The procession was lead by a young man with sparking blonde hair, a large spear adorned with crystals near the tip, painted with a melange of pure golden and silver. Two luminscent golden wings streched out from his back in all their majesty, his mere presence gracing his surroundings with a regal air.

Flanking him on either sides were primordial spirit wielders, one man with skin that seemed to be crafted of volcanic ash itself, boasting an extreme level of musculature at a reasonable height of rougly 6 feet. He had no facial features, just an oval shaped head without hair, ears, eyes or a nose. However his muscles rippled with frightning intensity as he held a massive, circular hammer, or perhaps a circular weight would be the more accurate description, that was easily taller than him by at least a foot.

Strong....Ridiculously fucking strong.

Then, the was a sun-tanned bald man in his early twenties that looked like an ungodly chimera that shouldn't exist, as in place of his legs were long, spindly green appendages that were far too thin to support his body weight, but somehow still managed to carry out the impossible task. In place of his arms, there were two large green sickles that were definitely sharper than any blade he'd ever seen- a cross between a human and a praying mantis, one that made Noah want to throw up with a single glimpse.

Finally, there was a man of medium build that was completely translucent, though the surroundings when viewed through him appeared to be distorted. Noah honestly wouldn't known he was a defensive type if Liam hadn't whispered the information to him, but he figured the material that coated him could take more than a few blows from him at his peak.

Of course, you couldn't forget about the fourty six bloodthirsty challengers behind them, who stared at Noah with undisguised greed but didn't make any move in respect for the primordial spirits leading them.

The blonde winged man took a step forward, spear in hand, causing a hair-raising feeling to erupt that scattered Noah's thoughts into disarray.

Death had a name... and it stood right in front of him.

"You have fought with valor against great odds, warrior. Out of respect for your accomplishments, you may have your last words known before I put you to eternal rest," The blonde winged man spoke with a certain degree of respect, but his words carried a regal weight to them- what he had proclaimed, shall happen- meaning he thought Noah had no way to resist him any longer.

And honestly? He was right. There was no special card he was hiding under his sleeve, no hidden trick left that would get him out alive. It felt surreal, knowing that this was probably the last wave of challengers and primordial spirits the tower could send at him, knowing that if he could defeat this wave he would live to see another day and finally, the acceptance that he was going to die regardless.

"I..." Noah trailed off as a tear poured down his right eye, as the past day's events flashed by him. Why had he insisted on being merciful to people who repeatedly tried to kill him, when he had displayed no ill will to them from the very inception? If he had been more ruthless, more willing to kill and pillage items, loot their bodies, would he have a greater chance of survival? But if survival meant turning into a murderer, was it even worth it?

"Do you trust me, lad?" Liam's weary voice came out of a corner, shocking Noah. In his own moment of reflection, he had completely forgotten about Liam's existence.

"Yes," he replied, causing the blonde winged man to look at him oddly. Liam had earned a certain degree of trust, and while Noah wasn't sure if he completely trusted the man, his ever relaxed tone had created a glint of hope within Noah.

The Tower has detected a God- Ranked Existence [*****] trying to possess your physical vessel.

Do you wish to grant God- Ranked Existence [*****] access to your physical body?

Maximum duration: 30 minutes.

Yes

No

"Are you stalling?" The blonde winged man looked at him coldly, causing a flustered Noah to mentally grant affirmation to Liam. He was on the verge of death anyway, if his ghostly companion had nefarious intentions then there was nothing to be done at this point.

A cold sensation overwhelmed Noah, and before he even realized it, possession of his body had been wrested over by a foriegn entity. He could still feel himself leaning on Omni in spear form, see the blonde winged man look at him with clear shock on his face, but he no longer had any control over his body.

He was just a spectator.

Kale Hensworth looked at Noah's broken, hunched over form with glee in his eyes. He had been part of the first wave, the longsword wielding man who had almost gotten the better of Noah with just common equipment. Kale was a prideful man, having served in the army first and then later gone on to become a fairly famous HEMA practitioner, this new world was practically built for him. Gridlocked hadn't even been a challenge for Kale, he'd ruthlessly cut down weaker challengers for experience and loot in the early stages, snowballing into a solid advantage at the later stages when the grid shrunk.

Those who came here came willingly, and it was kill or be killed, so Kale felt no regrets at his actions. It was fair game, if he was killed tomorrow for the same reasons.... well he'd be pissed, but that was what he'd signed up for.

But that bastard, that fucker who first transformed into a titan on the first first floor, curbstoming the goblin lord till he died like it was a joke, and then later effortlessly sent Kale flying like he was a rookie at his first day of training.... he was simply playing on a different turf altogether. He was convinced that they were the same person, as the likelihood of two such aberrations being present in a group of 2500 humans was just impossible. No matter how much he thought about it, no matter how much he tried to rationalize it, the advantages that the wounded man had gained over them just made no sense at all.

Kale watched with anticipation as the blonde winged man walked closer to Noah, and in his heart he could only whisper 'Kill him!'. He didn't even care about the rewards anymore, such an aberration should simply not be allowed to exist. Kale was jealous of his advantages, and more than that he felt that an existence he had no way of competing with deserved to die so that he could sleep easy at night.

The blonde winged man lifted his spear and was about to go for the kill, when a silver aura engulfed the wounded man.... An aura so vast, so mighty, that it made Kale scream involuntarily in sheer horror. It wasn't the aura itself that terrified him, no, the truth was far more sinister....It was the killing intent. A killing intent so dense that it seemed only a step away from manifesting in physical form.

Noah/Liam looked over the stunned expressions of the crowd with an expression that was filled with utter disdain.

"Oi, goldy," Noah/Liam called out in an exceptionally thick british accent.

The blonde winged man pointed at himself with a dumbstruck expression.

"Yes you, wanker. See any other golden feathered birds mucking about?" Noah/Liam condescendingly chuckled to himself, as if he were pleased with the banter.

"Y-You dare talk to-," The blonde winged man tried to express his disbelief, but was rudely cut off.

In that instant of confusion, Noah/Liam moved with such exceptional speed that only the four primordial spirit user's could

A barrage of notifications flashed past Noah/Liam's vision, but they were ignored without second thought.

You have learned combat art: Strength Layering

You have learned combat art: Myriad illusions (Complete)

You have learned combat art: Transient Movement

You have learned combat art: Shadow Reversal

You have learned combat art: Heaven's Grindstone

You have learned combat art: Dominator's Fist

You have learned combat art: Flash Step (Final)

.

.

.

"I'm sorry mate, didn't quite catch that. Mind repeating yourself?" Noah/Liam asked in an uncharacteristically polite tone, addressing the severed head he carried in his right hand that belonged to the blonde winged man.... or at least used to.