"S—Shit!"
At the very last moment, Ace instinctively arched his body backward. The sharp metallic spear sliced through the air right in front of him, missing by mere inches.
A few strands of his hair were cleanly cut away as the blade passed, drifting slowly to the wet ground below. His eyes widened slightly, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he realized just how close to his death he had been.
He immediately pulled himself upright and jumped several meters back, putting distance between himself and the hooded figure.
He didn’t dare take his eyes off the figure, he didn’t even dare to blink, because when he did just moments ago, it nearly cost him his life.
’That was close... Too close.’ He said in his thoughts as he tried to steady his breathing.
’What kind of monster is that? No... is it even a monster?’ Monsters spawned by the trial of the first sanctuary were usually indicated, just like the lizardkins he fought earlier.
But this figure wasn’t.
’Another human?’
"You have a good instincts." The hooded figure finally spoke, its voice soft and high-pitched. It sounded strangely sweet and almost angelic, carrying gently through the air despite the spear still clutched tightly in its hand. "But that will not save you."
"That voice..." Ace’s eyes pupils shrank, his tensed expression freezing for a moment as the unexpected voice reached his ears. "A woman?"
The hooded woman lunged at him, spinning her staff with skillful precision.
"Tsk." Ace took a step back, positioning his body in a basic fight stance. "Woman or not, in this trial, survival is everything so I can’t let my guard down for a second!"
The hooded woman swung her spear downward with frightening speed, the blade cutting straight toward Ace. At the last second, he twisted on his foot and sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the strike as the spear slammed past him.
But she did not relent.
The hooded woman adjusted her stance instantly, turning toward him without hesitation before thrusting her spear forward again and again.
Each stab shot toward Ace’s body with deadly precision.
He barely avoided them, stepping backward after every dodge as the spearhead flashed past him by inches. But with every attack, her movements only grew faster and more vicious than before, forcing him further onto the defensive.
’She’s fast!’ Each vicious stab forced Ace farther back, the relentless pressure leaving him little room to breathe.
The spear flashed toward him over and over, driving him across the muddy ground as he struggled to keep up with her speed. Then, in one careless step, he lost his balance. The moment his footing slipped, the woman instantly found an opening and thrust her spear straight toward his chest.
At the very last moment, Ace grabbed the head of the spear, stopping the blade just inches from his chest, although the force behind it cut through his skin as blood dripped down the spear.
But before he could even take a breather, the woman twisted her body in a swift ninety-degree turn and unleashed a roundhouse kick straight into his stomach.
Ace’s eyes widened as he forcefully spat out blood from his mouth, and was hurled through the air. His body slammed hard into a nearby tree with a heavy impact, before he dropped unsteadily to the ground below.
His body trembled greatly, the raw strength behind her foot could not be considered human. His physical attributes had evolved beyond every Grade 0 Early Stage awakener, but yet this figure, whoever she was, inflicted heavy damage on him.
The wind shifted as the hooded woman sliced through the air, driving the tip of her spear straight toward Ace’s head. But just before she could reach him, her movement subtly faltered. For a fraction of a second, her balance slipped, and the attack lost its perfect precision mid-strike.
Ace’s brows jerked a bit as he noticed, the strange pattern that just happened, her movements slowing down as she channeled all her energy into the spear. It all suggested that somehow, she was injured.
And he didn’t dare waste a second of opportunity.
Taking advantage of her slowed movements, Ace gathered all his strength. As she got back her balance and aimed the spear at him, he shifted his upper body to her side, narrowly avoiding her blade, then channeled his Soul-Energy into his fist before throwing a heavy punch at her mid section.
She let out a raw shriek as her body was suddenly flung backward through the air. She hit the ground hard moments later, crashing into the muddy earth and sliding to a rough stop.
"Damn... That hurt." Ace groaned as he stood to his feet slowly. "Now then." He slowly rotated his right arm to get a feeling back in it, then approached the hooded woman who lay on the ground, hands wrapped around her midsection wincing in pain.
"Let’s see the face of my assailant." He stepped forward and pulled the hood off.
Beneath it was a striking beauty with pale skin, a smooth, defined jawline, and piercing emerald eyes that caught the light. And the feature that stood out the most — long, pointed ears.
"Those ears..." It was something that only existed in fictional stories, but then again, that became the life he lived currently. "An elf?"
It became clear why her strength surpassed that of the average awakener that fell within the ranks of a Grade 0 Early Stage awakener. Humans generally were considered the weakest and most fragile race.
"Why is an elf trying to kill me? Are you a part of the first trial of the sanctuary?" He asked bluntly.
"What kind of question is that?" The woman said, wincing in pain as she shut her eyes tightly. "You humans... Why else do you fight? Why are you here, killing the Lizard folks?"
"Wait..." Ace’s eyes widened a bit. "You’re saying that’s there’s more than one race here in the sanctuary that isn’t a part of the trials?"
Her trembling hands caught his attention, and he glanced down at her stomach. Under her hood, her silky green tunic was soaked in blood.
’She’s injured? Did I do that? No...’ He recalled the change in her movements that gave him a window of opportunity.
’She was already injured before she fought me?’
"What are you waiting for?" Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Kill me already. My body has already been defiled by the hands of your kind, I no longer have a need to stay alive. Kill me."
Ace stared at her for a while with empty eyes, then he turned around.
"Where are you going?" She asked, forcing her upper body up with annoyance in her eyes.
"Judging by your injuries, you sustained heavy damage even before fighting me. It’s not right to try and kill a fellow survivor."
He walked away.
"What? Are you stupid? This isn’t a charity home, it’s the sanctuary! You can only survive if you do what’s necessary!"
