Chapter 186: Chapter 185 : Trap (1)
Across the nation of Elvania, the air trembled with anticipation.
High above city plazas, village squares, and noble estates, enormous holographic screens materialized in the sky—woven from light and mana, connected directly to the royal array. Elves stopped in the middle of the streets, markets fell quiet, taverns lowered their music, and even children stared upward with wide eyes.
News spread like wildfire.
"The daughter of the former king has returned."
"Princess Erica... is taking the throne trial."
Many refused to believe it at first.
A fallen princess, branded illegitimate, living in poverty and hiding for a year—now suddenly standing at the center of the nation’s greatest challenge? It sounded like a rumor created to stir the masses.
But the screens showed the truth.
Erica Lysindra Lunaris stood before a massive ancient tomb carved into the mountain, its stone doors etched with glowing runes. Beside her stood Freya Valtor, Dominic’s granddaughter. Behind them, nineteen other candidates gathered—the survivors of Arthur’s massacre in the throne room, dragged here by ambition, duty, or the pressure of their families.
Some of those nineteen didn’t even want to be there.
But their houses had forced them.
Who would willingly abandon a golden opportunity to seize the throne, especially when they had brought their strongest fighters to support them?
That brought the total number of contenders to twenty-one.
The people of Elvania watched.
Twenty-one paths.
One throne.
One ruler.
Erica, standing at the front, lightly clenched her fists. Determination shone in her blue eyes.
’I’ll show them that I’m worthy,’ Erica thought. ’And I’ll discover the truth about Father’s death... if Dominic wasn’t lying.’
An elven man stepped forward from the gathered officials near the tomb.
He wore ceremonial armor and a dark green cloak, his hair tied back in a low knot. His voice rang out clearly, amplified by magic throughout the tomb and across the entire nation.
"The Grand Elder has entrusted this responsibility to me," he said. "So I will explain the conditions of victory."
He turned and gestured toward the ancient tomb.
"This tomb was built by our ancestors," he said, "to choose a worthy successor from among those of royal blood."
He paused.
"Every king and queen in our history has passed through this trial," he explained. "Traditionally, only the king’s children may participate. However, because not everyone here belongs to the direct royal family—though some still possess traces of royal blood through distant relatives—these candidates are also permitted to take the trial."
The crowd murmured.
"Because many of our people do not consider Princess Erica worthy," the man continued, "she will also participate to prove her right to lead us all."
On the screens, countless eyes turned toward Erica.
Some were wary.
Some were hateful.
And many feared the black-haired boy standing beside her, whose crimson eyes had already stained the throne room with blood.
The official drew a breath.
"The condition for victory," he said, "is simple."
He pointed toward the tomb.
"You must clear the tomb. Each person who succeeds will receive a weapon from its treasury."
His voice lowered.
"The first person to clear the tomb and emerge with such a weapon... will be declared the winner."
Gasps echoed throughout the cities and villages.
"But do not think it will be easy," he added. "Death lurks inside this tomb. If you are careless, you will be consumed by it. There is no guarantee of survival."
He swept his eyes over the candidates.
"If you think this will be easy," he said, "withdraw now."
Silence.
No one stepped back.
Fear flickered in their eyes, but greed, pride, and determination burned even brighter.
The elven man nodded.
"Perfect," he said. "One by one, enter the tomb."
As if responding to his words, the great stone doors trembled.
Then they slowly opened.
A dark corridor stretched beyond them, illuminated only by faint floating lights.
Everyone watching swallowed nervously.
No one wanted to be the first to enter.
Sakura smiled faintly.
She looked down at Freya.
Freya met her gaze, nervous but determined, and nodded.
"Let’s go," Sakura said softly.
She walked forward with smooth, confident steps, Freya at her side, and both vanished into the tomb’s entrance.
Erica glanced at Arthur.
Arthur gave her a small, reassuring smile.
They nodded to each other and stepped forward together, crossing the threshold.
Seeing them move, the remaining candidates tightened their grips on their weapons, gathered their courage, and followed in groups, disappearing into the dark passage.
Outside, Yuna and Elizabeth watched the doors close.
They understood.
This was one battlefield where they could not interfere.
Arthur had already entrusted them with another task—something that would unfold outside the tomb, in the larger game involving memory crystals and crows.
Yuna turned toward Elizabeth.
"Let’s go," Yuna said quietly. "We have our own tasks to complete."
Elizabeth sighed softly before nodding.
"Fine," Elizabeth replied. "Try not to die while I’m gone, little monarch."
They walked away from the tomb, leaving the trial to those inside.
───────────────
Inside the tomb, the world changed the instant Arthur and Erica crossed the threshold.
For a moment, everything became completely dark.
No sound.
No touch.
No sense of direction.
Arthur immediately reached out.
"Stay close to me," Arthur said.
Light flared.
When his eyes adjusted, he realized—
He was alone.
He stood inside a narrow stone corridor illuminated by pale blue crystals embedded in the walls. The air was cold and dry.
There was no one beside him.
"...Fuck," Arthur muttered. "Looks like she got sent somewhere else."
