I activate my new ranked-up buff, the [Divine Elemental's Astral Form], and feel a very strange energy vibrate out from my True Core.
At first, it feels like pure mana, as if I'm just activating a normal system skill, but the artificial feeling of a True Core's ability triggers in my mind.
By the time a yellow aura begins to grow outward, making another figure expand larger than my Greater Form, it feels extremely natural, like my divine energy is tethering with the mana manifestation and replacing it entirely.
If I wasn't completely focused on the silver sword above me, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the mana particles being activated and the divine energy that is melting together with it.
Ember grows larger as well, both of us expanding many times our original size before making contact with the silver blade that falls down on us. My energy form grows to over 150 meters tall, making my sword alone near the size of a sports field.
I brace for a mind-bending pressure to vibrate through my bones again, pouring every drop of power into this buff, feeling as though there is no end to the expansion it's allowing. I would have grown even larger if there wasn't a time constraint of having to block the falling sword.
However, on impact, it doesn't even feel heavy at all...
Before I know it, the second blade comes crashing down, then the third, and the fourth as well.
My intense concentration is broken out of shock at how easy this block was, but it doesn't even matter; all four blades combined don't even stack up to the pressure I felt in the first round.
I didn't even form the hexagonal defensive array to slow the blades, and it feels like I was blocking a wooden sword in a practice room without even activating magic.
The numbers count down to zero, and the swords dissipate.
This massive Astral Form feels so real....
Unlike my Greater Energy Form, where it is clear I'm controlling a mana manifestation, this incredibly massive Divine Flaming Perfect Energy Depiction of myself feels as though I'm standing in my normal body.
I see clearly out of the multiple-meter-wide eyes, and grasping my sword feels eerily natural.
Ember's voice echoes in my mind as I watch his form continue to grow.
"Don't hold back. The moment you deactivate this form, we're going to be in trouble. Give it your all until the Trial is over."
As silver text for the 5th round and an ancient voice ring in my ears with far more clarity than before, I shake myself out of the awe of the new form and continue pouring every drop of mana and divine threads I have into it.
The five silver blades come crashing down on us one by one, and my Flaming Yellow Astral Form reaches over 200 meters in height.
The blades that collide with my crimson-glowing Astral Soul Sword definitely hold weight this time, but it still feels like something I'd receive in a friendly spar.
Ember's eyes are as serious as they were in the third round when we were almost crushed to death, and when this round finishes and the 6th begins, his bright yellow Astral Claws start to shimmer with silver light.
My body becomes over 250 meters tall, and at this point, I can feel the growth begin to slow.
The excess divine aura radiating off of me feels as if it's constrained within this small room, as none of my yellow threads can seep out of the black walls. It reminds me of the green serpent I saw in the sky of celia's construct, as its aura stretched thousands of kilometers.
Ember even said it would be limited in a room like this.
This echoes through my mind before I can even regroup my thoughts, and all nine of the silver blades light up while the demon's three eyes flash and look down on me.
Fear runs through my mind, and it can be felt throughout all 20,119,524 links that watch through my eyes. It has only been a few seconds, but over a million fresh links of loyalty flow into my system.
While I could look throughout the Eight Great Regions and Dark Continent to pinpoint where this new surge of power is coming from. My mind is fully occupied on the Demonic Statue above me, as for the first time in this entire trial, its head moves to look down, and the first bladed arm moves to strike right after.
Every single link felt and conceptualized the strength of that last barrage of eight attacks and the extent of my power I just used.
My mind races for ideas, and I reach into my item storage to grab a handful of unique green fruits leftover from my True Core's awakening. If anything would, these could give me a boost, but I'm not sure if they will really do much.
Even Ember contemplates activating his golden divine threads, but we both know if he does that, I would be all alone to finish the trials and face everyone else inside. It is a hidden trump card, but not one we can afford to use right now...
What is coming next might be impossible to stop.
—
Before these trials even began, during my fight with Redgrave, two people deep within the Apex Region make a decision that may change the result of this final round.
Bri and Rodrigo hear the words being spoken about Central Headquarters and tear the Apex Region's headquarters apart top to bottom, looking through every spare vault and even small Association headquarters all over the Region looking for a single object.
A message is sent out to all of the Regional Directors, A-Class hunters, B-Class hunters, and even Regional Elites all over the Nation, linked to the Rising Emperor or not, and there is only one transmission back after a nerve-wracking wait.
"Yes? Regional Overseer Ms. Briana, this is a transmission from the off-site Apex Region Vault. There are old transport Crystals to Central stored here from right after the war. Will those do?"
"Send your location," is all that is heard back, and soon after, two flashes of white light blink through the sky to a base 200 kilometers away from the capital.
While my fight with Redgrave battled on and the Trials began, Rodrigo and Bri find themselves teleporting into an old underground headquarters in the middle of the Central Headquarters mountain built far before the divine flames were made around the mountain.
Neither of them wastes time and breaks through the ceiling upward many floors before they find themselves in one of the many Central Association branches full of C- and B-Grade hunters.
Normal intruder protocol is followed, but there are barely any elite forces present in Central at the moment.
Almost every single divine core holder, minus a small select few red and orange cores to man widespread security, has left the world capital to fight in the Dark Continent.
The duo, wielding light magic and mana control that far surpasses anyone on this entire mountain, subjugates everyone in their way until they reach the control rooms and people in charge of large-scale public transmissions.
On the far side of the world, it is nearing nighttime, while in the Dark Continent, the sun is still rising.
A broad message in a woman's voice echoes over many local news stations and public channels for many millions of people walking through the streets to hear.
"This is not a normal message! I repeat, this is not a normal message! There is a vast world beyond this city. The leaders of the Central Association have been lying to you all for decades. Many listening may not believe a word I say at first, or may be too young to even understand. The Great War never ended, it carries on beyond those yellow flames. If you do as I say, I can prove it to all of you right now! If you wish to leave this land, or save the world, listen to my words!"
Mass confusion ripples throughout the city, as one of the ten Local Sectors seems to have had their transmission cables breached and a message sent out to millions of civilians in a populated area.
Then 9 other branches that keep the Central Headquarters in line send troops toward this headquarters, flying through the skies the instant this message is sounded; and the few remaining divine cores in the city that actually know what is going on today instantly move out to stop this security breach from spreading further.