Chapter 52: Trial (2)

Drip. Drip……

From the twisted arm, bright red blood flowed down toward the ground.

Carl pressed his advantage, exuding an even stronger surge of demonic energy that crashed over his opponent.

Fwoooosh!

The soaring demonic energy turned into pitch-black flames, devouring the opponent’s energy and spilling outward in all directions.

With eyes glinting with a murderous gleam, Carl whispered to Carlos.

“For a fake, you’re pathetic.”

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a martial art in the realm of divine techniques.

No matter how well this formation was made, it was almost impossible to fully replicate the power of a divine art.

As if to prove that fact, Carlos’s momentum gradually began to falter.

Swish!

Carlos violently shoved away their locked fists and stomped the ground.

The blood splattering everywhere was swept into the surging demonic fire, evaporating in black smoke.

Shhhhhh!

Carlos, widening the distance between them, flicked his fingers.

A sharp Sonic Burst came slashing in, tracing a long diagonal path through the air.

Clang-clang-clang!

Carl stood his ground, wrapping the demonic fire in front of him.

The condensed demonic energy, like a protective shield, completely blocked the incoming strike.

Shaking his hand lightly to scatter the gathered flames, Carl curled his lips into a grin and tightened his fist.

“It’d be disappointing if it ended here. The name of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is not so light that it can be crudely imitated.”

Boom─!

Carl stomped down instantly.

Closing the distance between them in a flash, he threw out a light punch, just as before.

Of course, its power was on an entirely different level than before.

Kwoooom!

With an immense shockwave proving the change in destructive force, Carlos’s body was hurled backward.

Even with his arms crossed to block and his body enveloped in demonic energy, he could not withstand it.

Rolling along the ground a few times before bouncing away, he barely twisted his body midair to land in place.

Drip.

Blood spilled from his lips—likely from internal injuries.

Yet Carlos’s gaze remained fixed on Carl, who still looked composed.

Shiiing.

Carlos reached out and drew a sword from who knew where.

Then, to stop Carl’s slow approach toward him, he unleashed a sharp slash.

Thud.

Once again, condensed demonic energy blocked the sword aura.

But the sensation was noticeably different from before, causing Carl’s eyes to narrow.

‘Extreme Yin Energy?’

Piercing through his demonic energy, a chilling cold crept inside.

Shaking his hand lightly, shards of ice clattered down, glimmering as they fell.

The Crystal of Frost he had absorbed earlier had gone into the Bright Heaven Divine Art.

It wasn’t strange for Extreme Yin Energy to be present, but the problem was that it had broken through his demonic energy.

‘With the current realm of the Bright Heaven Divine Art, piercing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art should be impossible.’

Carl furrowed his brow.

The Carlos before him now had reached the same realm as himself.

The difference in visible power came from the fact that this trial could not fully reproduce a divine art.

Then why had the Bright Heaven Divine Art been able to pierce his demonic energy and reach inside?

“……So you’re telling me I’m not handling the Bright Heaven Divine Art properly.”

Shiiing.

Matching his opponent, Carl slowly drew his sword as well.

It wasn’t so much wounded pride as it was curiosity.

At least in this realm, he had thought there was no one who understood these two divine arts better than himself.

Yet the current situation was proof that, while it might not be true for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, he hadn’t fully mastered the Bright Heaven Divine Art.

‘Even if the yin energy from the Crystal of Frost changed its nature…’

The gap shouldn’t have been this wide.

Which meant that from the very start, he had never truly wielded the Bright Heaven Divine Art to its fullest.

Crackle…

Carlos now discarded the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, using only the Bright Heaven Divine Art.

The surrounding temperature dropped, and in an instant frost began to form.

It might even have been colder and more powerful than Nerian’s Power of Ice.

Fwoooosh─!

The more it did, the more fiercely Carl’s demonic fire roared.

Good. This was better.

Having just realized he wasn’t using the true Heavenly Demon Divine Art, things had felt a little dull. But if it was the Bright Heaven Divine Art imbued with Extreme Yin Energy, then it would be a worthy opponent.

Crackle!

The two opposing forces clashed sharply at the center.

Carl’s sword blazed with demonic fire, while Carlos’s sword flowed with Extreme Yin Energy, engulfing the surroundings.

Swoosh.

In the next moment, both their figures vanished simultaneously.

Slash-slash-slash-slash─!

Hundreds of strikes erupted in the empty air at once.

The already-ruined ground, barely holding together, finally collapsed.

When the loud detonations burst in all directions, it was Carl, seizing the high ground, who unleashed his ultimate move first.

The pinnacle of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art—

‘Heaven-Flow Twilight Flash.’

Demonic energy compressed to its limit burst from the tip of his sword, plummeting to the ground.

It was like an unstoppable calamity flooding down upon the earth.

Carlos didn’t stay idle.

The aura of the Bright Heaven Divine Art surged upward in the form of a dragon, colliding with the Heaven-Flow Twilight Flash.

The Bright Heaven Divine Art’s ultimate move—

‘Ascending Heaven Annihilation.’

Calamity and dragon crashed violently, each biting at the other’s throat.

The shockwaves were so great that the entire trial-formed space shook.

In the end, both forces exhausted themselves and perished together.

Thud.

Landing on the ground, Carl exhaled a deep breath.

‘I lost.’

The Heaven-Flow Twilight Flash had been clearly overpowered by the Ascending Heaven Annihilation.

In a real battle, the gap was large enough that it wouldn’t have been strange if his life had been taken.

This was the true terror of orthodox martial arts.

An orthodox martial art was like a deep ocean—when the realm rose, it created a massive current.

When one rose from martial combat to the realm of martial mastery, the balance between opponents could be completely reversed.

