Midterm Evaluation (6): The Final Ordeal
Thanks to Lena's heroics, we safely pushed through to the third gate.
The next gate we finally reached was a place utterly unlike anything before.
"Wh-what is this place? It's so huge…."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
It was a vast space that evoked memories of the arena where the inter-dorm battles had raged. Towering pillars rose on all sides, alongside intricate stonework that spoke of masterful craftsmanship. It felt like a monument built to honor some legendary hero from myth—grand and imposing beyond words.
What was it? Like the final stage in a game.
And what's that?
Especially eye-catching was the bizarre statue planted in the center. A hulking thing cobbled together from slabs of stone, easily five times my height.
The moment my gaze lingered on it—
Seeker of newfound light, surpass the final trial.
A solemn voice, echoing as if from the entire space itself, seeped into my ears. I couldn't tell where it came from.
The final trial. So this was the last gate?
Up until now, there had at least been a perfunctory "Will you take the test?" This time, nothing. As if we had no right to refuse. As if no explanation was even needed.
Rumble…!
"E-earthquake…?!"
"No, this is…!"
"Just grab something—anything!"
A massive tremor answered in our stead, shaking our bodies violently. The vibrations were so intense that sand and stone fragments rained down from the ceiling.
Boom—!
The door to the passage we'd just entered slammed shut with a heavy thud.
And right after—
Groooar—!
A mural covering an entire wall on one side of this vast space began to stir, as if its time had come. The wall was rising to its feet.
"Ah…."
"No way, why is that…!"
Even Yubelia, who was always making a fuss. Even Lena, who stayed cool and assessed situations amid crises.
In that moment, they both realized it.
We couldn't win against that thing.
Could you fell a mountain?
It loomed like a colossal peak. The sheer mass of power radiating from it crushed down on us, making our bodies scream in protest.
"Aren…! This golem's a Sword Master-level threat at minimum…! We can't take it down! We have to forfeit here!"
Her sharp cry pierced the haze of my thoughts. I made my call on the spot.
"Yubelia, we're forfeiting."
"Y-yes…!"
Thankfully, she agreed without hesitation, and the three of us shouted in perfect unison.
"We forfeit the trial!"
Screeech….
The golem advancing on us seemed to halt for a moment—
The final trial cannot be forfeited.
Show your divine might, seeker of newfound light.
"What the fuck?!"
Some bastard flatly declared, 'Nope. No going back.'
"Dodge!"
Kaboom—!
A massive fist blotted out my vision in an instant.
Shit, too late to evade…!
I kicked Yubelia's ass with my foot, sending her flying. Then I met that fist—dozens of times bigger than my body—with my sword.
────!!!!!
The colossal impact rattled my entire frame. I was launched airborne, bouncing dozens of meters before crashing.
My vision spun, and my body only stopped after smashing through several stone pillars.
"Cough…!"
Damn, even with mana reinforcement, my bones felt shattered. I spat blood and turned my head.
Good—Yubelia was sprawled safely far off, and Lena seemed to have dodged too.
But no time for relief. The mana core embedded in the golem's chest began to glow. Immense mana condensed, warping the air around it.
"Goddamn it!"
Lena cursed, her aura shifting in a flash. Navy-blue mana erupted from her in a torrent, coiling like screaming tendrils that bound the golem's body in massive chains.
The chained giant toppled sideways.
Kabooooom—!
A beam from its chest sliced the ceiling clean through. Everything it touched vanished without a trace.
Rumble-crash—!
Rocks from the collapsing ceiling poured down in heaps.
"…Light, grant salvation!"
Yubelia, barely able to steady herself and nose still bleeding, cried out urgently. Golden radiance burst forth, forming the shape of a massive woman that spread warmly, enveloping us protectively.
Thud! Thud!
Boulders crashed against the barrier with thunderous booms.
"O Light! Mercy upon the valiant warrior!"
As Yubelia's blessing continued, vigor surged through my body.
"Nngh!"
Move! Bones still creaked, but hesitating meant we'd all die together hand in hand.
Snapping its chains forcibly—
"Gah!"
The backlash hit Lena hard; blood poured from her eyes, nose, and mouth as she dropped to one knee.
"Lena! Enough—take Yubelia and run!"
With that, I charged forward. Mana surged into my sword. Legs reinforced, I kicked off the ground!
Aiming for its ankle joint.
Bang—!
"Nngh!"
No good. Not even a dent—not close to severing it or bending the knee.
"Fuck, how is it this tough…!"
Standing still meant nothing. I drew deeper mana reserves. Unleashed a barrage at invisible speeds.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"……!"
But its skin remained unscratched.
Then.
The golem twisted its massive frame halfway and swung its enormous leg sideways—right at me. I turned just as it shattered the ground, sweeping toward me.
Too late. The thought flashed—
"Arreeeeen—!"
Lena's scream echoed like a ruin-shaking wail as a huge shadow blocked my path in an instant.
Kaboom-crash—!
A giant scythe gripped in Lena's hands stood before me. Her back evoked a reaper ferrying souls from this world.
But even that overwhelming presence didn't last.
Screech! Grind—!
"Even this…!"
The scythe that blocked the blow began cracking slowly. Lena whipped her head back. Her eyes burned with resolve.
"Aren, you can't die here."
So.
Before she could finish, Lena's body flew into the air.
*
Lena's body floated upward. Slowly, unbelievably slowly. As if time itself held its breath.
She tumbled across the floor several times before finally stopping, far away.
No movement. No breath. The world fell silent.
Except.
Right now.
Only my sword, locked against the golem's leg, hummed with explosive vibrations.
Bones creaked. Muscles tore. Consciousness sank like into an abyss.
And in that depths, something suddenly resounded.
From somewhere in my mind.
Reverse Heaven One, why did you take up the sword?
My heart plummeted. Vision blurred faintly.
……To survive in this world. It was the only talent given to me.
The sword in my grip trembled. Pressure from the golem intensified.
But the question lingered.
Is that all?
……To protect Tia, the girl who saved me.
Is that all?
I saw them around me. Lena lying there. Yubelia holding back the crumbling ceiling despite vomiting blood.
……Because I have to protect them.
The people who believed in me. The people who stood with me. Everyone alive in this world.
Ah, I get it now. Stupid me, realizing it only at this late hour.
I'd spent my life complaining, thinking of myself as an outsider in this world.
But really, this world was….
In that instant.
Enlightenment flooded my mind.
The mural on the golem's chest. The figure cleaving the heavens.
It surged through the sword into my entire body.
──Click.
The sword ceased trembling. Pain vanished from my arm. Color returned to the world.
Kaaaa-boom—!
Airflow exploded from the blade, slicing past the golem's chest and rending the sky.
"Ah…."
A low breath escaped my lips, swallowing all other sounds.
I looked down at my sword. Light beaded along its edge, overflowing in thin threads.
Sword Beam.
Faint, but unmistakable—the realm of a Sword Master dwelled there.
Crack!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the golem's body. It slowly dissolved into light. Countless particles scattered skyward.
They settled quietly over the shattered ceiling, cracked walls, and split ground. Wherever they touched, fissures mended, forms restored.
Light settled on Yubelia's shoulder, Lena's fingertips. Bleeding stopped, breaths returned.
As if it had all been destined from the start.
Seeker of newfound light, you have passed the trial.
The air thrummed. Lingering light wrapped my body.
Your might, your will, all shall become…
the new sword that illuminates the dawn.
A fragment of light seeped into the sword's tip.
Clink.
Its weight shifted. The form was the same, yet it felt like an entirely different weapon.
New Reverse Heaven One.
You shall cleave fate and become the sword that illuminates the light.