The blood rain stopped as suddenly as it started.
In its place, the crimson sky cracked open with a roar that shook every bone in your body. Deep, guttural, ancient. Like the planet itself was growling.
Then the announcer's voice returned, louder and crazier than ever:
"HOUR THREE, BABY! YOU THOUGHT FIGHTING EACH OTHER WAS TOUGH? MEET THE ARENA'S WELCOME PARTY—THE BEAST WAVE!"
The ground trembled. Cracks spider-webbed across floating islands, lava seas, blade forests. From every shadow, every ruin, every burning tree, monsters poured out like a nightmare flood.
Hundreds. Thousands.
Winged serpents the size of dragons. Stone golems with molten cores. Shadow panthers that phased through attacks. Giant spiders spinning webs of pure lightning. And worse—hybrids nobody had names for.
All of them stamped with the same glowing Arena Crest on their foreheads. All of them hungry for fighter blood.
The scoreboard flashed a new rule in blazing gold:
KILL BEASTS → EARN POINTS TOP 100 POINT EARNERS GET BONUS HEALING BEFORE NEXT HOUR LOWEST 500 → AUTO-ELIMINATED AT THE END OF THE WAVE
FIGHTERS REMAINING: 4,298 TIME LEFT: 22:01:55
Haru Cyrius, Clara, and Leonhardt Weiss stood back-to-back on the cracked black-glass island, weapons ready.
Leonhardt gripped his massive broadsword, golden mane wild in the wind. "Finally—something that deserves my blade."
Clara twirled her holy spear, gentle smile turning fierce. "Let's rack up points fast. My sister's counting on me."
Haru cracked his neck, golden chains rattling. "Cool. Let's turn these monsters into confetti."
The first wave hit like a tsunami.
A pack of shadow panthers leaped from the void, eyes glowing purple, claws dripping darkness.
Leonhardt charged first.
"Lionheart Awakening—Roar of the Pride!"
Golden shockwave exploded from his sword. Three panthers got shredded mid-air, black blood raining down.
Clara spun her spear overhead.
"Sanctum Reversal!"
Holy light burst out, healing a deep cut on Leonhardt's arm instantly while blasting two panthers into glowing ash.
Haru grinned. "My turn."
He dashed forward, Celestial Breaker flaring bright.
Fist met a panther's jaw—BOOM. The beast flew fifty feet, skull caved in.
The trio moved like they'd trained together for years. Leonhardt tanked the front. Clara healed and struck from mid-range. Haru darted in and out, shattering anything that got too close.
Points ticked up on their Crests: +15, +22, +18…
But the wave kept coming. Bigger beasts now.
A thirty-foot stone golem smashed onto the island, fists like boulders.
Leonhardt met it head-on, sword clanging against rock. Sparks flew.
"Big guy, huh? I've fought bigger!"
Clara supported with holy spears of light. Haru climbed the golem's back like a monkey and punched its core until it cracked.
The island shook as the golem fell, shattering into rubble.
They were breathing hard, but smiling.
Until the sky tore open again.
This time, one single monster descended.
Wings of pure eclipse. Body shifting between man and beast. Claws longer than swords. Eyes burning with intelligence.
The announcer lost his mind:
"SPECIAL BOSS ALERT! AZRA—THE NAMELESS BEAST—HAS EVOLVED INTO ECLIPSE BEAST MODE EARLY! IS HE HUNTING POINTS… OR HUNTING YOU?!"
Azra landed in the center of a nearby floating island, roar splitting the air. Dozens of fighters and beasts froze.
Then he charged.
Not at beasts—at fighters.
He tore through a group of ten like they were paper dolls. Claws raked. Black fire swallowed. One punch sent a dude flying off the island into the void.
The announcer screamed: "HE'S FARMING POINTS OFF CHAMPIONS! SAVAGE!"
Haru watched, fists clenched. "That guy's on another level."
Leonhardt growled. "We steer clear. For now."
Clara nodded. "Smart."
But the Arena had other plans.
