WELCOMING TEST 

Feeling the weight of everyone's gaze, Arex couldn't help but question whether bursting into that room had been the wisest decision. He was filled with dread as their intense gaze bore into him, making him question if he had unknowingly led himself to his grave.

"Necropolis? How did I end up here?" Arex couldn't resist asking, breaking the strange silence that filled the room after Grecko greeted him.

However, none among the people who were inside the room ever said any words in respond to Arex's query.

Arex briefly questioned why they weren't acknowledging his presence. As he glanced around, he noticed that one of the individuals happened to be the very woman who had crossed his path and sought to claim his soul.

Hey! it's you! You're the one who claimed you'd take my soul, but it seems your scythe was too blunt to make any impact on me." Arex responded with a derisive chuckle aimed at Roxina.

Roxina, however, was growing increasingly frustrated with the way Arex was openly mocking her in the presence of the other seven lords. She could see from her peripheral view that both Merfestina and Kiyo were silently laughing at her.

She was aware that they would favour Arex's insult. Kiyo and Merfestina both harbored a strong dislike for Roxina, as they felt that the high lord showed her preferential treatment over them on certain occasions. 

Roxina was acutely aware of the underhanded tactics they consistently employed to undermine her.

And today, it wouldn't be a shock if Roxina discovered that Kiyo and Merfestina had joined forces with Arex just to taunt her.

"Oh, so you think you need a little backup because your weapon can't do any damage to me, huh?" And so, Arex pressed on. He casually placed his hands on his hips, seemingly relishing the sarcasm he was delivering.

Meanwhile, Roxina found herself gripping her arms tightly. She couldn't bear the ridicule that Arex was subjecting her and her scythe Wisteria to any longer. Roxina had already decided that she couldn't wait for Grecko to tell her what to do.

She believed that Arex have gone enough. Which was why Roxina immediately stood up and aimed to behead him right in front of everyone else.

But as she was about to stand up, she quickly noticed Valkas springing up from his seat. His movements was very swift that not everyone, most especially Arex, was able to anticipate.

A burst of vibrant emerald fire erupted from the cauldron, as if heralding the immense surge of energy that spiked forth from Valkas as he unleashed his scythe from his grasp. The motion resembled fiery red rings encircling his entire right arm.

Following that, he used it quickly to wrap around Arex. 

"Ahhh, Fire! Shit!" With a sudden burst of panic, Arex let out a piercing scream and frantically threw himself to the ground, rolling over and over in a desperate attempt to escape the scorching flames.

Surprisingly, the fire stubbornly refuses to extinguish, no matter how many times he tries to smother it. 

Everyone anticipated that Arex would eventually be roasted from the red flames of Valkas. No Jinnx, particularly humans, could ever survive against the hot flames that envelopes the scythe that Valkas possessed.

Surprisingly, everyone was taken aback when they realized that even after some time had passed, they were still able to witness Arex's ongoing struggle to free himself from the grasp of the fiery vines. It hasn't even fazed him in the slightest. 

All the rest of the people inside the chamber witness how it seem as though Arex had been covered a shield made of what seemed to appear like blue flames that resemble that of Valkas' fiery red flames.

Without warning, Valkas extinguished his fiery powers and cautiously distanced himself from Arex. Arex quickly ceased his raucous cries as he extinguished the flames engulfing him. 

As Arex stood up, everyone eventually witnessed the blue flames raging all over him, acting as though it was some kind of his protection. 

"I can't believe I didn't even get burned!" After examining his unscathed body, Arex couldn't help but marvel at the incredible resilience he displayed despite Valkas' brutal assault.

It was quite a shock to everyone when they witnessed a regular human transform into a powerful Jinnx, only to then revert back to their human form and become impervious to the deadly flame scythe of Valkas.

Halze clenched his jaw. "Pathetic," he sneered, swiftly joining Valkas in his assault on Arex. "How weak, Lord Valkas." he commented after standing beside Valkas.

Following that, Halze lowered himself, gazing at the earth below as he gently pressed his hand against it. 

"Arex was filled with bewilderment, wondering, "Who might you be now?" He inquired of Halze, but alas, no response was given.

