ONLINE: Blades of Eternity

Kaelen's mind raced.

'The Magic Pandora…'

It was right there—the Battle Crown—levitating in plain sight.

But with so many powerful competitors, each with their own ambitions, how was he supposed to claim it?

He thought of his Divine Sword Series.

He thought of Sylphie, Kelvin, Kent, and the other contenders.

He thought of the sheer chaos this trial would bring.

'I can't just rush in recklessly.'

'I need a plan.'

But before he could go deeper into his thoughts—

A firm hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

"Oi, Kaelen!"

Kaelen snapped back to reality.

He turned to see Forbes looking at him with a knowing smirk.

"You're spacing out again. It's time to go."

Kaelen blinked and finally took in his surroundings.

In front of him—

Nine portals.

Each portal shimmered with arcane energy, waiting to transport the participants into the unknown realm of the Trials of Creation.

The teams were already moving.

One by one, the leaders led their groups into their assigned portals.

After seeing all these, Kaelen finally took a deep breath.

If he wanted Magic Pandora, he would have to play along first.

'I have to follow the script... until the perfect moment comes.'

'And when it does...'

His grip on the Blade of Eternity tightenedas he decided internally.

With newfound resolve, Kaelen nodded at Forbes.

"Let's go."

Forbes grinned.

"Now that's the Kaelen I know."

Without another word, they stepped into their portal, their comrades right behind them.

The moment they vanished—

The Trials of Creation had truly begun.

As soon as Kaelen and the others crossed the portal, a dazzling light engulfed them—

And when it faded—

They found themselves somewhere unreal.

—

Towering crystalline trees glowed with hues of blue and violet as if plucked straight from a dream. The ground beneath them shimmered with ethereal light, while floating islands of rock drifted lazily in the sky above.

A cascading waterfall of liquid silver glowed in the distance, feeding into a river that sparkled under a sky that seemed to hold an entire galaxy within it.

Some of them couldn't help but gasp.

"This place… is out of a fairy tale," Sofia whispered in awe.

Guinevere's crimson eyes widened, her voice trembling with excitement. "The mana here… it's—!"

Before she could finish, Morris, Lila, and Sofia cried out in unison.

"The mana here is insane!"

The group stiffened at their words.

Even Kaelen furrowed his brows. He wasn't as sensitive to mana as mages, but even he could feel the overwhelming energy suffusing the air.

This wasn't just a mystical realm—

This place was drenched in magic.

But amidst their awe, Forbes remained solemn.

His expression was sharp, eyes scanning the surreal environment.

"Stay sharp, everyone," he ordered. "This place may be beautiful, but don't let your guard down. We don't know what could be waiting for us."

His serious tone snapped the others out of their wonder, and they quickly adjusted their stances, ready for anything.

Once the tension was set, a voice broke the silence.

"So… what's the plan?"

The speaker was Valir, the Dark Prince, his arms folded as he turned to Forbes.

Forbes, still surveying their surroundings, finally responded.

"First, we scout the area." He glanced at Kaelen and the others. "We need to figure out exactly where we are before deciding our next move."

Kaelen and the others nodded at Forbes' words.

After all—

In a place like this—

Survival comes first.

But just as Forbes was about to give further instructions while they plan to set out—

A sudden rustle came from the nearby thick bushes.

Kaelen's instincts flared.

Before he could even utter a warning—

A monstrous figure lunged out!

—

It was a horrifying hybrid of a tiger and a scorpion.

Its muscular feline frame rippled with power, covered in jet-black fur with streaks of crimson. But what truly stood out was its massive segmented tail, ending in a gleaming barbed stinger that dripped with a strange, toxic substance.

Its piercing amber eyes locked onto them—

And then—

It pounced.

"Shit—!"

A burst of mana instantly erupted from Morris and Lila as they both instinctively reacted.

"[Arcane Burst!]" Morris roared, his hands glowing with raw energy.

Lila, on the other hand, cast—

"[Frostbind Chains!]"

Two powerful spells shot toward the monstrous beast—

But then… something terrifying happened.

Instead of getting blown back or frozen in place—

The beast absorbed them.

Like a sponge soaking up water, the spells vanished into its body.

"No way—!" Lila gasped in shock.

Morris' eyes widened. "It devoured our magic!?"

In that split second of confusion—

The beast closed in.

Its powerful claws stretched forward, ready to tear them apart—

But then—

BOOM!

A towering figure intercepted it.

Charlotte.

Her humongous shield slammed into the beast's charging form, stopping it dead in its tracks!

The force of the impact sent a shockwave rippling through the air.

The beast skidded back, its amber eyes flickering with surprise—as if realizing its prey wasn't as weak as it expected.

