The massive black soul sword hovered in the air like a divine beast, carrying the 110 surviving candidates through mist-covered skies. Below them stretched a vast open plain, surrounded by a dark lake that shimmered with ominous energy. At the center stood a huge stone arena—ancient, cracked, and soaked with the memories of bloodshed.
As the sword descended and touched the ground, the atmosphere changed. The air grew heavy. Cold. Alive with tension.
A group of elders and sect disciples stood waiting.
Among them sat a figure in a black robe, long silver hair falling to his waist, his eyes glowing faintly crimson.
The Sect Leader.
The elder who had brought them—Zareth Nightshade—smirked darkly as he stepped forward.
> Zareth (calm, cold voice): "Welcome. This is your battlefield."
He turned to the candidates with eyes that saw through lies, fear, and weakness.
> Zareth: "There are no rules here. Kill, survive, crawl—do whatever it takes. The last twenty standing… will be our sect's new dogs."
He laughed as he walked away and took his seat beside the other elders.
A bone-chilling silence followed.
Dozens of participants instinctively stepped back, gripping their weapons. Eyes darted everywhere, searching for the weakest target.
Suddenly—
Seven candidates stepped forward, walking toward a lone figure standing near the arena's edge.
A boy with sky-blue eyes, calm as a silent sea, his robes fluttering with the wind.
Eren.
> Candidate 1 (grinning): "Start with him. Easy kill."
Candidate 2: "Level 7? Heh. He won't even scream."
The seven surrounded him, weapons drawn.
But Eren's gaze didn't shift. His hand rested loosely on his sword hilt.
> Eren (cold whisper): "Wrong choice."
FLASH!
A crack of lightning exploded around him. In one instant, his body blurred—gone from view.
CRACK—SLASH—THUD!
Blood sprayed. Four of them fell, throats sliced clean, eyes still wide in shock.
The crowd watching from the stone stands gasped in disbelief.
> Onlooker 1: "W-What just…?"
Onlooker 2: "He disappeared…!"
The three remaining attackers stumbled back, panic taking over.
> Candidate 5 (shaking): "He's… a monster!"
Candidate 6: "Tch! Don't panic—he's just fast!"
But Eren didn't stop.
With a sudden movement, his foot tapped the ground and vanished again—Mist Step combined with Lightning Step—blending speed and illusion.
He appeared behind one of them.
SHHKT!
A blade pierced clean through the man's back. Blood ran like a dark stream.
> Eren (low): "Too slow."
The last two attackers finally steadied themselves, realizing they were in the fight of their lives.
> Candidate 6: "Together. Now!"
They launched at Eren with furious strikes—blades, flame, even aura attacks.
But to Eren, their speed was nothing.
He ducked, parried, then twisted away. In that second, he dismissed his soul sword into his soul realm—leaving the enemy confused.
> Candidate 7 (shouting): "He's defenseless—!"
But the mistake was already made.
With fluid grace, Eren turned his body, kicked one in the chest, sending him flying, and in the same motion, called his sword back—lightning flickering along its edge.
The final blade dance was like a phantom's song.
Two heads flew.
Silence.
Eren sheathed his sword and walked away—his boots echoing across the bloodied floor. Behind him, the last two bodies collapsed.
Thud.
The crowd roared.
> Onlooker 3: "Unreal… He's just Level 7!"
Onlooker 4: "He toyed with them… killed them like animals."
Outer Disciple: "No hesitation… He's trained for this."
Up above, the elders exchanged glances.
> Elder Zareth (smiling): "He's the one. When I tested their resolve with my aura, he broke through… from Level 5 to 6, and then 7."
Elder Valen: "So he grew stronger… under pressure?"
Zareth: "No. He evolved."
The Sect Leader finally opened his eyes. A glint passed through them as he watched the blue-eyed youth walking alone toward the edge of the battlefield.
Eren's face was calm. His blue eyes burned with quiet lightning.
---
As the dust settled, seven bodies lay motionless on the ground—Eren stood at the center, his blade dripping with blood, his expression cold and unreadable. The air grew tense, the silence heavy with disbelief.
One of the participants, a lanky boy with sunken eyes, broke into a twisted grin. "This is gonna be fun... HEHEHEH," he laughed, his voice low and chilling, as if he thrived on the carnage.
Lysa, clutching her spear tightly, stared at Eren wide-eyed. "H-He killed them... just like that? No hesitation?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and awe.
Kain, gritting his teeth, took a step back. "That guy's a monster... What the hell did we just witness?" he muttered, unable to tear his gaze away from the blood-soaked figure.
Selene, her expression unreadable, adjusted her hood and spoke softly, "He's dangerous. But that kind of resolve... it's terrifying—and impressive."
Marcus, trying to steady his breath, forced a laugh. "Remind me never to get on Eren's bad side. Damn... I didn't think he had it in him."
---
Eren's face was calm. His blue eyes burned with quiet lightning.
---
He didn't need cheers.
He came to dominate.
---