Chapter 172: Familiar

Jasmine’s voice wasn’t particularly loud.

Yet the moment those four words left her lips, the atmosphere around them subtly shifted.

Several nearby awakeners instinctively turned their heads, their gazes locking onto a particular group standing beneath a massive banner that fluttered high above the platform.

Embroidered across the dark banner was the image of a colossal titan.

Its broad shoulders held up a collapsing sky, countless cracks spreading across the heavens above it, yet the titan refused to bend its knees. Even as the world crumbled overhead, it continued to stand tall, as though nothing in existence could force it to kneel.

Just looking at the symbol alone was enough to make one feel an invisible pressure.

The Northern Wasteland Titan Guild.

Beneath the banner stood dozens of towering warriors clad in heavy dark bronze armor.

Their physiques were exceptionally robust, each one standing like an unmovable mountain.

No one spoke...

No one laughed.

They simply stood there with perfectly straight backs, their expressions calm and indifferent.

Every subtle movement they made carried astonishing confidence.

Whether it was adjusting the grip on a weapon or casually sweeping their eyes across the crowd, everything they did naturally radiated the arrogance of those who had long stood above others.

Their gazes slowly swept across the surrounding awakeners.

There was no mockery.

No deliberate provocation.

Only indifference.

As though everyone gathered here...

Wasn’t worthy of drawing their attention.

It was difficult to believe that every one of them was merely a first-stage awakened at the Body Refining Realm.

Yet the moment Lukas sensed the faint fluctuations coming from their bodies, he immediately understood why.

Every single one of them had already infused star monster blood into their veins.

The aura flowing from their bodies wasn’t purely human anymore.

Instead, it carried a savage, ancient pressure unique to powerful star monsters.

Some felt as heavy as mountains.

Others radiated an explosive, violent force, as though enormous beasts slumbered beneath their skin.

Even while standing completely still, they gave others an instinctive sense of danger.

Lukas merely glanced at them before calmly looking elsewhere.

He wasn’t interested in comparing backgrounds.

Guilds.

Families.

Influence.

None of those things meant much inside this place.

This wasn’t the outside world.

No elder could interfere.

No guild leader could protect their disciples.

No amount of authority could help someone cross even a single step farther.

Inside this special palace...

Everything ultimately depended on personal strength.

Just then—

BOOOOOOM!

A deafening rumble suddenly exploded across the heavens.

The sound resembled the collision of two worlds.

The entire bone platform violently trembled beneath everyone’s feet.

Bones rattled.

Dust scattered into the air.

The sudden vibration instantly silenced the noisy platform.

Every conversation came to an abrupt halt.

Countless awakeners instinctively raised their heads toward the sky.

Even Lukas narrowed his eyes.

At the very end of the enormous bone bridge...

The sea of clouds suddenly began to churn.

Massive clouds rolled apart as though invisible giants were pushing them aside.

Slowly...

A gigantic staircase emerged.

Each step was carved entirely from pristine white bones, stretching upward through the endless sky.

The staircase seemed ancient beyond imagination.

Its surface was covered with countless faint cracks, yet every step remained incomparably sturdy, as though it had existed since the beginning of time.

At the end of the staircase...

Another floating platform gradually revealed itself.

Compared to the platform everyone currently stood on, this one appeared even larger.

Standing silently at its center was a massive entrance.

Its gigantic stone doors reached dozens of meters high, covered by countless weathered carvings that had long since lost their original appearance beneath the erosion of time.

An ancient aura drifted from within.

It was heavy.

Oppressive.

Simply looking toward those doors made one’s breathing become slightly sluggish.

Lukas continued staring into the distance.

Only then did he notice...

Far beyond that platform...

Another vague silhouette slowly emerged from the endless clouds.

Then another.

And another.

Floating platforms continued appearing one after another.

Each one was suspended high within the endless heavens, connected only by bridges and staircases that seemed to stretch into infinity.

Every platform spanned hundreds of meters across.

From where Lukas stood, they looked like ancient islands floating within a sea of clouds.

