Ordeal

Hiro’s POV:

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“Unless you can bring back the dead to the life, yes. You will have to…” Hearing Elena’s words, I laughed. Frowning, she asked what was so funny.

“Do you happen to have her soul? Although it’s unlikely, maybe there are miracles,” I questioned her, feeling nervous. I wasn’t nervous for a long time, but I didn’t feel like killing someone so randomly. Not her. Because she was very similar to Alice.

“I do have it. I saw her being killed with my own eyes. Knowing what I would have lost at that moment, I had to run away with her soul. But why are you asking it?” Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she questioned me.

“What would you do if I said that we can bring her back to life?” Smiling, I asked her in my curiosity.

“Then I’d be very happy and I don’t know what would I do. I’m generous with those who help me out of their own will. I’ll probably help you in getting that wish of yours,” she replied, pleasing me a lot. With her help, we were sure to win!

“Take out her soul. Don’t worry, she won’t fly away…” I replied, making her frown. Upon hearing the other half of my sentence, she nodded. A black hole appeared in front of her and I felt a soul slipping out of it before it closed. Extending my arm, I caught her and poured our life into her. Thanks to those turtlemen who we killed in the academy, our lifespans were way above the norm. We could suck away the bearmen’s lives as well, but we just stored them away for now.

We gave one million years as a lifespan. That much should be enough. We also added a weak soul to hers, which wouldn’t affect her personality, but it would help her in restoring. Feeling that she was regaining consciousness, I poured my Qi into her soul, resulting in a high degree of regeneration.

About fifteen seconds later, her whole body was back. She looked down at her hands before examining her surroundings. Upon noticing the crying Elena, they rushed towards each other with wide opened arms. She indeed looked like Rose, except for the different racial traits. She didn’t have scales on her body. Instead, her hands and her forearms were completely black, with clear lines of her veins on them, which were shining with a dim black light. There were a few strange tattoos on her back, looking like ancient writings.

She was naked, by the way, but none of us cared about it. But upon noticing me, Elena shouted, “H-HEY! I thank you for helping her and I’ll also help you in turn, but could you not look at her with those hungry eyes?”

At that, Alice laughed, while Dred spoke once again. “Elena, he visibly doesn’t even care about Audrey’s body. He is the same as me, as us.” Nodding at me, he closed his eyes. How nice of him.

Snapping her fingers, Audrey’s shadows flew up from the ground and wrapped around her body, forming a black dress. Rose ran towards Audrey and looked at her from closely, Audrey doing the same.

Except for the slight racial differences, they really looked the same, not to mention how they behaved… They were like the picture of a person standing in front of a mirror. “You are… me?” Rose asked Audrey while pointing at herself.

“No, you are me…” She replied and I slapped my forehead, saying. “Alright, enough of this. Rose go back to our world…” Nodding once, she stopped in front of us and disappeared.

Audrey turned into a shadow on the ground and entered Elena’s shadow, leaving us slightly surprised. An interesting trio… and were we the weird ones?

“Ugh… it’s so hard to say thanks,” mumbling, Elena talked to herself. Looking up, straight into my eyes, she said seriously, “I thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I’ll do my best to help you in winning that wish, whatever it might be.”

“Well, we want a kingdom of halves, but we need the ability to find people’s other halves. So that is what we wish to ask for,” Alice bluntly replied to her inquiring tone, telling her our goal.

Raising a brow, Elena questioned, “What kind of other halves?”

“The kind which you love more than anyone else. That you could live your life with eternally. The kind which is the most important person in your life. The kind which is a perfect match for you,” Alice said with a smile, hugging and kissing me in the end.

With a surprised face, she let out a stupid voice before replying, “Oh… so that kind of another half. I haven’t thought of it like that before, but that is a noble goal. I’ll gladly help you in that.” Smiling, she finished talking and turned silent.

“Let’s go in that case,” Nodding, Alice grabbed my hand and turned around to leave. On our path to the mysterious building, we sensed a creature that should be taken care of. A harbinger! Since the merging of the two universes we lived in, we didn’t meet many Harbingers as most of the sects and academies have taken care of them.

Maybe that was the case here as well, but we still found one. It had the shape of a large worm, which dug its way through a planet, leaving it dead and hollow. It was at the middle stages of the sixth level, so as long as we were careful, killing it wouldn’t be a problem. [Yes, and we have a little helper as well~] Alice thought smiling, meaning Elena.

Using a few of our clones in our merged form, we stacked up our martial art to twelve and released it towards the planet, along with the curse effect. This was the first time that we used it. Unfortunately, we still couldn’t test its effects in action since not only the planet and the monster, even space blew up, leaving nothing but the gray matter in its place.

