In the middle of the circle, the man stood alone, holding his massive sword, his long white hair fluttering in the wind. His golden eyes burned with absolute confidence, and his skin shimmered with a mysterious glow, as if his body was preparing for an inevitable confrontation.
One of the knights, clad in a dark blue cloak, spoke in a steady voice,
"Edgar the Dragon Slayer. Surrender."
Edgar's expression remained unchanged the entire time. He rested his sword on his shoulder and then spoke calmly, as if the conversation was merely an amusement,
"Five against one? There's no problem with that."
There was no room for further talk, as the royal knights moved like a storm, surrounding him from all directions. The first attacker was a massive knight wielding a double-headed spear. He lunged from the left with a swift thrust aimed at piercing Edgar's chest. But in an instant, the latter's eyes gleamed with a faint golden light, and his skin suddenly transformed into hard black scales, resembling a dragon's body.
The sound of metal colliding with the scales rang through the air like a chaotic symphony.
The spear-wielding knight was taken aback before he found himself being forcefully pushed back by the recoil of his own attack. At that moment, another knight a woman wielding two short swords launched her assault with lightning speed, unleashing a series of rapid strikes targeting the weak points of his joints. But Edgar was not just a walking shield he was a deadly warrior.
With remarkable agility, he weaved between her strikes, blocking some with his massive sword while his dragon-like skin absorbed the rest. Suddenly, the air was shattered by an explosion another knight, one clad in heavy armor and wielding a giant axe, had leaped into the air and hurled his weapon like a falling meteor.
Edgar stepped back, but the attack reached him, shattering the ground beneath his feet and sending dust soaring high.
In that moment, the knights thought:
"He's faster than we expected..."
"My attacks didn't affect him! This isn't just defense; this is a monster wearing a human form!"
"If we can't break his defense, we can' defeat him!"
But within the cloud of dust…
Edgar emerged with speed beyond expectations, surpassing them all and striking the closest one the spear-wielding knight. With a single swing of his sword, he shattered the knight's armor into pieces and sent his body rolling across the ground.
One of the knights fired a shot from his magical weapon a massive fireball shot toward Edgar at the speed of lightning. But the latter didn't move. He simply raised his black-scaled hand and absorbed the flames as if they were nothing.
"Fire? Did you think a dragon would be harmed by his own flame?"
The axe-wielding knight leaped again, attempting to cleave Edgar's head. But at the last moment, Edgar's golden eyes gleamed ominously, and his body moved with demonic speed. He dodged the strike, grabbed the knight by the throat, and hurled him into the air before delivering a swift slash with his sword severing through his armor and cutting him in half, sending his body rolling onto the ground.
Only three remained.
The woman with the twin swords stepped back slightly, trying to devise a different strategy. Beside her, the knight with defensive magic erected a transparent barrier around them. But Edgar had no intention of giving them any chance.
He charged forward, shattering the barrier with destructive force, grabbing the woman by the arm before she could evade. He yanked her with immense strength and hurled her toward the last remaining knight, causing them both to stumble and fall together. Then, standing over them, he planted his sword into the ground and gazed at them with cold eyes.
"You were worthy opponents… but the battle is over."
Seated on his high throne, leaning against a golden armrest, he gazed at them all with a calm yet pleased expression. Then… he began to laugh.
"Ha ha ha… How amusing."
The room froze for a moment, as if the air itself had turned solid. Everyone looked at him in shock no, in terror.
"Zaros… This man is truly interesting. He has achieved something no one has in decades… He made me enjoy myself!"
The king slowly rose, stepping forward until he stood just a few steps away from the royal table, where the nobles stood, shaken by his strangely amused tone.
"Five of the kingdom's strongest knights fell before him?"
"Why don't you take some time to reconsider your strength? If you are this weak, perhaps the kingdom needs a new ruler… one who is far more interesting?"
As Edgar stood in the middle of the arena، catching his breath, absolute silence reigned. No one had expected him to defeat the royal knights so quickly. Even the strongest warriors in the kingdom knew that merely holding out against them was an achievement, but Edgar didn't just endure he crushed them all.
The king sat on his throne, watching the scene with eyes gleaming with admiration and interest before he smiled slightly and said in a calm voice:
"You have surprised me, Edgar Lockard. No one expected this level of strength from you… It seems I have underestimated you."
