Ruth raised her hand, and suddenly countless black mist surged from the stone platform, enveloping the four of them…
Then various illusions appeared before their eyes.
Elia saw Kiz—her hollow, blood-red eyes and the sight of her turning away and leaving.
Kiz saw Elia lying nearby, covered in blood.
Then, before Lisa, there was Lillian tied to a cross, writhing in agony. As for Vian, she saw all her clansmen fallen in a pool of blood, and the culprit was herself.
Those images were so real—so vivid that it was impossible to tell illusion from reality.
“No! Don’t!” Kiz shouted and rushed toward Elia, but all she embraced was empty air…
Elia also struggled within the illusion.
In her heart, she knew it was fake, yet those scenes were so painfully real… The image of Kiz turning and leaving replayed in her mind again and again.
“That’s not real… It’s not real…” she frantically reminded herself.
The problem was that, as the Saint, she could sense a certain music constantly stimulating their nerves, making it hard to distinguish the virtual from the real.
‘Damn… Is this also part of her test?’
‘Then, let’s pull out this magic… Since the examiner can limit us this way, it means I can too…’
[Level 11: Chains of Truth]
Invisible chains surged from around Elia, binding the music that was disturbing their minds completely. Then the chains wrapped around Kiz and the other two.
The effect of Chains of Truth is to lock any chosen target—including sound. Of course, its other effect is to restore others’ mental strength.
Seeing Elia cast this magic, Ruth just raised an eyebrow and didn’t say much.
In the time that followed, Elia stood silently beside Kiz, holding her hand, waiting for her to escape from the hallucination.
Soon, the four of them broke free from the illusion and stood together, facing Ruth.
And at this moment, the smile on Ruth’s lips grew deeper.
“Congratulations on passing the second round… Next…”
Then the starry sky shifted again. This time, they stood in a massive arena. At its center stood four stone pillars, each engraved with their names.
“The third round—and the final one—is to defeat yourself.” As Ruth’s words fell, the pillars burst with dazzling light, and from that light walked four figures—identical to Elia and the others.
Then Ruth raised her hand again and released a golden barrier that surrounded the arena. “Feel free to use magic. Within this barrier’s protection, nothing around you will be destroyed.”
Elia’s lips curled slightly. “So it’s this trick again?”
“Not the same. Last time, you only faced an imitation of the Holy Light Body. This time, I am the complete you—including all those so-called emotional feelings.”
Hearing this, Elia’s eyes turned cold. “So what?”
The fake Elia smiled in response. “Nothing much~ Just…”
She suddenly lunged at Kiz.
“You!” Elia instantly blocked her path and erupted with holy light, and then two identical beings clashed.
On the other side, Kiz also faced her own clone. Of course, the two princes, Lisa and Vian, were the same…
But the fiercest battle was Elia’s. They fought from the ground to the air, then back to the ground, recklessly hurling magic.
Countless wounds appeared on Elia’s body, and the fake Elia was the same, but neither of them stopped.
“Give up. You can’t win against me,” the fake Elia said coldly, looking down at Elia from the air.
“Yeah, your strength is exactly the same as mine, but… I won’t lose.”
“Oh? Why do you say that?”
“Because… the original is supreme!” Elia punched the face that was exactly like her own.
But that punch sent the fake Elia into a rage. She kicked Elia in the stomach, then yanked her hair.
Of course, Elia grabbed her hair back without backing down.
In that moment, both abandoned magic and turned to physical brawling.
“That’s enough. Stop now.”
Sitting on her throne, Ruth heard this voice, pursed her lips, then reached out and cast some magic on the four clones.
Then, the Mysterious Person in White, hidden in Other Space, nodded in satisfaction.
On the battlefield, the fake Elia, who had just taken Elia’s “Nine Yin White Bone Claw,” suddenly widened her eyes, then took two steps back and shouted, “Fighting like this won’t work… How about this! Let’s each use our strongest killing move to decide the outcome! Winner lives, loser dies! How about that? Oh, right! Use of [Judgment] is prohibited!”
“Hmm? You don’t want to keep fighting? Fine.” Elia nodded in agreement.
[Level 12: Saint Demon Celestial God Art]
The fake Elia unfolded at least twenty-four magic circles around herself, then merged them all into one giant beam of gold and purple light, firing it toward Elia.
This magic was the pinnacle of single-target damage in the Holy Light System—of course, excluding causality-based skills like [Judgment].
Out of respect, Elia used the same magic.
In the moments that followed, the two beams clashed fiercely.
In the end, the fake Elia was devoured by the beam, turning into specks of starlight that flowed into Elia’s body. This made Elia feel her power rapidly increasing—at least three times stronger than before.
Then she looked back and saw that Kiz and the other two had also finished their battles.
At that moment, Ruth reappeared before them. “Challengers, congratulations on passing the Final Trial.”
Four light orbs materialized in her palm, and she tossed them to the four. “These are your rewards.”
Instantly, an even greater power surged into their bodies.
“From now on, you will possess power beyond the peak… But you must also remember—the greater the power, the greater the responsibility.” Ruth looked into the distance, as if seeing something.
“Go. This world still needs you.”
As the archangel Ruth’s words fell, the starry sky began to dissipate rapidly, and the four felt their bodies lighten, then darkness.
When they opened their eyes, they found themselves standing at the entrance of the Trial Ground. Warm, real sunlight bathed them.
Vian plopped down on the ground. “Finally… out!”
Kiz leaned against Elia.
Elia held her and looked toward the distant sky.
‘What exactly was that archangel Ruth about? And what was with skipping stages in this trial ground?’
‘She felt there was a huge conspiracy behind them…’
‘I hope I can get a few more days of daily life with Kiz when we get back.’
‘Anyway, I have to cherish every day’s routine. I have to do meaningful things… like playing with Kiz or being played with.’
“Being played with”? What the hell was that? Since when did she look forward to that!
Elsewhere, Lillian stood on a cliff, gazing at the distant scenery.
A breeze lifted her golden hair, and in her golden eyes, the setting sun’s afterglow was reflected.
“Over there… something seems to be calling me,” she whispered.
Then she raised her hand, and a faint light appeared in her palm.
“Hmm… It’s that person like me. She’s grown stronger.”
The corners of Lillian’s lips curled slightly. It was a very faint smile, yet it was the first time she had smiled voluntarily since her transformation.
“Interesting.”
She turned and walked in that direction.
One step, two steps, three steps… Until Lillian’s figure gradually vanished from the cliff, leaving only a faint echo.
“Wait for me… soon…”