As the red full moon continued to peek out from behind the clouds, the third hermitage emitted an eerie aura that transcended language. The gargoyle statues guarding the gate looked more ominous than ever, and their stone features seemed to come alive in the pale light. It was said that these guardians were placed there by decree, always ready to welcome or lock away secrets as needed.
The crows perched on the roof seemed to chirp in congratulation to the four cadets who had made it this far. Against the backdrop of demon corpses strewn about, Thanistor Groh and Gantala Mukhtar, both sporting auras of platinum and asparagus respectively, sat at the edge of the hermitage. A mysterious man with an azure aura, covered by a hood, sat atop the crossbar, sharpening his sword to an extreme level of sharpness. And then there was Elsa, also known as Vanatos, a woman with a jet aura who seemed to derive pleasure from chopping up demon flesh with an ax she carried.
These four cadets were selected for their level of spiritual aura, whether through cultivation or fighting spirit. They had all passed various tests and trials to get this far, and now they stood together as the last remaining candidates for the top.
The crow guards on the roof panicked and flew apart like gunpowder explosions. Their frenzied flight signaled the arrival of someone threatening, and the atmosphere grew even more negative—filled with bad karma. The clatter of boots and the jangle of gold ornaments on clothes and belts were heard as someone approached from below the hermitage.
It was another strong delinquent who didn't want to miss out on the peak of action. Arriving at the third hermitage, the man stopped walking and turned to look at all of them. He was a white-haired Dark-Elf with bloodshot eyes as sharp as an angry demon. He had a vermilion aura and was known by the name Lucius van Hellsing.
“Y-you are Lucius!” called Gantala in surprise.
The hooded man gave a sudden loud laugh that startled a straggling jackdaw and set it off into the sky with a discordant flapping of wings, then said, “Lucius...you're late like these three. I have wiped out all the demons in this place by myself!”
Lucius remained silent and did not respond to the man's laughter. These moments of discord made Vanatos also join the laugh, enlivening the atmosphere while fixating on chopping up the demon corpses, instead of letting the silence turn into death.
Lucius hadn't expected that these people would clear all the rubbish from the third hermitage without him. One psychopath, one lunatic, one knight, and one monk – but no sign of the madman he was searching for. Lucius looked disdainfully at the scene before him, filled with rotting demon carcasses. He gave them one last scornful look before walking up the stairs of the second hermitage, leaving them behind since there was not much for him to do here.
"Wait," insisted the hooded man, causing Lucius to stop in his tracks. "You won't be able to survive the second hermitage. No matter how much you try, you'll definitely come back here, just like the four of us."
Gantala nodded in agreement, acknowledging that no cadet has been able to ascend beyond this third hermitage because the hooded man was the first to reach it.
But Lucius didn't want to be compared to them, he turned to the man and sneered, “Who are you? I've never even seen you before."
Hearing Lucius' sneer, the calm atmosphere turned tense as the hooded man roared with laughter again, his guffaw loud and boisterous, shaking the walls and crossbar of the gate. Feeling that nothing was funny, their gazes fixed on the noisy man, including Vanatos, who stopped swinging her axe.
Under the light of the red moon, the man took off his hood, revealing heterochromia eyes with a fiery blue flame on the right and a yellow glow on the left. His face was full of scars from many past battles, and half of it had burn marks from the side of his neck to the cheek. With his thug-like appearance, he had unkempt hair, a small portion of which was white and the rest black.
"Th-that can't be," Gantala muttered under his breath seeing the man's face.
Thanistor stood up quickly, placing himself between Lucius and the hooded man. He could feel the tension in the air, the potential for violence hanging heavily around them like a thick fog. "Calm yourself," he said firmly, his voice steady despite the adrenaline pumping through his veins. "You don't want to start a fight that could end in death."
Lucius looked at him, confusion and anger warring on his face. "Who is he?" he demanded, nodding toward the hooded man.
Thanistor took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "He's no ordinary cadet," he began slowly. "He was known as the Soul Madness, a figure of fear and terror in the Blaze Desert. He went by the fake name of Mason Dantez, and he was once the Prince of Alvaresh."
Lucius's eyes widened in shock. He had heard the stories of the Soul Madness, infamous for killing hundreds of men from the three major factions and sacrificing them in the Altar of Sargeroth, but he had always assumed they were just tales told to scare children. He had never imagined that the boogeyman was a real person, let alone a cadet of his age.
