him.
[It is one of his illusionary skills, do not trust it.]
But even then, Stark couldn’t stop feeling rage.
How dare this ugly looking thing do this.
[Oh well, just eliminate him.]
Before he could even realize it himself, Stark moved his fist toward Hugo’s face.
It was so fast, in fact, that even he didn’t see it.
And neither did Father Hugo.
SLAM! BOOOOM!
-273,941!
The punch was like an explosion, destroying everything around it, including the darkness that had taken over the courtyard.
Ding!
[Task #19: You have survived Father Hugo’s “Test of Faith”]
[You have received the “Hollow Teleporter”]
[Description: Will teleport you in front of the Hollow Tower instantly. Can be used by several people if holding hands.]
Notification rang out, but Stark was too focused in taming his anger.
He quickly calmed down as he saw Sora use her vine powers to block [Eternal Regret]’s attacks, though.
“Phew…” he mumbled.
Father Hugo on the other hand had been sent flying toward yet another wall, destroying it.
He had actually received damage!
But Stark didn’t plan to stay here any longer.
By sheer luck, he had gotten an item that could allow him to leave this place.
Though, when he looked up again, he realized it wasn’t luck at all.
[Talent: Chosen One, activated]
“Damn.”
Without wasting a moment, he reached out, calling, “Sora! Grab my hand, now!”
She looked back while restraining the giant beast that was on the verge of breaking through her barrier, then ran toward Stark, not questioning what he wanted to do.
Stark didn’t hesitate.
He activated the Hollow Teleporter, gripping Sora’s hand as the courtyard around them began to warp and twist, the darkness melting away into a blur of motion and light.
In an instant, they were gone, leaving behind the haunting laughter of Father Hugo and screams of [Eternal Regret] as they vanished into thin air.
The world stabilized around them, and suddenly they found themselves sprawled on the cold stone floor of the square right before Hollow Tower.
The air was heavy, filled with the ominous energy of the tower, but it was safe—safe from Father Hugo, from the suffocating darkness that had nearly claimed them.
Stark and Sora lay there, panting, their chests heaving as they struggled to catch their breath.
Stark’s mind raced, processing everything that had just happened.
They had been inches from death, standing against one of the most terrifying entities in this trial.
And they had only barely escaped.
Stark’s gaze drifted up to the towering ceiling above, the walls lined with shadows that seemed to pulse and breathe with a life of their own.
“That’s… the place,” he looked up, impossible to see the top of the tower from there.
The conditions to open it were still written on the door for him to check, but he didn’t bother as he already knew them.
As he sat up, a fierce determination glinted in his eyes. “We were so close…” he muttered, his fists clenching at his sides.
He could still feel the lingering chill of Father Hugo’s darkness, the way it had constricted around him, choking the very life from him.
He wouldn’t forget it.
The ominous silence of the Hollow Tower loomed around them, but Stark’s thoughts were sharp, focused.
They were far from safe, but they were alive.
And in this hellish trial, that was something to hold onto.
Elsewhere in Termina, the remaining participants fought for survival, each one entangled in the twisted games of the trial.
Eight remained.
One seeking for another to achieve the great status of [Godless Demon Apostle].
Two stuck in a manor with a crazy mayor that could kill them at any moment if they didn’t follow his rules.
Two so calm it didn’t even seem like they cared about this trial at all.
One having just unleashed two terrifying beasts on the rest of the participants.
And the last, Stark and Sora, just escaped death from one of the commanders they were supposed to defeat.
The Mayor, The Tormented One, The Heartless One, Father Hugo, and Eternal Regret.
These entities were the strongest in the trial.
If they wanted to win this trial, they would need to kill them all.
“This trial is… fucking… insane…” Stark grit his teeth, a vortex of crimson energy swirling inside his eyes as he clenched his fists.
The sheer force of his aura pulsed outward.
“I’m going to fucking… destroy… EVERYTHING.”
[EGO Meter: 100/100]
