Free Web NovelChapter 9: The First Trial Of The Sanctuary
"YOU! IT’S YOUR FAULT! IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!"
A loud voice suddenly rang out across the entire courtyard, sharp and powerful, and it made all three of them flinch in surprise.
They quickly turned around, then Rentaro’s face fell the moment he saw who it was — A large man, his expression twisted with anger, walking straight towards them.
It was Alex.
Everyone in the courtyard turned to him, and Alex stood face to face with Rentaro. But Rentaro just looked up, staring at the enraged man with empty eyes.
Without warning, Alex grabbed Rentaro by his shirt and dragged him closer to him.
"Hey!" Timmy tried to step up, but a fierce glare from Alex kept him nailed to his feet. It was obvious from the aura that exuded him, the choking pressure that could snap him in half if he wished to.
Alex was a Soul-Hunter, and one stronger than the three of them combined.
"This is all your fault, you bastard! Because of you, Leon is dead!"
Rentaro’s brows jerked a bit, but they became neutral almost immediately.
Leon was dead?
It was certainly a development that he never expected, but then again, this is the sanctuary, anything could happen.
"And how’s that my fault?" Rentaro said softly, with a tone that suggested that he couldn’t care less.
His response set Alex off, and he strengthened his grip on his shirt. "He chased after you... He pleaded for you... So how the hell are you, a talentless brat still alive!?
Leon never made it back to the cave, not even after abandoning Rentaro. After leaving Charlotte and Alex behind, several minutes passed since Leon chased after Rentaro, but minutes turned to hours, and Alex grew impatient.
So he went out to search for him.
But what he found made his blood run cold, Leon was dead. What remained of him was half of his face, few chunks of his flesh that stuck to his bones, and a few of his organs.
He was devoured whole, most likely from the second Abyssal Demon that showed up from out of nowhere.
Leon’s death hurt Alex more than Charlotte, and that’s because Leon was his brother by blood, the only member of his family he had with him in the sanctuary.
"Talentless? I think you’re mistaken mister." Jake’s gentle voice reached Alex’s ears, and he turned to look at him.
"He’s right! Rentaro is an awakener who managed to obtain the Beast Will Class! And he’s strong too!" Timmy, with his hyperactive nature chimed in.
"Beast... Will Class?" Alex’s eyes widened in shock as he turned to face Rentaro. "Beast Will Class? So you were an Awakener? And you lied about it... That means you had the power to save him, but you didn’t, you ran away. You let him die!"
"Let him die?" Timmy and Jake’s brows jerked, confused. "What’s he talking about Rentaro?"
Rentaro met Alex’s rage filled eyes with an empty stare, then sighed softly as he said. "No, I didn’t let him die. He died because he couldn’t do what was necessary to survive. He was just a deserting bastard who couldn’t face his fears."
Alex snapped as Rentaro’s words hit a nerve, his eyes sharpened with a frightening intensity as he raised his right hand above his head, coiling his fingers into a fist while he drew in his Soul-Energy.
A low hum seemed to build as the air around his fist began to shift and ripple, bending under the pressure of the gathering power in his fist, and beneath him the ground trembled slightly, dust stirring and small stones rattling as the energy swelled.
"Don’t talk about my brother that way... You bastard!! He aimed his fist down at him, but before anything could happen, a sudden voice stopped his fist midair.
"What’s going on here?"
They all stopped at once as a loud voice cut through the air, freezing them in place. Slowly, they turned around, their movements stiff with surprise.
Behind them stood a tall man, dressed in a black suit that fit him neatly. His silky black hair was tied back into a ponytail, his pale skin almost glowing under the red light of the sky, and his clear black eyes watched them. He stood at about six feet tall, quiet and calmly, yet somehow commanding all of their attention.
Alex’s eyes widened a bit as the man’s figure came into view, and he immediately released his grip on Rentaro. "Vice captain Livinus."
"Vice captain!?"
"Alex... The point of gathering Awakeners here is to guide humanity out of the sanctuary, is there a reason why you are attempting to use a Soul-Technique on that boy?" Despite his lean appearance, his words and voice carried an unmistakable authority.
That was the influence of the Vice captain of the 1st Soul-Squad, Madarame Livinus.
"N-no sir, please pardon my recklessness."
"And you." Livinus stepped forward, glancing down at the kid Alex tried to eliminate. "Is there a reason why a Soul-Hunter tried harming you?"
He expected a response, but instead, what he got back was the same cold gaze Rentaro had. That expression had long become part of him, especially in cases where he encountered men in black suits, stirring unwanted memories that he chose to keep buried.
"No sir!" Timmy answered on his behalf. "He just tried attacking him from out of nowhere."
"Is that right?" Livinus glanced back at the empty stare in Rentaro’s eyes. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
’This kid...’
"Well, in that case, forgive my subordinate’s actions." He turned around and walked past Alex as he said. "Try this again, and you’ll be adequately sanctioned."
"Understood sir." Alex gritted his teeth as he glanced over his shoulders at Rentaro. "This isn’t over." Then he left.
"Well, that was unexpected."
"Hey." A familiar voice caught their ears, and they all turned, it was Eliza, fully equipped with bronze rank armor, and an iron rank sword.
"What was that about?" During their thirty minute break, she and Alexa used their time to browse the weapons shop. As an Awakener in the sanctuary, it was suicide to enter the trials without weaponry.
"Nothing serious, just a Soul-Hunter misusing his power and authority."
"I see. When I said we had time to rest, I didn’t exactly imagine you’d spend it getting yourselves into trouble." Eliza chuckled softly. "But aren’t you going to get weapons before we set out?"
"Weapons?" Timmy scoffed, then a wide grin curled at the corner of his lips. "My class allows me to summon even legendary weapons and armour, when I increase in rank that is."
"I’m good." Jake said.
"Same." Rentaro consented.
"Alright then, let’s head out."
The group walked together toward the main gate of the 1st’s base.
After a brief stop to obtain their permit, there was a low, grinding sound as the massive doors slowly opened, revealing the space beyond. Without hesitation, they stepped forward and passed through, leaving the courtyard behind as the gates loomed over them.
"This is it... It’s going to be a lot tougher than the Bloodfang Wolves from the training grounds, but we can face it."
As they all took one step forward, the ground beneath them gave a sudden tremble, and it didn’t stop there. Within seconds, it began to shift erratically, the surface moving and twisting as if it were alive, rearranging itself beneath their feet.
Cracks slid into new shapes, paths broke apart, and the air filled with a low, rumbling force. Before anyone could react, a powerful swoosh swept through the area, fast and overwhelming, tearing the group apart in an instant.
One moment they stood together, and the next, they were gone from each other, scattered by the sudden, unnatural change.
"What?" Rentaro blinked as he regained his balance. "What just happened?"
He looked around, only to find himself deep within a forest. But it was completely different from the Devil’s Playground which was soaked in blood.
[You have entered the first trial of the Sanctuary!]
A notification flashed in front of his eyes, startling him.
[There are a total of 3000 entities in the first stage, to move on to the next stage, the numbers must be reduced to 500. Creators with the accepted number of kills will be spared once the time given elapses, those who failed to meet up with the required objective will be automatically eliminated.]
[Allocated time remaining: 20 minutes]
"Reduced? You don’t mean... A 3000 man Battle Royale?"
