<h4>Chapter 14: Weiss; the Ninth King</h4>


    Raven snapped back to reality, as soon as the ne crashed. Even though he wasn''t really there, his heart already felt as if it was torn into a thousand pieces.


    He knelt in the midst of the second trail, his face drained of color and his heart pounding with palpable intensity. His gaze seemed distant as he was repeatedly assaulted with vivid images of what he just saw.


    Despite not being physically aboard the aircraft, he could still feel the anguish. His palms were raw and bloodied as he anxiously reyed his parents'' words over and over in his mind, tears streaming down his face and dampening the earth below.


    "Arghhh!" He lifted his head and let out a fierce roar, the sound echoing through the air. It was hard to tell whether he was expressing extreme anger or overwhelming grief, but his demeanor resembled that of an injured beast.


    There was only one thought in his head. If only... If only that ne hadn''t crashed! If only his parents had returned safely! If only his sister and parents had survived...


    ****


    In the secluded chamber, the Guardian kept a watchful eye on the scenes unfolding before him. Though he couldn''t see exactly what Raven was witnessing, he had an inkling that it wasn''t a pleasant experience.


    As he observed Raven let out a roar in the cave, relentlessly pummeling his fists into the ground until they bled. It was clear that he was in an immense amount of pain.


    "I told you. Even though this trial might be easier for most others, it might be the worst choice for you. So, young man... Will you break here? Or will you be someone who breaks others?"


    The Guardian remained seated, deep in contemtion, his gaze firmly fixed on the screen without any interruption.


    Raven came to a halt after nearly ten minutes of relentless movement. Although his hands were smeared with blood, he paid no attention to it. The agony he felt in his body was, for the time being, the only thing that helped him remainposed and diverted his attention.


    He nkly looked at his hands that were covered in blood.


    With aching hands, he summoned the strength to push his body up from the ground. No words escaped his lips, and his thoughts were a chaotic whirlwind.


    The trial was far from over, and despite the heart-wrenching experience, he resolved to persevere and not give up.


    As he lifted himself up, he took a step forward only to be engulfed by an unexpected sensation. It was as if his existence was being pulled into an alternate space once again!


    In the next moment, he found himself standing in the middle of a street in a ce that resembled a city from the medieval era.


    Surrounded by stone buildings, the City exuded a timeless beauty, despite itsck of modernity. Yet, an eerie silence shrouded the ce, as he noticed something strange: not a single soul was in sight.


    Moreover, a lot of the buildings appeared to be broken, as if it was some abandoned City.


    He wasted no time in venturing out into the city, determined to gain a clearer understanding of his circumstances.


    As he strolled down the street, he soon heard a peculiar metallic noise. It seemed to be the sound of a hefty sword''s de scraping against the pavement.


    Raven turned his head towards the source of the noise, but his expression quickly shifted as he saw its origin.


    He could see a young man, who appeared to be in his early twenties. The man had donned a beautiful ck long coat. That long coat appeared to be made from some precious materials as it emitted a strange dark radiance.


    However, strangely enough, that beautiful ck attire was covered in blood and torn at ces.


    The young man was struggling to move, his body appearing weak and frail. His forehead was bleeding and much of his face was stained with blood.


    Deep wounds caused by de fragments were visible in the young man''s chest, as if the sword that caused them had shattered and left only the de fragments lodged inside his body.


    Despite his weakened state, the man persistently dragged a weighty sword behind him, leaving a trail of bloody footprints with each step. His gait seemed unsteady, and his left leg appeared to be severely injured.


    Despite his unsteady steps, the young man appeared determined, albeit slightly pale. He continued walking, asionally reaching out to nearby walls for support to stabilize himself and prevent a fall.


    "I can''t... fall yet...." The man''s feeble voice was audible as his unsteady feet shuffled along. Luckily, he managed to grasp onto the nearby wall with his right hand to steady himself.


    He further continued walking as the grilling sound of his Sword against the streets responded. As he took off his bloody hand off the wall, a bloody hand imprint was left behind on the wall.


    Even blood kept trickling out of the man''s lips.


    Raven stood frozen in the distance, watching in disbelief as his younger brother struggled to walk. It was as though he had been turned into a statue, unable to move or react to the distressing sight before him.


    He opened his lips but before he could even say anything, he noticed that the surroundings had suddenly turned brighter.


    Weiss and Raven both gazed up at the sky in unison.


    As he gazed upwards, he caught sight of a magnificent winged being soaring through the clouds! This wasn''t the first instance that he had spotted such a being. It was evident to him that it was an Archangel.


    There stood a woman with stunning, ivory wings that resembled those of an angel. A sense of sanctity emanated from her very presence.


    "How far have you fallen!" The Archangel stated, without even a single trace of pity in her eyes. If anything, only mockery, anger and hate could be seen in her eyes.


    "Let me put you out of your misery!" The woman raised her right hand gracefully.


    A multitude of formidable spears materialized overhead, resembling bolts of lightning. Their sheer power was such that each one had the ability to obliterate an entire city on its own.


    The level of strength exhibited by the woman was on apletely different scalepared to the yers in the Bloodline Trial - she appeared to possess god-like strength.


    With a single gesture of her, all the Lightning Spears came crashing down, all targeting Weiss.


    "I still... haven''t saved him!" Weiss tightened his fist around his pitch ck heavy sword. " I can''t... die yet!"


    Even though his body was so weak that it could fall apart at any moment, he still used everything he had, swinging his heavy sword as if he intended to slice the heaven itself!


    A jet ck beam of energy emerged from his sword, appearing to have the capacity to engulf an entire world within it.


    The awe-inspiring collision of dark energy and Lightning Spears resulted in a potent release of energy. The Lightning Spears proved to be stronger, disintegrating Weiss'' dark energy. Nevertheless, the Lightning Spears themselves were also obliterated in the process.


    Unfortunately, the impact of the two attacks was so powerful that it created a powerful wind st. With his weak body, Weiss couldn''t even stay firm on the ground. His weak body flew back, falling in the distance. Fortunately, he still didn''t drop his sword.


    Using his broadsword as a support, he struggled to stand up, his clothing stained with fresh blood. He coughed, disgorging even more blood as he exerted himself.


    "I''m surprised you could still struggle, even after consuming so much poison... As expected of the Ninth King..."


    As Weiss struggled to stand, he heard a voice in the distance. But this voice didn''t belong to an Archangel; it was a human''s voice. A young woman was approaching, wielding a Wizard''s staff. Her mocking tone only added to show that she was enjoying it as well.


    A trace of bloodlust appeared in Weiss'' eyes as he looked at the woman.