Eldrin's veil:Arcanist Awakening

Chapter 21: The Trial of the First Knight

Aeron had three minutes.

Three minutes to defeat Aldric—a walking catastrophe wrapped in golden armor.

Aldric's aura surged, golden light twisting into a storm of divine energy. His greatsword hummed with power, the air itself trembling under its weight.

—[System Alert!]—

Warning! "Kingdom's Judgment" will descend in 3 minutes!

Failure Consequences:

Immediate death.

Loss of all equipped items.

Permanent debuff: "Condemned by the First Knight" (Reduces all stats by 50% for one in-game month).

"Well, that's horrifying."

Aeron gritted his teeth. His body was still thrumming with power from the Fallen Awakening, but he could feel the instability creeping in.

His stats were skyrocketing, but his control was slipping.

The energy wanted more.

More blood. More chaos. More power.

But if he lost himself, he'd be as good as dead.

"Focus."

Aldric moved.

Aeron barely had time to react.

—[Skill Activated: Celestial Judgement - Lv ???]—

Aldric's sword descended, a massive golden arc splitting the battlefield.

Aeron dodged.

The attack **missed—**but the shockwave alone shattered the ground beneath him.

Sylva screamed. "YOU CALL THAT A NORMAL ATTACK?!"

Hobbles was curled into a ball. "I hate everything."

Aeron's instincts screamed.

If that hit him directly, he wouldn't just lose—he'd cease to exist.

No second chances.

He had to act.

His eyes darkened.

He let go.

—[Skill Activated: Void Requiem - Lv ???]—

Aeron's blade twisted, the very air around it turning to nothingness.

The next moment—he was gone.

And then—he was behind Aldric.

He struck.

The black blade met golden steel—and for a moment, reality itself cracked.

—[Critical Hit!]—

You have dealt 47,520 damage!

Aldric stumbled.

His armor—cracked.

Sylva's eyes widened. "Wait—did he just—?"

Aeron didn't stop.

He **vanished again—**and reappeared above Aldric, his sword descending like a comet.

—[Skill Chain Activated!]—

Void Requiem → Phantom Step → Eclipse Sever

Aldric **raised his blade to block—**but it was too late.

Aeron's strike landed.

The ground exploded beneath them.

Aldric roared.

A wave of divine energy erupted outward—but Aeron was already moving.

One minute left.

The final phase had began

Aeron's body moved on instinct.

There was no time to think. No time to breathe. Only battle.

Aldric's golden greatsword burned with divine energy, every swing splitting the air like a celestial guillotine. Each strike was a judgment.

And Aeron was one step away from death.

—[System Alert!]—

Time Remaining: 45 seconds.

Sylva was panicking. "HOW are you still standing?!"

Hobbles had fully given up. He was writing a will on a napkin.

Then—Aldric spoke.

"You are the first to push me this far."

His golden eyes glowed. His expression was unreadable—but there was something there.

Respect.

Acknowledgment.

Aeron smirked. "Glad I could make your day interesting."

Aldric chuckled.

Then—he raised his sword.

And the sky split open.

—[World Event Activated: Divine Judgment - Lv ???]—

An unavoidable attack from the First Knight.

Survival chance: 0.1%.

The world trembled.

Sylva screamed. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'UNAVOIDABLE'?! THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

Hobbles was already digging a grave for himself.

Aeron's mind raced. He had no way out.

Unless—

He grinned.

—[System Override Activated.]—

Forcing skill fusion.

Combining Phantom Step + Void Requiem + Eclipse Sever.

—[New Skill Created: Eclipse Phantom]—

User phases out of reality for 3 seconds.

Next attack bypasses all defenses.

Aeron vanished.

And then—he was above Aldric.

His blade descended.

—[Critical Hit!]—

You have dealt 99,999 damage!

Aldric froze.

For the first time—he wavered.

The golden aura shattered.

The divine judgment never fell.

The world was silent.

Then—Aldric smiled.

"You have won."

—[System Alert!]—

World Event Completed: Trial of the First Knight.

Reward: ???

Title Gained: Knight-Slayer.

Aeron exhaled.

He had survived.

Barely.

Sylva collapsed. "I aged 50 years watching that."

Hobbles sighed. "I was ready to write 'Aeron died because the game cheated' in his obituary."

Aldric nodded.

And then—he vanished.

Aeron's vision blurred. His power was draining fast.

He barely had time to register the rewards before—

The world went dark.