Their island started drifting—pulled by invisible force—straight toward Azra's battlefield.
"Of course," Haru muttered. "Why make it easy?"
Across the chaos, other legends were carving their own legends.
On a lava sea platform:
Akira Qadrawi floated in a circle of glowing runes, face calm like he was reading a book.
Hundreds of fire serpents dove at him.
He sighed. "Arcane Cataclysm."
One word.
The entire lava sea exploded upward in a pillar of runes and purple lightning. Every serpent vaporized. Points skyrocketed: +500 in seconds.
The announcer: "THE CURSED MAGUS JUST DELETED A WHOLE ARMY! IS HE EVEN HUMAN?!"
On a cherry-blossom bridge:
Lady Sakura stood alone, katana drawn, pink petals swirling like a storm.
A horde of lightning spiders swarmed her.
She closed her eyes.
"Crimson Bloom Slash."
One horizontal cut.
Petals turned razor-sharp, exploding outward in a red wave. Spiders sliced into perfect halves. Bridge cleared.
She sheathed her blade, calm as ever.
On a gravity-flipped ruin:
Yuna Farada zipped between floating rocks, dual daggers flashing.
"Gale Phantom Dash!"
She blurred, leaving wind afterimages that stabbed beasts while the real her robbed their glowing cores for extra points.
"Thanks for the loot, uglies!"
In the shadows of a cursed forest:
Yura Zahdavel moved like death itself.
Voidstep. Decapitate. Repeat.
Beasts didn't even see him coming. Fighters who tried to ambush him ended up the same—heads rolling before they blinked.
Points climbing silent and steady.
High above, on wings of pink flame:
Xyphira laughed, energy whips cracking.
"Temptation Overdrive!"
Every beast that looked at her froze, eyes glazed. Then she whipped them into bloody mist.
"Obey your goddess, darlings!"
Back on the drifting island, Haru's trio braced as they collided with Azra's zone.
The Nameless Beast turned slowly, red eyes locking on them.
Leonhardt stepped forward. "I'll handle this."
Haru grabbed his shoulder. "No. Together."
Clara nodded, spear glowing.
Azra roared and charged.
The clash was earth-shaking.
Leonhardt met him first—sword vs claw. Metal screamed. Sparks flew.
Clara flanked, holy spear thrusting for weak spots.
Haru went high, golden fist cocked.
"Celestial Breaker—Impact!"
He slammed down on Azra's shoulder. Bone-crunching boom.
Azra staggered—first time anyone saw it—then backhanded Haru across the island.
Haru skidded, coughing blood but grinning. "Okay, he hits hard."
Azra's wounds started healing instantly, black fire knitting flesh.
Leonhardt roared, pushing harder.
Clara healed them mid-fight, light flashing.
They were holding—barely.
Then betrayal struck.
A ribbon blade shot from the shadows, aiming for Clara's back.
Suyin Hua again—alive, bandaged, eyes cold.
Clara spun, blocked—just in time.
Leonhardt cursed. "We don't have time for this!"
But Suyin wasn't alone.
Khaleed Basha dropped from above, daggers out, smirking.
"Miss me, kitty cat? Let's finish what we started."
The trio was surrounded: Azra in front, Suyin and Khaleed behind.
Haru wiped blood from his mouth.
"Great. Double-teamed by monsters and assholes."
The announcer was having the time of his life:
"EPIC SIX-WAY BOSS BATTLE! WILL THE TEMPORARY ALLIANCE SURVIVE? OR WILL BETRAYAL AND BEAST END THEM ALL?!"
TIME LEFT: 21:45:12
The beast wave roared louder.
More monsters flooded in, drawn to the chaos.
Haru, Clara, and Leonhardt shared one look.
No words.
Just fight.
Golden light, holy spears, lion roars, shadow claws, ribbon blades, mirage daggers—all exploded at once.
The island cracked under the pressure.
Blood. Fire. Screams. Epic poses mid-attack.
This was the Ascension Trials at its rawest.
And it was only getting started.