Elesch pressed forward, each step echoing with the hum of the Void. The ground beneath her cracked faintly with each movement, threads of shadow spreading like roots.

The Kuwaiti girl screamed, summoning a barrage of ice lances, thousands of crystalline projectiles descending from above. Elesch raised her rapier.

The lances froze midair, their descent halted by a wall of invisible pressure. Then, they shattered, dissolving into black mist that swirled harmlessly around Elesch.

The transformation had gone beyond strength; it was will made manifest. Pain no longer registered; her exhaustion had been rewritten into power. She wasn't fighting anymore. She was commanding.

The Kuwaiti girl tried one last desperate strike, a blade of solid ice infused with her remaining mana, but Elesch caught it effortlessly. The ice hissed against her void aura before crumbling into vapor.

Elesch stepped closer until the two were inches apart. Her voice was a whisper. "Do you still think this trial is beyond me?"

The Kuwaiti girl's lips parted, trembling. No sound came out. Elesch's expression softened, not in mercy, but in understanding. She lowered her blade. "Then yield."

The Kuwaiti girl dropped to her knees, her mana exhausted, her eyes wide in disbelief. The arena's energy sensors flickered, struggling to measure the overwhelming spike from Elesch's aura.

And then, just as suddenly as it began, the void light around her dimmed. Her rapier clattered against the ground.

She stood still for a moment, breathing heavily, eyes returning to their natural hue. The whispers of the Void receded into silence, leaving only the echo of their promise in her veins.

The arena erupted in noise, the crowd, the announcer, the astonished voices of other Adventurers, but Elesch heard none of it.

Her body trembled. She could feel every ache, every wound, every ounce of mana spent. Yet somewhere deep inside, there was a strange stillness, a new awareness pulsing faintly in her chest.

She had touched the edge of something forbidden. And it had touched her back. Kai watched from the upper stands, silent, eyes narrowed. The expression on his face was not surprise, but something closer to unease.

Elesch looked at her hand, her Circle of Pillars shimmering with the purple and black hue that had surrounded her, which was receding away completely. She couldn't believe it. From being a D-rank Adventurer, she had jumped two levels, like Nova. She was almost on the same wavelength as Nova.

She had won her first match, but now she had to complete the rest of the trial and decide if she had this section of the trial in her grasp. She then proceeded to the next arena, fighting against Kai's entourage.

Kai's entourage was an evolved E-rank Adventurer, which made Elesch feel more afraid than she let out. Her heart was racing, as she had no recovery time given to her. Then, she dropped to a knee right before the match started, as the pain and aches she felt from the sudden evolution didn't sit well with her.

The entourage looked at Kai, dumbfounded about what to do. Elesch waved her hand, showing how she was forfeiting the battle. She instantly got teleported to the spectator box, since she had lost that trial.

Another hour passed, as the first trial for the Pride sin was over. Then, she was teleported to the second Pride trial. This time, her first matchup was against Kai. Kai gave her a warm smile, which made her gulp, thinking it was some sort of trick.

"Don't think you are weak," Kai suddenly spoke. "You may think you are weak, but in reality, you're just a child still learning. So, don't discourage and discredit yourself from something so simple as this tournament. You will have future chances to prove yourself, so be patient and get stronger."

"Why are you like this?" Elesch inquired. "You're so friendly. It's almost frightening."

"Well, you may think it's frightening, but for me, I'm just encouraging good people to get stronger and help humanity get stronger. I can sense the goodness in you. So, I want to help you so that you can become stronger and eliminate the evil forces that tie us down. Because trust me, you have the potential."

The fight began, and Elesch instantly rushed, using her void manipulation to temporarily boost her strength and speed. She spiraled her rapier towards Kai. Kai didn't flinch, just smiled, and easily blocked it with the tip of his nail.

He didn't push her back or do anything. He simply let her skid backward. He realized that the way he appeared, she wouldn't understand him, nor would anyone else, since no one truly knew him.

She darted towards him again, but this time a barrier of blood blocked her attack. He didn't mean to activate his blood barrier, but since his gift for blood manipulation was so high, his ability unconsciously worked on its own.

Within a second, the blood instantly neutralized her, without drawing any further blood, and making her unconscious. She had lost the fight and the second trial for pride. Though she had gained the title of a B-rank Adventurer.

She was teleported to a larger spectator box, where she eventually opened her eyes for her team surrounding her. She had taken a long time in her trial, and all that just to lose both of them.

She slowly pushed herself to get up, though not wanting to, as her ache in her core grew. She stayed flat on the ground as she grabbed Nova's hand, who wasn't worried, as he knew she was safe.

"Welcome back," Nova said with a smile.

"It's good to be back," Elesch responded with a chuckle.

She slowly got up, her ache in her core receding, as she cracked her neck, perpendicular to the ground. Then, with Nova's help, she slowly got up, and her peripheral vision saw the slight gaze of Kai looking over her and Nova, as he turned around and walked away with his team.

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