Chapter 51: Trial (1)

Formations could largely be divided into three categories.

The first was the low-grade formation, a type that disturbed perception and senses.

It could cause a loss of direction, sudden darkness over one’s vision, dizziness like drunkenness, or even the sensation of someone whispering continuously in one’s ear.

A low-grade formation in itself did not have high killing power.

They were mostly used to conceal a hideout, protect something, or block an approach.

The second, the mid-grade formation, was one that materialized phenomena.

From here onward, changes occurred between heaven and earth.

For example, lightning could strike down, heavy rain could pour, or fierce winds could blow.

Most often, such phenomena seen in nature were reproduced inside the formation.

There were cases where the spatial energy was distorted to create them artificially, or where the power of mechanical formation devices was borrowed to replicate them.

At this stage, the killing power of a formation became high enough to threaten the life of even a fairly skilled expert.

And then, the third.

In the case of high-grade formations, there were multiple types even within them, but in Carl’s view, the most troublesome one was when an ‘opponent’ appeared.

The death gate of the formation would take shape and manifest in the enemy’s form before one’s eyes.

Just like right now.

“……”

Carl stood without moving a single finger, staring at his opponent.

Mu-ak, clad in black, did the same.

The two stared at each other, trying to extract information about the other.

Then suddenly, Carl realized that the white space surrounding them had, at some point, been swallowed by pitch-black darkness.

‘A precursor to the formation’s activation!’

A sense of crisis surged through his entire body.

At the same time, Mu-ak’s figure vanished from sight, and a single trajectory was drawn in the air.

Srrrk─.

In that fleeting instant of recognition, Carl twisted his shoulder, slipping his body out from the path of the trajectory.

Even though he reacted immediately, the hem of his coat was sliced away, leaving the inside of his clothes split open.

Had he been even a little slower, his entire arm would have been severed.

Swaaaash─!

Carl instantly launched a counterattack.

In contrast to the silent swing of the other’s dark blade, his strike carried an overwhelmingly domineering force.

The surge of sword energy ripped apart the surrounding space, sweeping away the heavy darkness as it tore through the air.

‘There’s no one in this world who knows better than me how to deal with an assassin.’

If an assassin’s first surprise attack failed, their chances of victory dropped sharply.

Numerically, it wouldn’t even reach thirty percent.

Swish.

Mu-ak stepped back, attempting to blend back into the darkness, but Carl wasn’t about to let him go so easily.

Boom─!

A sharp wave of energy erupted.

The air around them quaked, shaking the darkness that had been as still as the surface of a quiet lake.

Sensing the presence of Mu-ak, who had tried to erase his figure, Carl pushed off the ground, soaring forward with fierce momentum.

‘This Mu-ak’s level is about the same as mine right now.’

It seemed to be the nature of this trial.

Had this been Mu-ak from his Unkillable days, Carl’s head would have been severed the moment their eyes met—no, before he even recognized the man’s existence.

[All things are relative.]

The phrase carved before the temple likely described the difficulty level of this trial.

‘So, it’s telling me to defeat myself.’

It was the most intuitive and blunt process possible.

Wasn’t a typical religious trial usually about reflection and meditation to look inward?

《Rest》 seemed to have been a far more aggressive person than a priest ought to be.

Clang!

Two blades collided.

The assassin’s sword against the Heavenly Demon’s sword.

It went without saying which side held the advantage when fighting head-on at the same level.

“……”

Mu-ak’s body was flung back.

He was using the recoil from the clash to try and open up some distance.

Carl fired another slash of sword energy imbued with fierce demonic energy, keeping the man from disappearing into the darkness again.

‘If I could, I’d just shatter this entire space…’

From what he’d understood so far, this place itself was made up of illusion.

A conceptual space where physical laws held no meaning.

However, concept alone could not reproduce the power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Judging from the vivid demonic energy swirling around his own body, the space was illusory, but the phenomena were drawn from reality.

In other words, dying here would mean truly dying.

‘The others might be in trouble.’

Laysis might endure or even win her trial, but the other non-combat cadets would have a hard time.

It seemed best to end this quickly and help the others.

Crackle─!

The aura of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art around Carl’s entire body deepened as he pursued Mu-ak.

His main art, the Bright Heaven Divine Art, wasn’t particularly well-matched against an assassin.

But the domineering Heavenly Demon Divine Art could shake the surrounding air currents to block Mu-ak’s approach, and even a mere graze could inflict fatal wounds.

Flash─!

Then, Mu-ak’s figure vanished before his eyes once again.

This time, he hadn’t retreated into the darkness like before.

Abandoning escape through Dark Flow, the footwork of the Silent Shadow Kill Technique, he was preparing for a life-risking strike right here and now.

‘Had I been another assassin, this wouldn’t be easy.’

A battle between assassins was decided by differences in patience and endurance.

The one to move first was fated to lose.

For Carl, who was at a disadvantage in time, this wasn’t the best situation—

That is, if he had still clung to being an assassin.

Shhhhk─!

Sword energy rampaged.

Every place where darkness existed was struck by sharp slashes.

It was to give the man no place to hide.

Tak.

Carl sensed a small ripple behind him.

It was Mu-ak, cornered, lunging forward with his blade aimed at him.

