The doors of the trial closed with a deep and heavy sound, a noise that felt more like the mouth of an ancient creature shutting than a stone structure sealing itself. The light from outside disappeared, and the ten of them were swallowed by darkness.
A moment later, the ground beneath their feet turned red.
They were standing on a vast plain made of bones; massive, curved, broken, and half-burned bones. Some of them were so enormous that an entire city could fit inside a single ribcage. The sky above was cracked and crimson, like a wound that had never healed.
The pressure of the environment immediately made itself known.
Their auras activated instinctively. The nine dragons almost at the same time shifted into their half-dragon forms. Scales formed over their skin. Horns appeared. Their pupils narrowed into slits.
Only one person remained calm.
Daniel did not change his appearance. After all, he was not a dragon and could not do such a thing. Maybe it would draw attention, but he did not care.
However, the others’ gazes unconsciously paused on him.
No one knew he was human. They would not even imagine it. A human entering the trial of the Dragon Goddess was impossible. But something about him... was not complete. His aura was deep, dark, but in a strange way it felt "abnormal."
Still, Daniel carried the scent of a dragon. Because of that, they were certain he was one of them. But then what was this strange feeling he gave them?
"Your aura is weird. It feels too low and weak for a dragon." Draveth let out a low laugh. He was the son of the Fifth Elder and one of the strongest among them.
His body was massive, and flames burned within his eyes.
Vermyros glanced at Daniel. Of course he recognized him. That bastard who had beaten him before. His gaze burned with hatred.
However, he did nothing. His father had strictly forbidden him from getting into any conflict with that bastard. In other words, even if he wanted to, he could not make a move.
"Enjoy it. I’ll make sure you pay for it," he muttered under his breath, his hands clenching into fists.
He had not forgotten that humiliation. It was impossible to forget. Even if his father had given a strict order, he had no intention of backing down forever.
On the other side, Rhaenyra stood calmly. Her eyes briefly passed over Daniel. She raised her hand and waved at him with a small smile.
Daniel noticed and smiled back, waving in return. He also sensed the emotions in Vermyros’ eyes but chose to ignore them.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
The bones began to vibrate. A sound like thousands of stone pillars shattering echoed across the space. Cracks opened in the plain, and something rose from within.
Not small skeletons. Not decayed remains.
But enormous figures.
Dragons. Skeletal dragons.
Their bones were blackened as if burned, yet fire flowed through the cracks in them. Their wings were half bone, half energy. Their empty eye sockets glowed with red flames.
Each of them was the size of a fortress. The pressure of their presence crushed the air itself.
"They... give off exactly the same feeling as the Elders," Vaerion muttered. He was the son of the Second Elder.
"Welcome to the Ancient Trial, a trial personally overseen by me. A trial that will determine the heir."
A beautiful yet authoritative voice of the Dragon Goddess echoed in their ears.
"The first phase of the trial is simple. Survival. Stay alive to reach the second phase. Death equals failure and expulsion from the trial."
"Whoever succeeds will not only advance to the next phase, but will certainly receive a reward."
"The trial has four phases in total. I wish you all good luck."
After those final words, the beautiful voice of the Goddess disappeared, as if it had never existed.
"Four phases? And each phase has its own reward? But what does she mean by heir?" Daniel muttered to himself. He did not fully understand that part.
It was not hard to guess that it was related to inheritance, but inheritance of what?
One of the skeletons flapped its wings, and the ground collapsed.
Morgrath, the son of the Fourth Elder, roared and charged forward, slamming his heavy fist into the leg of one of them. The impact was like a mountain colliding with another mountain. The bone cracked... but in the next moment, fire ran through the fracture and repaired it.
Elyndra, the daughter of the Sixth Elder, released her purple flame. Her fire coiled around the neck of one of the skeletons like a serpent. It shone brightly for a moment... and then was extinguished with a simple motion.
They were not weak.
They were monsters.
One of the skeletons slowly turned its skull and fixed its gaze on Daniel.
Then it attacked.
Its speed was impossible for something of that size. A massive skeletal claw descended from the sky and shattered the ground beneath Daniel. The shockwave threw several of them backward.
Vermyros smiled. "It’s over."
He was sure that bastard had died from that strike. Even if he had not died, he must have been seriously injured. He could use this opportunity.
"That bastard can only blame himself for drawing the attention of one of the strongest skeletons."
But when the dust settled, Daniel was still standing.
In his hand, a sword shone.
The Heavens Honor.
Daniel took a calm breath. The Law of Death moved within him, and then the Law of Eternity layered over it.
He raised his sword.
"Eternal Severance."
For a moment, space fell silent.
Then the blade moved. A horizontal slash.
But not only through space.
Through existence.
The blade did not simply cut through bone... it severed the connection holding it together. The flame that sustained the skeleton was suddenly cut off. The massive leg collapsed at the knee.
The ground shook.
Several dragons stared in disbelief.
But the skeleton did not fall completely.
It roared. The fire inside it erupted, swallowing the area around Daniel in a sea of flames. Daniel stepped forward.
"Requiem of the Hollow Crown."
This was one of the abilities he had gained from his new Fallen inheritances.
Shadows rose from beneath his feet. But they were not simple shadows. They were half-visible figures, knights formed from pure death. An invisible crown formed above Daniel’s head; unseen, untouchable, yet clearly present.
When the flames reached it... they were extinguished.
Daniel opened his other hand. The Law of Eternity activated.
"Abyssal Oath: End Without End."
This time, his blade descended vertically. Not to break, but to end.
A dark line was drawn from the skeleton’s forehead down to the ground. The fire within it began to tremble. Not from weakness, but from denial.
True death did not exist here. The trial did not allow it.
But erasure did.
The Law of Death and Eternity intertwined. Death as the moment of ending. Eternity as the continuation of that end.
The flame inside the skeleton went out.
Its massive body cracked.
And turned into light.
For the first time, one of the skeletal dragons was killed.
Silence.
Even Vermyros forgot to breathe. The hatred in his eyes shifted into something more complicated.
Fear.
The remaining skeletons reacted at the same time. Two of them flapped their wings and charged toward Daniel.
Rhaenyra leapt forward.
Her flame, shining in golden-white light, slammed into the wing of one of them and diverted its path.
"Focus," she said without looking back.
Daniel only gave a slight nod.
Vermyros gritted his teeth and joined the fight. His pride would not allow him to fall behind. His red flames flared like a small star exploding, tearing open the chest of one skeleton... but he still could not destroy it.
In another part of the field, Kaelthar, the son of the Eighth Elder, reacted too slowly.
Thalvyr, the daughter of the Seventh Elder, hesitated for a single moment.
A massive claw descended from the sky. Her body was crushed.
No blood spilled.
Her body turned into particles of light and disappeared into the air. A voice echoed through the space.
"Nine remain."
There was no time to mourn. The battle continued.
None of the other dragons had the power to kill the skeletal dragons.
After all, this phase was not about killing them. It was about survival. Those who survived would win, not those who killed the skeletons. Killing them should not even be possible.
Daniel raised his sword again.
The Law of Death darkened his eyes.
The Law of Eternity flowed through the blade.
However, he had already decided.
He would end this phase by killing all of the skeletal dragons.