But at the same time, a huge dark red cloud spread out, with the Harbinger as the epicenter. As it went past our bodies, we felt a strange madness, wrath, and bloodlust fill us up. It was very similar to when Alice and Poirlion had to go through their ‘puberty’ to turn into True monsters. Well, I too had that phase, but it was quite easy for me to fight it back.

Looking at Elena, I saw that she was gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. She was visibly enraged. Unlike before, Alice has learned how to control herself. Similarly to me, she was just standing beside me in space, embracing my waist. Her little hands made me feel warm and good. The only thing I could ever truly fear was that this was all just a dream.

I mean, my life seems way too perfect. I have a beautiful, loving wife. We always won against our enemies. Our strength is way above the norm. Is this because of the loop? But… can we break it? And what happens if we do? I wonder… but I’ll find out in the future.

[Well, however it is, I’m enjoying this loop very much, dear.] Alice turned towards me while thinking about the love she felt for me. Kissing me deeply, I coiled my arms around her waist. I was lost in her eyes as we didn’t close them while kissing. We were looking straight into each other’s eyes. Feeling that we should stop or else things would go out of control, we separated.

At that time, I noticed Elena sighing, and then she turned completely calm once again. It seems like her mental fortitude wasn’t weak either. Is this why the Harbingers numbers should be kept low? But however, I think about it, killing them is also dangerous. If normal cultivators were to kill one and go through this, they would probably start killing each other.

[That’s true. I guess only Willful people should kill Harbingers or else they will go mad,] Hearing my thoughts, Alice agreed with me. Giving a last kiss on her face, I stopped hugging her. I just loved her so much! I couldn’t help it.

It took only a few hours to get to our destination, but we saw nothing except for a huge group of Harbingers and a few people standing far away. Their strength was very similar to ours, meaning that they were participants! Just as we stopped, a huge levitating island appeared and that usual voice resounded. Isn’t it talking too much?

“Hello, everyone. Seeing that all of you have arrived, it’s time for this test. I’m surprised to see that a True Divine Beast fell even before getting here… but it’s fine by me. As you can see, I left a few Harbingers in front of the island. They are all at the first stage of the Temporary Law Realm since I made them so. Your first test will be to fight your way through these Harbingers and insert your keys into their places.”

“Once you are done, the island will open up and you can enter. But those who are outsiders can’t take part in this,” as it said its last words, a barrier appeared between us and Narihi and Poirlion. Rose, Rin, and Audrey were also kicked out and had to stay outside. Looking at the others, I saw that a few Divine Beasts or True Divine Beasts had hundreds of servants…

“So, now that only the participants can hear me… For the time being, I’ll suppress your blood. This means that no matter if you are a dragon and there is a Dragon God, you won’t have any feelings towards them. Everyone is equal here. Your strength will be that of a cultivator at the first stage of the Temporary Law Realm.”

“What was the point of hurrying you if that was the case? Well, you will see once you get inside. If you die before reaching the keyhole, then you will lose your life, your key, and the keyhole will disappear as well. There are exactly forty-nine of you. Let’s see who has the most potential to reach the top and wish something from me. Seeing your thoughts, don’t worry. I can make all of them true.”

As it finished its words, its voice resounded in our minds, telling us that it could grant us that ability. After asking from Elena, we learned that she too has got an answer. I wonder what was her wish… luckily for us, she made an oath to help us! The funniest was that there were fifty-one of us. Did this mean that I and Alice and Elena and Dred were counted as one person?

But Dred and Elena aren’t connected as I see it… well, to be more clear, I see only a single shady, black soul… I don’t know how are they connected. [Honey, please stop thinking about it. We should focus on the matter at hand. They surely have their own secrets. And if you are so interested, why don’t you use your mind reading ability?] Alice made me stop as she started warming up, jokingly. Not like she needed it. Let’s see… I’m curious!

Aw~ this is kind of sad. If not for Audrey dying, then I could have fought for the win… well, these two has an interesting goal anyway. I might as well help them. Elena thought as she formed a black bow in her hands.

Turning into a shadow, rushing forward in a dragon form, Dred replied, As you wish. You know that I’ll support you in anything. After that, none of them thought of anything, except for their next movements.

Naturally, we were already fighting by this time. I just used one of my minds to read their thoughts. The bodies of these Harbingers are small, which is quite rare… usually. But it said that it made them like that? Does this mean that it is the one who creates these creatures? I thought while using Blank as a sword to cut across the chest of a golem. Although I split its core into two halves, it regenerated quickly and almost punched me in the face.

