Crackle.


    Wain plucked the glowing fruit and moved it to the Ring of Damned. The sacrificial tree shook, and a message appeared before them.


    [Received Title - Passed the Trial of Merge Ind]


    [Passed the Trial of Merge Ind


    You were one of the three candidates who could reach the end and pass the trial. You have not been stopped by anything, neither terrible monsters, invincible enemies, or impossible conditions. Even in the face ofpetition and all-consuming madness, you could find amon path and follow it.


    Keep going and don''t stop, as more serious challenges await you ahead.


    *All stats are increased by 20 points.


    *All attack power is increased by 10%]


    They were surprised, but suddenly another message appeared in front of Wain.


    [Received Title - The One Who Broke the Living Heart]


    [The One Who Broke the Living Heart


    You have be the one who finished the challenge. You have once again be the one who started the catastrophe and the beginning of the end.


    ???]


    ''What does that mean?'' Wain pondered. The description of the second Title was strange and iprehensible.


    ''I am once again the one who started the catastrophe? Hmm, but when I started the apocalypse, I didn''t get any Titles, but doesn''t the message say that?


    ? Wain shook his head and decided to think about itter. Right now, he had no information and had more important things to do.


    Crackle.


    A few seconds after Wain plucked the fruit, the space began to shatter into a multitude of shards.


    Small pools of blood appeared beneath them, which swallowed them up and moved them back to the ind.


    ...


    Wain, Eva, and Maria checked into space with the Blood River for several months, but it was just under one minute for the outside world.


    Considering the second stage, the total time of thest test for the challengers was only a few hours.


    There were still battles between races and monsters on Merge Ind. They couldn''t be contenders, but they could get souls and other useful resources. Merge Ind was the perfect ce to hunt.


    "Gisle, look!" Elsa eximed, pointing to the sky. There appeared several cracks from which blood spurted.


    Their temporary base was not far from the eastern zone, where the Light Wolf had previously dwelt. Gisle had chosen this ce because it was mountainous and rocky terrain, perfect for battles and defense againstrge groups of enemies.


    "This is either the beginning of something great or our end." Gisle muttered.


    Whoooooooooosh.


    Seconds before the cracks were to break. A message appeared in front of everyone on the ind.


    [The trial for Merge Ind contenders is over. All but the inhabitants of this world will be banished to their worlds within ten seconds. In twenty-four hours, the *** will begin.]


    "Elsa, gather everyone. We don''t know what''s going to happen now." Gisle quickly gave instructions.


    "Of course."


    ...


    "What''s going on!?" Eximed the angel behind whom the portal appeared. He tried to resist, but the portal sucked him in like a ck hole and returned him to the Angel World.


    The same thing started happening to the others. It didn''t matter what they were doing at that moment, fighting, healing, or resting. The portals returned them to their measures, leaving Merge Ind only for the humans.


    They did not want to leave as they hoped to explore and take over the area in a space unknown to them, but their ns were not destined to fruition.


    ...


    While chaos was happening on the ind and people were gathering in groups at the bases of their organizations, Wain, Eva, and Maria were moving back to the ind. The process was quick and should have taken only a few seconds, but it was different for them.


    Their consciousness shut down, and all the events that had urred reyed in their heads once more. Something also happened in Wain''s mind, or rather in his Soul Altar.


    Inside the dark castle, a fifth silhouette appeared on the gray tform. It was the Knight of the Bloody Rose.


    He stood straight in his dark armor, thrusting his sword in front of him. A noble and majestic aura emanated from him. He looked like a knight of the king and the strongest of all.


    "There are five of us already, and the crack is gradually widening. Damn, why did only the swordsman get his voice to him?" ck Sun Aristocrat eximed.


    "Huh, are you jealous?" Blind Sorcerer said smiling.


    "You worry too much. Everyone has a path, including him. He must go forward. It will also be our advancement." Knight of the Bloody Rose uttered.


    "Yes, I agree. When the tform is destroyed, we can perhaps find out how many more obstacles remain." The Cursed Swordsman spoke slowly, exhaling icy steam.


    "There''s not much left before the tform breaks. He has to take the second step, and it will be soon enough." Said the Code of Light and Darkness floating in the air.


    ...


    Crackling.


    The three massive cracks in the sky increased in size and were ready to break at any moment. A great deal of blood poured out of them, and then three of them appeared.


    Gisle and the other members of Last Light immediately noticed Wain.


    "Huh, I didn''t even doubt that but why three of them?" Gisle muttered.


    He had never seen Eva or Maria, and through his knowledge of the other races and Pirs, he could determine that they too were the humans.


    Gisle knew that there were only nine applicants; he had no information about the rest of the trial. He figured that the other applicants had disappeared through the portals like the others.


    Whoooooosh.


    Gisle pulled his katana from its sheath, and the wind swirled around the weapon. Then the me sign on his palm lit up, and the red fire became one with the wind. Gisle raised his katana high up and released the umted momentum.


    A whirlwind of fire headed toward him, and everyone on the ind saw it. Wain was no exception. That sh caught his attention, and as he looked closer, he saw Gisle.


    ''He''ll always find a way to find me,'' Wain smiled.


    They were a few dozen feet above the ground, but it wasn''t a problem.


    Bam.


    Wain, Eva, and Maria reached the ground a few secondster. The girls acted more carefully. They clung to tree branches and descended in a few jumps.


    Wain did not make up his mind. He fell like a statue with a crash, and the ground beneath him cracked.


    Falling from such a height was only slightly painful, but it was a pleasant tingle after what Wain had experienced in the Eternal Blood River.


    "Where shall we go?" Eva asked, looking around.


    "To my friend." Wain said confidently and took her hand.


    Maria was pondering; she didn''t know whether she should have followed them or gone her own way as before. However, after some hesitation, she followed Wain and Eva.


    She decided to do so because she was sure that Wain''s friends were as strong as him. That way, she could learn more about the world situation and how to help those in need. This was her main goal for Maria, and she didn''t want to give it up.