As Eleanor traversed across the lush forest, she barely managed to suppress her overflowing rage towards the cloaked figure, who had dared to publicly humiliate her to such a wild extent. Had she been in her Kingdom, the person would've been killed on the spot, without any hesitation.
Alas, this was not Celestial Peaks, but the tower.
Her influence amounted solely to her connection with her father. Nothing more, nothing less. Unlike on the Celestial Peaks, where Bahamut was essentially the strongest and most influential man, the tower was vastly different.
Although Eleanor believed her Kingdom could decimate one high-ranking clan, it was difficult to battle two. Essentially, neither she nor Bahamut was untouchable or invincible within the tower. No one was.
Exercising her influence was difficult in Heaven's Spire, as there were several obstacles obstructing her path.
'The Second Floor would have been so simple if not for that person's existence,' thought Eleanor, spitting on the ground in sheer anger. She was utterly bewildered by the cloaked figure's boldness, to the point where she wanted nothing but to rip the person asunder with her bare hands.
Alas, he was nowhere to be found.
Also, they needed to emerge victorious first. Eleanor found herself to be incredibly petty, but not petty to the extent that she could ruin her chances of survival solely to enact revenge. 'That doesn't mean I won't do it.'
'I need to place at least the top hundred on the rankings,' thought Eleanor, unaware of the sheer difficulty. One needed to monopolize the entirety of the trial to even stand a chance, and doing so became increasingly difficult when someone equal to the challenger in terms of power appeared.
"Oh, is that our elven queen?" asked Eleanor mockingly, ripping asunder the bushes that obstructed her path. A few meters away, the silver-haired elf stood with her eyes widened to the size of saucers.
Her silky, silver hair seemed disheveled, while her eyes seemed to have reddened. In front of her was a human male who wore a black, leather jacket along with a white undershirt. The male had a rapier strapped to his waist.
Eleanor approached the pair, unsheathing her massive greatsword. Her greatsword was at least a meter long with a thick width. It was forged using a dark, marble-like material that seemed to excel at the conduction of mana.
"Lady Eleanor…" The silver-haired elf muttered under her breath, stepping away from the red-haired woman. The former glared at the human male, who attempted to run away at the sight of Eleanor.
"Aren't you going to play with me?" Eleanor inquired, cocking her head innocently, as she raised her greatsword, pointing its tip towards the human male. Suddenly, the recoil jolted her right shoulder back.
A powerful, blazing sphere of flames shot toward the human male, burning him to a crisp on impact.
His screams resounded across the forest, yet not a single entity stepped forth to avenge him. The silver-haired elf let out a short shriek before turning her attention towards Eleanor, who approached her next.
"You were so bold during that dumbass raccoon's speech," said Eleanor, her voice emanating a sense of danger that nestled within the elf's mind. Her sweet voice was merely deception; an attempt to mask her true nature.
A sadistic bitch.
That was what she was.
Suddenly, flames swirled around her body, cladding her in an armor of orange-red material. The elf gulped before revealing the determination in her eyes, preparing to put up a last stand before her eventual death.
'I won't die,' the elf repeated internally, directing all negative emotions towards Eleanor.
'Such an amateur,' thought the red-haired woman, swinging her greatsword lightly. Particles of flame mana shot from the swing, hurling themselves toward the elf while threatening to burn her in an instant.
A white aura emerged from the elf's body, forming a barrier in front of her body.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The particles of fire collided with the white barrier, but before that, they decimated the entire area in a fifty-meter radius. All trees in the mentioned radius burnt to a crisp in an instant, turning into ashes in mere seconds.
Then, as the flames collided with the barrier, they voraciously ripped it asunder, engulfing the elf in unextinguishable, almost divine flames. Her screams echoed across the forest, causing Eleanor to let out uncontrollable laughter.
'This is going to be a breeze,' thought Eleanor, having amassed 3 points.
*
"The Daughter of Bahamut, and the man who conquered the First Floor…"
A raspy voice reverberated across the abyss. Atop the shaky branches of a particular tree, a figure cloaked in what could only be described as "darkness" sat. His chin–which was barely visible under the shroud of darkness–rested atop his fair hand.
With an amused expression plastered over his innocent face, the figure cloaked in darkness let out a childish sigh.
"I got stuck with troublesome people this time," he muttered, hopping off the branch before promptly landing on the soft soil beneath. Regaining his balance, the figure slowly began walking forward.
His tiny feet left tiny footsteps in the soil.
"I should probably gather a free people to do my bidding. The man who conquered the first floor, Arthur Solace, isn't ordinary in the slightest. He's probably wandering alone due to his confidence in his own power."
"Little does he know, he can only do so much alone."
"Maybe gathering a team and coordinating attacks will give him the idea, too. Then, we can have a fair battle."
"Heehee!"
The figure cloaked in darkness giggled lightheartedly, but his demeanor was far from what his tone represented. It was obvious that blood would be shed… At this point, it was only dependent on the number of liters.
Would the entire world bath in the crimson, unholy liquid by the end of the trial?
Would the three clash, decimating the entirety of the world?
Would the conflict be resolved peacefully with the silent extermination of either party?
It was unknown how things would play out.
