Trial

'This is higher than I thought.' Draco cursed in his mind, his breathing heavy. Feeling the coldness entering his lungs, Draco glanced down, seeing just how little, insignificant did the forest below seem. He then glanced to his left, where a vast city spread as far as his gaze could reach.

The Eastern city looked pretty much the same as the Northern one, with the exception of not having [Forest of Death] as a neighbor. Draco spent a few more seconds looking at his hometown, before glancing to his right as the cerulean ocean entered his sight. From time to time, he could see beasts jumping out of the water, causing an upheaval.

"I should keep going." Draco dug his fingers into the dirt, proceeding to strive higher into the mountain. By looking up, it almost seemed like there was no end to it, but Draco knew that wasn't the case. However, it was indeed quite hard to move this way.

Perhaps he should have prepared more, but it was too late for useless worry. He just had to keep going. As he kept climbing higher and higher, Draco finally felt fatigue engulf his body as his fingers started to bleed.

Thankfully, Draco reached the destination soon. With his hands trembling, Draco pushed one last time, before falling onto his back with closed eyes.

The smell of grass penetrated his nostrils and Draco finally felt at peace, all his fatigue suddenly disappearing. He pushed his body up and glanced around till his eyes fell on an enormous door, which connected to the cave.

"I can't believe I am actually going to get it." Draco walked closer to the door, noticing a few fist marks on it. That's right. He wasn't the only one who had found this door, and there were many who were curious about its existence. However, their problem was that they didn't have the key.

'Amateurs. Even SS rank heroes probably wouldn't be able to punch through this thing.' Draco smiled, taking out the black orbs that he has stolen. For it to be the key to a place where presumably the strongest martial technique was hidden, it looked quite shabby.

Draco walked up even closer to the door, closely searching through it to find any holes in it. Eventually, he found one and placed the orb in that place. For some time, Draco stood in the same place awkwardly, expecting something to happen.

He even started to worry a bit, not feeling any changes. Maybe he was too prompt with his decision or believed in the words of a dying man too much.

In the first place, he knew of this place because, in his past life, the one who originally practiced this martial technique told some friends how he acquired it. Despite being on the brink of death, he refused to pass this technique on to anyone else, saying that it was better for it to disappear than to fall into the enemy's hands and thus he buried it with himself in the grave.

Since rumors spread, soon everyone knew of this story, with Draco being no exception. He didn't think that a dying man would lie to a group of friends, but the story could have very well been twisted along the way.

'No...I need to have it.' Draco desperately pushed his hands against the door, trying to muster as much strength as he could. To his surprise, however, the door easily opened, and Draco fell inside as he didn't expect that to happen.

"Haha..." Draco smiled weakly, a smile spreading across his face. Despite being on the verge of crying from happiness, Draco focused on the trouble at hand. To get [Thunder's Wrath], he still needed to pass the trial, and it bugged him the most since this was the part he didn't hear any rumors about.

Steeping inside, Draco eyed his surroundings. It didn't seem like he was in a cave at all, with the surroundings dimly lit by lanterns, which still somehow kept burning. Perhaps magic.

Draco made his way through the tunnel until finally reaching the end, feeling the grass beneath his feet. Looking around, Draco's eyes opened wide. The entire vicinity looked like something out of the jungle, but the thing that enticed him the most was the waterfall in the distance.

'How can water flow at the top of the mountain?' Draco questioned, yet that only attracted him more to this peculiar phenomenon. Since it was something impossible in the first place, it was probably the place where he would have his answers.

Soon, Draco stood opposite the waterfall as an odd feeling washed over him. Unfamiliarity...or...familiarity? It just felt strange, as if he was staring at his own soul.

"No way. How is this possible?" Draco saw a figure step out from the other end of the waterfall, causing goosebumps to spread all over his back. This figure, this face... he looked exactly the same as Draco.

'What is happening? Is that me? Wait...no, I need to calm down and think rationally.' Draco was deep in his thoughts when the figure suddenly attacked him, a sword appearing in its hand. Expecting something like this to happen, Draco also summoned his sword and defended the attack.

'Just what are you?' Draco thought as he defended against the incoming attacks. They were all sly and were made to throw the enemy off guard, however, Draco was just as sly as the opponent. They weren't just similar in appearance... their strength, equipment, fighting style, and even thinking were all the same.

That was something impossible. Hence, Draco finally realized what was happening. It was all part of the trial, and he needed to defeat himself to earn the inheritance. However, how did he have to do that?

'Let's test some things.' Draco activated his skills, his eyes turning red as he rushed forth to catch the enemy by surprise. In response, the figure's eyes turned red as well, as an oppressive aura of a general escaped from its body. They collided with each other, the water beneath them moving from the peer pressure.

"What now?" Draco ducked a high knee to his head, striking horizontally, only for his attack to be deflected by the figure's sword. So far, Draco's doppelgänger didn't say a word, or he simply could not speak.

The most troublesome thing that Draco noticed; the figure didn't show any signs of fatigue, unlike him. It appeared like his mana reserves didn't diminish even a little since the battle started as well.

This made the situation much more complicated.

It basically meant that Draco had little time and needed to defeat this figure quickly before his stamina run out. Or else...he would probably die here, unbeknownst to anyone.

'I have been in many deadly situations. This is nothing.' Draco calmed his nerves, continuing to defend against the attacks of his opponent as his arms throbbed. 'I need to catch him by surprise. Do something that even I wouldn't expect myself to do. Something that wouldn't have normally crossed my mind.'

Draco felt the heaviness of his opponent's attack, surprising him quite a bit. Time was short. He had to act now, or die before any other ideas came to him.

As the opponent's sword neared his neck, ready to strike a vital hit, Draco's eyes suddenly turned cold. Quickly moving his left hand, Draco greeted the sharp sword with his palm, causing blood to splash all over his face.

He kept both the opponent and his sword stuck in one place by using his own flesh, and he used this slight moment to his advantage. The figure was ready to abandon its sword when Draco suddenly delivered a fatal blow to its neck.

Blood fell against the clear water, creating a beautiful, yet scary scene.

The figure stood still for a few moments as a little smile spread across his face.

"He is waiting for you."

The figure said before turning into liquid and fusing with the water below. Draco stood still for a few moments, trying to catch his breath. He winced slightly at the pain in his palm, but he simply rinsed it in the water and ignored it for now.

There was no doubt anymore in Draco's eyes.

His head was clear.

'I probably shouldn't keep him waiting for long.' Draco thought, stepping inside of the waterfall, feeling the coldness of it. 'I wonder... how does the creator of [Thunder's Wrath] look like?'