Light swallowed everything.
Noah couldn’t hear.
Couldn’t see.
Couldn’t even feel the ground beneath him.
Only one sound remained.
BOOM.
The heartbeat.
It refused to stop.
Slowly...
The blinding light faded.
The sanctuary had vanished.
Half the ancient ruins no longer existed.
Pillars that had stood for thousands of years were nothing but dust.
A crater hundreds of meters wide stretched across the forest.
Smoke drifted through the air.
Noah coughed violently.
His ears rang.
His vision slowly returned.
"...Guardian?"
No answer.
His heart sank.
Then...
A figure emerged from the smoke.
The First Successor.
Still standing.
Barely.
Its stone armor was almost completely gone.
The black steel beneath had shattered.
Cracks covered every inch of its body.
The crimson light inside those cracks flickered weakly.
Like a dying ember.
Across from it stood Azrael.
His black coat had been torn apart.
A deep wound stretched from his left shoulder to his waist.
Dark blood dripped steadily onto the ruined ground.
His smile was gone.
"You..."
Azrael muttered quietly.
"...actually burned my Origin."
The First Successor planted what remained of its broken sword into the ground.
Its voice was weaker now.
"You are... not welcome... here."
Azrael sighed.
"I suppose not."
He looked toward Noah.
Their eyes met.
"You’ve inherited more than I expected."
Noah forced himself to stand.
His legs trembled.
Mana exhaustion made every movement painful.
Still...
He refused to kneel.
Azrael noticed.
A faint smile returned.
"Good."
"I’d be disappointed if you broke so easily."
The Apostle raised one hand.
Darkness gathered around his fingertips.
The System screamed.
[WARNING]
Critical Threat Detected
Noah tightened his grip on Shadowfang.
He couldn’t use Ruin Strike again.
He couldn’t even activate Shadow Step.
His mana was completely dry.
"Damn it..."
The First Successor slowly stepped in front of him.
"No."
Its voice was calm.
"This battle... ends here."
The guardian reached toward its own chest.
Noah frowned.
"What are you doing?"
Stone fingers sank into the ancient warrior’s cracked armor.
Then...
It tore something free.
A crimson crystal.
Larger than the Fragment Noah had received.
It pulsed with incredible power.
The guardian looked at Noah.
"My Core."
Noah’s eyes widened.
"If I give it to you..."
"...I disappear forever."
Silence.
The heartbeat echoed softly.
The guardian smiled.
"I’ve guarded this place..."
"...for three thousand years."
"It is enough."
Noah shook his head.
"There has to be another way."
"There isn’t."
The guardian walked forward.
Placing the crystal into Noah’s hands.
The moment Noah touched it—
The System exploded with notifications.
[Inheritance Available]
Would you like to absorb the Core of the First Successor?
WARNING
Synchronization requirements not met.
Forced absorption may result in death.
Noah gritted his teeth.
He couldn’t absorb it.
Not yet.
The guardian nodded.
"I know."
"It was never meant for today."
It gently closed Noah’s fingers around the crystal.
"Keep it."
"For when you’re ready."
Azrael watched the exchange quietly.
Then...
He laughed.
"You always did have faith in impossible odds."
The First Successor turned toward him.
"And you always feared hope."
The two ancient beings stared at one another.
Neither spoke.
Then Azrael sighed.
"Very well."
He lowered his hand.
"I’ve achieved my objective."
Noah frowned.
"Objective?"
Azrael smiled.
"I confirmed the Seventh has awakened."
"And now..."
His black eyes gleamed.
"...the hunt truly begins."
The shadows around him twisted.
His body slowly dissolved into darkness.
Before disappearing completely, he looked at Noah one final time.
"Grow stronger."
"Because next time..."
"There won’t be anyone left to protect you."
The darkness collapsed.
Azrael vanished.
The forest became silent.
Noah let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
It was over.
For now.
The First Successor swayed.
Its body began turning to dust.
The guardian looked toward the crimson moon.
"I can finally..."
"...rest."
Noah stepped forward.
"Wait."
The guardian looked back.
"Thank you."
For the first time...
The ancient warrior smiled like an ordinary man.
Then the wind carried him away.
His body crumbled into countless crimson motes.
Only the broken sword remained, embedded in the shattered earth.
A final System notification appeared.
Volume I Main Trial Complete
Blackthorn Forest Trial Cleared
Proceed to Valhalla Imperial Academy.
Far away...
Beyond the forest...
The academy bells began to ring.
Noah looked toward the distant horizon.
His trial in Blackthorn Forest was over.
The real story...
Was only just beginning.