Born In Ashes: The Enigma

Boom!

With a loud booming sound, Azrael was hurled nearly fifty meters away after being struck by the elf's punch.

Although he had blocked the attack using Fallen Star, his hand was still fractured, and several of his ribs were broken.

Not only that, but due to the elf's extremely high stats, Azrael had to expend about 60 points of cosmic energy in that brief second when her fist made contact with Fallen Star—just to stun her by targeting her soul using his Astral Attribute.

And because her stamina was also incredibly high, which further increased her defense, he had to use another 100 points of cosmic energy to create the wind blade that ultimately severed her neck during that moment of stunned vulnerability.

'I really need to develop my power system a bit more before I can take on high-level elite individuals...'

Azrael stood up, wincing and rubbing his broken ribs as he reflected on the battle he had just fought.

Having only just become a Class Warrior, Azrael still needed more time to fully develop his power system.

Not only did he need to obtain a suitable substance that could amplify his wind power by 1.5 to 2 times, but he also needed to learn additional skills that he could utilize in battle.

On top of that, he still had to practice the Essentia Art that Zyrek had given him.

Once he developed these things, even at his current level of 12, he was confident he could go toe-to-toe with high-level elite individuals—just like that elf without much difficulty.

(Seventh level has been cleared.)

Azrael heard the mechanical voice of the tower, but this time, he didn't immediately proceed to the eighth level.

He had three minutes of rest time, which he used to begin recovering his nearly depleted cosmic energy.

Thanks to his mid-level breathing method that increased his recovery speed by 60%, and his powerful source core, his cosmic energy began to regenerate rapidly.

Though his injuries remained, he chose to move on to the eighth level once the three-minute rest period had passed.

As the eighth level began, Azrael watched as two female elves, both level 20 elites materialized before him.

His mouth twitched when he saw two elite-level opponents this time, and he nearly cursed out loud.

(Level Eight will start in ten seconds. Please get ready.)

(10... 9... 8...)

Azrael took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the 105 points of cosmic energy he had remaining.

'I need to finish them in one go. If I prolong the fight, I won't be able to do anything against them.'

His grip on Fallen Star tightened, and the cosmic energy within his body began to surge wildly.

The moment the countdown hit zero and the battle began—

Woosh!

All 105 points of cosmic energy within Azrael's body vanished in an instant. At the same time, hundreds of beautiful purple-colored wind blades surrounded the two elves and shot toward them at lightning speed.

Though the two elves were elite-level, their speed in utilizing cosmic energy was far inferior to Azrael's, who used the Heart of Wind to activate his power and possessed a mid-level breathing method.

Both of the elves had no time to summon the power of wood to defend themselves against the incoming storm of blades and even with their high agility, there was nowhere to run as they were completely surrounded.

With no other option, they used their extraordinary strength to fend off the incoming blades.

A layer of cosmic energy enveloped their bodies as they punched and kicked the wind blades, instantly shattering many of them on contact.

However, there were hundreds of blades, and some inevitably struck their bodies.

The thin protective layer of cosmic energy they had formed at the last second wasn't enough to fully deflect the assault.

Wounded by several of the blades, the Astral Attribute took effect, injuring their souls and breaking their focus momentarily.

In that brief moment, Azrael's eyes flashed with cold light and he instantly appeared right before them.

With all his strength, he swung the Fallen Star. The sharp blade of the Soul Armament sliced through the wind, reaching the first elf's neck and sending her head flying.

Without pause, the blade continued forward, slicing through the second elf's neck as well.

As their bodies became fountains of blood and collapsed, Azrael stumbled backward and frowned.

Losing all his cosmic energy in an instant had left his head dizzy, and on top of that, bursting out with full agility while his ribs were still broken had made it even worse.

(Level 8 has been completed.)

"At least I successfully cleared the eighth level..." He muttered while rubbing his chest, letting out a tired sigh.

Despite his poor condition, he didn't give up on the ninth challenge.

After all, Ashara had told him that even if he died inside the tower, he would simply be ejected without sustaining any real harm to his body.

The three-minute rest period quickly passed, and during that time, Azrael was able to recover around 60 points of cosmic energy.

(Level 9 will start in ten seconds. Please get ready.)

(10... 9... 8...)

As the mechanical voice echoed, the scenery around Azrael shifted once again—this time, everything turned pitch black, as if the lights had been turned off inside a sealed room.

"This..."

Azrael's expression changed as he realized he couldn't see anything.

He immediately expanded his senses to their absolute limits.

Through his heightened awareness, he sensed the presence of someone else nearby in the darkness.

He tightened his grip on the Fallen Star and faced the direction from which he could feel the approaching presence.

(3... 2... 1... 0)

The moment the countdown ended, a wave of dread unlike anything Azrael had ever felt crashed over him.

He tried to move away from his position, but before he could—

(You have died.)

The mechanical voice of the tower sounded out as his head fell from his body.

In the split-second before his head fell, he saw a pair of red eyes staring at him.

Pitch black darkness engulfed his vision, and he was instantly expelled from the Tower of Trials.