Absolute Cheater-Chapter 197 : War God Trial

Blood spikes erupted from the ground beneath one of the lions, impaling it instantly. The beast roared in agony before its body melted into mist.

Serena gasped. "That one was an illusion!"

The remaining two pounced at the same time—one from the left, one from above.

Asher grinned. "Then let's see if these are real."

He vanished just before the attacks landed.

—WHOOSH!

Reappearing above the airborne lion, Asher drove his knee into its back, sending it crashing down into the poison-soaked earth.

But the moment it landed—

—SQUELCH.

Blood tendrils burst from the ground, coiling around its limbs like living chains.

The lion struggled, thrashing violently, but Asher raised his hand.

—CRACK.

The blood tendrils tightened mercilessly, shattering the lion's bones in a sickening crunch.

Serena winced. "That one was real!"

The last remaining lion stood motionless, watching its fallen brethren dissolve into blood-soaked mist.

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Asher wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. "Only one left."

The lion growled lowly, its mist swirling aggressively, condensing into a single point.

Serena's face paled. "Asher, move! It's—"

—BOOM!

The mist exploded outward, forming a massive shockwave of pure, concentrated venom.

Everything it touched melted. The trees, the rocks, even the corpses of other creatures in the area dissolved into sludge.

Asher stood firm, his crimson aura shielding him, but even his Sanguine Supreme ability trembled against the sheer toxicity.

"A final desperate attack, huh?" he muttered, his breath turning misty from the fumes.

Then, with a smirk—

"Let me show you what real blood mastery looks like."

—SANGUINE SUPREME: CRIMSON DEVOURER.

The blood on the battlefield surged toward Asher, twisting and condensing into a single, monstrous form behind him.

It had no defined shape—just a writhing, ever-shifting mass of crimson tendrils, eyes, and fanged mouths.

The Crimson Devourer opened its maw… and inhaled.

The toxic mist, the rotting remains, even the last lion's essence—everything was consumed.

The Purple Mist Lion roared in terror as it, too, was swallowed whole.

Serena watched in horror as the battlefield fell silent. The mist was gone. The lion was no more.

And standing amidst the wreckage, bathed in an eerie red glow—

Asher grinned.

"One more king down."

"We got all four now," Serena said as Asher took out the core from the Mist Lion as well.

"Yes, let's go and activate the trial. Do you want to participate in it?" he asked.

She nodded. Asher had given her many abilities—far beyond her innate healing light. Now, she wielded Death Dagger, Element Mastery, and Executioner Chain—all of them granted by Asher through his mysterious blood manipulation that allowed him to extract and transfer ability essence.

She still didn't fully understand how he did it, but one thing was certain—she was far stronger now. And she had been training relentlessly, determined not to be a burden on anyone.

The War God Trial would be the perfect place to test her newfound power.

Asher nodded as he began walking, with Serena following after him.

"So, how do we activate it?" she asked.

Asher replied, "We have to feed the cores to the central area's king—the Red Tooth Croc. It's a massive crocodile with a unique ability. Once we feed it the cores, it will morph into a gate, which will lead us to the War God Trial."

He turned ahead and continued walking toward the central mist region, where the creature resided.

As they moved deeper into the mist-covered region, the air grew thick with humidity, and the ground beneath them became damp and uneven. The distant sounds of water sloshing and low growls echoed through the swamp-like terrain.

Soon, they arrived at the heart of the central mist region, where a massive, dark-scaled crocodile lay half-submerged in a murky pool. Its crimson-stained fangs protruded from its maw, and its glowing red eyes locked onto them the moment they stepped closer.

"That's the Red Tooth Croc?" Serena asked, gripping the hilt of one of her daggers.

"Yeah, and we're not here to fight it," Asher reminded her. He stepped forward, retrieving the four King Cores from his storage. The moment the crocodile saw the glowing cores, its eyes widened, and it let out a deep, guttural rumble.

Asher tossed the cores toward the beast. They landed in the water with a splash, and without hesitation, the Red Tooth Croc lunged forward, snapping them up in its massive jaws.

A few tense seconds passed.

Then, the air trembled. The crocodile's body began to shift, its form twisting unnaturally. Mist erupted from the ground, swirling violently as the beast let out a final roar before its entire body crystallized into a towering scarlet stone gate adorned with ancient symbols.

Serena took a step back in awe. "It… really turned into a gate."

Asher smirked. "Told you."

The massive gate stood before them, pulsing with an ominous energy. The War God Trial awaited.

"I really wonder, though—who even found out about this trial?" Asher mused as he stared at the massive scarlet gate.

Serena nodded but added, "Probably some poor soul who was running from the Croc, but got his body ripped apart. If he had the cores, they might have ended up in the Croc's stomach, leading to the accidental activation of the trial's location."

Asher nodded. "Might be. Given how this trial works, I think only luck could help someone stumble upon it."

The gate pulsed ominously before them, awaiting their decision. Serena took a deep breath, gripping her weapons tightly. "So… ready to step in?"

Asher smirked. "No turning back now."

Together, they moved toward the gate, its ancient energy swirling around them as they prepared to enter the War God's Trial.

As they stepped forward, the scarlet gate rumbled, its energy pulsating as ancient runes lit up one by one. The air around them thickened with an overwhelming sense of power.

The moment they crossed the threshold, a blinding light enveloped them. Serena shielded her eyes while Asher simply narrowed his gaze, letting his body adapt to the sudden shift. When the light faded, they found themselves standing on an enormous floating battlefield, stretching endlessly into the horizon.

"This… isn't what I expected," Serena muttered, scanning the surroundings. The ground beneath them was made of solid stone, cracked and stained with dried blood. Towering statues of warriors lined the edges of the battlefield, their hollow eyes staring down as if judging them.

A deep, resonant voice echoed through the air.

"Welcome to the War God's Trial. Only those worthy of power shall proceed. Fail, and you will perish."

Serena tensed. "That's reassuring..."