Numbers x Casket-Chapter 46: Third Trial

Efraim pulled out his hand from the beast’s mouth. He ignored its saliva dripping from his arm and focused all of his attention on the black bracelet on his right hand.

While staring at it, his lips curled upward. Then, he channeled a portion of energy on the relic; it broke into several parts, and chains appeared connecting each fragment.

It soon covered the entirety of his arm and crawled all the way to his elbow. Curious about its strength, Efraim clenched his fist and slammed it on the solid ground.

The whole field trembled as the soil underneath shattered, turning into a giant crater.

"W-What’s happening?" a woman from the audience yelled while doing her best to keep her balance.

The quaking lasted for a minute, and most of the crowd fell on their butts. The appraiser’s already unfathomable strength due to the Ironclad Brawler’s arm was enhanced by the relic.

Even Efraim himself felt stupefied by the sudden increase of his strength. He looked one more time in the gauntlet, and a satisfying smile bloomed from his lips.

"This is amazing," he uttered.

The destruction he created turned the whole field into chaos, chunks of land scattered while a massive crater sat on its center, and the hay still drifting on the wind added another layer of absurdity to the scenery.

. . . . .

Meanwhile, questioning gazes struck the appraiser’s body as the other participants looked at him. The shock present on their eyes signified how dumbfounded they were about where the appraiser found the bracelet.

"Why is it in the wolf?" yelled someone and diverted her gaze to the host, who was now levitating up in the air.

By pointing her hand in the appraiser’s direction, Alleah announced his victory.

"We have a winner for this game. I would like to congratulate you for obtaining the bracelet," she stated.

Then she gave a glance at the other participants, her round eyes filled with mockery.

"I’m sorry, but I never said that I put it on the haystacks. Anyway, there will still be a lot of games with prizes grander than the bracelet. Be sure not to miss them," Alleah conveyed, answering the people’s query while boosting their morale.

Then, with just a wave of her hand, the hay along with the wolves vanished from everyone’s sight, and the field was restored to its original state. While the twenty participants were wrapped inside bubbles, they were moved outside the area.

"Now let’s all proceed on our main event for today," Alleah said.

The scenery changed once more when a magic circle appeared underneath. It glowed a viridescent hue, and hundreds of towering trees sprouted under her command. A forest was created out of nowhere.

The people gasped in awe as they witnessed the host’s magic. Without any incantation, she produced a new kind of terrain for the next event.

"Alleah’s illusion magic is really the best in Celestia," a voice from afar stated, showing her admiration to the woman.

"Thank you for the flattery," Alleah responded with a sweet smile.

Then she landed in front of the forest and proceeded to explain the mechanics of the next event.

"The remaining participants will be deployed inside of this place. Their goals? To hunt and earn a lot of points," Alleah said in a serious tone.

Afterward, she snapped her fingers, and orbs containing figures of beasts appeared floating next to her.

"These fout are the monsters that can be found for this event. To make it simpler, I used colors to easily identify them," she added.

Then she pointed in the first orb; it contained a saber-tooth tiger, its fur radiating a yellowish hue while black stripes could be seen on its body as well.

"For killing this one, you’ll gain one point..." Alleah paused and moved her hand towards the next orb with a beast resembling a red bear before continuing. "While three points for each of this."

Though it looked like a creature with an adorable facial appearance, the spikes protruding on its back and its massive paws aren’t something delightful in a way.

Then, the host went towards the next orb and continued introducing the image inside of it.

"Five points for this green mantis; don’t get fooled by its skinny body. Its speed is a nightmare for mages like me," she said and giggled at her own words.

Alleah looked at the last orb; it was quite different from the others, as it was shrouded with darkness.

The beast inside of it couldn’t be seen very well; only its silhouette was visible.

"Before I introduce the last one, I would like to inform all the participants that the first three beasts have only a hundred, and for you guys to advance to the next round, you need to be part of the top eight with the most points," Alleah declared.