Charlotte gritted her teeth, bracing herself behind her shield.

"Huff… Damn thing's strong."

The team quickly regrouped.

Forbes' eyes narrowed. "Looks like brute force won't cut it, we need to overpower it in magic power."

Kaelen gripped his sword tightly, eyes locked onto the beast.

They needed a new plan.

Meanwhile, the coliseum in Valoria was thunderous with excitement.

A sea of people filled the massive structure, their cheers shaking the air as they watched the teams navigate the Trials of Creation.

12 enormous viewing screens floated in various positions, both inside and outside the coliseum, ensuring that no one missed a single moment.

Each screen displayed a different team's struggle within the pocket dimension. Some teams faced terrifying magical beasts, while others encountered dangerous natural obstacles or even each other.

But among them—

One screen, in particular, held the most attention.

The battle against the tiger-scorpion hybrid.

Where Kaelen and his companions were locked in a tense confrontation.

The moment the audience saw the beast devour magic so effortlessly, gasps filled the air.

"That thing can absorb magic!?"

"How the hell do you even fight something like that!?"

"This just got interesting!"

In the VIP section, Castaneda sat with his arms crossed, his expression neutral as he secretly stole glances at King Alexandria—

But inside—

He was praying.

'Don't do anything reckless, Kaelen.'

Nearby, Chancellor Lockwood watched the screens with a calculating gaze.

Meanwhile, King Alexandria leaned slightly forward in his seat, observing the various teams' performances with keen interest.

Even the Elusive First Magi had a curious expression on his face, occasionally glancing at his daughter, Elena, who seemed particularly focused on the screen showing Kaelen's fight.

And sitting beside them—

The royal-looking elf subtly narrowed his eyes at the trials unfolding before him.

As the battle within the pocket dimension intensified, so too did the excitement of the coliseum.

The crowd roared.

The dignitaries observed.

And Castaneda—

Could only hope.

Back in the pocket dimension, Forbes' voice was steady yet commanding.

"Kaelen, Charlotte—support me. Sofia, maximize our buffs. The rest—stay alert for anything unexpected."

No hesitation. No unnecessary words.

But everyone understood the urgency.

Sofia closed her eyes, hands glowing with radiant golden light as she whispered her incantations.

"Blessing of the War Goddess—Unyielding Might."

A surge of power flooded Forbes, Kaelen, and Charlotte.

Their muscles tensed, movements sharper, instincts heightened.

With no further delay—

Kaelen, Charlotte, and Forbes lunged.

The tiger-scorpion hybrid snarled, its monstrous claws swiping down like a falling guillotine.

Charlotte rushed forward, her massive shield bracing the impact.

—BOOM!

The sheer force sent shockwaves through the area, but Charlotte held firm.

The beast snarled in irritation.

Kaelen took his opening.

Dashing forward with lightning speed, his sword—Blade of Eternity—sliced toward the beast's forelimb.

Thousand fold slash!!

But—

The moment his blade made contact, the scorpion-tiger's body shimmered as if absorbing the strike's energy.

"Damn it! It's absorbing physical force too!?"

Kaelen clicked his tongue, flipping back just in time to dodge the beast's poisonous tail thrust.

Forbes, however—

Moved like a shadow.

While Charlotte blocked and Kaelen attacked—

Forbes vanished.

Although the beast sensed him.

Its eyes glowed—spinning around, it swung its tail toward empty air.

But—

Forbes was already behind it.

—Silent Swordplay: Phantom Rend.

Shing!

The first strike landed.

The second.

Then the third.

Each one deeper, sharper, deadlier.

And just as the beast whirled in fury, tail thrashing wildly—

Forbes disappeared again.

Kaelen's eyes gleamed in realization.

Forbes wasn't attacking randomly.

He was erasing the beast's ability to absorb energy by cutting through its magic-conducting organs.

'So that's what he's doing…'

Kaelen grinned.

"Charlotte—one more shield bash!"

Charlotte slammed her shield forward.

—BANG!

The beast staggered.

Its balance—destroyed.

Forbes moved for the final strike.

His sword—a whisper in the wind.

Silent Swordplay: Death Lotus.

The beast shuddered.

Then—

Collapsed.

Blood pooled beneath its massive body.

Its monstrous eyes dimmed.

Dead.

Forbes exhaled, wiping the blood off his blade.

Kaelen let out a low whistle.

"That was insane."

Charlotte stretched her arms, letting out a relieved sigh.

Sofia, panting slightly, smiled.

"We make a great team."

Forbes simply nodded.

Then—

His gaze turned serious as he looked towards the distance. And right after, he suddenly muttered.

"Stay sharp. The real dangers are yet to come."