Edgar lifted his head to look directly at the king, his golden eyes reflecting determination and challenge. He said nothing, merely waiting for what would come next.
On the platform, the heads of noble families exchanged quick glances some were astonished, while others looked displeased.
Lord Edward, who had been confident in Edgar's failure, frowned and bit his lip in frustration:
"How could this boy reach such a level? This makes no sense!"
As for Lady Seraphina, she simply watched him in silence before whispering to herself:
"So, the Lockard name is not finished yet."
Meanwhile, Carl stared at Edgar, his eyes narrowing cautiously. He had seen enough to know that the man standing before him was no longer the person he once knew.
An elderly sage with a silver beard stepped forward and bowed slightly before the king before saying:
"Your Majesty, Edgar Lockard has proven his strength before all. The question now is… what is your decision?"
The king looked at Edgar, then cast a brief glance at the royal knights still lying on the ground, before clasping his hands together and slowly saying:
"Edgar Lockard, from this day forward, I acknowledge you as one of the kingdom's strongest warriors. But strength alone is not enough… for strength without purpose means nothing. Therefore, I will give you a chance to prove yourself further."
A moment of silence followed before the king continued, his voice sharper:
"You will be given a special mission, and if you succeed… perhaps I will reconsider your standing in this kingdom."
Edgar's expression did not change, but he bowed slightly in respect, then said in a calm yet confident voice:
"I will accept any challenge, Your Majesty."
The king smiled, then waved his hand, signaling the end of the trial. At that moment, everyone realized that Edgar Lockard was no longer just a name from the past he had become a force that could no longer be ignored.
Silence filled the royal hall as Edgar stood before King Yaram, his body stained with blood, and his eyes burning with unwavering determination. Behind him, Elinor and Kyle watched the scene with concern, while the rest of the court stood in visible tension.
On the throne, King Yaram sat with a rigid expression, his eyes studying Edgar as if searching for something hidden. Then, in a quiet yet commanding voice, he said:
"If you are truly ready to move forward, prove it to me. Cut off your left hand."
His words fell like a thunderclap upon the crowd. Whispers rose among the nobles, their expressions showing an unmistakable shock. Even Elinor, who knew no fear, widened her eyes, while Kyle clenched his fist tightly as if resisting the urge to protest.
"This is madness!" one noble muttered, but the king did not turn to him.
Amidst all this noise, Edgar alone remained silent. He did not ask, he did not hesitate, and he did not show the slightest doubt. He simply raised his sword without hesitation, his heart beating in a steady rhythm.
In the span of a second, his blade sliced through the air and fell without stopping.
Slice!
Blood burst like a fountain, and his left hand dropped to the ground with a soft thud, rolling across the hall's tiles. A searing pain exploded in his arm, but he did not scream he did not make a single sound.
Silence descended like heavy dust, and everyone's eyes widened in shock, bordering on horror.
Elinor felt her heart leap in her chest, while Kyle fixed his gaze on Edgar, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. Even King Yaram, who had not expected the command to be carried out so swiftly, raised his eyebrows slightly in rare admiration.
Edgar did not fall. He did not waver. He stood firm, his face frozen, blood dripping from his severed arm onto the floor.
With deadly calm, he lifted his head and looked directly at the king, saying in a steady voice:
"What's next?"
At that moment, everyone realized… Edgar was not someone who could be stopped.
After Edgar passed the test of strength and defeated the royal knights, after he sacrificed his arm without hesitation, this was only the beginning. The true test was not merely a physical battle, but a trial of the soul itself.
Edgar stood in the arena, looking at the king, who still wore a smile as if everything that had happened was merely a prelude to something greater. The king raised his hand and pointed toward a massive gate behind the throne, surrounded by a mysterious aura as if it did not belong to this world.
"And now, it is time to undergo the trial of the soul… The Bridge of Illusions."
The gate began to glow, and a dark void opened at its center, pulling Edgar toward it with an invisible force. He was not alone Kyle and Elinor were drawn in with him, neither of them showing any resistance, as if they had been expecting this moment.
The bridge stretched before them like a thread of gray bones, suspended over an abyss with no bottom. Black mist crept from the depths, coiling around their legs like silent serpents, while faint whispers echoed in the distance, as if from another world.
The three stood in silence, staring into the void ahead. There was no way back only the bridge suspended in the middle of nothingness.
Edgar stepped forward first, his steps steady, while Kyle and Elinor followed closely behind. And the moment they set foot on the bridge, everything began to change.
