Born In Ashes: The Enigma

Seeing Azrael heading towards the tower, Ashara quickly stopped him.

"Before you can enter the Tower of Trials for assessment, you must first register and meet the initial requirements of the Slayers Academy that I mentioned earlier."

Azrael's eager steps halted at Ashara's words, and he turned to look at her.

"Where do we need to go for registration?"

Ashara was about to respond when she suddenly stopped and turned her head, looking toward the very top of the tower of trials.

At the tower's summit stood a woman wearing reading glasses. Her hair was tied in a bun, and she wore a white top, a black jacket, and a pencil skirt.

The woman muttered something under her breath when she noticed Ashara looking at her.

Ashara stared at her for a few seconds before nodding slightly.

"Let's go. You don't need to register. You can directly enter the tower for assessment."

Azrael was surprised by her words, wondering why he didn't need to register. As the tower was almost ten kilometers away from his current location, he couldn't see the woman, who stood at its top, and so he remained unaware of the silent exchange between them.

Ashara offered no explanation and simply walked forward.

Azrael shrugged his shoulders at her silence and followed after her.

Soon, they reached the base of the tower, and a man quickly approached them, handing a token to Azrael.

"Here is your entry token. Hold it in your hand while entering," He said, still puzzled about why the Vice Principal had instructed him to give this guy a token when he hadn't even completed registration.

Azrael took the token and nodded.

"Go ahead," Ashara said once the man left.

"I'll be back in a jiffy," Azrael replied, then walked toward one of the tower's entrances.

As Azrael approached, he noticed a barrier covering the entrance, but when he touched it, the token in his hand glowed, and he passed through effortlessly.

Once Azrael disappeared inside the tower, Ashara took a step forward, and in the next instant, she appeared at the top of the tower, right beside Mira.

Mira smiled when she saw her. "It's been a while, witch."

Ashara rolled her eyes at the greeting and spoke with a frown.

"I don't remember you ever giving special treatment to anyone, regardless of who they were. So why the generosity today?"

Mira gave a helpless smile. "Your son is already a level 12 class warrior. I'm not exactly sure how strong he is, but even his physical body alone is far stronger than that of a normal level 15 or 16 warrior. Making him go through all the tests just to determine whether he qualifies for the Slayers Academy assessment would have been a waste of time."

Ashara's expression remained impassive at Mira's explanation.

"And now that you are done with your bootlicking, why don't you tell me the real reason you let him enter without any formalities?" She asked in an indifferent voice.

Mira's mouth twitched at her words, and she immediately retorted, "It's not bootlicking. I was merely stating the facts."

"Is that so..." Ashara said with a faint smile and then pointed toward one of the tower's entrances.

"That guy entering right now is also a class warrior and already level 13. Why didn't you let him enter without registration as well?"

Mira glanced at the person Ashara was pointing to and shook her head.

"That guy is from the batch that completed their Eonrift Trial in January, when the entrance first opened this year. He reached level 13 after months of practice. How can he be compared to your son who reached level 12 just after completing his Eonrift Trial?"

The entrance to the Eonrift Trial Ground opens twice a year—first on January 1st and again on July 1st.

Since all academies admit students only once a year—after the trial ground's second opening in July, those who complete their trial in January must wait six months before joining the academy of their choice.

During this waiting period, they can cultivate their Source Core, and for those with decent talent, reaching level 10 or even becoming a class warrior within six months isn't difficult.

Ashara stared at Mira for a few seconds before speaking in a cold voice.

"I hope what you said is true and you're not planning anything shrewd against Azrael. Otherwise..."

She didn't finish the sentence, but Mira knew full well that the woman standing before her was an absolutely crazy b*tch who wouldn't hesitate to initiate a death battle if she discovered anything suspicious.

"Alright, alright..." Mira raised her hands in surrender and spoke with a helpless tone. "I was just curious to see how the son of two monsters would perform in his assessment trial. So I let him enter without registration in order to observe his performance as soon as possible."

As she spoke, Mira tapped her foot on the tower floor, and dozens of small screens appeared before them, each displaying different participants undergoing the assessment trial inside the tower.

She quickly scanned through the screens and soon found the one showing Azrael's trial.

"Do you want to watch as well?" Mira asked as she enlarged the screen.

Ashara's eyes lit up slightly when she saw Azrael's assessment and, without saying a word, she moved a bit closer to the screen.

Mira found it amusing to see such an expression on the face of someone usually so ruthless, but she didn't comment on it.

As they watched the screen, they saw a human male materialize in front of Azrael.

The man was also a level 12 class warrior, just like Azrael.

"Let's see how long it takes him to defeat an opponent at the same level," Mira muttered under her breath as she watched.

When Ashara heard her, the corners of her lips curved into a faint smile.

Bang!

Suddenly, on the screen, Azrael vanished from his position, and in the next moment, the head of his opponent exploded into a mist of blood.