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Several people could be seen kneeling across the chamber while silver runes glowed across the cracked floor beneath them. The giant Velhari still had blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, and Jayden’s armor was stained red from the earlier punishment.

The eyes of everyone were fixed on the blood red flame floating before Jayden.

[Final Question]

[Who do you hate most in this chamber?]

The red flame slowly turned toward Zich.

At that moment, the tension inside the hall changed completely and the pressure in the room increased slightly.

Helen’s expression became colder right away.

A flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes as she looked toward Jayden because the answer was already too obvious now. Even the shorter Velhari exchanged a glance with Varok in silence.

Zich himself still stayed kneeling without much reaction.

Not like he really cared.

In fact, a strange gleam flashed across his eyes instead as he silently watched Jayden’s reaction. The white haired young man looked almost entertained by the entire thing.

Jayden remained silent.

His jaw clenched tightly while the third blood red sword mark hanging above him slowly lowered by several inches. Blood continued dripping from his wounds onto the floor beneath him.

[Silence Will Be Treated As Refusal]

The warning appeared boldly for all to see.

Jayden’s face became uglier after seeing the system panel. His breathing grew rougher, and his fingers trembled slightly around his weapon.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

The giant Velhari snorted loudly from nearby. "This human pride is more troublesome than monsters."

Helen shot him a glare instantly, but she did not argue back this time because she knew he was right.

At that moment, Jayden finally spoke through gritted teeth.

"...Zich Grave."

The red flame stopped burning brighter.

A faint pulse spread across the chamber afterward as though the trial had accepted the target of his hatred. However, the third sword mark still hovered overhead without disappearing.

The system was not finished.

[State The Reason]

Jayden’s expression twisted again. It was obvious he hated this more than the earlier wounds. Being forced to openly expose his emotions before everyone present was clearly destroying whatever pride he still had left.

’Talk about punishment...’ Zich thought, feeling that the Order of Ashen Knights was very brutal.

Helen looked toward Jayden silently.

Varok also observed him carefully because information like this was extremely valuable. Human relationships were fragile things, and now the trial itself was tearing them apart openly.

After some back and forth exchanges inside his own mind, Jayden finally spoke again.

"I hate how fast he rose."

His voice sounded bitter.

The chamber fell silent, allowing him to continue.

Jayden lowered his head slightly before speaking once more. "Everywhere we go, he somehow becomes the center. He humiliates people over and over while acting like nothing matters."

The eyes of everyone were fixed on him now.

Even the giant Velhari stopped mocking him because the tension had become far too heavy.

Jayden’s fists tightened harder.

"He embarrassed me repeatedly," he admitted. "At the entrance... during the battle... even now."

The red flame flickered softer.

Helen frowned deeper after hearing that.

A hint of surprise appeared in her eyes because she never realized Jayden’s resentment had already reached this point. She had noticed tension before, but this was different.

For some reason, hearing it openly made things feel uglier.

Jayden inhaled deeply before continuing again.

"Helen trusts him too much."

At those words, Helen’s brows immediately pulled together.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked coldly.

Jayden laughed bitterly afterward.

"Everything."

Silence spread briefly inside the chamber again.

Even Varok gave a small inward nod because now he fully understood the situation between the humans.

Jayden’s expression darkened further.

"And..." he paused briefly before speaking through clenched teeth again. "I suspect he killed Rael."

A look of shock appeared on Helen’s face.

The three Velhari also looked toward Zich instinctively. Although the kid was shameless, he looked far too innocent to do what Jayden was claiming. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Meanwhile, Zich himself stayed completely unfazed from beginning to end. His expression barely shifted even after hearing Rael’s name brought up openly.

Not like he planned to explain himself anyway.

The red flame finally started changing color.

Bit by bit, the bloody crimson light faded away before slowly returning back into silver once more. The pressure weighing down on Jayden’s body weakened greatly afterward.

A new system panel appeared before everyone.

[Dishonest Flame Purified]

The third blood red sword mark shattered apart immediately.

CRACK!!!

Fragments of red light scattered across the chamber before dissolving completely into the air. Jayden exhaled roughly afterward while blood continued dripping down his armor.

Although he passed, the mood between the group had already changed completely.

Helen no longer looked toward him the same way.

There was disappointment in her eyes now, along with confusion. After all, Jayden had been her friend for years, yet the trial just exposed emotions she clearly never noticed before.

Varok silently observed the humans from the side.

interest flickered in his golden eyes. This trial had revealed far more than hidden lies. It also showed how unstable human alliances truly were.

The giant Velhari laughed awkwardly afterward. "Well... this became uncomfortable."

Nobody replied to him.

Zich’s expression did not show anger or surprise because honestly, none of Jayden’s hatred mattered much to him. However, one thing became clear now.

Jayden’s hostility was no longer hidden.

It was official.

The chamber itself had dragged it into the open for everyone to witness.

At that moment, the silver runes across the walls suddenly brightened once more.

KRRRRRK!!!

The ancient stairway behind the dragon mural slowly opened deeper underground. Cold air rushed upward from below while silver light illuminated the descending steps little by little.

The trial had accepted them.

Or perhaps... accepted most of them.

Helen slowly stood back up while glancing once toward Jayden before looking away again. Her expression looked conflicted.

Jayden himself avoided everyone’s eyes entirely.

Blood still dripped from his wounds while his face stayed pale from both pain and humiliation. Even though he survived the trial, the damage done to his pride was permanent.

Zich rose to his feet afterward without hurry.

The Blood Knight Commander Cloak fluttered lightly behind him as he looked toward the newly opened stairway. His expression returned back to normal almost instantly.

"Since we are done, let’s proceed," he said, his eyes fixed on the staircase descending downward.