"But everyone thought he was dead," Lucius said, still struggling to process the information.
Thanistor nodded. "That's what he wanted them to think. He is the real Count Mashive Dumas, and since we're from the same class, he's been asking me to conceal his identity all this time. You should know Lucius, Alvaresh was ruined because of Chthonian just like your kingdom."
The three men stood in silence for a moment, the weight of the revelation settling over them like a heavy cloak. Meanwhile, Gantala could feel his mind whirling, trying to make sense of everything he had just learned. To think that Thanistor was also a Knight from the House of Alvaresh, he had always known that the academy was a dangerous place, but he had never imagined just how deep the danger ran. The revelation left him with more questions than answers, and he wondered what other secrets were hidden beneath the surface.
Mashive Dumas, also known by his new name Mason Dantez, was a cadet in Class B and held the number 440. He was the Prince of the Alvaresh Kingdom, the second-largest kingdom in the Malazen after the Dawn Empire and before the Nevandreth Kingdom. Killing people was routine for him, like eating three meals a day. When he grimaced, it indicated that he had found a worthy opponent. His life revolved around his cursed sword, and until now, no one had been able to satisfy his desire to fight to the death. According to Aleister's data, no one had been able to break his sword before managing to split the mountain. His insanity drove him to fight until he was physically and spiritually destroyed, taking his whole body and soul to pieces.
Mason suffered from PLC (Pathological Laughter and Crying) sickness and also had Bipolar Disorder, which resulted from a problem with his nervous system. Lucia's nurse stated that his health condition was characterized by pseudobulbar affect or emotional lability. It was unclear what caused his condition, but it may have been triggered by psychological stress or some other illness since Mason's personality underwent a significant transformation after the Kaliyuga Explosion.
Mason tried to conceal his laugh, but it was deep and throaty, like the purr of an engine. He demanded, "Why don't you want to be my subordinate, Crusader Groh? Don't tell me you care more about freedom than loyalty! Don't think your white aura will protect you; I can kill you right here if I want to!"
"I am no longer the Crusader Groh that you knew, but I am still the Thanistor of Alvaresh. You have changed, Mashive." Thani attempted to remind Mason of his old name. "Have you not forgotten what Duke Alexander Dumas and your childhood friend Tia said to you? The path you are on now is not that of a warrior, but that of a devil. You have killed many people in Malazen, sacrificing their souls and justifying any means for your cursed sword. You are no different from that sociopathic girl over there. You should be ashamed of yourself, Mashive!"
Mashive's face was suddenly somber and quiet, unable to laugh for a moment when his childhood memories came into his mind. Meanwhile, Vanatos' gaze turned to Thani, who had called her a sociopathic girl. She walked slowly toward the man, saying, "Thani, Thani, Thani...you are the White Knight they are talking about, huh? You have a nice white aura...but soon, that aura of yours will turn black just like mine. I can imagine a future where you fall into depravity! Why wouldn't you join our torment, Thani? The Bloody Rose would love to have a faithful knight like you!"
"I'm not interested in your lowly group," Thani denied, rejecting the girl's invitation. "There are indeed many auras in this world, but your shallowness of soul is evident. Never equate a thinker like me with a corrupted mindset like yours."
Thani's mithral armor rippled with a platinum aura, indicating that his spiritual pressure had reached its peak but had not yet ascended. According to the books of knowledge, the disparity between upper and lower Realms is one in a million people. Thanistor cultivates five times a day without fail to achieve this, and only special people, protected by angels, can reach the Eternal Realm as he has.
Thani sensed Vanatos' aura, which had reached the first circle of the Nocturnal Plane, in contrast to his own. He was shocked to discover that she was one of the few who had reached the Abyssal Realm, which meant that she produced more negative karma than anyone else there. Thani knew that this crazy girl must be using the old ways, just like Mashive and Lucius. They never cultivated but had a strong fighting spirit, just like their personalities, which drove them to kill in the red zone every day. However, this method was considered to develop very slowly compared to using cultivation techniques when one was proficient.
The girl grinned sinisterly, and her turbulent jet aura indicated that her sanity had been consumed by darkness. She said to Thanistor, "You can reject it all you want... but I can see what others cannot, as fate writes on your epitaph."
"Hey, guys!" cried Gantala, interrupting their bickering. "Can we please stop this useless arguing and head to the second hermitage together? We all have the same goal at the academy, which is to survive."
