At the first trial, the rules changed significantly during the process, but now, Adam and Alexia had to go through two different trials to move on.
They didn't know if they would have decided to co down here if it hadn't been necessary for the Third Grand Star, but they had no choice but to find out what was behind the gate.
"We did it, right?" Alexia asked, looking at the Red Demon, who clearly would never be able to participate in the trials again.
Adam nodded deeply as he looked around.
"Hmm, how strange."
"Arh?" Alexia was confused. "What do you an? Are you doubting that I defeated him with one strike?!"
In response, Adam shook his head.
"No, that's not it. I should have thought about this when we were fighting the Stone Demons, but only now do I realize that this was the limit of what these trials were capable of."
Alexia blinked several tis, not understanding what Adam was talking about.
"Look, in the first trial here, if the rules hadn't been changed, neither the other contenders nor we would have been able to do any damage to the trials. In the first trial, we fought against ghost spiders, but here all we had to do was deflect the cannonballs.
"That way, we could have passed each trial ten tis, and nothing would have changed globally. But now that we've destroyed all the stone demons, especially the red one, no one else will be able to pass this trial."
At that mont, Alexia's eyes widened as she began to understand what he ant.
"I see, you an that whoever set these rules and forced the Ancient Voice to change them is afraid of us?"
Adam nodded. "Well, I'm not sure about afraid, but what happened to us is definitely not standard for the Frost Oasis."
Tap.
He got up, brushing the snow off his knees, and headed toward the Red Demon.
"Either way, we have to take this horn and move on. Can you walk on your own?"
"Pfffft!"
Alexia rolled her eyes and got up off the ground. Her legs trembled for a few seconds, but soon she was back to normal.
"I used a lot of energy, that's true. But!" She exclaid. "Don't you dare underestimate ! I just need a little ti, and I'll be fine."
Adam just nodded silently. After what he had seen, he had no reason to doubt Alexia's abilities.
"Alright, let's take this horn and go to the gate!"
He grabbed the horn with both hands and pulled it toward him with all his might. It turned out to be much more difficult than Adam had expected; it was nothing like the Stone Demons.
But...
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
Gradually, the black horn ca away from the red skin and ended up in Adam's grasp.
"Agh... Agh... Agh..."
He was breathing heavily as he looked at the black horn. It looked special, but sothing bothered Adam.
'Why is it so quiet?' He thought. 'The Ancient Voice didn't say what we were supposed to get at the end of this trial. Moreover, when we got the Pale Spider Pearl, the Ancient Voice confird it. Now... just nothing.'
Adam turned to Alexia, and she felt the sa way. It was as if they had been removed from the ga for not following the rules, even though they weren't the ones who broke them.
"Shall we continue?" Alexia asked.
Adam shrugged.
"Do we have another choice?"
For a mont, they focused and saw the energy flow that had previously led them toward the gate.
They nodded and ran forward.
....
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Adam's heart beat faster and faster. He wanted to know what dangers awaited them behind the gates and whether he would be able to obtain the Blood of God, which he needed for his evolution.
Before that, they had to do one important thing: open the gates.
"W-Wait..." Alexia faltered, raising her gaze along the gates. "Am I blind, or can't I see where we're supposed to insert this horn?"
She was right. Unlike the left side, where there was a clear hollow for the Pale Spider Pearl, there was nothing suitable on the right side.
Moreover, instead of the curved form that should have fit the black horn, they saw the sa round hollow on the right side.
Obviously, the black horn did not fit there.
Tremble.
With a tremor, Silvana appeared next to Adam, bewildernt covering her face.
"Maybe you missed sothing in the mirror hall? Maybe there's so kind of special cannonball or sothing left in one of the arches?"
Louis joined them as well. He had a few ideas, but no one seed to understand what was going on.
Moreover, the blue fairy, the Ancient Voice, did not show itself. It just disappeared or completely ignored them.
"Shit!" Alexia punched the wall. "What did we do all this for? So they could just close the gate in front of us and not even give us a chance to go further?! Who the hell ca up with these stupid rules?!"
Not as aggressively, but everyone else shared her opinion, except for Adam, who noticed sothing strange because of his past encounter.
Tap.
He put the black horn on the ground, seeing no further need for it, and calmly walked forward.
"Agh?" Alexia jerked her head. "What are you doing? I worked so hard to get that damned horn!"
Adam didn't respond, instead stopping in front of the gate, right in front of the tightly closed gap.
"The gate."
He said quietly.
"They're open. I can see it."
Before anyone could react, Adam pressed against the gate, and to their shock, the gate actually moved like a normal door.
No energy, no runes, no rules hindered Adam anymore, only the familiar, frosty wind greeted him.
The bright pond, like a myriad of precious stones, greeted him again in the distance with its radiance, as did the great fra that was clearly responsible for what had happened to them.
Now, the path was open.
The Ancient Frost and Blood of God awaited them.
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