‘Once I return, I’ll have much to reflect on.’

Carl gave a wry smile and tightened his grip on his sword.

Just clashing with the Ascending Heaven Annihilation had made this trip to the ruins worthwhile.

Even if he failed to find traces of 《Justice》 in the ruins, it was still a profitable gain on his part.

“I’ll admit it. If the trial itself wasn’t flawed, then it means I’ve misunderstood the Bright Heaven Divine Art.”

He openly acknowledged his own shortcomings.

The moment he did, something that had been stagnant within him flashed, sending a sharp stimulus through his mind.

Though he stood still, goosebumps rose over his entire body, and a tingling sensation raced along his veins.

Clack.

Even the change in his sword grip came from instinctive judgment.

Crackle…

A presence unlike before began to envelop Carl’s entire being.

That wavering aura, like shimmering heat haze, was pure yet insidious, clean yet chaotic.

The coexistence of the orthodox and the demonic.

The Bright Heaven Divine Art and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art blended together as one around Carl.

An impossibility made reality—achieving complete harmony and reaching the Middle Way.

“They call this the Primordial Unity’s Single Pole.”

He slowly raised his sword.

Even if it were the Bright Heaven Divine Art infused with Extreme Yin Energy—

Even if it were the Heavenly Demon Divine Art taken to its extreme—

The moment one reached the Single Pole of Primordial Unity, all of it lay beneath one’s feet.

Swoosh.

Carl’s sword swept down.

No elegant sword forms, no dazzling radiance.

Nothing but a simple arc from top to bottom.

Yet, the instant one was caught in it, the world itself split in two.

“……”

Carlos, standing at the center of that trajectory, seemed to sense it and moved instantly to retreat.

But if it could be avoided, it would not be called the Single Pole.

Srrrk.

From the crown of his head to his groin, a perfectly straight line was drawn.

Then, as the light faded from Carlos’s eyes, his body crumbled into dust from the edges inward and scattered away.

“……”

From the tip of Carl’s lowered sword, barely touching the ground, a faint ash-colored aura dripped down.

Exhaling briefly, Carl sheathed his sword and lifted his gaze.

The world was collapsing.

The devastated, warping scenery around him seemed to declare that the trial was over.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the same temple as before.

“……Carl?”

Laysis, walking deeper into the temple with the seniors, glanced back with her head tilted.

At some point, Carl had stopped walking, staring blankly into empty space.

Curious what he was looking at, she turned her head to follow his gaze—but there was nothing noteworthy ahead.

“Carl?”

Laysis called again, this time with a hint of unease.

Could there be something in the ruins?

If he didn’t answer even after she called one more time, she planned to run to the seniors.

Just then, Carl blinked a few times, lifted his head, and replied.

“……Apologies. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“You scared me. Don’t joke around like that.”

Laysis let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping.

The temple’s atmosphere was already eerie enough as it was.

“Come on. The seniors have already gone further inside.”

“Understood.”

Carl gave a faint smile and followed after her, as if nothing had happened.

At the front of the ruins exploration team were Professor Ruiden, the club president Dane, and the vice-president Ubel.

Although Dane and Ubel’s combat ability was quite low, as scions of wealthy merchant families, they each carried artifacts for self-protection.

And according to the records, these ruins had been used for rituals, so their danger level was judged low enough for them to take the lead.

“……Wait.”

Professor Ruiden raised a hand, halting everyone.

They were currently inside the temple, passing through the corridor leading to the central hall.

Moving cautiously in case of traps, they all tensed when Ruiden signaled them.

Tap, tap-tap.

Keeping close to the wall, Professor Ruiden slowly probed ahead.

Thanks to the lighting, visibility was secured, but he still jabbed the end of his rod in all directions, as if battling unseen dangers.

“……In poorly designed places, there are sometimes traps right at the end of a section. I had to check, but it seems safe. Now, follow me one by one into the central hall.”

Confirming the way ahead was safe, Professor Ruiden nodded and stepped forward.

One by one, they entered the central hall. Finally, it was Carl and Laysis’s turn at the rear.

Thud.

The doorway to the hall was a bit low, so they had to stoop to avoid hitting their heads.

Stepping over the threshold, they were greeted with a spacious interior.

“……Wow.”

Following Carl inside, Laysis let out a quiet exclamation.

The walls and ceiling of the hall were adorned with decorations of many colors.

There were stained-glass works, statues carved with masterful skill, and fine crafts.

“It seems we’ve found it. This should be the central sanctuary.”

Professor Ruiden looked around in satisfaction.

“The condition is excellent. Its historical value will be high. Reporting this to the academic circles will earn us proper credit.”

“Wow, this is my first time seeing ruins preserved in their original form.”

“You all know the rules, right? Don’t touch the artifacts carelessly.”

“Don’t worry, Vice-President.”

“We’re not desperate enough to ruin ourselves over artifacts.”

Everyone smiled and nodded.

Once reported under the club’s name, the site would become a joint property of Bayern and the Empire.

If its historical value was acknowledged, it would be moved to Bayern or a museum for research.

The exploration team had also been told a decent reward would be given.

“……”

Carl, uninterested in money, looked around slowly—searching for any trace of 《Justice》.

However, most of the interior decorations were clearly religious, and nothing stood out as being connected to 《Justice》…

“Senior Dane.”

“Yes, Carl? What’s on your mind?”

Dane, scribbling furiously in his notebook in front of a small statue, looked up at Carl’s call.

“That thing over there—could you tell me what it is? It’s something I’ve never seen before.”

“Which one?”

“That stele in the center.”

“That is……”

Dane lowered his notebook, narrowing his eyes.

Then, tilting his head, he asked Carl in return:

“What is it?”

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