The battlefield of the first calamity had become a world of destruction.
The once peaceful city that existed within the tower's illusion had been reduced to ruins. Buildings that once reached toward the sky were now broken and burning, streets were covered with the remains of monsters, and the screams of humanity from the past echoed throughout the artificial world created by the tower.
But among the endless chaos, one figure moved without hesitation.
Drax.
His black jacket fluttered behind him as he walked through the destruction, Nightmare resting in his right hand. His expression remained calm, almost bored, despite the countless monsters surrounding him.
To the monsters, he was no longer a human.
He was something far worse a predator standing above predators. The Abyss did not fear the apocalypse. The apocalypse feared the Abyss.
Drax disappeared.
The next instant, his figure appeared in front of a massive beast that towered over several buildings. Before the monster could even react, Nightmare moved.
A single slash. Then another. Then hundreds. The monster's enormous body froze as thin black lines appeared across its body. Seconds later, it collapsed.
Its essence separated from its body and flowed toward Drax like a river returning to the ocean. Drax didn't need to absorb the essence manually. His Abyssal World naturally consumed everything around him.
The energy of the dead. The energy of the destroyed environment. The essence floating through the air. Everything became nourishment for the Abyss.
Drax looked at the fading monster and continued walking.
"Devour."
The surrounding area trembled as the Abyssal essence spread outward. The remaining monsters that rushed toward him felt something was wrong.
Their instincts screamed run but they couldn't. Their bodies became heavier. Their movements slowed. Their essence began disappearing before they could even attack.
Drax walked through them like a natural disaster..One by one, they fell, their essence became his.
Minutes later, silence returned. Drax floated into the sky and stood above the ruins on the rooftop of a destroyed building. His black hair moved slightly in the wind as he stared upward.
Above him was the enormous portal that covered the sky but something was different. The energy inside the portal was changing. The monsters that had appeared before were only the beginning. Drax narrowed his eyes.
"It's not over yet..."
The entire sky shook. A pressure unlike anything before descended upon the world. The portal began moving. Then two enormous hands appeared.
They were massive, each finger larger than a skyscraper. The hands grabbed the edges of the portal and slowly...They pulled it apart. The sky cracked. The world trembled. A terrifying presence stepped through.
A creature unlike anything the candidates had faced before.
It was tall, Humanoid. Its body was covered in black clothing, with several black spikes growing from its body. Its face was hidden behind a strange mask. One side of the mask was pure white. The other side was completely black.
The moment its feet touched the ground...The entire city shook. The monsters that surrounded it instinctively stopped moving. Some of them collapsed. Some died instantly.
The pressure alone was enough to destroy weaker beings. Drax stared at the creature. His expression finally changed.
Not fear it was Interest and Recognition.
He had heard stories about beings like this.
Ancient monsters from the old era. Existences that forced civilizations into extinction. Drax spoke quietly.
"The God-Class Monster from the legends..."
His eyes narrowed.
"A Gedeon."
The Gedeon lifted its head. Then it roared, the sound was not simply noise. It was destruction.
The shockwave spread outward, tearing apart buildings and crushing monsters caught nearby. The ground split and the sky distorted.
Drax remained standing. His black eyes stared directly at the creature. A small smile appeared on his face.
"So the tower decided to send something interesting."
Far away from the battlefield, another figure watched. On top of a destroyed building sat Lex.
The world ranker rested casually on a throne made from monster corpses.
Unlike the other candidates, he wasn't exhausted. He wasn't even breathing heavily.
He simply watched.
His eyes moved toward the Gedeon. A small smile appeared.
"So this is what they had to face back then?"
He stood slowly. The wind moved around him. The destruction below reflected in his eyes.
"It was truly an unimaginable era."
Lex looked toward the battlefield. A strange excitement appeared on his face.
"It is time I carry out my grand plan."
He smiled. Then he stepped off the rooftop.
Meanwhile..The world around Isis was completely different. He stood in the middle of an ancient city. Buildings made of stone surrounded him.
The sky was dark. The atmosphere carried the feeling of an ancient battlefield.
Across from him stood a massive wolf. Its body was enormous, covered in dark fur, and its eyes contained the brutality of an ancient predator.
Fenrir...A creature from the old legends.
The wolf lowered its body. Its claws dug into the ground. Isis tightened his grip around his twin daggers.
Twinfang. The weapons reflected the light of the destroyed city. Fenrir growled. Then disappeared.
The ground exploded. The beast charged forward. Isis also moved. The two collided. Fenrir raised its massive claw.
The attack came down like a mountain. Isis stepped forward instead of retreating. His eyes sharpened. His twin daggers glowed faintly green. Sword essence surrounded them.
"Sword Essence."
The moment the claw reached him...
Isis moved. A flash. The claw separated.
Fenrir roared in pain but Isis didn't stop.
His body shifted. His other personality emerged. The change was instant.
His movements became sharper. More aggressive. His left foot slammed into Fenrir's body.
The impact sent the giant wolf crashing through several buildings. Isis landed calmly.
Fenrir struggled back up. Its anger increased. It opened its mouth. A blue energy began forming. Then it fired.
A devastating beam rushed toward Isis. Isis crossed his twin daggers. His inner world essence erupted.
"Inner World: Gemini Nexus."
The space around him changed. A dual energy surrounded his body.
His eyes sharpened.
"Heaven Cross Sever."
He swung. Two massive slashes crossed together.
An enormous X-shaped attack tore through the beam.
Then continued forward. Fenrir tried to dodge.
But it was too late. The attack struck. The ancient wolf was cut apart. Silence returned.
Isis stood there breathing heavily. Then he felt something change. His essence became stronger. His body became lighter.
The exhaustion disappeared. His inner world expanded. A smile appeared.
"Finally..."
He looked at his hands.
"I've reached Stage 3."
Elsewhere... The streets were filled with chaos. Monsters rampaged everywhere. Explosions covered the city but in the middle of the destruction stood Alexis.
She looked completely different from the frightened candidates who entered the tower. She stood calmly.
Her blue hair moved with the wind. Her staff rested in her hand. In front of her...A pack of enormous Cerberus monsters surrounded her.
Each one had three heads and flames burning around their bodies.
Alexis looked around. Then sighed.
"Of course..."
The monsters charged. Alexis raised her staff. Elemental energy gathered. The air became hot.
"Hell Fire."
A massive sphere of flames formed. It was enormous. Like a miniature sun. She launched it.
The attack exploded among the Cerberus.
Several monsters were forced back. One was completely consumed but the others avoided the attack. They rushed forward. One jumped from the left. Alexis reacted instantly. She swung her staff.
The impact struck the monster's face and sent it flying. Another attacked from behind.
She twisted her body and avoided the claw. The monsters surrounded her. Alexis looked around.
Then smiled. She placed her staff against the ground. Her essence spread.
"Didn't you learn?"
The ground trembled.
Her eyes sharpened.
"Never get too close to a mage."
The Cerberus froze. The atmosphere changed.
Alexis smiled. And the battlefield was about to become a disaster for them.
Meanwhile...Across the entire world inside the tower...Candidates slowly regained their memories. They realized the truth.
This was not a simple test. This was the first calamity and surviving it meant proving they deserved to climb higher.
Above the ruined city...
The Gedeon looked toward Drax.
And Drax raised Nightmare.
A smile appeared on his face.
The battle of ancient monsters...
Against the owner of the Abyss...
Was about to begin.