MTLNOVEL Chapter 294: Everything Was A Trap
The space turned into a boundless realm, with a sky where swirling moons danced and a ground made of shattered crystals glowing under silver light.
The air was thick with mystical energy, but there was a strange tremor in the space, as if the realm itself was on the verge of collapsing. At the center, a divine being appeared.
The embodiment of the moon, the embodiment of the Law of Purity and Emotions. This entity had a semi-transparent body of light and shadow, with eyes like two full moons reflecting Daniel's emotions — his anger, fear, hope, and even his hidden doubts.
A crown of silver crystals rested on its head, and an aura of moonlight swirled around it.
Yet something in the silver figure's eyes felt strange — it looked at him as if it was not just watching but evaluating him, measuring his worth and qualifications.
It gazed at Daniel as if he were prey.
"This feeling… it's like this thing is reading me, not just preparing to fight. Something isn't right here." Daniel frowned, an uneasy feeling rising in his chest.
[ Welcome to the fifth trial ]
[ Defeat the Moon's Embodiment ]
The Moon's Embodiment didn't give him a moment to think and attacked with a calm, almost deliberate movement. Its aura sent a wave of emotions — anger, fear, and sorrow — crashing toward Daniel.
The space around Daniel darkened, and visions of his past appeared: the deaths of his loved ones, his failures standing before him. The visions came at him like living spirits, wielding silver swords.
However, the result made the Moon's Embodiment frown, as Daniel began to laugh.
"These kinds of illusions don't work on me," he said. He had experienced things like this far too many times before.
He created an illusion of his own, a silver light copy of himself, diverting the visions away.
Then, with the aura of his sword, he unleashed a radiant glow that scattered the images.
The white light, like a gentle sun, tore apart the spirits of the past.
The Moon's Embodiment spoke with a deep, resonant voice: "Your heart is strong… but is it pure?"
"Oh? You can talk?"
The embodiment unleashed a stronger attack. With a wave of its hand, a surge of furious emotions rushed toward Daniel, filling the space with visions of his deepest fears — his family in danger, the continent in flames, and himself alone in darkness. At the same time, the crystalline ground beneath him trembled, as if it were trying to drag him into a bottomless abyss.
Daniel reacted with the gravity aspect of the Moon Law.
He lightened the gravity around himself and leapt high, distancing himself from the illusory abyss, hovering in midair.
'This gravity… it's like the previous trial. It creates illusions, but these illusions trigger and try to control every emotion.'
He summoned Death Energy, forming a black aura around himself that nullified and destroyed the surge of emotions.
The black aura, like a living shadow, devoured the fear-inducing images.
But something was off — each time Daniel repelled an attack, the realm trembled harder, and cracks formed across the illusory mirrors surrounding him.
"Do you seek power?"
"Do you not desire endless power, to conquer and rule the world?"
"Do you not want the power to protect your family?"
Endless whispers of temptation echoed in Daniel's ears.
A new illusion formed — Daniel saw himself sitting upon a royal throne, overlooking two worlds with disdain.
He looked like a god, standing above all creation, untouchable at the peak of existence.
He even saw his family, perfectly safe and content at his side, living lives of happiness as if nothing could ever harm them.
However, Daniel only snorted. Suddenly, Death Energy erupted from his body, shattering the entire illusion.
For a brief moment, he thought he saw the Moon's Embodiment smirk, which deepened his frown.
The silver embodiment shifted, taking on the form of a massive version of Daniel himself, with eyes glowing like blood moons.
This version wielded a silver sword, and each of its strikes unleashed waves of emotions and illusions, trying to break Daniel's will.
Daniel tapped into the time cycle aspect of the Moon Law, sensing the flow of time.
He focused, visualizing the lunar cycles in his mind — new, crescent, full — and slowed time for a moment, stretching the seconds as if they were elastic.
This gave him the edge to predict the silver copy's movements. He thought to himself:
The earlier illusion of Daniel, wielding a blade of light, lunged at the enemy, forcing the silver version to recoil for a moment.
At that moment, Daniel leapt forward with Heaven's Honor, the sword charged with his aura and Death Energy.
His blade gleamed like a silver-and-black meteor, and with a sweeping strike, he engulfed the silver copy completely.
The silver embodiment let out a mystical scream as its body disintegrated into silver fragments, scattering through the air.
[ You have successfully completed the fifth trial ]
[ Your comprehension of the Law of the Moon has increased by 20%, reaching 55% ]
Even though the trial was complete, Daniel didn't feel at ease. Instead, the ominous feeling in his chest only grew stronger.
The ground beneath him suddenly quaked, and the illusory mirrors around him shattered, as if the realm itself was collapsing. The sky filled with chaotic, spinning moons, and a deep, godlike voice echoed through the space.
"At last… a worthy vessel."
Daniel, gripping Heaven's Honor, looked around, sensing something was deeply wrong.
"These trials weren't just for learning the Moon Law."
The Eternal Moon Orb suddenly appeared at the center of the realm, but now a dark and silver aura swirled around it, as if it had come alive.
Daniel muttered, "What the hell is this now?" Focusing with the mysticism aspect of the Moon Law, he tried to read the truth.
The Eternal Moon Temple, thousands of years ago, had been built by the Moon Goddess, a deity who died in an unknown war. Her soul had been sealed within the Eternal Moon Orb, and the temple had been designed as a trap — to find the most suitable genius, the one capable of becoming the goddess's new vessel.
"So this was a trap… this temple was searching for a new body for the goddess!" Daniel whispered, his eyes widening.
He felt the realm calling to him, as if the will of the goddess herself was probing his heart. But Daniel's heart was steadfast, his will unshaken.
The illusory orb cracked, but instead of collapsing, a godly light erupted from within it.
Silver light flooded the realm, and the manifestation of the Moon Goddess appeared.