A message hovered in the air in front of each participant:
[Get ready to fight.]
And then–
FWISH! RUMBLE!
The ground shook, and from the shadows emerged every elite monster still roaming the trial.
The atmosphere of the Hollow Tower square, which was up until now only filled with the other participants, changed drastically as five terrifying figures appeared.
The first was the Mayor.
Clothed in fine, noble attire, he looked oddly dignified, but his grotesque face twisted with moonscorched madness.
His beige skin sagged, his bald head crowned by two sharp, triangular horns.
He gripped a fork in his right hand and a knife in his left, his weapons glinting ominously.
And before anyone could react, he threw his knife toward the [Ultimate Clone], hitting it straight on and making it disappear.
"OH COME ON," Stark was the one who shouted, "WHY HIM?!"
"Because I felt like it."
[Termina's Mayor - Level 600 Moonscorch Commander]
Behind him were his loyal servants:
A group of three identical butlers, each dressed in black suits with white gloves.
They followed the Mayor closely, never leaving his side.
The Butler Trio's skill, [Loyal Regeneration], meant they'd revive endlessly as long as the Mayor was alive.
[Butler Trio - Level 590 Mini-Boss]
The next creature was The Tormented One, released by Artist from the museum.
A skinless, humanoid horror, its red muscles and sinews exposed under a cloak made from its own skin.
With no mouth, it couldn't scream, but its mere presence radiated agony, as if each step was a testament to endless suffering.
[Tormented One - Level 600 Moonscorch Commander]
Beside it stood The Heartless One.
She was feminine, yet terrifying, almost divine.
She wore a dark suit, her face disturbingly serene, framed by a golden halo above her head.
In her hands were a golden spear and a black blade. Her black wings stretched wide, casting a shadow over the battlefield.
[Heartless One - Level 600 Moonscorch Commander]
Then there was Eternal Regret.
It towered over the rest, a writhing, shifting mass of shadows that seemed alive.
Its form constantly morphed, the twisted faces of children screaming and crying within it.
Their agony filled the air, a haunting chorus that chilled everyone who heard it.
[Eternal Regret - Level 600 Elite]
Stark already knew about that thing.
The creature absorbed anything thrown at it.
Physical attacks were useless against it, after all, he had hit it hundreds of time over with [Asura's Arms].
These five horrific beings were the last obstacles standing between the participants and their goal.
Then, a new message appeared:
[Killing other participants is completely allowed. In the end, only one may enter the tower and face the moons.]
The phrase sent chills through them all.
"Face the moons?" CEO raised his eyebrows, a grin creeping onto his face. "I knew it. This is a [Death] difficulty trial for a reason."
This meant that even if they survived each other and the bosses... they'd still have to face the moons themselves to win.
A daunting, nearly impossible task.
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.
Meanwhile, Follower remained unfazed.
A private message had appeared just for him:
[Do not worry about the moons. If you beat them, you'll take their places—and more.]
"Yes, lord," Follower murmured with grim determination, his gaze locked onto Stark.
In contrast, Clever chuckled to himself, rubbing his beard.
"Fine by me, I have too much of it anyway," CEO smirked.
Meanwhile, Follower watched from the shadows, his eyes locked on Stark.
He used one of his perks [Shadow Veil] to hide from everyone and everything.
He hadn't forgotten his mission.
While everyone else was distracted, he moved, blending into the darkness, positioning himself close to Stark.
He waited for the perfect moment to strike, his [Skill Canceller] in hand.
Clever, standing back, watched the chaos unfold with a grin.
"These fools are doing all the work for me." He murmured, crossing his arms.
But when his eyes landed on The Tormented One, he raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm, you might actually be worth my time."
With a powerful stomp, Clever launched himself forward, not even bothering to activate his aura, slamming his fist into The Tormented One.
His strength reverberated through the ground, but the creature barely flinched.
It turned its hollow gaze on Clever, its expressionless face radiating pain and suffering.
"Oh?"
...
Back at Stark, he wasn't giving up on Eternal Regret.
"Fine. Absorb this!" He unleashed [Asura's Wrath], summoning multiple crimson arms to pummel the creature from every angle.
The fists struck Eternal Regret, each blow heavy with energy.
But like before, it absorbed every hit, growing darker and more chaotic with each one.
It wasn't even retaliating!
Stark clenched his jaw.
"There has to be a way..." He muttered, frustration building.
Lilith shifted her strategy.
She broke off from her clash with the Heartless One and aimed a powerful [Qi Pulse] blast at the Heartless One's exposed face.
The attack hit, but the Heartless One merely tilted her head, unaffected.
"Tch..." Lilith frowned. "Looks like brute force isn't enough."
The Mayor, meanwhile, had CEO cornered.
His butlers kept regenerating, returning to shield him each time CEO blasted them away.
"Annoying pests!" CEO growled, backing up to gain some space.
"You should be careful," Artist smiled, not having done anything until now, instead focusing his mind on his future creation to possibly win.
The Mayor chuckled darkly, raising his fork as if about to feast on his prey.
"You're nothing but an appetizer, dear CEO, and I see that your other friend is already gone."
CEO's eyes narrowed.
"He wasn't my friend."
With a shout, he unleashed his [Money Wave] skill, sending a massive wave of energy toward the Mayor and his butlers.
The blast knocked them back, giving CEO a brief moment to breathe.
So basically, this is how it is going:
Stark VS Eternal Regret.
Sora and Lilith VS Heartless One
CEO and Artist VS Mayor and Butler Trio
Clever VS Tormented one, though the former is mostly having fun with it.
And finally, Follower is just hiding, the chaos of the square allowing him to not be noticed, lurking around Stark and waiting for the boy to give him an opening.
Unknown to him, though, Stark could perfectly see him.
[Watch out.]
[Focus] had already warned him, and so he was ready to counter-attack Follower at any time, though he wanted to focus on [Eternal Regret].
Right as Stark gave another punch to the beast...
It finally decided to activate its skill.
"Release..."
The chaos would be much worse now.