Nameless King

Undead and the girl were fighting monsters, and their strength was slowly running out. They were ready to use their strongest skills.

It was safe around the crystal, and Wain was distracted by the bright flashes flying out of it. 

They were like blue comets slowly falling to the ground and bringing the past back to the present. Long dead beasts resurrected, and this echoed the message Wain heard.

'They are dead, but the crystal brings them back to life. Does that mean that if the flash hits me, I will die? Could this be the key to passing the second stage?' Wain pondered, and when the next flash came out, he ran after it.

Wain's plan was simple. He wanted the flash to hit him, not the bones of the ancient beasts. He hoped it would make a difference.

Whooooooosh.

Wain pressed his wings together and made a lightning dash forward when the flash should have brought it down to earth. 

The comet hit Wain's chest, but no miracle happened, and Wain was thrown aside. The flash didn't seriously damage him, but it let Wain know that his idea was a failure.

'Damn, am I wrong? Maybe we need to kill all the monsters, and then something will happen? No, that doesn't make sense. In that case, how will we know which of the three contenders will come first?'

Wain did not engage in combat. He thought and spoke the message on the crystal to himself. It had to mean something, and at one point, Wain caught on to one word, 'Sacrifice... the message said to sacrifice the present and the future...'

He had an idea, but Wain wasn't sure if it was worth the risk. He could move on, but he could make a critical mistake. Wain didn't know what to do. He looked at the monsters and realized it was useless to fight them.

Those monsters Undead and the girl fought were only a small fraction of the total number. Most of the monsters were far away and slowly approaching them, the flashes kept flying out of the crystal, and it would never end.

Wain realized that he had no other options. He could not fight for days against hundreds of First Chronicle monsters, no matter how strong he was. It would be suicide.

Wain tried destroying the crystal first, he didn't know if he could do it, but it was one of the few options he had.

Whoooosh.

He took a step forward and slammed his fist into the crystal sharply with all his might. However, Wain was thrown back instead of destroying the crystal and felt a searing pain in his stomach. The barrier around the crystal returned Wain's attack to himself.

"Fuck! Why is everything always so complicated?" Wain exclaimed and took a deep breath.

What he was about to do was dangerous or even crazy, but it was the only thing that fit the conditions of the challenge. Wain was about to make the biggest sacrifice he could ever make.

The Ring of Damned flashed, and a platinum sword appeared in his hand. Wain canceled all skills, and the bone wings disintegrated into many pieces and then evaporated.

Wain's eyes flashed, and he thrust the sword sharply into his chest. Wain stabbed himself through and spat out a mouthful of blood. He deliberately pierced vital points so that it was a critical wound after which it was almost impossible to survive.

Bam.

Wain couldn't stay on his feet and fell to the ground, bleeding all around him. His eyes went black, and everything before his eyes began to blur. He wasn't prepared for this, but he decided to do it to reach his goal.

It was a risky act that was based on the hopelessness of the other options as well as the message from the crystal. 

Wain struggled to remain conscious, but when he saw the white flash flying toward him, he smiled contentedly from the last of his strength. It was proof that he hadn't risked it for anything.

When the blue flash hit Wain, he felt his wounds miraculously heal. However, that was an incorrect description. His body was returning back to the state it had been in a while ago.

As if someone was controlling it, even the sword slowly flew out of his chest and back into the ring. Wain returned to his original point, and then a blue magic circle appeared around him, and his eyes shone brightly.

He slowly flew upward, just as he had during the first test. Wain felt strange and unusual. The Undead and the girl watching him were shocked. They did not understand what Wain had done to pass the test.

Moreover, the monsters next to them suddenly stopped moving. Their bodies began to dry up like mummies, and gradually they turned into a pile of bones.

A magic circle appeared around Undead and the girl, too, but in red, and they headed downward instead of upward. Only one contender could pass the second stage, and the rest would go back to the island or their worlds.

Wain slowly soared upward and headed toward the blood-red clouds. He passed through them and found himself in a strange cave-like place.

"Damn, I hope I don't have to hurt myself in the third challenge. It was too risky, even for me." Wain muttered and headed forward.

He walked for a while and reached a spacious room that led to three caves. Wain came from one of the paths.

The cave floor was streaked with blood, and in front was a massive door with three palms painted on it.

Wain cautiously stepped forward and approached the door. He put his hand to the mark on the door, and it glowed brightly but then faded.

"I see, I won't make it forward alone, but it looks like I've made it to the finals. I wonder who my opponents will be?" Wain muttered and sat down on a bloody rock near the entrance.

He was moderate that one of the two remaining contenders would be Maria. This girl possessed powerful powers and unique skills. She was the most worthy candidate to be here.

Wain also wanted it. He needed to kill Maria, he needed to see her die with his own eyes.

The third contender was a mystery. It could have been anyone, but Wain was betting on the Vampire. He was strong, and his skills were astounding. The Vampire could defeat the light wolf without serious injury, a true feat.

Step.

As Wain expected after a while, Maria emerged from the second passageway. She looked as confident as before, and there was not a single wound or spot on her body.

When she saw Wain, she frowned and prepared to fight. However, he stopped her belligerent impulse by raising his hand and pointing to the door.

"Don't get me wrong. I want to fight you too. We must resolve our conflict once and for all, but we will have to postpone it for a while. We can only go on as a threesome."

Maria looked at Wain, and sensing no killing intent from Wain, she nodded and stood against the wall.