Luckily, my wife was there for me. Jumping on its back, she thrust her spear through the top of its head and poured her soul force into the golem, killing it. Sending her a kiss, I turned around and swung my staff towards the incoming deer. Switching between weapons was a wonderful ability. As my staff hit its side, the deer fell on its side. One of my clones appeared at that time and penetrated its skull with a dagger.

The number of these Harbingers seemed infinite. I had to use seven of my clones to defend my single body. Naturally, most of us used our battle forms while some people used their monster forms instantly. Jumping off of the golem’s head, I caught Alice in my embrace, right after hitting the side of the deer. Giving a kiss on her lips, I let go of her.

[By the way, we should have merged,] I thought, earning a not so strange answer from Alice. [I like it when we are merged as I feel very close to you. But I'm even happier when we are separated as I can feel the warmth of your body. Doing that is impossible in our merged form, so unless necessary, I’d rather stay separated and hog you all to myself~]

[Do you want to make me horny?] I questioned her, feeling a mild rise of the temperature in my crotch. Well, in my battle form I didn’t have an ‘excalibur’, but my mind didn’t change. Once I turn back, my body would go mad over Alice if she kept this up.

[I feel loved~] She thought while smiling and crushing the head of a skeleton. Although her thoughts and her actions didn’t match, I knew what were her real thoughts. I thrust my spear towards Alice’s back. She stepped sideway and cut the tiger on my left into two halves, while my spear penetrated the widely opened jaws of a long, worm-like Harbinger.

[Yuck, what the hell is this?] Alice thought upon seeing the tiger she sliced apart, transform. All of these Harbingers if not killed instantly after a deadly strike would regenerate. Two meters long bloodworms shot out of its upper and lower half, connecting its body, stitching its two halves together. [Now, that is disgusting…] I thought upon seeing the scene. Embracing Alice’s waist, we jumped forward and quickly dismembered the monster with longswords in our hands.

A red miasma was spreading in the air, turning more and more people enraged. I honestly didn’t feel affected by it. My love was here. I was there for her as well. Why would I care about this slight hate that was generated by an outside power? Not to mention that… although the creator of the Abyss decreased everyone’s cultivation to the first stage of the sixth level, that wasn’t the case with our souls.

Our souls were still at the sixth stage of the Young Soul. Something that should be possible only at the second stage of the seventh level! That was the reason why we slaughtered these stupid Harbingers. We always bombarded their souls with our soul force. If we ran out of it, we just consumed a Soul Force Restoration pill, which was exclusive to us! Only we could do such a pill. [My dear wife to be more exact~] I added, praising her as much as I could.

[Why are you fawning over me? Both of us know that both of us can make this pill… ah, you are just in the mood, okay,] Feeling what I felt, she didn’t think about this anymore.

Finally reaching the towering stone walls, a keyhole appeared in it. Well, it didn’t look like a keyhole… Taking out the mini atom shaped model, I inserted it into the hollowed out place. Clicking, the wall turned smooth once again. The problem was that we couldn’t enter before everyone else reached the walls or died...

Turning our backs on the wall, we took up a defensive position and continued our battle. We released our Twelve Chains of Bane continuously, along with its curse effect. With four to five stacks, the havoc we created was huge. After continuously exploding the Harbingers, even they ran out of numbers…

We were surprised to see that we stood there and none of the Harbingers went past a line. They were attacking the others. We killed exactly twenty-five Harbingers at our level in such a short time and looking at the others, we saw that they had to fight against the same number of Harbingers.

Elena was on our right-hand side, and she was also standing in her area, with no one but them. I raised a brow, feeling surprised that she was equally quick. I’m starting to believe that she is a clone of Alice, or I don’t know what’s going on… from what I’ve learned about her up till now, she is very similar to Alice, except for a few little things. But honestly, even her face was almost the same. I don’t know what’s going on in these universes, but I’ll be sure to find out…

There was only a single one of us from these fifty-one people, who was struggling to fight. It was a Dryad. She was beautiful indeed… but her strength probably lied in her charming skills. But it didn’t work on these Harbingers, so she sucked it hard this time… ‘Equal’ strength didn’t mean that all of us were equal against any kind of opponent. For example, a bear type would have a hard time again quick monsters, while this Dryad has a hard time against the Harbingers.

Not so surprisingly, those who were finished, pointed their bow-shaped symbiotes towards the Dryad, ready to fire. No one wanted more opponents. The fewer the better. It seems like it is the best to be the first or we might be attacked by the others. Elena didn’t even move as a shadow - in the sky… - reached out towards the Dryad.

The poor woman was torn into pieces as the powerful attacks struck her body. As soon as she died, we pulled her soul towards ourselves and devoured it. There was a lot of remorse in it… but we managed to stay sane. All we can offer her is our revenge on the others in case things turn that way.

