The battlefield didn't slow down.
It got worse.
Minutes turned into something longer. Time blurred. The sky didn't change, the ground didn't shift—but the number of bodies did.
Candidates fell.
One by one.
Some didn't even get the chance to scream.
A massive beast lunged forward—its jaws snapping shut around a man's head. Bone cracked. Blood sprayed. The body dropped before the mind even understood what happened.
Another was crushed—flattened beneath a giant's foot, reduced to something unrecognizable.
The formation broke.
Whatever loose "circle" the candidates had formed—
Gone.
Now it was survival.
Pure and simple.
Drax moved through it like it didn't matter.
Each swing of Nightmare clean. Efficient. No wasted motion.
Isis fought nearby, his twin blades flashing in arcs of silver, cutting down anything that came too close.
Alexis stood her ground, spells forming and firing in controlled bursts—never panicked, never sloppy.
Across the field—
Others stood out.
A man with silver-gray hair—Grey—fought with brutal efficiency, using nothing but reinforced fists and raw essence.
A tall figure with dark skin and glowing markings—Malik—moved like a storm, his strikes heavy enough to shatter monsters on impact.
A quiet woman—Ceil—barely moved at all, yet anything that entered her range simply… fell apart.
And then—
There was him.
Lex.
He hadn't moved much.
Barely lifted a hand.
But when a Cerberus emerged—three heads, towering over everything—the battlefield paused for a second.
Even the monsters parted instinctively.
The creature roared.
A sound that shook the air.
Lex tilted his head slightly.
"…What's this."
The Cerberus locked onto him.
Roared again.
Lex looked at it.
Calm.
Uninterested.
"…Die."
POP.
One head burst.
Then—
POP.
The second.
Then—
POP.
The third.
The body collapsed instantly.
Silence rippled outward for half a second.
Then Lex raised his hand again—
Pointed lazily at the surrounding monsters.
One by one—
Their heads popped.
No motion.
No buildup.
Just death.
Elsewhere—
The chaos continued.
And still—
There was no sign of the end.
No timer.
No limit.
No mercy.
Hours passed.
The field was no longer green.
It was layered with bodies.
Broken ground. Torn flesh. Dying echoes.
Breathing became heavy.
Movements slowed.
Even the strongest began to feel it.
Except—
A few.
Drax.
Isis.
Alexis.
Lex.
Grey.
Malik.
Ceil.
They were still standing.
Barely marked by exhaustion—at least compared to the rest.
Then—
The last of the wave fell.
Silence.
For real this time.
Heavy breathing filled the field.
Some dropped to their knees.
Others collapsed entirely.
Out of what started as twenty thousand—
No more than five hundred remained.
Then—
The voice returned.
"Congratulations, candidates."
No one celebrated.
"You have reached the final round."
A pause.
"Boss encounter initiated."
The ground trembled.
"Target: Krakmaw."
The name alone felt wrong.
"Clear condition: Eliminate the target."
"Reward and choice will be granted upon success."
Then—
Something moved.
Far away—
But approaching fast.
The tremors grew heavier.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—
It appeared.
Massive.
Unnatural.
A body that didn't make sense.
It had a head—but no eyes.
A nose that twitched slightly.
Too many arms.
Too many legs.
Walking and crawling at the same time.
Ceil frowned slightly.
"…What is that."
Drax stared at it.
Eyes narrowing.
"…I don't know."
A pause.
"…but that thing…"
His voice lowered.
"…has fire of chaos in it."
The creature roared.
A deafening sound.
It didn't just hit the ears—
It distorted everything.
Vision warped.
Balance broke.
Thoughts staggered.
Drax spoke immediately.
"Use your essence—protect your body."
Alexis stepped closer to Isis.
"If we count the number that entered…"
She exhaled slightly.
"…twenty thousand."
She looked around.
"…no more than five hundred left."
Then—
Krakmaw moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
The ground cracked beneath it as it charged.
The remaining candidates scattered—
Trying to create distance—
But one of its arms swung.
A blur.
Impact—
BOOM.
Everyone got hit.
Even those who blocked—
Were sent flying.
Drax skidded back, boots carving into the ground.
Isis crashed hard—
Coughing blood.
Alexis slid back, barely stabilizing herself.
Others—
Weren't so lucky.
