"Tom... Tom... Tom, wake up!" A voice, sounding annoyed, rang out close to Tom's ear. The person began shaking him, as Tom had been lost in thought and hadn't heard a word being said.
Tom's expression shifted to one of surprise, startled by the sudden shaking and the call.
He turned his gaze toward the person calling him, finding a young man with black hair and dark green eyes looking back.
This individual was Thomas Clovers, who hailed from a noble family holding the rank of Marquess—a stark contrast to Tom Fragelson, who was a commoner.
Tom's expression hardened into a mix of shock and suppressed anger. He kept his features cold as he looked at Thomas—the very person who had betrayed him in his previous life.
"I'm fine; I was just lost in thought," Tom replied, his tone tinged with a hint of tension and unease, careful not to let Thomas grow suspicious.
"Well, of course you'd be nervous! After all, we're about to take the entrance exam for the Versalkin Academy—the most prestigious academy in the world. Am I right?" Thomas said, his voice filled with a sense of awe.
Yet, Tom didn't register a single word Thomas had said; he was too preoccupied with the fact that he was about to join the Versalkin Academy.
"How could Thomas not have joined the academy? I never once encountered him there... Wait a minute—I didn't meet Thomas until thirty years after my time at the academy ended. So, why am I meeting him now?"
Tom muttered to himself, his mind reeling with confusion and astonishment at his surroundings. Everything was completely different from the reality he had known before this exam. The voice of the official in charge of the practical examination rang out, cutting short the conversation between Tom and Thomas.
"Candidate Tom Fragelson, please step forward to begin your test."
The official's tone was calm and routine, devoid of any particular inflection.
Tom headed toward the testing area—a station designed for target practice to gauge an individual's ability to wield their inner power and assess the level they attained in their previous life. Tom had spent all four years in the "Ordinary" class.
Upon reaching his designated spot, he glanced at a board displaying the rankings of those who had already taken the test. Something felt off; certain names were missing, though he couldn't quite recall who they were—as if an unseen force were actively preventing him from remembering. Shrugging it off, he chose to focus entirely on the targets before him.
His goal was clear: to join the "Elite" class. He didn't know why, but an inexplicable drive compelled him to reach that class, no matter the cost.
Tom looked toward the official, who gave a sharp nod—the signal to begin.
Tom fixed his gaze back on the targets. His expression turned so stern and devoid of any levity that it sent a shiver through those nearby, overwhelmed by the sudden, commanding presence radiating from him. Oblivious to the shift in the atmosphere, Tom remained entirely absorbed in his objective.
"O Heavens and Earth, heed my call—grant me the power to obliterate my enemies." Tom muttered in a low, barely audible voice, reciting part of a spell he had learned in a past life—or perhaps he hadn't.
A sphere of energy, colored in gold and black, began to take shape, gradually growing until it reached the size of a tractor's rear wheel.
Powerful gusts of wind erupted, lifting rocks high into the air before obliterating them entirely.
Everyone present at the examination was left in shock by the immense power displayed by a mere fourteen-year-old boy—everyone, that is, except for Thomas, who wore a malicious grin as he watched Tom.
"What the...?! That brat possesses this much power? This is impossible!"
"So, the fool has finally decided to reveal his true self."
"Who is that kid? He's incredibly strong! Who could he be? Is he from one of the great families?"
"It looks like he'll be the first first-year student to enter Verselkin Academy."
...
...
...
The remarks from the other candidates were a mix of astonishment, bewilderment, and confusion regarding his identity, laced with jealousy and envy. Tom, however, paid them no mind; he simply directed the energy sphere toward the target.
"Stop! You've passed the practical exam. We'll announce the list of successful candidates tomorrow. Good luck!"
The examiner's tone remained calm, though he struggled to conceal his shock and the sense of awe he felt in the face of Tom's overwhelming presence.
Tom dispelled his attack and turned his gaze toward the examiner.
His expression was as cold as frost—a look entirely unsuited for someone of his age, just fourteen years old. "Thanks; have a pleasant day."
Tom left immediately, saying nothing more. Yet, he could feel Thomas's gaze fixed upon him—a look that held anything but goodwill.
In a dark alleyway within Versalkin Academy, hidden from prying eyes, Tom sat waiting, his expression as cold as frost.
"Thomas Clovers, show yourself. I know you're here, so stop pretending to be kind to me. I've made myself clear."
Tom's tone was laced with menace; he wasn't angry, however—he was chillingly, terrifyingly calm.
On one of the walls, shadows began to coalesce, gradually taking the form of a young man with short, black hair and dark green eyes. He carried a milky-white sword, upon which closed eyes were engraved.
