Half an hour before the Divine Trial opened, the towers around the world lit up with runes as shimring light exploded into the sky. A deep, celestial voice bood through the minds of every sentient being.
"The Trial of Gods has begun," the voice said. "Those who are worthy must step into the towers before the day is past. No spatial items will be allowed within the tower, and any such items will be inert."
The voice was low and clinical, as if a robot was talking to them. Once it was done, a piercing pillar shot into the sky from each tower, including those that had yet to be found by humanity.
The world was in mayhem, but many chose to rush into the towers for the promises of power. A strange phenonon occurred where, if soone was close to the tower for an extended period of ti, they were teleported away.
A few kingdoms and governnts tried to control who entered the tower and who did not. Everyone was teleported away, leaving the land surrounding the tower deserted except for those who wished to enter it.
It beca known that the tower would teleport away anyone who did not wish to enter it and keep those who did. The trial was helping those who wished to enter the tower despite the warning that Runera had broadcast throughout the world.
That snippet of knowledge spread like wildfire, and those who hadn't intended on going into the tower because of the law rushed from all sides. The kingdoms tried to stop them but were helpless because of the sheer number and the wide area that each tower covered.
The most alarming developnt was that multiple towers shone from the wilderness, away from any governing body. In the end, order collapsed as no one could stop the flood of people.
Arthur watched the developnts with a sigh from within the Council of Runera. He knew that such a thing would happen but failed to expect the number.
"How many went in so far?" Arthur asked Julia.
The runemaster tapped a few things on her screen before she paused with a frown. Arthur looked at her, and she simply turned the tablet toward him. A shocking number was written on the screen.
"Ten million?" Arthur asked with confusion and shock. "It has been less than fifteen minutes!"
"The number of towers has almost doubled compared to the ones we found," she said with a shake of her head. "We believe that this was done to avoid exploitation. But the truly horrifying fact is that this many people decided to gamble with their lives."
Arthur knew that this number was just the beginning. The Trial of Gods seed like a godsent opportunity to rise. In their current world, power was truly the most deciding factor. For a mont, he had a thought to go around and destroy the towers but knew it was futile.
Yggdrasil had approved of this.
The gods weren't doing anything underhanded. Many forces in the universe would create such trials on baby worlds that had barely entered the path of power. So of them would select disciples from them, while others would use this chance to nurture their own.
Arthur was well aware of how big the universe was from his days with Ragnar. However, knowing and coming to face reality were two different matters.
It was for that reason that Yggdrasil allowed the trial to take place on Earth. After the rge of the two worlds, Earth had beco a good candidate to be integrated into the world tree. A trial that would boost the powers of the world before the integration was sothing that the tree approved.
None of these people knew that the trial promised as much danger as rewards. However, in the end, Arthur could do nothing to stop them. Furthermore, he couldn't send his own forces into the trial to save the people inside. He had no idea what kind of gas the gods would play.
Arthur rose from the table with a sigh. He began cladding himself in items since he knew that his subspace would be inaccessible inside the Trial of Gods. At the sa ti, Julia was taking his decisions regarding important matters.
"We are considering the expansion of Runera, or building different ones across the globe. Logistics in the current state of the world are a nightmare, and we need to use portals in our cities."
"Approved. Allocate so funds from the treasury."
"We also need to create a new vessel for our transport. The Runic Do is in no state to be used anymore."
"Approved."
"We also need to fund the sub-guilds. They have been complaining of their gear no longer being effective against the monsters."
"Ask Maryam to supply them with our arsenal of high-end weaponry, but make sure it's bonded. I don't want my precious items being sold."
Julia gave him a nod. The two of them kept going while Arthur prepared to enter a nearby tower. In just a few short monts, Arthur agreed to spend almost half the treasury.
Arthur had no idea how much he currently had, but he knew it was in the hundreds of billions of Alliance Coins. Runera was already a thriving city before he ruled it, and the rge and his own assistance in creating production lines made its trade explode.
The city had enough money to last them a hundred years without them working a single day. Arthur was the sole person who could approve the mobilization of such funds, as not even Julia felt comfortable with it.
Arthur himself saw no value in the money he had, except that it was mostly in mana stones, treasures, and cores. The real treasure trove he had was the production lines that Maryam was overseeing. The runic weapons and armors were sold globally for half of their previous price in an attempt to help the world recover, but it was still a money-printing machine.
Julia left after finishing the most important tasks, and Diana walked into the room. She didn't look worried, or she was simply trying to act strong for his sake. Arthur turned toward her with a smile.
"I feel like a wife sending her husband to war."
"Isn't that exactly what's happening here?" Arthur said with a smile. "I don't want to jinx it, but let's have a grand wedding when I get back."
"You did jinx it," Diana said with a sigh. "A man never returns after he says those words."
"Oh, but I'm not any man," Arthur said before he pulled her into an embrace, planting his lips over hers. She seed to relax slightly as she backed away while patting his chest.
"Now is not the ti," she said with a smile. "Co back safe, and we'll have the best wedding there is."
Arthur nodded with a grin. "I'll be back."
"Take care," she said before hugging him tightly. Arthur hugged her back before the two broke off their embrace. Then, he left without saying another word.
Diana stared at his departing back and then looked through the windows of the council to see him join Rae and Oriole. The alchemist had decided at the last second that he wanted to join the trial to recreate his son, Ark.
As she was still standing at the window, Julia ca from behind her. The runemaster, whom Arthur had clearly considered family, looked at her with mixed emotions. Diana herself had grown close to Julia, simply because she understood how she felt regarding Arthur.
"You didn't tell him?" she asked.
Diana sighed.
"How could I tell him when he's about to enter enemy territory?" Diana asked with a helpless smile. "If I did tell him, he would have abandoned leaving to stay here with ."
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Julia asked. "You can disappear, you know. I heard about the other realms from Arthur. You can find such a realm and disappear."
"And let this world be swallowed by darkness?" Diana asked with a shake of her head. "Arthur would never do it, and neither would I. And if I did tell him that I'm carrying his child, do you think he would let go to Alva?"
"That's exactly why I thought about telling him myself," Julia said with a sigh, but added so more when Diana glared at her. "Of course, I would never betray your trust like that. I'm just… worried."
"You don't need to worry," Diana said as her frown turned to a smile while she placed a hand over her belly. "This child will be stronger than anything that has ever lived or ever will be."
Julia couldn't help but nod in agreent. She was eager to see what kind of miracle child the two of them would have. Arthur and Diana were both a paradox of existence—one of ice and fire, the other of creation and destruction.
"Do you want to wait together until the day ends?" Julia asked, to which Diana nodded with a smile. The two won took a seat on the sofa and watched the giant pillar of light through the windows of the council.
Just a few hours left until the Trial of Gods begins, and hell gets unleashed on this world.
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