Chapter 18: The Impossible Battle

The top twenty players of the Bloodline Trials stood before Raven. Even though they were the versions of these players when they had just finished the second trials, even then, their strength wasn't to be ignored. 

Raven had learned that all of them possessed an Exclusive Skill, but his skill was more passive and growth-oriented compared to theirs.

Their abilities were limited by the laws of this world, unlike his which could break the laws. However, their skills excelled in offense.

Raven stood poised in one end of the floating arena, grasping the hilt of his Nameless Sword. His eyes darted from opponent to opponent, twenty skillful players and their unique abilities unknown to him. A feeling of unease crept over him; he couldn't be sure what he was up against.

Some wielded magic, while others brandished exotic weapons. 

Raven didn't notice, but even the Guardian of the Bloodline Trial was watching the arena with great interest, along with the Mystery Merchant. 

"I must say, the kid seems to have some skills. He's definitely capable of taking down a few of them," praised the Merchant, impressed with Raven's abilities.

Even though Raven had the most expensive weapon, the merchant still didn't think that it was possible for him to do anything more, especially since he hadn't received a bloodline yet. 

"A few?" The Guardian commented, observing from a distance. "I have a feeling that we might be in for a great show. Who knows, we might even witness a miracle."

"You have that much confidence in that kid?" The Merchant asked, smiling. "The Guardian who didn't pay attention to anyone, is now focusing on a young human... Looks like you have great interest in the kid."

He was even more sure that the coins that Raven possessed was because of that Guardian. However, he didn't ask. 

"I heard you also applied to leave this place?" The Merchant further asked. 

The Guardian nodded. "This will be my last batch. Someone else will take over soon."

"Why would you make a decision like that so suddenly? Does it have something to do with that kid?" The Merchant took a careful glance at the Guardian. Even he couldn't see the face of the Guardian. 

The Guardian of the Bloodline Trial didn't respond for quite some time, only keeping his eyes on Raven on the platform. However, after some time, he finally said, "It's time for me to return to Hellfire..."

As the two special existences of the Bloodline Trial talked amongst themselves, the battle on the platform had already started. 

The first player charged forward, her hands crackling with electricity. She cast a bolt of lightning towards Raven. 

Fortunately, Raven deftly dodged it and responded with a swift strike of his sword. Even though the lightning bolt was fast, it wasn't as fast as the Ice Wolf King. 

The dark haired girl was stunned, as she saw a blood red arc of light come straight at him. At the last moment, she stopped in her tracks, jumping to the side. 

Even as she did her best, she wasn't able to completely avoid the attack as her arms flew in the sky, completely detached from her body!

Her pupils shrunk as she felt the pain like never before. Even though it was a mirage, these players contained the personality of the actual players. They didn't have any memories, but they still knew their movements and their skills. At the same time, they also felt pain like the real person!

As if not giving the girl a chance to recover, Raven continued his attack, appearing right before her, thrusting his Nameless Sword down, killing her. 

[Level +1]

"Huh?" Raven was taken aback to see a new notification. When he fought the mirages on the stairs, he didn't receive any experience or level ups. However, on the platform, he was receiving experience points and even leveling up?

This revelation made him confused. However, he knew that it was good. 

There were many players waiting in the Resting Hall to snatch all his treasures. He needed strength to even protect himself. The strength he currently had wasn't enough to face players who were already on the last Trial stages. 

While Raven was lost in thoughts; Another player, a hulking brute of a man, charged forward, wielding a massive warhammer. 

Raven subconsciously felt that he couldn't withstand a direct hit, so he used a movement skill, his sword flashing in the air. Fortunately, his movement skill didn't have any cooldown. 

The brute swung his hammer, but the Raven parried the blow with ease, appearing behind the man. His Nameless Sword came slashing down, cutting the bulky man in two halves. 

Suddenly, the ground shook. Raven looked up to see a player with the power of earthquake magic. It was clearly an Exclusive Skill. 

He stumbled as the ground beneath his feet split open, but he quickly regained his footing, jumping high in the sky. 

He landed before the Earth Mage, who was taken aback. For him, it was as if Raven had flown straight to him. Before he could react, he saw a bright red light flash before his eyes. Eventually, the world turned dark for him. His body disappeared. 

One by one, the players attacked, each with their unique skill. If initially, they were coming one after another, then now players started coming together. 

A player with the ability to manipulate fire sent a blast towards Raven, only for him to use his sword to deflect the flames. 

Another player with the power of wind blew him off his feet, but Raven sliced the winds in two halves, using the special aura of his Nameless Sword, before charging to the enemy. 

As the battle raged on, Raven started to get exhausted. His stamina was slowly running out, and there appeared to be no end to these people. If it wasn't for the ring which somehow lessened his burden, he would've been having a much harder time. 

So far, he had only managed to kill six of them. And the stronger ones hadn't even started moving, including the Archangel and Arze, along with his brother!

He had managed to take down a few players, but the rest were proving to be much harder. 

What was worse was the player with the power of illusion magic who appeared behind him. 

Raven spun around, but he couldn't tell which was the real player. It was as if there were over ten illusions of the same player, and only one was real! Moreover, all ten of them used a different attack to target him. 

Even with his great senses, it was impossible for him to recognize the right one. 

He swung his sword, but the player disappeared, as if it was an illusion. At the same time, the real one appeared behind him. This time, the player landed a solid blow, making Raven stumble!

The other players saw their opportunity and charged forward, surrounding Raven. 

Raven tried to regain control, but it wasn't  easy, since there were too many of them. They each attacked with their unique skill, momentarily overwhelming him. 

What was worse was the Illusion Master from the Demion Species, who was ranked nine in the Bloodline Trial Achievement Board.