The atmosphere calmed down after Gantala's plea. Apparently, he was the only mediator among the selected cadets in this hermitage. He urged them to work together and focus on passing the exam. But in reality...
"No!" Mason refused, then grinned and said, “What if we kill each other right here, right now?"
"I agree!" added Vanatos, preparing her axe, needle sword, and whip.
"Please don't do that!" urged Gantala.
Mason glared at his rival, unable to understand why Lucius the Berserker was acting calmer than before. "Lucius van Hellsing, prince of the Nevandreth, why don't you want to fight? Are you so scared that you can't even move? I am even capable of fighting all of you here, four against one!"
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Lucius maintained his calm demeanor, unprovoked by Mason's taunting, standing still with the belief that the lion is silent but feared, while the dog is constantly barking and looked down upon.
Mason chuckled to himself, knowing that his disorder had resurfaced. He rarely revealed himself to others due to this condition. Since the beginning of the instructor's exam, he had not been one to boast about wanting to be number one in the academy, as he was more concerned with hiding his true identity. Whenever anyone saw Mason's body language and the impatience on his face, it was like seeing the habit of a psychopath. His desire to shut the mouths of arrogant people had been festering in his corrupted heart for a long time, and he was confident in his winning mentality that he could prove the four of them were beneath him. For him, this would be a fun fight, nothing out of the ordinary.
Lucius finally spoke up, "Heh! Despite what you've said, you're all the same to me, nothing more than barking dogs that seldom bite. Even with my Belial Eye, I could beat all of you here if I wanted to. I can see all your movements clearly, but I choose not to because I want to hear you bark even more...until you realize who the real lion in the jungle is." The Dark Elf continued up the stairs, "And remember, there can only be one king in the jungle."
As Lucius walked toward the stairs, a hooded girl carrying a scythe and emitting an indigo aura approached Vanatos. Her ghost-like presence made no sound and startled everyone, even causing Lucius to stop in his tracks. The girl's footsteps left icy footprints on the road.
"Elsa...no, Vanatos the Nailer...you can run, but you can't hide from me. You're too dangerous to let go. Soon, the Bloody Rose will be wiped out, and this place will be your grave," threatened the girl with the scythe.
Gantala, upon seeing three cadets of noble descent in one place, shouted for the third time for having scared half out his wits, "Sh-she! Could it be...Aina of Akashia!” then he thought, (“It's true that both kings and nobles have a unique aura.")
*
Aina of Akashia was from class D, with the cadet number 360. She had always been an obedient daughter and a loyal priestess of the Akashian Cathedral (Plague Desert). Her gentle nature and devotion to the gods made her well-liked among the people of the kingdom. However, everything changed when the Chthonian Invasion struck. The once-peaceful kingdom of Akashia was thrown into chaos as the Chthonians ravaged the land and killed indiscriminately. Aina's world was shattered when she lost her entire family to the invasion. The trauma of her loss left a permanent mark on her soul, and she found herself consumed by hatred and anger.
Aina's closest friends were Yuria and Elsa, as she spoke very little and carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. Aina embodied the dichotomy of those born with love talking about hate and those born with hate talking about love.
Vanatos, upon seeing Aina, cracked up with mirth and chuckled merrily, enlivening the silent atmosphere of the hermitage. "Congratulations on reaching here, Aina the Tainted! So my men have failed to kill you, huh?"
Aina, with her stony eyes fixed on Vanatos, walked slowly while aiming her bloody scythe at her as she warned Vanatos that this was the perfect time for a Mubarza (single battle). "I don't know how many lives you have taken… In this place, I feel no remorse for killing you!"
Vanatos responded with a quip, "Don't worry, Aina, because, you'll be joining them soon!" She took out a needle sword in her right hand and an ax in her left.
Putting her emotions aside, Aina took a stance with her big scythe and said, "Don't talk about the dead... Song of Sin..." Aina's scythe blade gave off an icy glow.
Gantala took a step back as he realized that the weapon in Aina's hand was none other than the mythical Song of Sin, The Frozen Scythe - possibly an heirloom from Akashia. One wrong move and he could be left numb from a single slash.
Thanistor was equally taken aback, wondering how a noble daughter from Akashia could exhibit such cold-blooded killer instincts.