As she died, a doorway appeared behind us. Turning around, we entered through the doorway and it closed behind us. From the outside, this island looked very different. Only its bottom was and the towering walls, reaching into the clouds were visible. From the outside, it didn’t look big. Maybe the size of a huge castle.

But the inside? It was like a huge world! There was a straight pathway leading towards the center. It was truly far away, but we were still able to see a huge tower. It was probably our final destination. After trying it, we realized that we couldn’t teleport here. Looking at each other helplessly, we started jogging. We couldn’t step off the pathway either because there was an invisible barrier. While walking, it talked again.

“Oh, we have forty-eight people? I thought that more of you will be lost outside. Well, I don’t wish your death, so losing even that single life is sad. Life is important. Remember this. But I also understand that you people are still too young to understand it. Then again, what do I expect when even people who lived for eons can’t get rid of their greed… Sorry for ranting.”

“My point is that you have to follow the pathway and reach the next building. There will be a nice test for all of you. I wonder if you will like it, hehe,” chuckling, it finished its sentence.

After walking for a few minutes, we indeed found ourselves in front of a simple tent. Entering, we found ourselves in a big arena… [I’m not going to feel surprised anymore. Does this thing likes hiding big things in small spaces?] I thought helplessly.

Looking at me with her brows raised, Alice said, “Why is it that your words sounded like a sexual harassment? It’s good that I’m your wife…”

“In my opinion, your mind is just too corrupted, Alice…” I remarked while shaking my head sideways. She couldn’t hide her perverted thoughts from me…

“Both of you are perverts,” the Abyss thing chimed in once again, annoying me. “Why are you even commenting on our private life? When we asked you, you stayed silent, yet now you are talking all the time…” Alice shouted at nothing in particular.

“You know nothing, little one,” It replied with a chuckle and then stayed silent no matter what Alice did. Tapping her back, I told her to stay silent and gave her a kiss.

“You are so unfair. You cheater… you know how to make me stay silent,” she said pouting, looking away.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, you are impossible…” I said upon seeing her cute posture. I pushed her into our world, straight onto our bed. Grabbing her arms, I started kissing her neck, feeling my lust raising. But before we could do anything, we were pulled out of our own world by an invisible strength.

“No… you won’t do it here. Hahaha! I know it! Most people has different ordeals, but your first trial will be about this. I wanted to leave this for later, but since this is your weak point, we shall train it at first. You will have to reach the tower without having sex or even the slightest bit of ‘satisfaction’.”

“The first test was supposed to be about your strength, but I know that you don’t have any problems. You will have to bear the weight of your lust until the end! And! You can’t merge! Let’s see how long you can prevail. If you ever touch each other’s private parts, you will be disqualified.”

To our despair, this damned Abyss shit said such things. I was craving for Alice’s body, yet I was blocked by this… I could ignore this whole competition and have my way with her, but in that case, our dreams would shatter. Thinking of a great solution, I was quickly shot off. “No, you can’t masturbate…” it replied upon hearing my thoughts.

I banged my head into the wall of the arena. Turning into my battle form, I felt much better, but I still wanted to use my human form and love Alice… She looked so pitiful with her thighs pressed together. She looked like a girl who was about to pee herself. But looking at her rubbing her thighs, I knew that she had different problems. Our fused souls didn’t help us this time either. This was literally the worst kind of test we could draw…

“I’m all knowing. Naturally, I know what are your weakest points,” it replied arrogantly, glorifying itself.

I so want to punch your face, you bastard… I thought, feeling annoyed. A huge tiger appeared in front of us, standing at four meters tall. Its strength was at the second stage, but we were two against one.

Blank covered our bodies as we jumped forward. Its paw struck my left side, making me turn in the air. Using the force behind its attack, I swung my staff towards its front left leg, breaking it instantly. With my side healed, I landed on the ground. Alice jumped up, thrusting her spear forward. As my attack broke its leg, the tiger’s head moved slightly downward, resulting in Alice’s spear, penetrating its eye.

[Perfect teamwork, honey~] She thought happily, pulling out her blood covered arm. With a dead brain, it couldn’t move for a few seconds. Using Nightmare, we made sure that it would stay disabled for a few seconds… We held out our palms towards the monster and used our Hydra’s and Dragon’s Paw. As its body was crushed, we devoured its soul. We have no idea if we stepped into the fifth stage by this time since we couldn’t sense the strength we gained.

We stayed at the first stage anyway…

On the two sides of the arena, we saw portals appearing, connecting us with the other participants. On our right was Elena, while on our left was a human.

Where was this going?

I wonder.