The higher they extended...

The smaller they appeared.

Eventually, they became nothing more than tiny black dots disappearing into the boundless sky.

Even then...

The end still couldn’t be seen.

Lukas silently estimated their number.

Hundreds.

Perhaps...

Thousands.

Even that felt like an underestimate.

More importantly...

No two platforms looked the same.

Some were densely covered by countless flowing runes that continuously shifted across the ground like living creatures, illuminating the surroundings with mysterious light.

Others were occupied by towering statues that reached toward the heavens, each one gripping ancient weapons stained by the passage of endless years.

Some platforms were completely swallowed by violent violet storms.

Lightning danced wildly through the sky, turning the entire area into a world of destruction where even space itself seemed unstable.

Others were wrapped in an eerie silence.

No wind.

No sound.

Nothing moved.

The overwhelming stillness made them seem more terrifying than the platforms engulfed by endless lightning.

Some contained towering forests whose trees glowed with silver light.

Others resembled endless battlefields, countless broken weapons and shattered skeletons scattered across the ground as though an unimaginable war had once taken place there.

Every platform carried its own unique appearance.

Its own unique atmosphere.

As though each one represented a completely different trial awaiting those who dared to climb higher.

The moment the final platform materialized, an icy voice echoed through the entire realm.

Climb.

The single word carried an indescribable pressure. It wasn’t merely sound, but something deeper, resonating with the soul of everyone present.

Without waiting for anyone to react, countless streams of light suddenly rushed across the bridge. One after another, the steps leading to the next platform lit up.

A young awakened from an unfamiliar guild rushed forward.

"I will go first!"

The moment his foot landed on the first step, the surrounding scene changed. The young man’s body froze, his sword remaining halfway drawn. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, rolling down his face.

A terrifying pressure pressed down, as if the weight of the entire sky had been placed on the young man’s body.

Yet the young man didn’t collapse. Instead, as time passed, an intense, joyful, and excited expression appeared on his face.

Because he realized this was the origin of the unique knowledge that had suddenly filled his mind.

The Final Ultimatum.

That was the name of the technique that had appeared in his head.

Going through it, the smile on the young man’s face became wider and wider.

"This is Demigod Berserker inheritance... to think I would be the one to receive such a blessing..."

"Now from today onward, my name will run through the heavens!"

The young awakened from exalted guilds like Northern Wasteland Titan looked at this scene and shook their heads, not bothering to react.

One knowing young man from the crowd couldn’t help but shake his head.

"Who let this ignorant fool in here..."

"Doesn’t he know everyone will have the demigod’s techniques imprinted into their brain after they take the first step? To progress through the trial, one needs to completely comprehend it. If they fail, the pressure being put on them will crush their body into mush..."

There were some individuals who were about to take the first step but froze right there, while others simply watched while shaking their heads, preparing their minds to begin the gruesome journey.

The young awakened might not have realized this, but this was not the first time the demigod inheritance space had been opened. There had been multiple expeditions from humanity’s side, all to comprehend the technique, yet they failed—not because the awakened who came before them were less talented, but because they were not able to survive for long enough.

At least, not long enough to completely inherit the legacy.

Some awakened might have come here thinking they were fighting for glory, but only a few realized coming to this inheritance space was the same as suicide.

The awakened that came here were not stupid. Things finally started clicking together in their heads.

Jasmine was one of the few who instantly realized this, and immediately her anger exploded.

"What a good setup, White Knight Guild. Golden opportunity, my foot..."

Jasmine was on the verge of completely going mad. To think she had fallen for such a cheap tactic. It went without a doubt that the Berserker legacy was real, but that didn’t mean she was going to throw her life away.

Lukas also realized this, but there was nothing that he could do now.

Just as he was thinking, he felt a gaze lingering on his body. Simple gazes weren’t surprising, considering that he was one of the three awakened from the White Knight Guild, and different awakeners were keeping an eye on him.

But there was something different about this gaze.

He felt a sense of sickening familiarity.

Who...!