MTLNOVEL Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Ten vs. One – Let the Massacre Begin
"Numbers mean nothing to a man who breaks everything he sees."
—Sage Hwan, entering the Killing Colosseum
[Tower of Heaven's Gate – Floor 8: The Killing Colosseum]
The sky turned blood-red.
The wind carried the scent of iron and ash.
Sage stood in the middle of a massive arena, thousands of meters wide, the ground cracked and stained from countless deaths.
Above him, glowing runes hovered:
"Squad Trial Initiated – Floor 8: Ten Calamities of Judgment"
A divine voice echoed:
"Welcome, challenger. You face ten apex combat constructs, each born from divine wrath. This is not a duel. This is an execution."
Sage spat.
"No. This is me finally having fun."
[Enemies Spawning…]
Ten monstrous beings dropped from the sky, landing in circular formation.
1. Kryva the Flame Tyrant – lava giant wielding a twin magma axe
2. Yulven of the Wind Maw – serpent goddess with slicing cyclones
3. Draekma the Time Eater – skeletal lizard slowing time in his radius
4. Orbus the Gravity Core – black-hole construct
5. The Mirror of Eyes – illusion-wielding psychic caster
6. Brontheus the Thunder Glutton – devours energy-based attacks
7. Mihra of the Blooming Rot – plague-bearing druid with poison flora
8. Sarnak the Bleeding Monk – martial artist who grows stronger when wounded
9. Velka the Void Siren – banshee who manipulates emotion and sound
10. Ka'thoz the Soul Architect – necromancer of forgotten gods
Each one was an elite-tier boss meant for parties of five or more.
[System Alert: Calculating Probability of Solo Survival… 0.3%]
Sage cracked his neck.
His aura surged — the floor beneath his feet disintegrated.
"Time to raise that percentage."
Round One – Opening Blitz
They all attacked at once.
Flame, wind, time distortion, black holes, illusions, lightning, rot, martial fists, banshee screams, necrotic death magic.
It came in waves. Chaos. Instant death for anyone else.
But Sage didn't move back.
Instead…
"Modern Martial Form III – Spatial Drift Palm."
WHOOSH.
His body blurred — not through teleportation, but pure control over internal flow and telekinetic redirection. He glided between attacks like liquid mercury.
CRACK!
His foot struck the side of Yulven's serpent jaw.
Her body spun mid-air — and slammed into Velka. Both fell with broken ribs.
Sage didn't stop moving.
Round Two – Counterstrike
"Modern Martial Form VI – Tempest Fang: Compression Mode."
He crushed Mihra's rot-root before it sprouted.
Slid behind Brontheus, who tried to absorb energy — and punched his stomach with raw kinetic force.
BOOOOM!
"No energy. Just power."
He telekinetically pulled Ka'thoz toward him, grabbing the necromancer mid-cast and dislocating both arms before shattering his soul core with a headbutt.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: 3 OUT OF 10 ENEMIES TERMINATED]
Trait Evolution Accelerating… Martial Will Projection Strengthened.
Form VII Unlocks...
New Unlock: Modern Martial Form VII – "Heaven-Piercing Void Lotus"
Sage knelt.
Breath slowed. Core stabilized.
Around him, a lotus bloomed — made of overlapping layers of gravity, wind, and sharpened internal energy.
"This one's experimental."
He exploded upward in a corkscrew motion — the blooming lotus around him slicing the battlefield in all directions.
SCREEEEEEE—CRASH—BOOM!
Orbus's gravity core shattered.
Draekma's time field destabilized.
The Mirror of Eyes was torn into fragments of itself, confused by too many reflections to survive.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: 7 OUT OF 10 TERMINATED]
Only three remained.
Sarnak the Bleeding Monk stood still, smiling.
He was drenched in blood — his own and others'. His muscles pulsed with divine resilience.
He bowed.
"We are the same."
Sage exhaled.
"Wrong. You love pain. I'm just tired of holding back."
They clashed.
Palm vs. fist.
Bone vs. flesh.
Sarnak landed two direct blows — and grinned.
"You bleed."
Sage looked down. A scratch.
He smiled — coldly.
"Yeah. Now it's fair."
"Form VIII – Heaven's Dissection Path: Thread Cut."
Ten rapid telekinetic micro-slashes — invisible to the eye — sliced through Sarnak's ligaments, joints, and spine simultaneously.
He collapsed mid-lunge, eyes wide.
"I… can't move…"
"You're done," Sage muttered.
Final Round – The Remnant Two
Velka screeched in a psychic scream.
Sage didn't flinch.
"Sound. Emotion. Mind games? All worthless…"
"Why?!"
"Because I'm not here to feel. I'm here to KILL."
He snapped her neck with a telekinetic flick.
Brontheus, the Thunder Glutton, roared. Absorbing the arena's remaining energy.
"Try it."
Brontheus roared again — mouth glowing with power.
Sage stepped forward, body crackling.
Form IX – Fist of Zero Entropy: "Breakpoint"
A punch with no heat. No energy. No movement. Pure instant stoppage.
BOOM.
Brontheus's core collapsed from the inside.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: ALL ENEMIES ELIMINATED]
Solo Completion: S+ Rank
New Trait Fragment Acquired: "Martial Supremacy – Incomplete"
Floor Cleared.
Form IX Confirmed. Form X – LOCKED.
Post-Battle Scene
Sage stood alone in the ruins.
Chest rising slowly.
Ten corpses evaporated into divine mist.
He cracked his knuckles.
"That was a warm-up."
The Tower began to tremble.
The sky darkened.
A new staircase emerged… not golden, but black obsidian.
A voice echoed. Not the Tower's.
Something older.
"Sage Hwan. You climbed too far. Now climb where you were never meant to tread."
"The Dead Heavens await."
SNEAK PEAK:
Sage is forcibly dragged into the "Dead Heavens," a secret sub-dimension created by fallen gods who want to claim his evolving trait. There, Sage must fight entities that were never meant to exist. And… a version of himself.