Ascension of the Forsaken Genius

The Verdant Shroud was no longer the same as it had been when the trial began.

By the time the first rays of sunlight pierced through the dense canopy, the lush forest had become a battlefield of the dead and dying. The morning mist carried the faint metallic scent of blood, mixing with the damp earth.

The first night had claimed hundreds.

Some had fallen to beasts. Others to starvation, exhaustion, or panic-induced mistakes. But the vast majority had been hunted down by those who thrived in the darkness.

And when the survivors awoke to a new day, they understood—

The Decennial Trial was no competition. It was war.

---

The previous night had been one of alliances and strategy, but survival revealed the true nature of men.

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Rael's encampment had been one of the safest locations throughout the night. His leadership, combined with the natural defensive advantages of the plateau, allowed his group to weather the storm with only minor injuries.

But not all had been satisfied with his rule.

"We should be taking the fight to them," growled Marcus Draven, a noble from a lesser house. "Why are we sitting here like cowards when we could be eliminating the weak?"

Rael didn’t respond immediately. He merely cleaned his blade, stained with dark red blood from the competitors they had executed the previous night.

"The weak eliminate themselves," he finally said, his voice cold. "We hold this position until the trial forces us to move. That is the smartest strategy."

Marcus clenched his fists. He wasn’t the only one who desired bloodshed.

The cracks in Rael’s control were already forming.

---

Dorian had spent the entire night studying his enemies.

His web of illusions and traps had kept him safe, but more importantly, they had revealed patterns in the movements of the competitors around him.

He knew where they would run when threatened.

He knew how they reacted under stress.

And by the time the sun rose, he knew how to kill them.

"Knowledge is the sharpest weapon," he muttered, watching from the shadows as two rogue cultivators unknowingly walked into a trap he had set just before dawn.

With a whisper of energy, the trap activated, sending blades of pure kinetic force ripping through their bodies.

He didn’t even blink as their lifeless forms hit the forest floor.

---

But while some played the game strategically, others embraced the savagery of it.

Phantom Wraith – The Shadow That Walks

By dawn, he had eliminated more competitors than any other participant.

No alliances. No safe zones. Just the hunt.

Even now, as the sky brightened, he moved through the forest like a wraith, unseen and unheard.

His latest target—a group of three noble heirs—were laughing as they roasted the meat of some unknown beast over a fire.

They never saw him coming.

By the time one of them noticed the faint glint of a dagger, it was already plunged into his throat.

The second died before he could even rise to his feet.

The third tried to scream for help—but Phantom Wraith silenced him with a blade to the heart.

He didn’t waste time looting their bodies.

He was already moving on to the next hunt.

---

Cyrus Stormrider – The Storm Doesn’t Stop

While others sought cunning and stealth, Cyrus relied on sheer force.

The Nightfangs had been a challenge, but he had turned the hunt into sport.

Now, as the first rays of light shone upon the battlefield, he stood victorious among the corpses of beasts and men alike.

His entire body crackled with residual lightning, his long silver hair flowing wildly as he exhaled a deep breath.

He had killed.

And he would continue killing.

But even as he grinned at his own overwhelming strength, he knew—

There were still stronger opponents left to face.

---

As the coliseum screens flickered, the official count of eliminations was displayed before the audience.

Total Participants Eliminated: 483.

Remaining Competitors: 517.

The crowd erupted in cheers at the sheer brutality of the first night.

At the very top of the list of most eliminations, the rankings appeared:

1. Phantom Wraith (Eliminations: 29)

2. Cyrus Stormrider (Eliminations: 21)

3. Dorian Valenhart (Eliminations: 17)

4. Rael Aldreth (Eliminations: 12)

The names of those at the top burned into the minds of every remaining participant.

These were not just competitors.

They were the ones to fear.

---

Back in the coliseum, Sylas continued watching.

Every move.

Every technique.

Every strategy.

He was memorizing it all.

Because one day, he would face these monsters himself.

And when that day came—

He wouldn’t just survive. He would dominate.