Chapter 83: The Trial of Wrath
The moment Isaac and Lira stepped through the breathing threshold of the temple, the world changed.
There was no corridor. No altar. No transition.
Only a vast, circular arena—black stone etched with deep crimson lines, as if the ground itself had been carved open and left to bleed. The sky overhead was gone, replaced by a low-hanging dome of dark red clouds crackling with lightning. There was no sun. No sound.
And no exit.
"What is this…" Lira whispered.
A chime echoed from nowhere.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]Trial Initiated: Temple of Wrath – Demonic Blessing ProtocolDesignation: Candidate for Wrathborne Ascension
Trial Objective: Slay All Adversaries.Participants: 2Warning: All enemies possess at least one attribute exceeding the S-rank threshold.Estimated Completion Rate for S-rank Adventurers: 0.02%
The arena rumbled.
Isaac's eyes narrowed.
Across the far end of the black plain, shapes began to rise—emerging from vents, cracks, and molten fissures like wraiths pulled from the underworld.
Dozens. Then hundreds. Then thousands.
Creatures of every shape and form surged forward—scaled beasts with spiked limbs, humanoid fiends with blade-wings, ogres with seared flesh and boiling eyes. Some flew, others crawled, and some galloped on six molten legs. Each one radiated pressure. Not just magic. Not just size.
Raw stat density.
Isaac focused.
Even without activating [Soulpiercer Sight], he could feel it.
'That one has over 100 Strength. That one… its Agility is absurd. That one's Willpower could crush lesser minds.'
And there were thousands.
He didn't flinch. But his heart beat faster.
Lira muttered, "Isaac… this isn't a fight. It's a massacre."
"No," he said, rolling his shoulders. "It's a test."
He extended one hand, and from the air coalesced a glowing, curved phantom blade—Silverveil.
It shimmered with cold brilliance, as if the weapon remembered every warrior it had parried and now stood ready to defeat them.
Then he summoned Gravemaw in his off-hand. The sheer weight of the cursed greatsword cracked the stone beneath his feet even in spectral form.
Two weapons. Two extremes. One mind.
Lira drew her own blade and narrowed her eyes. "Even you can't fight all of them forever."
Isaac nodded. "Which is why you'll need to start frying them. Fast."
She raised one hand, and sparks jumped across her knuckles.
[Skill Activated: Stormlash – Rank A]Unleash arc lightning that chains to nearby enemies.Scales with Intelligence and Willpower.
Lightning burst from her outstretched palm in jagged arcs—lashing into a wave of charging beasts. The bolt struck one in the chest, then split, tearing through three more with brutal precision.
Isaac surged forward.
Silverveil moved like water—elegant, precise, cutting limbs and heads with minimal effort. Gravemaw followed in brutal counterweight, smashing bodies into craters, its phantom echo carrying unnatural force.
[Soul Devourer Matrix – Passive Effect Triggered]+10% base stats absorbed from defeated enemies.Skill absorption: In Progress…
Within moments, Isaac's stats began creeping upward—but not fast enough.
More creatures poured in.
Ten dead became twenty. Then fifty. Then two hundred.
Lira stood behind him, her cloak flickering with defensive runes. She raised both hands and cast her second skill—
[Skill Activated: Resurgence Bond – Rank A]While linked to an ally, restore 5% of their MP and HP every 5 seconds.Duration: Continuous while within range.
A pale-blue tether shimmered between them.
Isaac felt it immediately. Strength. Clarity. Endurance.
He gritted his teeth and pushed forward. More phantom weapons shimmered in and out—Skyrender Pike to break a charging formation. Hand of Vellutar to intercept a whip-fast assassin fiend.
Yet for every ten he killed, more came.
Their roars deafened. The ground steamed with blood. Heat rose. His breath grew heavier.
Fifty percent chance.
That was the number in his head.
Not because of power. Not because of skill.
Because this was a battle designed to outlast gods—and break mortals.
Lira's voice cut through the roar. "I'm still here, Isaac! Don't stop moving!"
He didn't.
His footwork blurred. His blades flashed. But his MP began to drop with each summon, and even his supernatural stamina began to show signs of wear.
Still—he grinned.
Because this wasn't the first time he'd stood between death and the impossible.
And it wouldn't be the last.