Meanwhile, Mason burst out laughing, impatiently anticipating the life-and-death battle before him. To him, the two girls were merely there for his entertainment. Mubarza was a tradition in Malazen for one-on-one duels and was considered the last resort to solve problems. Although Mason always enjoyed watching people fight, whether inside or outside the fort, he couldn't resist his urge to kill. If there was no winner within five minutes, he promised himself that he would kill all of them, just like the corpses of the demons in this hermitage.
As for Lucius, he detected the auras of Aina and Vanatos as they were still in the introductory stage of the fight. He could see the movements of the two girls through his Belial Eyes and predicted that the fight would end with one victor and one dead, and realizing there was no time to waste, he leisurely made his way upstairs.
Aina spun around with lightning-fast speed, soaring high into the air before launching herself ferociously at Vanatos. The sound of their weapons colliding echoed throughout the room, each strike causing sparks to fly.
Vanatos was shocked to find her needle sword frozen solid from the tip to the hilt. But she was determined to fight on and quickly switched to her ax, launching a fierce attack at Aina. This gamble attack in a desperate moment made Vanatos believe she could win the fight quickly and easily. However, Aina chose to dodge the incoming blow, gracefully leaping back to safety, rather than risk both of them taking heavy damage.
Seizing the opportunity, Vanatos launched a counter-attack, but Aina moved with incredible speed, weaving past her like a ghost through solid objects. Vanatos felt a sharp slash narrowly miss her head by mere inches, which made her stumble backward, struggling to regain her balance.
Aina continued to attack with fluid, graceful movements that perfectly matched the rhythm of her weapon, the Song of Sin. Vanatos was overwhelmed, barely managing to fend off her opponent's relentless assault. In a desperate move, Vanatos jumped high until she was right behind Aina's blind spot and made a strong tug with her needle sword, unleashing her signature move, the "Night Moth".
Aina, undeterred, lowered her head and body, making prayer gestures as her right hand slowly raised to her face. "Miracle," she whispered, and a yellow square-shaped barrier appeared from the bottom up, protecting her from Vanatos' attack. "Protection!" she exclaimed, tricking Vanatos into thinking she had successfully stabbed her.
But Vanatos' attack managed to shatter Aina's barrier, sending shards flying in all directions. The force of the impact was so strong that even Vanatos' weapon, which had been frozen solid, broke into pieces. Thani and Gantala gaped in awe.
Undeterred, Vanatos took a few steps back, dropped her broken sword, and reached for a whip at her waist. "Come on, let's make this fight even more exciting!" she snapped, cracking her whip as she impatiently waited for round two.
The two female cadets were once again aiming for each other's necks in a fight to the death. The screeching of their scythes and axes clashing together, accompanied by the sound of a whip, grated on Mason's ears as he grew tired of watching their boring catfight. After five long minutes, he stood up from his seat, intending to interrupt the battle. However, when he approached them, he instantly stopped as his view was suddenly blocked by a lance.
"Don't you dare interfere, Mashive! Let them resolve their own problems in this sacred duel," snapped Thani.
Mason took a deep breath, feeling slightly tense that someone had dared to block him. "Thanistor...you're as naive as ever."
With a single punch, Mason sent Thanistor flying into a block of wood.
"Thanistor!" cried Gantala, rushing to his aid.
The sky grew cloudy as lightning filled the air, flashing from the top of the mountain. Leaves fell with the cawing of ravens, and the ground shook from the spirit pressure. The air around Mashive swirled like a turbulent hurricane as he drew his sword. An azure flame seemed to engulf his body, and Gantala felt goosebumps rise on his skin as he witnessed Mason's explosive aura.
Thanistor plunged his lance into the ground, using it to help himself to his feet. His vision was slightly blurred by Mashive's inflamed presence.
Mason howled with laughter. "My strength is increasing, Thanistor! I have killed countless demons in this hermitage, and my Demon Slayer has evolved into a cursed sword - the Demon Regalia! I can't wait to test it on your Mithral Armor!"
The roar of the wind brought memories flooding back to Thanistor, reminding him of a tragedy from ten years ago when he was just a child and had been under the auspices of the Ordo Luminis Templar for only two years. His father was a Holy Grand Sentinel of Alvaresh, and on the day before the kingdom's destruction, he had told Thanistor, ("You don't have to serve the kingdom anymore, Thani. Fight for the Paladin's name! I'm sure you can become the strongest knight in the world.")
("Huh?! Why do you say that, Dad?") Thanistor had asked.