Edgar: Confronting the Past
Around him, the world took shape in faded images ghosts of people who were supposed to be his loved ones. He saw his mother and father, saw his companions on the road, even those he had lost in battles.
One of the figures stepped forward, its hand extended, its voice filled with pleading:
"Edgar… you abandoned us."
Then the scene began to shift rapidly. The figures transformed into decaying corpses, rotting hands reaching for him, hollow eyes staring at him in desperation.
But he did not move. He felt nothing. No sorrow, no regret, no pain.
Only emptiness.
Even when the corpses crumbled into ashes, even when silence filled the space, he did not blink. He knew this was merely an illusion, just a failed attempt to shake his resolve.
"None of this is real."
With a single step, he moved past the illusions.
Kyle: Confronting the Self
Kyle stood before a perfect reflection of himself a man identical to him in every way: the strong build, the fierce grin, and the eyes burning with the spirit of a warrior.
The other version of him smirked mockingly and said:
"Do you think you are the strongest? Do you think strength alone is enough?"
In an instant, more copies appeared, each one representing a deep-seated doubt within his heart. He attacked one, and it fell but to his shock, two more surrounded him. Each time he cut one down, two more took its place.
Bit by bit, the truth seeped into his awareness.
"Fighting alone will not always be enough."
He stopped attacking and realized that his strength could not defeat what was intangible. Only then did the illusions vanish, and the bridge reappeared before him.
Elinor: Confronting the Spirits
The bridge was nothing but a field filled with voices thousands of souls she had slain in the past screaming their names, blaming her, whispering their buried secrets.
"You are a killer."
"You have taken countless lives."
"Do you think you can escape us?"
The voices were like knives, trying to tear her mind apart, dragging her into the abyss. But Elinor was not weak.
She screamed with all her strength, unleashing her true energy, shattering the illusions into fragments.
There was nothing that could bind her not fear, not regret, not the ghosts of the past.
Crossing to the End
The further they advanced, the stronger the illusions became, as if the bridge itself was resisting them. But they did not stop. They realized that the bridge was not testing their strength or skill it was testing their will.
And in the end, when they passed through the mist and reached its end, the illusions disappeared. They were back in the trial hall again, but this time, something within them had changed.
The king looked at them all, then said with a smile:
"Well done… for mastery over the body alone is not enough. A king must also be the master of his own soul."
The Final Test: Royal Blood
After the king declared the end of the trial, a heavy silence filled the hall. Everyone was trying to process what had just happened. The return of Edgar Lockard was no longer just a rumor it was a reality that had shifted the balance of power within the kingdom.
Edgar stood in place, showing no sign of joy or pride only a steady calm, as if he had not been in battle just moments ago.
But the king's words were not merely a declaration; they were the prelude to what was to come next. He raised his hand slightly, and a guard stepped forward, carrying a small ornate box. The guard opened it, revealing a golden dagger gleaming with a mysterious glow.
The king spoke in a serious tone:
"Before you claim your full right, there is one final matter that must be settled."
He lifted the dagger, then continued:
"The final test… the Royal Blood Test."
Murmurs spread among those present some were surprised, while others seemed to have expected this. The Royal Blood Test was the ultimate proof of true lineage, the deciding factor of who deserved a place within the ruling class.
Edgar nodded without hesitation. The guard stepped toward him, extending the dagger. Edgar gripped the handle firmly, and without any delay, he ran the sharp blade across his palm, leaving a thin red line from which blood began to flow.
In an instant, his blood glowed with a faint golden light before falling onto the stone slab before him. For a moment, nothing happened… then suddenly, the engraved symbols in the stone began to glow with the same golden hue, before a surge of magical energy burst forth, filling the entire hall.
Eyes widened in shock, while a cold smile appeared on the king's face.
"So… there is no doubt."
The king closed his eyes for a moment, then announced in a commanding voice:
"With this, Edgar Lockard has proven that he carries the true royal blood. From now on, I officially grant him his own land under his rule, as well as the right to access the sacred treasury."
Whispers spread throughout the hall, with mixed expressions on the faces of the nobles shock, resentment, even fear.
As for Edgar, he remained silent. This had been his goal from the very beginning… reaching the sacred treasury. The place where he might find the first means of healing.
On that day, the entire world heard of the return of the Lockard family to power.
And even Valerian… heard of it.