The tomb was not a simple straight path.
It was a maze that scattered the contenders throughout randomized corridors and chambers, separating them from their allies.
The ground trembled.
Two stone figures rose from the floor ahead—golems formed from dark rock, runes glowing faintly upon their chests.
Their massive stone arms lifted as they lumbered toward Arthur with grinding steps.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
The golems swung their stone fists downward.
Arthur stepped forward once.
He punched.
──── CRACK ────
His fist smashed through the first golem’s chest, shattering its core into powder. The construct instantly collapsed, its body disintegrating into rubble.
The second attacked from the side.
Arthur turned and drove his fist straight through its core as well, sending cracks racing across its body.
The golem collapsed into pieces.
Arthur shook the dust from his hand.
"What a joke," he muttered.
On his shoulder, Black ruffled his feathers.
Arthur looked toward the crow.
"Lead the way," Arthur said quietly. "Find Erica. I can’t let her die after investing so much in her."
Black understood immediately.
He flew upward, skimming along the ceiling, his eyes glittering.
From there, he moved throughout the tomb, his vision spreading across multiple corridors and chambers, observing every contender he could find.
Through their contract, Arthur saw what Black saw—brief glimpses of different corridors, chambers, and battles.
Then Black found her.
Erica.
She stood inside a wide circular chamber carved from dark stone, illuminated by floating crystals overhead.
Surrounding her were four other contenders—two elves with the aura of C-Rank Tier-2 warriors, accompanied by a Tier-1 B-Rank guards.
The fourth contender remained behind them, nervous but eager.
They had surrounded Erica, weapons drawn and spells prepared.
One of them smirked.
"You should’ve stayed hidden, Princess."
Erica’s eyes remained calm.
In the blink of an eye, she moved.
Arthur watched through Black’s vision, his eyebrows rising.
Erica raised both hands.
Mana surged from her like a tidal wave, yet there was no waste or disorder.
Three separate magic circles appeared around her simultaneously, overlapping and rotating like gears within a clock.
Parallel casting.
The first circle flared into a shimmering barrier that wrapped around her like a crystal sphere, anchoring itself to the floor.
Arrows and wind blades bounced harmlessly from it, scattering sparks.
The second circle spun beneath her feet, launching jagged spears of ice outward.
One opponent barely dodged.
The other was impaled through the shoulder and knee, pinned against the wall with a cry.
The third circle erupted into compressed wind and light, forming dozens of razor-sharp blades that rushed toward the guard, forcing him to block and evade at the same time.
"Three circles at once...?" Arthur thought, genuinely surprised.
’Barrier, offense, and control... perfectly layered.’
Erica didn’t stop.
While maintaining the barrier, she wove another spell inside it—a condensed bolt of lightning that passed through an opening in the barrier and struck the guard’s sword.
Electricity surged through his body, locking his muscles for a precious second.
She stepped forward.
The ice spears shattered into countless shards that flew like arrows and struck the remaining contenders.
Armor cracked.
Spells collapsed.
One opponent fell unconscious.
Within seconds, the entire group had been defeated.
One lay unconscious.
Two were barely breathing.
The guard’s weapon had shattered, and his body still twitched from the lingering electricity.
Erica’s barrier remained completely intact.
Only after confirming that none of them could continue fighting did she allow it to fade.
Arthur watched and slowly exhaled.
"Looks like I don’t need to worry about her after all," Arthur said. "Good."
He rolled his shoulders.
"Now the only thing left," Arthur murmured, "is finding Sakura."
Almost as if responding to his thoughts, Black’s vision shifted.
In another corridor, Sakura leaned against a wall with her arms folded, one foot resting against the stone.
The soft glow of embedded crystals highlighted her blue hair.
She was alone.
She looked directly toward the ceiling, where Black hid.
She smiled.
"I know you’re watching through those eyes," Sakura said quietly. "Come. I’m waiting for you."
Arthur’s lips curved upward.
"Found you."
He burst forward.
He moved through the corridors with incredible speed, each step precise and every turn guided by Black’s vision and his own instincts.
Along the way, he defeated any candidates unfortunate enough to cross his path.
And their guards.
A mage raised his staff.
Arthur snapped it in half and knocked him unconscious.
A warrior charged.
Arthur dislocated his arm and slammed him into the wall.
Two guards attempted an ambush.
Arthur blasted them away with a compressed burst of blood mana, leaving them unconscious.
He didn’t kill everyone.
But he destroyed their chances of winning, clearing the path for Erica.
Within only a few minutes, at least ten contenders and their guards had been eliminated from the competition, either unconscious or too injured to continue.
The field shrank rapidly.
Finally, Arthur turned a corner.
A long hallway stretched ahead, ending in a small circular chamber.
Sakura stood there.
She still leaned against the wall, her arms folded loosely and one leg crossed over the other, as though she had simply been waiting for a friend.
Her blue hair caught the dim light.
Her eyes glittered when she saw him.
Arthur stepped into the chamber.
He looked directly at her, his crimson eyes steady.
"Shall we begin?" Arthur asked quietly.
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