The instant Carl turned and swung his sword, a thrown dagger was knocked spinning through the air.

‘As expected.’

Carl’s eyes narrowed.

Most experts would give chase when an assassin’s first surprise attack failed.

They knew full well that they would never lose in a direct confrontation.

That was why Carl often used that mindset against them.

“The opponent was just unlucky.”

Anyone else, maybe.

But against him, a man who had honed and perfected the assassin’s path, the same trick would never work twice.

Whip.

Carl reversed his grip on the sword and thrust it straight behind him.

“……”

Slowly turning his head, he saw Mu-ak frozen in place, Carl’s blade embedded in his chest.

The moment the sword pierced the heart, a wave of sword energy burst forth, shaking his insides and shredding his organs to pieces.

If it were an ordinary man, he would have spat blood and died instantly.

A martial artist was no exception.

Ssshh.

Mu-ak’s figure began to crumble into dust from the head down.

Carl slowly withdrew his sword, let out a short breath, and lifted his head.

“Not exactly pleasant.”

Killing a version of his past self was hardly something one could call pleasant.

Still, he had confirmed that this temple was no ordinary place, and that was enough.

If he went deeper inside, there would surely be something else waiting.

“……?”

But even after some time passed, nothing changed.

He had clearly defeated Mu-ak and passed the trial, so why did the darkness remain?

“Do I have to find the life gate too?”

Carl frowned.

Mu-ak had been the death gate.

Normally, defeating the death gate would cause the life gate to open automatically, but this formation seemed far from so accommodating.

Just as he spread his senses to search for the life gate himself—

Tap.

The scenery around him changed.

What unfolded before his eyes was a rather familiar place.

“……This is.”

The Leipzig Family’s estate.

The central training ground.

Saa─.

The cold northern wind brushed against his cheek.

Carl’s eyes widened at the vivid sense of reality, so unlike before.

‘So the trial doesn’t end after just one round?’

As he slowly lifted his head to look ahead, he sensed someone’s presence behind him.

The Leipzig estate, and the training ground.

Linking that to Mu-ak’s earlier appearance, it wasn’t hard to guess who was behind him.

“…Huh.”

When Carl turned, a dry chuckle escaped him.

Carl Leipzig himself was standing in the center of the training ground, staring straight at him.

“The second trial, is it?”

…No, it didn’t seem quite like that.

The energy Carl Leipzig emitted was still about the same as his own.

Not stronger or superior in any way.

Which meant…

“If the previous trial was with Mu-ak, then this one is with Carl Leipzig.”

Was it because he had lived two lives that he now had to undergo two trials?

Even the design of this trial seemed remarkable for having accounted for that.

Perhaps this was why the fame of heroes was passed down through the ages.

‘If there’s only one problem…’

An immense wave of energy surged through the training ground.

Carl Leipzig, who had been standing still, began taking the starting stance for a martial art.

He clenched his right fist, shrouding his entire body in the dark energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Bzzzng─!

It was a light punch.

But it had enough destructive force to push Carl back toward the edge of the training ground.

“This one’s going to be trickier to deal with.”

Shaking his wrist lightly to disperse the residual force, Carl narrowed his eyes.

The only reason he had been able to defeat Mu-ak so easily was because he had already reached the peak as an assassin in the past.

On top of that, he knew all of Mu-ak’s habits and was well-versed in the Silent Shadow Kill Technique.

With both at the same level, Carl, having already fought that battle to the end before, naturally held the overwhelming advantage.

But Carl Leipzig was different.

The vivid demonic energy flowing through that body meant this trial had reproduced the power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in its entirety.

“…All the better.”

Carl abandoned the ideas and plans he had been forming in his head.

Emptying oneself was, after all, preparation to be filled anew.

Casting aside thoughts of the other cadets’ safety, he focused solely on passing this trial.

“An opportunity to fight an expert of this caliber doesn’t come often.”

Shrrk.

On impulse, he sheathed his sword and adopted the fist technique stance, just like Carl Leipzig.

The best way to improve one’s martial arts was to spar with someone who had mastered the same style.

It was one reason Carl had taught martial arts to NOX’s subordinates.

Their talent could serve as a great stimulus for himself.

‘But even they couldn’t quench my thirst.’

Since coming to this world, he had never met a true rival.

Those below the peak were too weak, and those who had completed their path were too strong.

But if his opponent was himself?

Vmmm─!

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s energy coursed violently through his body.

In rhythm with his heartbeat, it pulsed and writhed, seizing control of every sense and amplifying them.

And when his senses reached their utmost limit—

Bzzzzng─!!

Two fists wrapped in demonic energy collided at the center of the training ground.

Crack.

It was only a single clash.

But the shockwave from the two demons’ energy shattered the floor of the training ground, breaking it apart.

The surrounding walls splintered into cubic fragments that shot away, turning the area into instant chaos.

Crackle─.

And yet, the two fists remained pressed together, locked in a contest of strength.

Carl twisted his mouth into a smirk and spoke to the man who looked exactly like him.

“You’re using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art all wrong.”

Rotation.

Carl twisted his wrist, shattering the tense balance between them.

At the same time, the reverse flow of demonic energy surged up Carl Leipzig’s arm, turning it into a tattered rag.

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