Things were getting increasingly tense inside the third gate, but the trial was drawing to a close. The fourth test had emerged—a trial that guaranteed some would reach the inheritance, while ensuring others would not. If the number of those reaching the inheritance had reached double digits, these frozen lands would have been one step away from turning crimson.
When that soul-shaking voice echoed in their ears once more, Malehit and Gomez were still locked in combat. Blood and saliva were indistinguishable. Although their blows were much slower than when they were at their peak, they never paused for a moment. Gomez constantly tried to knock Malehit off him. After all, Malehit was still a Sage, even if he was badly wounded and extremely weak compared to his usual self.
Gomez had been forced to drop his hammer while fighting Evra, and his chances were much lower with his bare hands. He knew this half-dead man was a true genius. No matter how many terrifying opponents he had beaten to death before, Malehit was different. There wasn't much of an age difference between them, yet Malehit was already leagues ahead of him.
'I will rise, too.'
He headbutted Malehit's jaw and threw him aside, swiftly driving a knee into his kidneys. A little more blood flowed from Malehit's open wounds, but even Malehit wasn't exerting much effort anymore. The flow of blood had slowed; he was as white as a sheet. It was surprising, even for a Sage, that he was still alive. Gomez climbed on top of him and raised his fist. There was no longer any obstacle in his way.
He swung his fist.
'One down.'
DING...!
And just like that, a head flew off. A sword, swung diagonally from bottom to top, took the Master of Survival's life with a single, accurate strike.
While Gomez had been struggling with Malehit, he had forgotten about Evra, who had been waiting on the ground in the corner. The voice announcing the fourth test had clearly played a part in this distraction, as had the emotions of the third test, which had blinded him. Gomez was exhausted. He was in pain everywhere and hadn't even noticed his surroundings. As a result, Evra killed him. For the first time, Evra had killed someone—not a stranger, but someone he knew. He had beheaded him. The look of disgusted pain on Evra's face was insufficient to express how much the act bothered him.
His hands were shaking. His palms were sweaty. The adrenaline had already peaked, masking his pain, but the tests weren't over yet. He had already lost focus during the third, but he knew what he had to do for the fourth.
Evra was tired, but his fatigue changed nothing. He glanced in the direction Ulam had gone. He knew how much Ulam had sacrificed for them. They had always been rivals, and many times he had fallen into the illusion that Ulam was his enemy, but here, Ulam had proven to be a friend. That was the part that made everything so difficult.
'Do I have to betray him?'
Killing Gomez and killing Ulam were not the same thing—not even remotely.
He bowed his head. The sound of melting ice turning into water echoed from the second test area. Evra was only slightly wet, but he felt as if he were drowning. He took a deep breath, turned his head, and looked at his brother lying in the water. Malehit was staring at the ceiling, his eyes open. With his pale face and motionless body, it was hard to tell him apart from a corpse, but his eyes were still moving slightly. A faint trace of Origin Energy mixed with Tao could still be felt radiating from him.
"Wait for me here, brother. I'll finish this and save you."
From this moment on, only a Transcendent had a chance of saving Malehit. Evra looked at his brother and knew he had only one choice. No matter how difficult it was, he had to endure the pain and do the unthinkable. He had to cast aside his own honor. He would betray his friend and live as a dishonorable man—perhaps like a despicable outlaw.
"Thank you... my dear... brother."
Evra began to step forward.
SPLASH... SPLASH...
The sound of footsteps in the water was the only noise in the area—the sound of the last person left standing. Evra gripped his sword tightly, leaving his honor behind. Covered in blood and bruises, he went to kill a friend.
Ulam lay unconscious on the wet ground. His body was still trembling, not from the cold, but because his mind was trapped in the memory of it. He was in no position to defend himself. Evra stood before him; it had taken him very little time to reach this spot, yet he could guess how grueling the journey had been for Ulam through that cold and pain. And now, he had to kill him.
"I'm sorry, Ulam, but my brother trusts me."
Evra raised his sword. His head was spinning, and the effects of the third test had reached the deepest part of his heart. He had to save his brother.
Evra swung his sword.
TAAAK!!
"The third and fourth tests are over. The fifth test is the Choice of Inheritance."
Only two people remained. Evra stood frozen, his eyes filled with tears. Two enormous doors now stood before him—double doors leading to a sacred place, their tops curved into ovals like the entrance to a great cathedral.
Now, the two survivors had to choose their gates.
Evra and... Ulam.
Evra had indeed swung his sword, but it had plunged into the ground beside Ulam's neck, not into Ulam himself. Before Evra could think any further, Malehit had passed away. It was impossible for even a Sage to survive that long with such wounds; the only reason he had lasted was because the cold had slowed his blood loss. But even that could not prevent the inevitable.
Malehit was dead. Evra had lost his brother.
He knew it, and he felt no relief. He should have killed Ulam to save his brother, but he had hesitated too long. He had been indecisive, and his brother had paid the price.
"The tests... are they over?"
The voice announced that the fifth test was the Inheritance Selection. Wasn't this the Immortal Dragon's inheritance area? Why was there a choice? And what kind of test could this be?
The two gates emitted an aura Evra had never witnessed before—an aura that did not belong to a Sage or even a Lord of the Origin Heart. Beyond them lay Transcendence. Beyond the energy of the Origin Heart and even beyond Ascension...
These were the inheritances of the Transcendent. And there were two.
One door radiated a purple, magical aura—a deadly darkness that was both alluring and terrifying, jolting Evra from his stupor. The other was bright and yellow. The mist swirling around it weighed heavily on him, yet it also drew him in. Within that aura of pride and arrogance was something that offered to conceal his shame.
Evra's face was twisted in deep misery. At that moment, the riddle of the fifth test did not concern him. No explanation was given, and he no longer cared about death. His hands were drenched in blood, and he was hollowed out by exhaustion. He looked at Ulam on the ground and shook his head. Stepping onto the wet earth, he walked toward the golden door, dragging his sword behind him.
"I did what I could. Really. I won't go any further into the darkness. I can't."
He was talking to himself, but he felt an urge to justify it to Ulam. He was the one who had pushed Ulam toward that dark place, even though he felt he had ruined everything.
He was supposed to be the powerful one. He had taken his brother's sword—a mid-level Sage weapon with power rivaling the Sage Realm itself. Yet, it was because of him that his brother constantly had to rescue him. Even when he trampled on his honor to save him, he couldn't act decisively. He had betrayed Ulam, yet his brother had still died.
Evra felt he couldn't endure any more. He had no idea where the dark door led, but he sensed that was the real test. There was nothing good there. Whoever's legacy it was, it felt terrible... something ancient and foul. Evra felt this in his bones and stayed away from the purple-auraed door, drawn instead to the warm, proud presence of the golden gate.
Evra passed through the golden door. As he did, it glowed even brighter and swallowed him whole. Then, the door slowly lost its brilliance, leaving only a faint yellowish tint.
On the other hand, the gate with the purple aura began to pulse with a much stronger power. The aura extended like a spectral arm, growing thicker and longer until it reached the unconscious Ulam. It slowly wrapped around his waist, lifted him into the air, and pulled him swiftly through the gate.
Once Ulam was pulled into the purple, misty gate, this death-scented portal also faded, much like the other. All that remained were the waters soaking the earth and the İwo corpses lying in the silence.
The third gate had fallen silent again, as it had been for hundreds of years.