Arthur could not rember the last ti he had trained. His power-ups ca through either fighting, awakenings, or uncovering new ideas like spellcasting. His most recent power was given to him by the tower, a weapon capable of slaying gods and its art.
As his body subrged into the lake, he could feel every muscle relax. Underneath the water was no monster as he had expected, just serene life with aqueous creatures lazing around.
Although professional divers would need to breathe again, Arthur did not need that if he used his mana. His body converted mana into the products it needed, as his mana was one of creation. Using his art allowed him to go without food or water for countless years, so breathing was unnecessary if he spent enough mana.
As the waters hugged his body and dragged it down, Arthur felt at ease. However, this was far from a permanent mindset, but just a montary relief of his burdens. It was enough to convince him that Azkahar might have the knowledge to unlock his potentials.
The blue world was vast, but Arthur had the ti to dive to its deepest parts. An underwater groove twinkled with blue stars, making it the first destination for the diver.
A giant turtle swam past him, flapping its legs as it chewed on so plant. Arthur watched its babies following after it inside this serene world. He swam down further, seeking to find the ruler of this vast blue.
The rest of the army also tried to uncover the artifact's location, but their progress was at a snail's pace. Most of them had to rise to the surface after half an hour, unlike Arthur who dove and never resurfaced.
Azkahar, according to Jonathan, was a spirit as old as the tower itself. So think that it has existed even before the tower, which has been around for thousands of years. The serene spirit hurt no one, but the mana-rich environnt it created allowed monsters in the tower to thrive.
Although creatures on the surface seed hostile to intruders, as Arthur dived straight past them, those on the deeper levels did not even care for his existence unless attacked. Arthur guessed this was the serenity emitted by Azkahar that made them act in such a manner.
The groove seed to be a separate world from the rest of the lake. Once he hovered atop it, Arthur could feel the strange presence within the waters. No light could enter the groove, making it seem like a fissure. As he tried to dive into the darkness, he felt so special resistance.
"Another dungeon," thought Arthur inwardly as he could feel a wave of mana studying him. Then, a hologram panel appeared before him. Its content surprised him greatly.
[You have unearthed a hidden dungeon!]
[Dungeon Master, Azkahar, invites you to his dungeon. There are no conditions to clear this dungeon except the approval of its master to leave. Be warned: a dungeon master is strengthened in their domain.]
[Number of Previous Challengers: 0]
[Enter / Leave]
Azkahar was real. A hidden dungeon that no one knew about was here as well.
The thing that surprised Arthur the most was that throughout countless millennia, no one has entered this dungeon before. From the contents of the ssages above, Arthur deduced that the dungeon master must invite the challenger in order to allow him entrance.
"If so, why did it invite ?" thought Arthur with a frown as he felt the darkness surround him. If he pressed Enter, he would be sucked into this unknown dungeon, with no chance to leave other than being permitted by Azkahar.
After a minute or so, Arthur pressed enter. His reasoning was simple: no challenger had ever entered this dungeon. This ant that Azkahar had no interest in hurting anyone and was simply isolating itself. If it invited him to enter, that ans the spirit wants to talk to him.
Space began wrapping itself around him before it expanded. Arthur felt like he teleported, but as he looked around, he was in the sa spot. The difference was that the groove no longer had twinkling blue stars. As he looked for them, he found the light rays coming from above him, although distorted.
This reminded him of the garden where Lyle and Anna hid themselves after their death. The entrance was also within a lake, mirroring the original world. Once Arthur reached the surface and broke through it, he found himself in an entirely different world.
Water trickled down his sticky hair as he pushed it backward. The lake was replaced by a vast ocean, and within the ocean was a giant blue palace sitting on an island. Arthur stared at the surrounding as he felt the strangest presence within the palace.
"Co."
A soft voice echoed, causing ripples across the ocean. Giant waves carried Arthur toward the shores, throwing him on the sandy beaches. Arthur felt the cool sand beneath his feet as he stared at the giant blue palace, shaped like a temple.
As he turned to face the ocean, he saw raging waves in the distance. Arthur could see them slamming themselves onto the shores of this island, nothing like what he had expected to see in the dungeon of serenity.
Arthur crossed the sandy beach to find a set of stairs, cutting through a cliff, leading him toward the blue palace. His feet left wet traces of his footsteps over the strange markings lining the stairs. As his wet clothes turned botherso, he rolled up his pants and threw away his shirt.
At the end of the stairs, Arthur found a circular platform surrounding the palace. Waterfalls fell from the platform into a deep trench from both the palace and the ring surrounding it. A bridge connected the two, which Arthur stopped before as he could tell that it had so unknown energy.
"This bridge is a test of patience. Once you touch it, it will bring forth whatever you are working hard to suppress. Tread carefully, Arthur Silvera."
The voice once again echoed throughout the dungeon, and Arthur knew that this was Azkahar. As he now knew what to expect, he crossed the bridge. The mont his bare feet touched the marble, his black lightning exploded.
"Ugh!"
Arthur fell to the ground as his entire body began burning with black flas. The wrath within him burst out of his body, seeking to ruin the world. His mind was filled with billions of wrathful voices that he worked hard to suppress.
His vision blurred as the world began turning red. Arthur's mana exploded from his body, negating the black flas that made him burn. The wrath in his mind sought to destroy his being, rendering him nothing but a bloodthirsty killing machine.
It was no wonder that Eragon lost his mind when wrath filled his mind like this. Unlike Arthur, who had the mana of creation and Gaia helping him, he was just a normal human who turned into a mad demigod.
Golden mana wrapped itself around him, turning into armor that brought back his senses. Arthur was still only one step over the bridge, and it was several ters long. However, using his golden mana as a shield, he took another step forward.
Boom!
The entire world shook the mont his other foot touched the bridge. His wrathful aura rose as black lightning gathered in the sky. Arthur once again felt like he was about to lose his senses, making him wonder why he was even putting himself through such an ordeal.
The image of his alternate self, who lost everything to wrath, appeared in his mind. Oren had warned him that this power was cursed and sought to steer his brother away, but Arthur did not listen. At that ti, he truly believed that wrath was necessary to defeat the seven families.
"I will not succumb to wrath and lose everything," said Arthur as he gritted his teeth from within the black flas. His entire body had disappeared as the water covering him turned to vapor. "I will walk through this hell until it's over!"
Arthur raised his foot again and slamd it onto the bridge. His golden mana exploded as his golden mana erupted as well, the two clashing against each other. His body beca the battlefield between the two forces as he took another step, making him scream in agony. However, his mind did not waver, and he slamd another step forward, feeling like his bones were about to break.
The hell continued, and with each step, it got worse. Arthur could not rember how he managed to cross the bridge, but after an indefinite amount of ti, the black flas disappeared as he fell to the ground.
Arthur found himself on the other side, lying on the blue see-through floor of the blue palace. His mind turned at ease once he no longer touched the bridge, but he was too tired to even move a muscle.
Although he could not see his body, Arthur knew that it was a ss. His black flas sought to burn him while the golden mana tried to heal him. Arthur could feel serenity filling his mind once again, sohow alleviating the pain and fatigue.
"You passed the bridge," said a voice with awe above him. Arthur turned his eyes upward to see an old man with blue hair towering over him. "That bridge has been created by the god of trials, and you are the first to cross it."
"And… who are… you?"
"My na is Azkahar the Wise," said the old man with blue eyes that reflected countless oceans within them. "I will beco your new master. I have been waiting for you for a long ti… Arthur Silvera, the man who has a choice."
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