The Sovereign Gate howled above, wide and pulsing like the heartbeat of a dead god. The sky, once a bruised gray, now shimmered in unnatural colors—violet, burning orange, green that stung the eyes. Adam stood unmoving, his body aching, bones cracked, but his spirit burning.
The other Sovereigns stepped through.
Each was a nightmare shaped in armor—some like twisted angels, others like beasts draped in gold and shadow. The fourth Sovereign was taller than the rest, cloaked in chains that slithered and hissed with every step. No one spoke.
Not until Verius, broken but unbowed, lifted his staff and pointed at Adam.
"He stands alone," he said. "And he challenges our right."
Adam's laugh was low, breathless. "I've done worse."
One of the newcomers stepped forward. She was lithe, feminine, but draped in veils made of flame. Her voice was like wind through bone.
"You bleed mana like a Sovereign," she said. "But you are not one of us. What are you?"
Adam wiped blood from his lip. "A mistake you made a long time ago. And now I'm here to fix it."
Verius stepped aside, allowing the four new Sovereigns to form a circle around Adam.
"Trial by Conflagration," said the one in chains.
Adam blinked. "Sounds fun."
The world trembled.
The ground beneath him turned black, scorched by invisible fire. The ruins around him melted into ash. The entire battlefield became a ring of destruction, suspended in mid-air above the remnants of the city.
Then—
They struck.
All four at once.
The veiled woman unleashed tendrils of flame that spiraled like dancers, each one alive and hunting.
The chained one swung his arms, and the chains flew like serpents, snapping at Adam's limbs.
The third Sovereign moved like a blur, appearing behind Adam with a blade of crystal lightning aimed for his spine.
And the last—a horned Sovereign with molten skin—simply raised his hand and tried to crush Adam with gravity itself.
But Adam had learned.
Pain taught him. Fire taught him. Verius taught him.
His body shimmered with blue fire as he activated the second gate within—the Gate of Binding. Mana surged.
He ducked the crystal blade, then rolled forward beneath the gravity wave, landing hard. He punched the ground—and mana spiked upward, forming spears of light that shot toward the veiled woman. She hissed and vanished into flame.
The chains wrapped around his ankle, and in one motion he spun and pulled. The Sovereign in chains flew forward unexpectedly. Adam jumped, landing a heavy blow to his helm that sent cracks dancing across the mask.
But the molten one was already above him, fire building in his chest.
Adam didn't hesitate.
He reached deep—into that burning center where Belle's face lived—and pulled harder.
The Third Gate cracked.
Light erupted.
Everything stopped for a moment.
Adam's eyes turned white, his body cloaked in pure energy. Wings—not feathered, but forged from light and mana—spread from his back. His voice echoed like two people speaking in sync.
"No more games."
He shot upward.
Clashed with the molten Sovereign in mid-air.
They exchanged blows like gods. One raining fire. The other, raw kinetic destruction. Each impact cracked the sky, split clouds, sent shockwaves across miles.
Below, Verius watched with something like awe. Or perhaps… fear.
Adam landed again, dragging the molten Sovereign behind him like a comet. He released him at the last second, flinging the creature into the ground hard enough to create a crater wider than the school had been.
But it wasn't over.
Chains grabbed his arm.
Flame carved his side.
The crystal blade found his ribs.
He screamed. The Sovereigns swarmed.
Yet even as blood sprayed, he stood.
The light dimmed.
His third gate flickered—too much power too fast.
Adam gritted his teeth. And pushed again.
The light stabilized.
He unleashed a pulse of energy so vast it vaporized everything within a hundred meters. The chains turned to dust. The crystal blade shattered. The Sovereigns staggered.
He moved.
Faster than thought.
Struck the veiled woman with a punch that cracked her mask and sent her flying.
Tore the chains from the second Sovereign and hurled him into the third.
The molten one tried to rise—Adam landed a kick that shattered his helm and buried him in the earth.
Silence fell.
One by one, the Sovereigns rose—and retreated.
They didn't speak.
They didn't threaten.
They just vanished, returning through a smaller gate that shimmered behind them.
Verius stayed a moment longer.
"You should not exist," he said.
Adam raised his hand. Mana built.
Verius turned and stepped through the gate before the spell completed.
Silence returned.
Adam's knees buckled.
He fell to one knee, breathing hard. Light still clung to his body like a second skin. His eyes dimmed. But he was alive.
And for now, victorious.
Far above, in a realm untouched by mortals, the Sovereigns knelt before a throne made of bones and light.
A voice—ancient and cold—spoke from the shadows.
"You failed."
The veiled woman lowered her head. "He has unlocked the Third Gate."
A pause...