Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent-Chapter 439: Entering the Palace of Destiny, The Tests

[Congratulations, you have entered the "Door of Destiny" and will now head to the "Palace of Destiny"]

Alex didn't have time to respond.

The moment he passed through the white veil that marked the entrance to the Door of Destiny, his body was caught in a spiraling vortex of light.

It wasn't violent, nor was it chaotic, it was almost calm, like being carried along by invisible currents in a river of power.

The transition was strange, disorienting even, but not painful.

The overwhelming force that had torn apart bodies and flattened the entire hallway outside was no longer present.

It was gone, almost as if the Door had made a decision the moment he crossed its threshold.

The brutal force had been nothing more than a filter, a final wall to stop those unworthy from entering.

Now that Alex had passed, the storm calmed.

It felt as if the Door of Destiny itself recognized him, not just as someone holding the five tokens, but as the one chosen to continue.

A notification confirmed the thought.

[The Door of Destiny has now closed in the real world.]

Alex glanced back instinctively, though there was no turning around.

Behind him was nothing but light and movement now.

"Hm."

He wasn't too concerned about the Door anymore, if it had closed, then the explosive aura pouring out into the city was no longer a threat.

People outside wouldn't be caught in the fallout, and the danger that had killed so many had vanished just as quickly as it came.

[The chains have also been placed back on it to lock the "Door of Destiny" again, meaning you cannot leave until you complete IT.]

Another message.

A seal. Just like that, the way back was gone.

Alex was sealed in.

There was no turning around, no retreat, no pause to breathe or reconsider.

He would not leave this place until it was finished, until whatever this place had planned for him had been completed.

But that was fine.

He didn't come here to turn back.

The five tokens hadn't come easily, each one had demanded effort, danger, or sacrifice, and now it was time to see if those efforts were going to lead to something worth it.

Alex didn't know what lay at the end of this trial, but he knew it wasn't going to be ordinary.

After all, if the Door of Destiny was real, then what lay beyond it had to match the weight of its name.

Time passed strangely inside the vortex.

Seconds stretched and compressed, and though it couldn't have been more than a minute, it felt longer.

Then, finally...

Fwish!

The light twisted and the tunnel opened up as Alex was gently dropped onto solid ground.

His boots landed on a polished stone path that led forward through an unfamiliar landscape.

"Phew..." he muttered, standing up straight as he took in his surroundings.

He was standing on a floating island suspended in a sky that didn't look like anything from the world he knew.

The clouds above him were impossibly white, the air too still, too pure.

The path ahead stretched toward a majestic white structure, seated on the far end of the island like a king upon a throne.

The Palace of Destiny.

It stood tall, regal, and glowing faintly, with twin golden doors at its front.

The doors themselves had carvings on them that reminded him of the ones in the basement of the Church of Dawn, only grander, sharper in design, more alive.

The structure radiated an aura not of menace, but divinity.

As if the air itself here obeyed different rules, as if time moved differently.

Without wasting more time, Alex advanced.

The sound of his footsteps echoed gently against the stone stairs as he climbed toward the doors.

He reached them without resistance, but just before placing his hands on them—

[First test: prove your strength by opening the doors.]

[Failing does not mean death, but it essentially means you will be kicked out of this domain and never allowed to enter back.]

"...Of course."

He narrowed his eyes.

That wasn't an option.

After everything, getting kicked out now would be worse than death.

It would mean all that he endured, the tokens, the trials, the near-death, was for nothing.

Still, it made sense.

If this place was real, then it needed to test its visitors.

It needed to be sure that whoever got this far wasn't just someone who had luck or help, but real strength.

And so, with no fear, Alex positioned himself in front of the doors and prepared.

He raised his hands and pressed his palms flat against the golden surface.

Nothing happened.

Not immediately.

Then, fwish!

He summoned his wings in an instant.

Six powerful, ethereal wings burst out of his back and flared open.

He pushed his strength forward, using his wings to generate force, adding the momentum of his full power.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The ground cracked behind him.

The doors shook.

And after three flaps of sheer strength and pressure, creeeeeeaaak... BAM!

They opened.

[Exceptional strength, FateBreaker, you have passed the test of strength. Do note that 99.99%+ of people would have failed this already.]

Alex exhaled slowly, eyes scanning the now open entrance.

'So… strength is only the first step,' he thought to himself.

Inside, the temple's interior was vast, too vast.

The entrance gave way to a hall larger than a stadium, its endless floor polished to a mirror sheen and its ceiling so high it was hidden by shadow and soft gold light.

There were no visible ends, only an overwhelming silence, like time was holding its breath.

Then, another panel.

[Second test: survive the attacks that will come at you.]

Alex didn't even get a second to prepare.

[You are stunned.]

"What—?"

He couldn't move.

His body locked in place by invisible magic.

His wings twitched slightly but were held down.

He was trapped.

Then...

FWOOM! BOOM! SWASH!

The ceiling rained down death.

Dozens, no, hundreds, of attacks rained from the endless ceiling.

Lightning strikes, fireballs, dark blades, piercing arrows, compressed wind, molten stone, all of it surged at him like the wrath of the heavens themselves.

They smashed into him one after another, some exploding on contact, others cutting deep into his flesh.

Alex gritted his teeth.

He couldn't move. Couldn't block. Could only take it.

Every few seconds, another explosion rang out as his armor cracked in places.

Blood trailed down his chest, his arms, his side.

Even his wings took heavy damage.

And still, it didn't stop.

But Alex didn't fall.

Even when the pain made his vision flicker, he didn't break.

Sixty seconds passed.

Then...

[You may move again.]

"Gghhh... finally..."

His arms dropped slightly as the magical lock wore off.

His body trembled slightly, his legs bloodied and his torso soaked in cuts.

But he was alive.

[Exceptional durability, FateBreaker, you may even survive a black hole!]

He gave a breathless scoff.

"No I wouldn't... but thanks."

Taking a moment to collect himself, Alex looked around.

Only... everything had changed.

The golden doors were gone. The walls too.

'Wait...'

He turned in a slow circle.

The way back had vanished.

In its place was a massive chamber of marble-white pillars that reached higher than his eyes could track.

No windows. No exits. Just... vast nothing.

The Palace of Destiny had changed.

It was alive. Morphing.

And just as he began to process this—

[Third test: manage to find the exit of the "Endless Palace Entrance"]

"...Of course."

Another test.

He shouldn't have been surprised.

This place didn't want just strength. It wanted more.

Every skill, every aspect of his being, strength, defense, intelligence, perception.

This wasn't a trial, it was a judgment. But Alex wasn't going to fail. He couldn't afford to.

With determination hardening behind his gaze, he took a single step forward into the endless palace.

One step closer to the answers.