Awakening of the Mind Sovereign-Chapter 18: Blood… Blood was everywhere.

Before the gate opened, Kali took a step forward and looked at the students with a calm yet slightly sharp gaze.

"Before you begin, let me clarify something important."

Silence filled the air, and all eyes focused on him.

"The test consists of three stages, and the first stage is called the Chaos Realm."

Some students raised their eyebrows in surprise, while Kali continued his explanation:

"Simply put, when you pass through the gate, you will find yourselves in a strange place... nothing but grass and a white sky."

Elliot and Kyber exchanged quick glances. A world with no features? That sounded a bit odd.

But Kali wasn't done yet.

"In this stage, we will conduct a lottery to determine who will fight whom. Since there are fifteen of you, one of you will be lucky and won't have to fight in the first round."

Some students' eyes widened.

"The battle will be one-on-one, and the seven winners will join the lucky one, making a total of eight who qualify for the next stage."

There were only seven spots... and the rest would be eliminated immediately.

The students' excitement ignited instantly!

"Hah, this is thrilling! I'll prove my strength!"

"I just hope I don't face someone too strong in the first round!"

"I don't care who I fight—I'll win no matter what."

But amid all the excitement, there was one person silently anxious.

Elliot.

(A one-on-one fight from the start? This isn't good...)

Even if he had high intelligence and unique abilities, his current strength was still lacking compared to the others.

But there was no escape.

Kali turned toward the gate and slowly extended his hand...

And in an instant—

"Let the test begin!"

The gate shone with a mysterious light, pulling everyone inside!

Elliot felt as if he were being forcefully sucked in, and then suddenly...

Everything disappeared.

When he opened his eyes again...

He found himself in an endless white world, filled only with green grass and a pure white sky.

-

-

-

-

-

Elliot stood in the middle of the infinite green grass, cautiously looking around.

An hour passed... and nothing happened.

He remained standing, alert, anticipating any sudden danger.

But... there was nothing.

No opponent, no battle... just him, the grass, and the silent white sky.

(Is this part of the test? Am I supposed to fight myself?)

He began to doubt the situation, but suddenly...

"You have passed the test."

A calm voice came from behind him, and he quickly turned to see Kali standing there, his face expressionless.

"Huh?" Elliot blinked in surprise. "I passed?"

Kali nodded indifferently, then extended his hand toward him. "Come with me."

Elliot had no choice but to follow.

And in an instant, he felt his body being pulled forcefully, returning to the real world.

When he opened his eyes, he was standing before the sect's gate, the same place where the test had begun.

The other students were starting to come out one by one.

"Oh... it seems I was the lucky one who won the draw."

Elliot sighed in relief, but then he felt cold gazes piercing his back.

He turned slowly, only to find some students glaring at him with resentment.

"That weakling didn't do anything, yet he qualified so easily?!"

"He's only at the seventh level of the Initial Realm... while we fought so hard!"

Elliot ignored the comments, but he felt uneasy.

A few minutes passed, and all the students had exited. Elliot quickly counted them... only six?!

His expression darkened. (But there should be seven... Where is Kyber?)

Ten minutes passed... twenty... a whole hour.

Elliot was about to explode with worry.

And suddenly, he felt a chill.

He slowly turned toward the gate...

And what he saw made him lose the ability to breathe.

Kyber emerged.

But he wasn't the same as when he entered.

Blood... Blood was everywhere.

His clothes were completely tattered, as if they had been slashed by countless blades.

His veins were visible, pulsating strangely, as if something was pressing against his body from the inside.

His eyes were... different.

There was no weakness in his gaze, no sign of an ordinary wounded man.

Instead, he looked like a beast that had crawled out from the depths of hell.

He walked slowly, with heavy steps, but each step carried an overwhelming presence.

All the students who had been whispering about Elliot moments ago... were now utterly silent.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Because what had emerged from the gate was no longer human.

-

-

-

-

-

Elliot couldn't wait any longer.

Seeing Kyber stepping out of the gate in that state... made his heart clench with fear.

"Kyber!!"

He ran toward him at full speed, ignoring the stares of the other students, caring about nothing but his friend who was collapsing before his eyes.

Each step he took, his emotions clashed between worry and fear, between anger and sorrow.

How could someone end up in such a horrifying state?

When he reached him, Kyber's body was trembling, his face pale, but...

Suddenly, Kyber laughed.

A laugh that contained no weakness... but rather a burning light within the darkness.

"Hah... I've never enjoyed myself this much before."

His words were broken, yet his tone was filled with excitement.

He looked at Elliot with tired eyes, but within them... was a strange glint.

Then he whispered weakly, "I used..."

But before he could finish his sentence...

He collapsed.

His body fell into Elliot's arms, completely unconscious.

His breathing was weak, and his body was unnaturally hot.

"Kyber!!"

Elliot tried shaking him gently, but there was no response.

He stood there, holding his friend's battered body, as if he had fought until his very last breath.

But... what was he about to say before he collapsed?

What had Kyber used?

And the most pressing question in Elliot's mind right now:

What had Kyber faced in the Chaos Realm?

Two hours earlier...

Kyber stood in the Chaos Realm, trying to comprehend the situation.

The ground was covered in grass, the sky was an endless white, but in front of him...

Stood a single figure, exuding an aura like a beast from a nightmare.

"Draven..."

The pressure he felt was unimaginable, as if he were standing before a predator.

Draven smirked mockingly and spoke in a cold voice:

"I don't want to waste my time... Come, attack me."

His eyes glowed with a dark hue, as if they were gateways to hell itself.

But Kyber smiled, his eyes gleaming with a faint excitement:

"It would be my pleasure."

But before he could move, Draven raised his hand and spoke in an icy voice:

"First Transformation... Azekiel's Claw."