In the prison of Monsa, a restless commotion was breaking out.
Seeing this, the Guard on duty took a long whip and lashed the people inside several times through the iron bars.
"Quiet! You bastards, in a few days you'll be dead. If you have anything to say, say it after you're dead!"
As he spoke, he lashed those outsiders again with even more ferocity to vent his anger, whipping them until their flesh was torn open.
Alant's face was pale. Although he didn't make a sound, the Guard, upholding the principle of fairness, lashed him a few times as well.
These Spirit Realm Rangers had no strength left at all because the Guards weren't feeding them anymore, only occasionally giving them a little water to drink.
They would also come here from time to time to whip them for their own amusement.
The Spirit Realm Rangers had grown accustomed to the Guard's lashings, knowing that as long as they didn't react, the Guard would soon leave.
Sure enough, seeing them take the whipping calmly, the Guard quickly lost interest.
"If you make any more noise, I'll drag you out and let you enjoy yourselves slowly..."
He left a warning and walked away.
A while after he left, the Spirit Realm Rangers huddled together and discussed in low voices.
"What was that noise outside just now? Why was it all screams and shouting?"
"I don't know. Does it have anything to do with us? Anyway, our Trial has already failed. Why don't we just find a way to commit suicide and prepare for the next Trial?"
As he spoke, that Spirit Realm Ranger opened his palm, and a few Ice Crystals condensed within it.
He frowned. The effectiveness of Spells bestowed by the Spirit World depended on the user's own state. They were currently half-dead, so naturally, they couldn't cast much of anything.
If they had known, they would have committed suicide as soon as they arrived; now they didn't even have the chance.
"Do we really have to do that? I think enduring for a few more days isn't out of the question."
Not everyone could accept such behavior. Every death in the Spirit World caused them a pain that felt heart-wrenching; none of them wanted to experience that feeling a second time.
Although they all knew these people were going to execute them in a few days, they still couldn't bring themselves to do it.
"Then what else? Do you want to stay here and keep this Young Master Dragon company?"
As he spoke, he deliberately mocked Alant. He wasn't a member of Alant's previous team, but another Spirit Realm Ranger.
From the beginning, he had looked down on Alant, this 'Spirit Second Generation,' considering him just a fool who relied on his parents' influence.
After finding out that Alant had led his team straight to their doom, he had laughed out loud a few times, for which he was whipped over a dozen times by the Guard.
"Don't say that. He did lead us to get some things, after all..."
"Heh! And yet here we are, all waiting to die."
He deliberately raised his voice, drawing the Guard's attention. This time, the Guard arrived in a rage, gripped his whip, and began lashing... Alant listened to the arguments of the Spirit Realm Rangers without saying a word. His heart was like dead ashes, feeling that his life was over.
He had put in a massive amount of effort to obtain a Trial Key that met his conditions, all to get the Talent he wanted in this Trial.
And now, everything was ruined.
Now, let alone getting a good Talent, he couldn't even pass the Trial.
His father had high hopes for this Trial, wishing for him to obtain a different Dragon Bloodline to strengthen the family.
He also desperately craved this opportunity to change his father's impression of him, replace his brother's position in his father's eyes, and receive more support from his father.
But now everything was ruined, regardless of whether those priests were the true culprits behind Monsa's destruction.
They didn't even know what the disaster was, let alone try to'save' Monsa. They didn't even have the chance to try.
But why was this? Why would the Trial make them face a Rank One enemy?
Normally, unless the Spirit Realm Rangers pulled off some absurdly reckless maneuver, the Spirit World would never let a Rank One stand in their way.
If every Trial had a Rank One blocking a Spirit Realm Ranger's mandatory path, then there would be no point in playing.
But why in this Trial were they forced by the situation to face that Rank One Professional?
Alant bit his lip, unable to figure it out no matter how hard he thought.
---
In the center of Monsa, inside the Great Temple.
In an open space on the side, a person was being held in mid-air by several iron chains, with both hands and feet bound.
Furan walked in from the entrance and went straight to the two Half-Dragon People standing Guard.
"You two go out first. I have something to ask him."
The two left without hesitation upon hearing the command, leaving Furan standing there.
"What do you want to tell me?" Furan asked.
"Cough..." Angmar felt the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and quickly coughed twice, saying:
"Can you let me down... my god is no longer here... right now I probably couldn't even beat your subordinates."
Furan cautiously inspected Angmar and found that his physical condition was indeed far worse than before. But to be safe, she specifically stepped forward and used what she had learned from Modification Studies to tamper with things before throwing out two Wind Blades to shatter two of the iron chains.
Angmar fell from mid-air and struggled on the ground for a while before getting up while panting heavily. The chains were still bound to his hands, requiring him to exert effort to lift them as he rose.
"Thank you..." Angmar first offered his thanks, then sat up on the ground.
"You probably want to know the truth about our Monsa, including the origin of the divine water and the god we worship. I'll tell you now... also, I have one more thing to tell you: Monsa is facing an imminent catastrophe..."
"Let's not talk about that yet. First, I ask you, why did you order the arrest of us outsiders?" Furan interrupted him and posed her question.
"It was the god who ordered me to kill all the outsiders, or at least keep them all locked in the prison," Angmar answered truthfully.
Furan didn't follow up with another question but became lost in thought.
In fact, she had already guessed the truth when the other party's divine statue shattered, but it was far too late by then.
Moreover, guessing it was useless. From the moment she entered this Trial, she was locked in a struggle to the death with the god worshipped by Monsa.
She looked down at the book in her hand, which was now completely renewed, no longer showing its former tattered state.
Touching it, she could feel the comfortable texture of leather, and the golden patterns surrounding it made the book look exceptionally beautiful.
Facing this book that had undergone a massive transformation, she felt no joy, only a complex expression in her eyes.
Now, on the cover of the book, there was a line of text: [Place the book against the divine statue]. These golden words flashed continuously, frantically reminding her.
But she didn't intend to do so immediately; instead, she prepared to finish listening to Angmar before making a decision.
Because this book—no, rather, the god represented by this book—was the root of her conflict with Angmar.
And the other Spirit Realm Rangers were merely caught in the crossfire of their conflict.
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