Chapter 187: The Last Day (2)

The announcement spread throughout Blackridge. Everyone heard it.

The tournament was nearing its end. Teams became increasingly aggressive. Monster hunting became secondary. Objectives were being completed. Territories were being captured. Resources were being stolen. And participants were being eliminated.

By sunset, the scoreboard had changed dramatically.

[Ironwood Saints — 9 active participants.]

[Blackstone Academy — 8 active participants.]

[Aethercrest — 10 active participants.]

[New Liberty Vanguard — 7 active participants.]

[Argent Heights — 8 active participants.]

[Valecrest — 10 active participants.]

There were no eliminations for Valecrest. No casualties, no retreats, but something else had happened. Valecrest had reached the Central Blackridge Observatory.

Silas stood before the enormous structure. The ancient building towered above the forest. Its surface was covered in strange symbols.

Chloe stood beside him, while Alpha, Damien, Alicia, Neil, Emma, Rihanna, and Godfrey gathered behind them. Silas looked at the massive entrance, and his threads spread throughout the structure.

His expression slowly changed.

"Interesting... Something’s inside."

Alpha sighed. "Of course there is."

Silas placed his hand against the door on instinct, and the ancient symbols suddenly lit up.

BOOOOOOM!

The entire Observatory trembled.

Far away, every participant stopped. The tournament system activated.

[WARNING.]

[Final phase conditions detected.]

[Central Blackridge Observatory has been activated.]

[All participating academies are advised to proceed with caution.]

Silas’s smile widened as the doors began opening, slowly and deliberately.

And deep within the Observatory, something awakened. The last day of the tournament had only just begun.

***

There were myths in the world about gods, champions, demigods, and all kinds of supernatural beings who could bend reality to their will, ascend to the heavens, grant blessings and curses, and protect humanity.

There were even ones who were depicted as being able to destroy and create worlds on a whim, with just a sneeze, or just by existing.

Whether that was true or not, there was no solid backing for the general public, but for the higher-ups, they knew there was some truth about these myths.

And for Silas, it wasn’t just some truth. It was true, and the system assured him of that.

[Mythical Beast Domain Breached!]

[Analyzing...]

[Potential S-Rank Entity Identified!]

’Potential S-Rank?’

[Error! Error! Error!]

[Re-Analyzing...]

[S-Rank Entity Identified!]

[Monster Essence Identified!]

[Poison Essence Identified!]

[Divine Essence Identified!]

"Everyone! Retreat at once!" Silas had barely shouted when a deep rumbling echoed all over the Blackridge Expanse. Everyone felt the earth literally shake. This wasn’t just an earthquake.

NO. This was something much deeper. Their very souls shook. Silas reacted instinctively and summoned his three echoes- the Crimson Reaper, the Goblin King, and the Solar Tyrant Gallus- and gave them instant orders to take everyone away.

He then activated his title, summoning the Orc King avatar over him. The avatar appeared instantly and threw its massive arms around Silas.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Everything happened so fast that no one could react to what was happening. Even the event organizers were shocked speechless. This wasn’t in their plans... Not at all.

Back to Silas... His feet dug into the earth as he pushed almost a kilometer away from where he had initially stood. Trees, rocks, and everything within a 20-meter radius were destroyed from the impact of whatever he blocked.

His eyes glowed with a deep pink light as the system’s screen flashed with a warning and a mission.

[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]

[Mythical Monster Awakened!]

[Identifying...]

[Monster Identified!]

[Echidna, Mother of Monsters!]

[New Mission Initiated!]

[Subdue her or Escape!]

[Good luck!]

"FUCK!" Silas instantly shot towards the observatory again. He had to buy time for the others to escape. He only hoped Chloe wouldn’t turn back. But he wasn’t counting on it. He knew how she was, and what her power had done to her.

Skadi was a natural warrior who fought against gods. Chloe had inherited her power and most of her traits. It was only a matter of time before she...

"SILAS!!!"

"I knew it..."

Silas controlled the avatar to catch Chloe from the sky as he finally reached the center.

"What was that?!" Chloe asked, her eyes glowing with a sharp and cold light.

"We have to buy time for the others to escape. This isn’t a monster an A-Rank or lower can fight."

"S-Rank..."

"Yes."

At that moment, a loud roar shook the Blackridge Expanse. It was followed by a voice that made everyone feel dread. Only Silas and Chloe were unaffected by it.

"Who dares?!"

The words did not simply echo. They washed across the entire Blackridge Expanse. The moment Echidna’s voice faded, an invisible pressure descended upon the forest.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The air itself seemed to become heavier. Every tree bent, while leaves were ripped from branches and thrown into the sky. The rivers running through Blackridge suddenly rose in violent waves, while the ground cracked beneath the feet of every remaining participant.

And then came the aura. It wasn’t merely killing intent; it wasn’t mana; it was something far older. Something that seemed to have existed before the concept of awakened abilities had ever been imagined.

Divinity. The aura of a mythical being.

A monster that had slept beneath the Observatory for who knew how long had finally awakened.

And now, everyone could feel it.

***

Marcus was no longer fighting. He stood completely still, while his axe slipped from his fingers and crashed against the ground.

His pupils trembled. "What..."

The words barely escaped his mouth. Around him, the remaining Ironwood students dropped to their knees.

One grabbed his chest. "I... I can’t breathe..."

Another stared blankly toward the Observatory.

"What the hell is that?"

Marcus didn’t answer. He couldn’t. For the first time since entering Blackridge, the strongest student among Ironwood Saints felt something he had never experienced in battle.

Fear.

This was not the fear of losing, or the fear of injury. This was not even fear of death. It was the instinctive terror of a prey animal realizing that something far above it had noticed its existence.

Marcus’s hands trembled.

"Everyone..."

His voice cracked.

"Don’t move."

Nobody questioned him. No one was ready to die. No one was ready to experience what would happen to them.