A series of panels appeared in front of every participant, their glowing text illuminating their surroundings.
[Rules of the “Token Holder” trial.]
[Ten tokens will be distributed to ten of you at random, one for each person.]
[Your goal is simple: hold that token and don’t let it be stolen.]
The rules seemed deceptively simple, but Alex knew better than to take them at face value.
Sure enough, more text followed.
[The trial will last exactly 24 hours.]
[All those holding a token by the end of the time limit will be declared winners and move on to the final part of the Dragon Bloodline Trial.]
‘Final part?’ Alex’s eyes narrowed.
He had assumed this trial would be the last step, but now it seemed there was more to come.
“By that, they mean the [Judgment],” Alphox explained in his mind, “As you know, after every trial, the dragons review the winners to determine if they truly deserve to inherit the [Dragon Bloodline].”
‘So they can still reject people even after all this?’ Alex thought, exhaling sharply.
“At least there’s no fighting involved in that part,” Alphox chuckled, “It’s just a formality.”
That meant everything would be decided within the next 24 hours.
The ten who held onto their tokens until the time ran out would win.
Ten winners.
It was surprisingly generous.
A trial that was supposedly the hardest and most dangerous one still allowed for up to ten victors.
Yet, the way the dragons spoke about it made it sound like none would survive.
That contradiction was unsettling.
“I don’t like this at all,” Alphox muttered.
Alex didn’t either.
More panels appeared.
[This domain, created by Xyrran, will be your battlefield. Everything that happens here will be broadcast to Dragon City for all dragons to see.]
[You will be judged based on your performance.]
[But try not to die. 🙂 ]
The cheerful tone of that last message sent chills down the spines of many.
The rules were straightforward, almost too straightforward.
It was essentially a brutal game of survival.
If you had a token, you were a target. If you didn’t have one, you had to hunt down those who did.
But the truly sadistic part was the balance.
If ten people had the tokens, that meant everyone else, hundreds of participants, would be after them.
If you didn’t actively hunt for a token, you risked running out of time and being eliminated automatically.
Yet, if you did get one, you’d be constantly under attack.
A cruel choice.
And Xyrran, the [Primordial Space and Time Dragon], had designed it.
That couldn’t be all of it though.
Alex’s instincts flared once reading the panels.
He truly didn’t understand how this trial could be so dangerous, after all, if only the participants fought, then there would surely be 10 winners…
Or maybe…
‘No,’ Alex shook his head, ‘This is possible, but no need to think about useless stuff unless it actually happens.’
A final message appeared, its golden letters hovering ominously.
[Oh.]
[And one last thing, this is the most important warning of all.]
Everyone tensed.
[Beware of the “Calamity” once it appears.]
The text vanished.
No explanation. No details.
The participants exchanged wary glances.
What the hell is the Calamity?
Xyrran let out a bored sigh.
“Well, you all got the message, so I’m out of here,” With a single swipe of his claws, he tore open space itself and stepped through, vanishing in an instant.
And just like that, the Primordial Dragon was gone.
Now, the only ones left in this vast domain were the participants, each standing on their glowing platforms, eyeing one another with suspicion.
They didn’t know one another, and even if they did, there was a chance they would need to fight one another for a token.
[Selecting the Token Holders…]
The platforms beneath every participant began to flicker with golden light.
The selection process had begun.
Those selected would receive a token and would have to survive the trial with one from start to end.
[The only way to “steal” a token is to kill the person that holds it.]
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“Getting a token right at the start might be bad,” Alphox warned. “Everyone will immediately chase after you.”
And if you could only lose your token by dying, it meant getting it at first would be mean surviving a whole 24 hours.
It was bad.
Alex stayed still, watching as the glowing light danced between platforms, cycling through possibilities.
Then—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The [Token Holders] were chosen among the alive participants.
And to Alex’s relief, he wasn’t one of them.
‘Good.’
Instead, the ten selected participants were now marked, standing out for all to see.
The moment the selection finished, one impatient participant made a fatal mistake.
Without waiting for the signal, he lunged at one of the Token Holders, trying to grab their prize.
[Disqualified.]
BOOM!
The man disintegrated on the spot.
[I haven’t said you could start yet.]
Everyone else froze in place.
Those who had been getting ready to pounce stopped immediately, realizing that any impatience could result in instant elimination.
[The “Token Holders” will have a 30-second head start.]
[Go.]
As soon as the words appeared, all the chosen darted off in different directions, vanishing into the landscape.
Well, all except one, that is.
Astariel.
The [Fallen Angel] moved at a slow, deliberate pace, not even looking over his shoulder.
He didn’t run. He didn’t rush.
He simply walked away, his armor clinking softly as he moved.
There was no weapon in his hands, no defensive stance.
Yet, despite that, his mere presence sent a chill through the air.
It wasn’t arrogance. It wasn’t recklessness.
It was absolute confidence.
[The 30-seconds head start has ended.]
[The trial has now officially begun. Good luck.]
The moment those words appeared, chaos erupted.
Hundreds of participants burst from their platforms, dashing in all directions, hunting for the Token Holders.
“Let’s go after him!”
“He can’t fight all of us!”
“Don’t fight each other yet, focus on finding the tokens!”
For now, most were prioritizing the main goal: chasing the Token Holders.
Killing others that didn’t have a token was useless and could come later.
However, some saw an easy target.
Fifty participants, a mix of different races, all surged forward toward Astariel, believing him to be defenseless.
It was a logical decision.
He wasn’t running, which meant he wasn’t trying to avoid a fight.
Maybe he was bluffing. Maybe he was actually weak.
They had numbers.
Fifty against one.
Yet… they never stood a chance.
Alex stayed where he was, watching closely.
He needed to see what Astariel would do.
The Fallen Angel didn’t look back.
He simply sighed.
“How foolish.”
With a single movement, a dark blade materialized in his hand.
Then he swung.
A single backward slash.
A dark shockwave exploded outward.
And the fifty participants—
Were gone.
Instantly.
Their bodies erased from existence as the attack washed over them.
“…Holy shit,” Alex muttered in disbelief.
Even Alphox was stunned.
“I think you should avoid fighting that guy,” the dragon advised.
Alex let out a dry chuckle, “Yeah, wasn’t planning to, but damn…”
That wasn’t just strength.
That was complete, overwhelming power.
Was this the might of a [Fallen Angel]?
Alex glanced at the battlefield ahead.
The hunt had begun.
And this was just the first minute.