Bones snapped.
Ribs shattered.
Some didn't get back up.
Drax looked over—
Isis's arm hung wrong.
Broken.
Useless.
Alexis moved quickly.
"I can—"
She raised her staff—
Healing energy forming—
Then stopped.
A green mist lingered around the wound.
Her spell… didn't work.
Drax clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
He stepped forward.
"Get cover."
His eyes locked onto Krakmaw.
"I'll handle it."
And he vanished.
Reappearing in front of the monster instantly.
Nightmare moved.
A single clean cut—
One of Krakmaw's arms fell.
Severed.
The creature screamed.
Then—
The mist spread.
Green.
Thick.
Rotting everything it touched.
Grass died.
Air warped.
Life itself seemed to reject it.
But Drax—
Stood inside it.
Unaffected.
No—
Not just unaffected.
Absorbing it.
The mist twisted—
Pulled toward him.
Converted.
Refined.
His eyes sharpened.
"…So this works too."
His presence rose.
Quietly.
Powerfully.
He had reached—
Stage Five.
Just from the residue.
He looked up at Krakmaw.
Calm.
Cold.
"Since you broke my friend's arm…"
A pause.
"…your power doesn't even interest me anymore."
Krakmaw went berserk.
All its arms moved at once—
Relentless.
Fast.
Violent.
Drax moved.
Barely weaving through them—
Close.
Precise.
Each step calculated.
Then—
He raised Nightmare.
Above him—
A massive blade of intent formed.
Black.
Dense.
The air trembled.
Krakmaw reacted instantly—
More aggressive.
More violent.
As if it understood—
This was dangerous.
In the distance—
Isis and Alexis watched.
Alexis focused on the green mist creeping along Isis's arm.
Trying to stop it.
Trying to contain it.
But it spread slowly.
Relentless.
Nearby—
Lex stood among the fallen.
He looked down at the exhausted survivors.
Raised his hand.
Pointed.
One.
Two.
Three—
They died.
Quietly.
No struggle.
Then he looked toward Drax.
…Not yet.
He'd notice.
He turned—
Walking toward Isis and Alexis.
Stopped in front of them.
Looked at Isis's arm.
"…That's poison mist."
His tone calm.
"You'll need Exilixir-grade holy water."
A pause.
"…Expensive."
A faint smile.
"I could give you one."
His eyes shifted slightly.
"…if you owe me a favor."
Isis looked at him.
Flat.
"No."
Alexis stepped in.
"…I have one."
She pulled it out immediately.
Poured it over the wound.
The mist hissed—
Then faded.
The arm stabilized.
Healing slowly.
Lex watched.
…Should've just killed them.
Then—
He felt it.
A presence.
Behind him.
Heavy.
Cold.
Sharp.
A voice followed.
"…oi."
A pause.
"…what are you doing, fucker?"
Lex turned.
Smiling.
"That's rather rude."
Drax stood there.
Nightmare in hand.
"…I was just trying to help."
Drax raised the blade slightly.
His presence pressed down.
Monarch-level pressure.
Unfiltered.
"Fuck off."
For a brief moment—
Even Lex's smile tightened.
Then—
The voice interrupted.
"Boss defeated."
Silence.
Krakmaw—
Gone.
"Survivors: 4."
The field cleared.
The bodies vanished.
"Candidates will be healed."
Warm energy spread.
Fatigue lifted.
Wounds closed.
"Rewards will be distributed."
Light formed in front of each of them.
"You now have a choice."
A pause.
"Continue climbing…"
"…or return to the real world."
Drax looked around.
At Isis.
At Alexis.
Then—
At Lex.
A brief moment.
Then he turned away.
"…We're stopping here."
He looked at them.
"Isis. Alexis."
"No point rushing."
Light surrounded them.
And—
They vanished.
The ocean.
Calm.
Endless.
They reappeared above the surface.
Drax landed lightly.
Standing on the water.
Alexis hovered slightly above it.
Isis—
Was sinking.
Slowly.
Drax grabbed his shirt.
"…You're not there yet."
Pulled him up.
Isis laughed slightly.
"…Yeah, I figured."
Drax looked at Alexis.
"…See you later."
Then—
He vanished.
Taking Isis with him.
Reappearing in the city.
Leaving the tower behind.
For now.