Soon after, a radiant glow emerged from the earth. In the heart of the radiant glow, Halze brandished his scythe. The scythe had a blade that was slender yet extended in length. The structure was crafted from solid stone.

"It seems like you all have a fondness for using those farming tools, don't you? I saw that woman over there used one," Arex pointed at Roxina, before he looked at Valkas and pointed his finger on him next, "Then this dude here with his fiery scythe." Arex continued as he titled to face Halze once more, "And then yours with that cheap looking scythe who looks like it came from stone age." Arex once again ridiculed the weapons of the Lords. 

"Farming tools, you say? Make sense. Especially if it would be beneficial to eliminate a weed like you." Halze responded swiftly, launching his first assault. 

Unlike others who might approach their adversaries cautiously, Halze boldly rose to his feet and struck the ground with a force that reverberated through the earth. 

It was followed by tall, jagged rocks standing upright from the earth. And Arex's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the stones slowly moving towards him. 

"What the hell!" Arex shouted in shock as he began to run for his life. In his desperate attempt to avoid being crushed by the massive boulders, he almost tripped.

Arex was aiming to be careful at the very least in evading them, however, Halze seemed to be having some fund while seeing Arex struggled to evade the spiky stones from getting Arex.

"Was this farming tool giving you the fun now, mortal?" Halze smugly informed Arex as he observed from afar.

After that, Halze eventually titled his head towards Valkas, "I'll take it from here, Lord Valkas. You may take back your seat and see me give this bastard the proper welcome that the high lord preferred to see." 

The arrogance that Halze exuded only made Valkas feel infuriated. However, he was not really in the mood to counter anything that Halze was saying.

"Do as you wish," Valkas responded, choosing not to engage with Halze's provocative remarks.

After that, Valkas turned away and was about to return to his chair when suddenly, he paused in the middle and tilted his head to the side to gaze at Halze, "Also, if you plan to show off, make sure you never take your eyes off that thing." Valkas said, as though it was some kind of a warning as he pointed at the direction beyond Halze's shoulder.

Before Halze could even turn around and see what it was that Valkas was telling, it was already too late. Arex was already closer to him and was able to launch his hard punch that tossed Halze from a distance.

Halze was only able to secure his footing all because he used his scythe to assist him. Without it, he would have already been sprawled the ground as Arex's punch was infused with an incredible strength that he possessed.

"You never turn your back on your enemies, farmer. Even if you considered them weed, because this weed grows and pester you in the process." Arex confidently told Halze, while gently rubbing his knuckles.

Valkas glanced at him and quietly said, "That's exactly what I've been trying to tell you, Lord Halze. It's an aberrant, not something you can easily handle." Before he completely withdraw and settled to climb the staircase back into his seat.

And soon as Valkas was about to take his seat, Grecko unexpectedly approached him, questioning his leniency towards the aberrant.

"Don't you think you're being too kind with the aberrant?" Grecko asked.

"He's not kind I am, so why would I, high lord?" Valkas responded and eventually returned to his seat.

Grecko responded with a smug smirk, having just allowed Valkas to take his seat.

Meanwhile, Halze, who was left behind, couldn't help but chuckle at the sheer arrogance displayed by Arex. "You really got me there, aberrant." He uttered those words while wiping away the crimson stain from his mouth. "This time, it's my turn." He eventually added.

"Enough with the talk, farmer and bring me your best shot!" Arex responded. His aura of self-assurance was truly overpowering following his triumphant assault on Halze. Arex was confident in his ability to overcome this lord he was currently facing.

Arex experienced a profound transformation after discovering his newfound abilities, bestowed upon him by a mysterious force. He experienced a newfound strength, accompanied by an extraordinary ability to control vibrant blue flames.

Meanwhile, Halze was determined not to allow Arex to embarrass him, especially in front of the other lords and the grand necromancer. With a confident gesture, he extended his scythe, a weapon of immense power. 

"I'll show you what my scythe is truly capable of and you'd come to regret ever coming to see it."

Halze's words carried a warning, a promise of regret for those who dared to witness the true capabilities of his weapon. And after making his declaration, he suddenly shouted, "activating, Raquor!"