CHAPTER 290: Enter the DEVIL
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The battle reached a tense impasse as the Raid Party retreated, drawing back into the safety of Akor’s Aqua Shell, which encased them like a shimmering blue dome. It shielded them from the local army, which had surrounded the shell, desperately attacking its barrier in a futile attempt to breach it.
Olivia intervened from within, telepathically intercepting their strikes, orchestrating defenses with precision to prevent casualties among the attackers.
The opposing forces grew frantic, driven by the knowledge that the Raid Party was close to activating a teleportation device. Rumors whispered among the ranks of the local army that their leader, Yinad, had been struck down in the confrontation, throwing them into a heightened state of alarm.
They feared an impending massacre by these invaders, whom their fallen leader had described as merciless and even more vicious than monsters, taking pleasure in carnage.
Still, under the leadership of Yinad’s half-brother Yiren, they pressed on, determined to halt the Raid Party at all costs. Yiren, the next in command, was unrelenting in boosting their morale, calling upon them to hold their ground until their leader could return.
Yiren proclaimed with staunch conviction that Yinad could not have fallen to the deadly meteor shower. His half-brother possessed extraordinary measures that made him nearly unkillable, resilient beyond the scope of ordinary Alpha Chosen and that Yinad only needed time to recuperate.
With that in mind, Yiren rallied his troops with a fierce determination, declaring that their mission was clear: they would breach the Aqua Shell, disrupt the reinforcements, and, most crucially, prevent the arrival of "the Devil"—the feared Power Ranker from Earth whose brutal reputation preceded him.
In truth, Yiren's relationship with Yinad had been marked by rivalry long before they found themselves in the Trial World. Unlike his older brother, who was gifted with three innate talents, two of which were of Grade-9, Yiren possessed only a single Grade-8 talent—a powerful ability in its own right but one that paled next to Yinad’s capabilities.
Growing up, Yiren was royalty, a legitimate contender for the crown of their kingdom, and he looked down upon Yinad as an illegitimate child, someone of common blood who had no rightful claim to power. But Yinad’s relentless ambition and drive had steadily challenged this bias.
Their rivalry had taken on a different dimension once they became Alpha Chosen. Yinad, backed by the commoner faction, rose quickly in power, catching even the king’s eye. His accomplishments spoke volumes. Through sheer force of power, he suppressed his adversaries, secured the king’s favor, and was crowned the next king, reshaping the kingdom’s future in preparation for the System Assimilation.
As time went on, Yiren found himself re-evaluating his prejudices. He had been raised in an environment where commoners were treated as lesser beings, nothing more than laborers under the rule of the royals.
Yet Yinad, having lived among the commoners, harbored a fierce compassion for their plight and made it his mission to eradicate inequality. With Yinad as king, the nobles could no longer exploit or abuse the lower classes without consequence. Law and order spread through their kingdom, bringing a stability that Yiren had never imagined possible.
Yiren’s initial resentment gave way to reluctant admiration, which only grew as he witnessed his brother’s accomplishments. He couldn’t deny his brother’s prowess where he led their team to victory in the first Tournament and when he defeated a powerful Fiend Subsidiary monster that had terrorized their Tournament.
Under Yinad’s leadership, they established a faction within the Trial World, attracting other Alpha Chosen from their region, creating a place where law and order flourished, and the once chaotic land saw a semblance of peace.
But even with Yinad’s formidable strength, the fourth floor of the Obelisk remained out of reach. The horde of Tier-4 monsters stood as a near-impenetrable barrier, and their entire region boasted fewer than thirty Tier-4 Alpha Chosen, far too few to claim the floor.
Yiren and the others knew it would take considerable time to grow strong enough to face it—or for Yinad to evolve to Tier-5 and lead them to conquest.
However, the steady progress of another group sent shockwaves through their ranks. Each day, notifications filled the sky, announcing the conquest of Obelisks one by one.
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The name ‘Earth’ and its champion, Jay, appeared again and again, an unstoppable force, claiming more Obelisks with each passing day. It was initially three Obelisks a day—but soon doubled, marking a trail of triumphs, leaving everyone in their region in awe.