("Because you're my son, of course. A talented young man who's been trained from an early age like you doesn't deserve to be in a kingdom that's almost fragile because of the aliens' attack! Once you become a Paladin and become strong, avenge your kingdom. Do you understand? Now, go, my son, toward Dawnstrike Fortress—you will surely be safe there.")
Since then, Thanistor had gone to the border between the two continents, to the Malarda bridge, to attend the assassin academy known as Dawnstrike Fortress. The Swordmaster Theodin had promised him that upon graduation, he would send him to a guild called the Knights of the Golden Order in Gesthar to pursue his Paladin title.
As Thanistor reminisced about his past, he realized that his determination to become a Paladin had brought him this far, and his motivation grew stronger. Now, he walked confidently toward Mason, filled with the same power, saying, "You have chosen the wrong enemy, Mashive Dumas! I will end your suffering!"
Lightning flashed across the sky, and Mason responded with a thunderous light that illuminated his sinister face, saying, "Let's enjoy tearing each other to shreds!" and ended with his mad laugh.
Mason charging with his cursed sword, which Thani met with his lance. The clash of the two weapons echoed with a loud bang throughout the hermitage, accompanied by harsh thunder.
*
In the second hermitage, Lucius walked alone into the center of a dark field. Lightning flashed above him, and thunder rumbled while the sounds of clashing swords and fighting made his ears ache from below. As he stepped further into the pitch-black field, the voices around him slowly faded and became silent, leaving no more sound nor thunder flash. Suddenly, his breathing became heavy, his vision blurry, and his hearing impaired by rapid and indistinct whispers.
Summoning his courage, Lucius shouted out, "Who is the ruler of this place? Come out and show yourself now!" Despite his bold words, his legs were trembling and he was clearly afraid. He reminded himself that this dark zone was now his favorite arena and his enemies should fear him, not the other way around. But there was no answer to his calls, only the haunted silence of the hermitage.
As time passed, he began to feel as if something was wrapping around his heart. It might have been his imagination, but his instincts told him that there was a creature watching him from the darkness. His mind was becoming clouded, and his sanity was slipping. In an effort to shake off his nervousness, he promised himself that if anything touched him, he would unleash thirty mortal blows and twenty stomps of death.
In this tense atmosphere, strange voices began to whisper in Lucius' ears. He recognized them as the black speech or the infernal language that Aleister had spoken while sealing an evil spirit. He remembered that Aleister had accidentally killed two cadets who had no spiritual power while joking around with the language. Although Lucius didn't understand what the voice was saying, it sounded like a vengeful growl worse than a banshee scream. He knew he had to be vigilant and remember what was happening.
Unbeknownst to him, a mysterious energy in front of him was absorbing his Spiritual power, accompanied by the sound of demonic laughter echoing in his head. Hoping the being in his mind could hear him, Lucius said to himself, (“Don't underestimate me...I am not as weak as you think! When I see you here, I will destroy you!”)
Torchlights illuminated the mountain hills on different sides, encircling the center point of the hermitage field. Numerous flaming candles were lit two by two before Lucius, forming a path forward that converged into a towering inferno, as if inviting him to step forward if he dared. Lucius' body froze, and he broke out in a cold sweat from overthinking. Smoke filled the air around him, making him cough. Not knowing what was truly going on, he immediately released his vermilion aura, ready to face the worst. Although Lucius' aura burned brightly, it wasn't enough to illuminate the hermitage compared to the colossal fire in front of him, and yet, the darkness still dominated the most. He hesitated to advance, fearing a surprise attack that might crush him into the void.
Lucius was taken aback by a loud growl behind him and instinctively turned around. But all he could see was pitch darkness, which sent chills down his spine. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his throat, causing him to cough uncontrollably. Blood dripped from his mouth, adding to his panic. As he stumbled backward, he felt a hot breath on his neck and knew that he had to get out of there before it was too late. He ran as fast as he could and fled to the safety of the third hermitage. His anger boiled over, and he screamed curses into the void, “Bastard, you insolent son of a bitch! Tarnation you, SATAN!!!”
The tense atmosphere did not dissipate, and Lucius felt like he was being pursued. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, the primal instinct to run for his life despite his logical mind telling him to stand his ground. The menacing presence lurking behind him was palpable, making it clear that the creature chasing him was not going to give up easily. The darkness in the second hermitage was eerily mysterious, concealing an unknown monster that no one had ever survived to encounter.