Afterward, she reverted her gaze back to the last orb; she inhaled a deep breath before her lips opened and words came out from it.

"As you all know, this creature is not supposed to be here; however, Lady Celine, the Ninth Pillar, insisted on having it as part of the trial," she stated.

Then, she snapped her fingers, and the darkness shrouding the last orb vanished, and the beast’s appearance came into view. Red-colored eyes like blood, horns sitting on top of its head, and three pairs of wings protruding from its back were the creature’s distinct features.

"N-No way, that’s a fiend," one of the participants said, his voice stuttering from fear.

A cacophony of murmurs followed among the crowd as they expressed their concern about the creature native to Sunless Cradle.

However, Alleah ignored their remarks and proceeded to introduce the last monster of the trial.

"Its appearance alone can send shivers down everyone’s spine. Fiends are considered humanity’s enemy. Countless equators died hindering their advance towards our land; even the previous Grand Lord fell protecting us from their invasion." Alleah opened up, and silence enveloped the entire field.

The people paid attention to her speech, and upon seeing them listening with all ears, the host continued.

"This fiend here is only one, and killing it will give you a hundred points, enough to turn the tides in favor of you. However, this is not an illusion created by me; it’s a real living fiend. Thus, I have no control over its behavior," Alleh stated.

The next second, floating orbs materialized throughout the forest, and a giant screen appeared above Alleah; it showed the happenings and acted as a surveillance mechanism inside.

"If you’re not confident of facing it head-on, don’t hesitate to run; your life is more precious than those mere points," she added.

Then, she raised her right hand while leaving her little finger and thumb clenched.

"In a count of three, I’ll be sending all of you inside the forest. Kill beasts, earn points, and make it to the top eight! You have an hour for this event!" Alleah exclaimed.

She inhaled a deep breath and looked at all the participants. Some of them had fear present in their eyes while others showed their strong resolves.

"One... Two... Three... Let the third trial begin!" Alleah yelled, and all the participants turned into a bright light that soon flew towards the forest.

. . . . .

The appraiser landed next to a giant tree, and he didn’t find any time to enjoy the scenery as a group of saber-toothed tigers lunged at him without any kind of warning.

"This is tiring," Efraim uttered as he looked at the beast coming straight at him.

His left eye shifted to a cyan hexagram pattern, but it was of no use as he saw no numbers on top of the creature.

’So beings created by illusions have no real value, huh?’ he thought.

Afterward, he pulled out one of his blades and glanced at the other two tigers charging on both of his sides.

"I want to play more with you guys, but there’s a hundred-point fiend waiting for me," he said.

Seconds before the beasts bit the appraiser, Efraim spun around and sliced the three creatures in half with just a single swing.

Blood splattered on his clothes and dyed the bushes red, but it was only the start of the appraiser’s performance.

"So this is how the point system works," Efraim uttered as he looked at the floating orb above him displaying a number three on it.

With his lips curling into a smile, he sprinted deeper inside the forest. All the monsters that obstructed his path were diced into fine pieces of flesh.

Even the massive red bears were beheaded in less than a second. It was a walk in the park for him; he gained a lot of points even though only a few minutes had passed.

However, he had no intention to halt his advance; he aimed for the top spot, and to secure that place, he needed to find the fiend.

. . . . .

In one section of the forest, carnage had already begun as well, but the blood that painted the ground and the intestines that decorated the bushes like some sort of garlands weren’t of the beasts.

"H-Help," a man screamed with tears flowing down from his eyes.

He was holding on to the arm that was choking his neck, trying to free himself from its clutches. However, its strength was beyond his imagination as it lifted him above ground, his feet swaying, searching for a foothold.

But after a moment of constant struggle, they lost their movements, and his hands fell on his sides, while blood rained down as his head was torn apart from his body.

Standing at the center of this massacre was a being who sought nothing but chaos.

. . . . .