[The Great Voracious Sword
Rank: Beyond-Existence]
"Tom... oh, Tom. The moment has truly arrived. I never imagined the fourth trial would end so quickly. It only began two hours ago, yet here we are—at its conclusion. How utterly amusing."
There was no mockery or laughter in Thomas's tone; his voice remained flat, devoid of even a trace of joy.
Tom's expression remained cold as he stared toward Thomas. "I want to ask you something, Thomas—or, to be more precise, Chao Li or Fong Li Wu: how is it possible that Armin, Yoruichi, Gray, Lucy, Jian, the Demon King's son, Son Goku, and Beatrice don't even exist in this world to begin with?"
Tom's tone was filled with bewilderment as he looked toward Thomas, yet his own facial expression remained entirely unchanged.
Thomas turned to leave, gesturing for Tom to stay back.
"Come on, you fool—I didn't come here to answer your questions. It's not yet time for those answers."
Tom narrowed his eyes as He glanced toward Thomas, who had turned his back on him, but said nothing.
Then, he walked away.
Their strides were suspiciously similar—yet it made sense, given that Tom and Thomas—or Chao Li—were, in the end, the same person.
"So, were you the one who killed me in my past life?" Tom asked, his tone calm as he gazed at Thomas's back, which was as straight as a spear.
"Yes, it was me. Not out of hatred, but to merge with you. We are, in fact, one and the same."
His voice was calm, almost indifferent, as if the matter were entirely natural.
"If you have any other questions, keep them to yourself. I am not here to answer them; I am here to test you—to see whether or not you are worthy of the power of annihilation. I am known as the 'Sacred Yang'—as is Alessandra. You, meanwhile, are a fragment of the Sacred Tree of Existence. So, are you worthy of the power of the Sacred Yang? That will depend on whether you win or lose the fourth and fifth trials; they are, in essence, a test of worthiness."
Thomas spoke in a calm, steady tone, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Tom, whose face betrayed signs of tension.
They headed out of Versalkin Academy. Throughout the journey, neither spoke, and their paces remained perfectly synchronized.
Thomas came to a halt twenty steps away from Versalkin Academy.
Tom felt a sense of surprise, though he did not let it show on his face. His face remained calm, betraying no emotion. In contrast, a faint smile appeared on Thomas's face as he glanced toward Tom out of the corner of his eye.
A snap of the fingers.
Waves rippled through the air, causing the world to shatter into shards of glass of various shapes and sizes.
The world dissolved into a void, stripped of all laws and concepts—wiped away entirely.
Fragments of the shattered world, resembling broken glass, drifted within that void.
"Don't worry; your fourth trial will begin soon. Patience is the key to relief, and acceptance is the key to victory."
Thomas's tone was calm as he looked toward Tom.
Yet, Tom's expression remained as cold as frost; he simply stared back at Thomas with an empty gaze.
"If I fail this trial, what happens?"
"We die. What did you expect? Did you not read the warning at the end of the rune inscribed on the tunnel ceiling? You fool—complete your trial and earn your power. The weak are crushed, while the strong do the crushing. So, which will you be: the victor or the vanquished? Creation, destruction, or something that transcends both? This is an irreversible decision. Continue on your path if you are bold, or turn back if you are wise..."
"The other two trials are explained there: victor or vanquished, and creation, destruction, or something that transcends both. It means you must contend with both creation and destruction to rise above them—to become both." "As for the phrase 'the weak shall be crushed, and the strong shall crush,' it means that if you lose, you die; if you win, you continue on your path to complete the trials..."
Thomas let out a deep sigh, looking toward Tom, then continued:
"But if you lose, it will be the end for all of us—me, you, and Alessandra. Your defeat would mark the end of our journey. In other words, if we die, we die for good; there will be no coming back—no matter how powerful any entity within this fantasy realm might be. None of them would be able to bring us back. Do you understand our current situation?"
Thomas's tone was sharp, highlighting both the risks and the stakes involved.
Tom narrowed his eyes as he looked at Thomas. The risks were immense; winning was not merely an option—it was a goal that had to be achieved at any cost, for his very life was on the line.
A cold, silver sword appeared—three centimeters wide and a meter and a half long—etched with countless runes.
[Sword of the Heavenly Pearl
Rank: Beyond-Existence]
Thomas began the countdown, signaling the start of the fourth trial.
"10"
"9"
"8"
"7"
"6"
"5"
"4"
"3"
"2"
"1"
"0"
"I hereby declare the beginning of the first trial: The Merit-Worthiness Test for Absolute Power!"