Her words went in one ear of Ace, then out the other as he kept walking.
"Hey! Come back here! Finish what you start-"
She was still shouting when the muddy puddle behind her suddenly shifted. The surface rippled unnaturally, breaking the stillness of the ground.
Her voice cut off mid-breath as her eyes snapped open in alarm. A large figure began to rise from the mud directly behind her, emerging slowly and silently from the disturbed water.
As she turned around, she came face to face with a huge, broad-shouldered creature covered entirely with green scales. It bore semblance to the lizardkins Ace killed earlier, only this time, this one felt stronger and more powerful.
[You have encountered the Lizard folks king!]
[Rank: Tier 2]
The Lizard king glanced around slowly, staring at the dead bodies of its companions. Then, it released a loud, guttural roar that shook the entire forest.
The elf’s eyes wavered in complete fear, in the sanctuary, just like the ranks of Awakeners and Soul-Hunters, creatures of the abyss were also given ranks based on their strength.
And a Tier 2 beast strength was equivalent to an Intermediate stage Soul-Hunter.
The Lizard King burst forward with terrifying speed, his claws aimed to impale her in a single, brutal strike.
But before they could land, Ace appeared between them. He raised a spear snatched from a fallen Lizardkin, and met it’s claws head-on.
The impact rang out as claw and spear clashed, halting the killing blow just in time.
"I have no interest in fighting you, however, I can’t say the same about this guy."
The elf’s eyes wavered as Ace’s figure appeared before her, she couldn’t believe her eyes, a human helping her?
Ace gritted his teeth and pushed hard against the spear, forcing it forward with all his strength.
The sudden burst of pressure sent the Lizard King sliding back several meters, his feet dragging through the mud as he was driven off balance for a brief moment.
"Why did you help me human? Do you in your right senses believe you can defeat a tier 2 beast?"
"Help you?" Ace glanced over his shoulder at her. "I’m not helping you, not in the slightest. I’m simply doing what I have to in order to survive by claiming the points I’d get from killing this guy."
Ace charged forward, gripping the spear tightly in his hand as he charged straight at the Lizard King. His steps tore through the mud, closing the distance in an instant as he drove the weapon ahead with focused intent.
"Survive?" The elf was dumbfounded. "What is it with you humans? You run into danger and call it survival!? You had the chance to kill me and end it all, but you chose to fight a Tier 2 beast instead?"
The Lizard King slashed his claws downward just as Ace closed the distance. But he reacted instantly, raising the spear above his head to block the strike.
The moment claw met spear, the impact exploded outward like a burst of force. A shockwave rippled through the ground, scattering mud in every direction as both of them held their ground against each other’s strength.
"If that’s your definition of survival, then you are the fool. True survival isn’t killing the weakest so you could live for a short amount of time."
He folded his right fingers into a fist, then drove it straight into the Lizard king stomach. The king shrieked loudly as the force overwhelmed him, then sent him sliding back several meters through the puddle.
The elf watched in disbelief, he was actually overpowering the Lizard king!
Ace charged forward again, closing the gap with relentless speed.
The Lizard King suddenly stretched out his hand toward him, and in an instant, a surge of unseen energy crashed down on Ace, pressing against his body like heavy chains.
His movements slowed and stiffened, forcing him into a brief, halt as the pressure locked him in place.
"W—what?"
[The Lizard king has activated it’s ability (Ruler’s authority)]
The Lizard king tried to raise him into the air with it’s telekinetic abilities, but thanks to the increase in his physical attributes, Ace’s legs remained firm on the ground, all the veins in his limbs popping out as he gritted his teeth trying to overcome it.
For a moment, he resisted, but the Ruler’s authority immediately drove him down to his knees, and he his bones trembled from the Ruler’s authority.
[Ding! The Host has been immobilized by an overwhelming force!]
[Analysing energy output....]
[Analysis....20%]
[Analysis...50%]
[Analysis...90%]
[Analysis complete!]
[Adaptive counter measures have been created!]
Almost immediately, he felt a burning sensation within his chest, and his trembling body eased immediately. "Well how about that?"
Ace rose to his feet slowly, then with one explosive step forward, he shattered through the energy holding him in place.
"I—impossible! He’s resisting the Lizard king’s authority!?" The elf muttered under her breath.
Then in one, clean slice, he beheaded the Lizard king, and it’s head rolled down to the ground before it’s massive body fell forward.
"Doing everything possible in your power, and growing stronger and stronger till you are a force to be reckoned with. That is survival."
[You have slain a Tier 2 beast (The Lizard folk’s king!)]
[You have gained ten evolution points!]
The spear in the elf’s hands slipped away from her hand and fell to the ground, she couldn’t believe her eyes. A mere human actually killed a tier 2 beast?
Then, almost immediately, Ace felt a surge of power rushing through him like a raging river, and he raised his palms as the energy emanated from his body in a red aura.
[Ding! God-Tier Adaptation effect initialized!]
[You have adapted to the D-Rank ability (Ruler’s Authority)]
[Ding! System Limits has been overwritten!]
The energy emanating from Ace’s body, shifted as it was absorbed back in. Its intensity changed rapidly, the red glow deepening in color before brightening with every passing second. It pulsed through him like a living force, growing stronger and more concentrated as it settled within him.
It grew so bright that even the elf had no choice but to shield her eyes with her arm, otherwise she’d be permanently blinded.
[From the dawn of creation till the end of days, from the heavens to the earth, all beings shall tremble under your words, and all life forms shall comply according to your will.]
Slowly, the light surrounding Ace died, and the environment fell quiet as he took a deep breath.
[You have obtained the Divine Grade Skill: The Heaven’s Authority.]