On the eighteenth day, Yinad revealed harrowing news to their allies. He reported that Jay and his team from Earth were far from what they expect—they were, as Yinad described, ruthless conquerors who invaded Trial Regions, slaughtered locals without mercy, and enslaved those who surrendered.
They allegedly gathered sadistic allies, rampaging through Alpha Chosen territories, leaving tens of thousands dead in their wake. The few survivors who escaped had banded together to warn others, spreading terror with tales of atrocities.
To convince any skeptics, Yinad produced a recording device, displaying scenes of devastation and brutality unleashed by Jay and his followers. They all stared in horror at the recordings, feeling dread settle into their bones.
Determined to avoid such a fate, they fortified their defenses, waiting near the Obelisk for the Raid Party to arrive. According to the survivors, their first priority was to destroy the teleportation device and launch a preemptive strike.
The ambush unfolded in a swift, explosive assault, taking the Raid Party by surprise. Under Yiren's command, the local forces struck with everything they had, desperate to gain any advantage. But even as the numbers surged against them, the Raid Party's defenses held firm, their strategies unbreakable, their reactions almost preternaturally quick.
Before long, their plan began to unravel, falling to pieces as Yinad himself was brought down—not by the Omega Chosen they had feared most, but by an unknown warrior whose prowess was no less lethal.
Meanwhile, casualties surged on their side, with nearly a hundred Alpha Chosen lost in the fray. The unyielding battle pushed both forces to their limits, yet it was evident the Raid Party held the upper hand. Still, they chose a defensive stance, opting to bide their time until reinforcements arrived.
The Raid Party succeeded at last, fully activating the teleportation device. It emitted a low hum as space warped around the platform, forming a dark, turbulent portal. From its depths emerged the figure they feared above all—‘the Devil’ himself.
As Jay stepped out, his eyes swept over the battlefield with a cold stare. His expression was stern, a silent warning that spoke volumes to everyone present. Without a word, he strode out from the Aqua Shell, raising a hand. From his palm, a pulsing, shadowy orb formed and ascended into the sky, transforming the atmosphere in an instant.
The landscape reacted violently. Snow began to ripple and tremble, as if quaking under an unseen force. Then, with an explosive surge, a vortex of snow erupted from the ground, spiraling outward in a massive radius. The air twisted around it, bending reality itself, warping and cracking as Jay’s ability tore through the landscape with unrestrained, ferocious power.
Mountains of snow were flattened under the intense pressure, and the sky above appeared to twist and distort as though it were being pulled toward the heart of the vortex.
Above, a rift in the heavens opened, revealing an immense, writhing cloud. Colors of deep purple, fiery red, and electric blue swirled together in constant, chaotic motion.
The cloud pulsed ominously, casting an eerie glow across the frozen terrain as tendrils of mist spilled outward, electrified and brimming with energy. Lightning cracked from the heart of the storm, sending shockwaves across the land that reverberated for several kilopmeters (miles), a deadly warning to the enemy forces gathered below.
Yiren felt the weight of Jay’s presence crashing down on him, more overwhelming than anything he had ever encountered—even surpassing the aura of his undefeated brother.
Terror crept into his mind as Jay’s piercing gaze locked onto him. Then, with a flick of his hand, Jay sent an invisible force that yanked Yiren forward, pulling him through the air until he was caught in Jay’s iron grip, his neck trapped in a vise-like hold.
Jay’s cold, unforgiving eyes drilled into him, rendering Yiren speechless with fear. Without releasing his grip, Jay shifted his focus to the terrified soldiers standing motionless across the battlefield. He inhaled deeply before his voice thundered through the frozen silence, resonating for kilometers.
“Step forward, and I promise—it will be your last,” he intoned, his tone low yet menacing. “Take one more step,” he warned, his eyes glinting with deadly intent. “And I’ll show you the Devil you believe me to be.”
The words, laced with lethal promise, sent waves of dread rippling through the crowd. The emnating danger from the swirling vortex, coupled with Jay’s chilling presence, had seized every last soldier in a deathly stillness. Not a single soul dared to move, and silence fell over the battlefield, broken only by the ominous hum of the swirling storm above them.
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