After speaking, he did not give Athena the chance to argue with him and immediately ordered Lena.

"Lena, you may exhaust all Adamantium and Talorite reserves. I need a weapon!"

"What weapon do you desire?"

"One that with give me an overwhelming offense. A grand and heavy sword . . .

[Commencing Synthesis. . .]

Synthesis Complete.

A blade materialized in his hands — a massive greatsword with a crossguard wide enough to be a man’s shoulders, its body three inches thick and its blade was as dark as obsidian.

In the darkness above, Hyperions voice resounded deeply: "The trial has begun!"

And right as the very last echoes of Hyperion’s voice faded, right in front of Adam, two crimson fireballs sailed tthough the air and detonated... Adam took a careful step forward, holding the Colossal Sword horizontally with his right hand.

He watched warily as two figures coalesced from the crimson fire: The outline of their bodies looked human, but they seemed to be carved from living magma, leaving scorched red prints on the ground as they walked.

Their facial features were hidden but glowing red eyes peered through the gaps of their obsidian helmets. Adam felt those eyes firmly locked onto his body. Without a word they aimed their spears at him and began to advance slowly.

"Lena, what are they?" Adam asked as his heartstrings tightened. But after evaluating their strength he calmed once more. Because the level of power he sensed from them was simply not enough to threaten him.

"Their strength seems to be calibrated exactly to your own. But given the durability of your body and your immense speed, they shouldn’t be too much trouble!" Lena said.

Without a word, the magma warriors had already charged Adam. The heat their bodies emitted seared the onrushing air, as they hoisted their spears at his body.

Facing two enemies with his level of strength might have be impossible for someone else. However, to Adam, it was fundamentally not a herculean task at all.

Because he, who possessed speed more terrifying than a ghosts’, and a body harder than refined steel, could completely annihilate opponents of the same level in an instant.

Adam observed patiently as the incoming magma warriors neared, and just as they were within attacking range. . . his body suddenly vanished . . .

He instantly reappeared directly behind the two magma warrriors and swept his great sword in a wide arc!

When the first Magma Warrior had only just thrust its spear forward, Adam’s sword had already smashed onto its back with the force of a boulder, instantly breaking the warrior’s body into pieces.

Then, without any loss in the swords momentum, it broke into the waist of the second Magma Warrior, instantly causing it also to shatter.

After he was done, Adam stabbed his sword into the ground and took few rough breaths. . .

His breathing was labored, his body wracked with pain, and he was encumbered by the difficult task of having to protect a helpless Athena and fight at the same time.

The shattered bodies of the two Magma Warriors laid on the ground for a moment, then a pillar of crimson fire fell from above and consumed them.

The flame roared and churned ragefully. Within it, Adam could see the figures of four more magma warriors forming. Only when the Warriors fully took shape did the flame finally disperse.

The four newly formed magma Warriors pulsated with a greater energy than the previous buch. The difference was so much that Adam slightly creased his eyebrows.

"These four each seem to have two-fold the strength of the previous." Lena warned.

But her warning was completely unnecessary as Adam had already vividly sensed the danger from them and immediately took up a gaurded stance as the warriors held up their spears and charged.

"Come then!" Adam roared.

Enraged, he swung his massive sword and brought about a windstorm, pushing back all of the Magma Warriors charging him, and then, he hurled his blade at the closest magma warrior.

The blade cut through air with overwhelming force and ploughed through the warriors chest like it was made out of hot wax.

Then he leapt at the impaled warrior and planted his foot on its skull while he closed his fingers around the great sword plunged in its chest and heaved.

The resulting sound was deafening— like iron ripping apart and warrior fell down lifelessly with a gaping hole in its chest.

But at this time, the other magma warriors recovered from the earlier pushback and rushed Adam again. This time their spears were directed at Athena who’d been hoisted up against his chest.

"You dare!" Needless to say Adam was furious, but he dared not be careless.

Rather, he carefully evaded each of their strikes and wove in-between them like a mirage, targetting their blindspots one after another, and destroying them individually before they could regroup.

In mere moments all of the warriors lay broken on the ground. But Adam did not relax. The Magma warriors seemed to have came to know of his weakness, and something told him. . .

That this trial was far from over!

And just as he suspected, after the four shattered Magma Warriors were consumed by fire, a storm of flame once again churned in front of Adam, and this time, it left eight Magma warriors after dispersing.

The warriors after being created, silently took up stances against him and this time, they pressure they emitted was no longer something that he could take lightly.

The air itself trembled under the intense heat rolling off their bodies, and the crimson light radiating from their eyes had become several times more intense.

Adam’s expression immediatly darkened further.

Because once again, he could sense that each warrior was much stronger than the previous generation.

"Their strength has doubled again," Lena warned.

"At this stage each individual warrior possesses roughly four times the power of the original two."

Adam slowly exhaled as he regarded the eight Magma warriors.

His grip around his greatsword tightened.

At this point he suspected that Hyperion was just a crazy spirit who only wanted to toy with him until he died.

The eight warriors suddenly spread apart.

Adam’s brows furrowed fiercely.

"They’re coming!" Lena warned.

Almost instantly, four warriors rushed directly at him while the other four split away and circled from different angles toward Athena.

They moved far more quickly than they had before—their speed approaching Adam’s own speed.

The ground exploded beneath them as they lunged forward.

Adam vanished, and multiple spears pierced through empty air.

He reappeared in the air above one of the warriors targeting Athena and swung downward with terrifying force.

BOOOOOOM!!

The greatsword smashed the warrior into the ground and shattered half its body apart, but before Adam could finish it, a spear tore toward his ribs.

CLANG!!

The attack struck his side and exploded into sparks.

Adam’s body endured the blow, but the sheer force behind it still hurled him dozens of meters away.

He dug his feet into the ground violently, stopping his body just before crashing into a hill.

The moment he regained balance—

Three warriors were already upon him.

They had kicked into a higher gear and their spears rained down upon him like lightning.

Adam twisted his body sideways, narrowly avoiding a thrust aimed at his throat, before grabbing another spear with his bare hand.

Then with a defiant roar, he yanked the warrior forward and smashed his forehead directly into its helmet.

[BANG!]

The obsidian helmet was immediately blown apart.

Before the warrior could recover, Adam cleaved downward and split its body in half.

He’d finally successfully destroyed one, and yet at that same instant a searing pain erupted across his back.

A spear had pierced straight through his shoulder.

Blood sprayed through the air.

"My lord!" Lena cried out.

The magma warrior attempted to rip the spear sideways and tear apart his flesh—

But Adam suddenly grabbed the shaft with one hand.

An instant later, the bands of muscle under his arm bulged violently.

CRACK!!

He snapped the spear in half with raw strength and lunged forward like a feral animal.

The magma warrior barely managed to raise its arms before Adam’s sword reduced it into burning fragments.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Adam had fallen on to one knee, his entire face was flushed red and he was drenched with cold sweat. each breath out of his lungs was more painful than the last.

Athena, who was still closely nestled into his chest, could clearly feel the trembling arm holding her in place.

"Stop... you don’t have to go this far..." Athena had always been conscious and she was aware how dire Adam’s situation was. She weakly shifted in an attempt to struggle out of his embrace.

Adam turned a deaf ear on her, and still graping his sword tightly, he braced himself for the incoming Magma Warriors.

They moved in perfect coordination.

Two circled around him to divert his attention. Three targeted Athena at every possible opening.

And the last surged forward to deliver killing blows whenever there was a gap in his defenses.