'What the hell?' Lyrian said, immediately feeling a weird sensation go down the back of his spine. 'We've all been debuffed... if we all got slowed, doesn't that mean we all got the same debuffs that Gear told me as well?' He thought to himself, 'But if that was the case, what was up with the different colors? Could it be possible that everyone got different debuffs apart from the slow down?'
"Looks like this is our handicap to fight it!" Zoldith exclaimed to everyone, "It's fine, we are still over 35 in number!"
Hearing this, the worries of some went away. Their opponent was not weak at all, quite the contrary. Supposedly the strongest that there was in the exam, however, upon realizing there were so many examinees, everyone felt a little relief in their hearts.
A boy raised his voice from the crowd, "Hey! What do we do now?" He shouted at Zoldith.
Zoldith heard this and paused. In truth, he didn't know, but he still wanted to come up with a good excuse. "I--" He was suddenly cut off accidentally.
Another boy, farther away from the large group around the tribunal, stood next to the tree as he spoke, "Hey, guys! Look at this! There's a handprint on this tree!" The curious guy shouted, prompting some to come over.
Upon closer inspection, Zoldith realized that the mark was indeed a handprint. Slightly confused by what this meant, he stepped back a bit from the tree with his hand on his chin.
Just then, Lyrian noticed another handprint a bit farther away on the tree. "Looks like there's a pattern." He said, also stepping back and looking to the side as he saw more hand prints placed on the side of the tree.
The curious kid who first noticed the hand print had just arrived from running around the tree, as he panted slightly, he said, "There are eight hand prints all around!"
Hearing this, he placed his hand inside the print, causing it to immediately send a streak of purple light up the tree all the way to the ceiling.
ραndαsnοvεl.cοm Zoldith saw Lyrian do this, "Everyone! Have one person from your group place their hands in one of the handprints on the tree!"
While waiting Lyrian thought of the disadvantages that everyone was going to have when facing the final beast, 'Not only did everyone get debuffed, but we are pretty far separated as well... they are not letting pass this easily.' He thought to himself.
With every hand that touched the inside of the handprint, a radiant beacon of light emerged, streaking straight across the tree to the ceiling, creating a mesmerizing sight. As the final streak of light reached the top, forming a circle of luminescence, the ground trembled slightly.
Alten felt a tinge of fear, "A cavequake?" he said, glancing at the floor as it shook.
"No," Leon quickly responded, "I don't think so. Cavequakes are usually more powerful than this."
Suddenly, the beacons of light converged at the top, meeting at one point before exploding into a gigantic ball of blinding light.
At the climax of the explosion, an ear-piercing screech echoed throughout the cave. Everyone quickly dashed away from the tree, giving themselves room to move around. Their heads were all pointed up, as the light slowly cleared.
Anticipation was through the roof, their hearts pumping fast. Zoldith quickly retorted, "Get ready!" Unsheathing his own blade.
Lyrian too unsheathed his blade. As the light finally cleared, an immense aura filled the entire cavern room.
[Warning! A creature with a lethal threat level has bloodlust over you!]
[Creature threat level: GUARDIAN]
'Guardian huh...'
"What is this aura!?" A girl from one of the teams yelled as she looked up. Her eyes widened shocked by what she was feeling. Suddenly, her head flew downwards as she vomited all over herself.
Seeing this, Lyrian turned his head back up. 'The aura from this thing is undoubtedly more powerful than the Poison Spider, but because of the large space in the cavern it isn't as condensed.' He thought to himself.
In the wake of the brilliant explosion of light, a hulking black figure materialized within the cave. Its appearance sent shivers down the spines of all the examinees present. Towering above them with its massive wingspan, the creature resembled a formidable guardian from the darkest corners of ancient myths.
Its body was covered in sleek, obsidian-black scales that shimmered mysteriously as if absorbing and reflecting all light around it. Sinewy muscles rippled beneath its imposing frame, giving a sense of power and agility beyond imagination. Two fiery crimson eyes burned fiercely in the depths of its head, exuding an aura of malevolence that seemed to pierce through the very souls of those who dared to meet its gaze.
As the creature unfurled its wings, the sheer size of them reached 30 feet across, casting a haunting shadow over everyone below. Each flap sent gusts of wind that ruffled the hair of the examinees and rattled the surrounding stalactites, adding an eerie undertone to the already tense atmosphere.
Long, razor-sharp talons adorned its limbs, and serrated spines ran down its spine, giving it a dangerous and menacing appearance. It let out a guttural roar that resonated throughout the cave, shaking the ground and amplifying the fear in the hearts of the participants.
Lyrian's mind raced as he tried to discern the nature of this formidable creature. Its presence alone was overwhelming, radiating a sense of authority and primal dominance. He couldn't help but feel like a mere speck before the might of this guardian.
Zoldith's expression hardened, realizing that facing this creature was no easy task. It was beyond anything he and his team had encountered so far.
A kid suddenly dashed for it, "I'm not fighting that thing! What the fuck do you take me for!?" He said, rushing back to the entrance he came from.
Another boy from his team shouted back at him with an enraged expression, "You coward! You can't just leave us behind!"
The boy who was running looked back, "I can pass by killing other creatures... I'm not going to fail this exam just for you. I have a family to take care of."
Lyrian was ignoring all of this...
'Scan...'
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