Grimjaw had already gained the young ogres' attention the moment he showed his spirit gift he left them in awe at the impossible power they had just witnessed.
They were asked to sit in a meditating position, crossing their legs while resting their fists on their knees. "This is why you have been running," Grimjaw's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "I want you all to empty your minds until there is nothing left but silence. Whoever achieves that will move on while the others remain at this stage." His eyes gleamed dangerously. "Those who fail will continue this exercise until they collapse from exhaustion or succeed. There is no middle ground."
Naturally it took little effort for Sera to perform such a simple task since he was a god - not everything seemed difficult to him. Grimjaw noticed that Sera, Grimbold and three other ogres had completed the first stage. He then continued to speak.
"In the space filled with nothing, you're searching for something - a spark, a flame, an energy you're not familiar with. Once you get that feeling I want you to hold onto it like an anchor. That will lead you to the next step."
From the very beginning Sera had always noticed the strange energy within him, so when Grimjaw asked them to focus on an unfamiliar power, he concentrated on that energy. The moment he touched it, reality shattered around him like broken glass. In an instant it was as though Sera was transported to an all-white room where he could no longer hear anything from the outside world - not even his own heartbeat.
"I must be in my soul scape. I think Grimjaw said I'll know my spirit ability when I see it here."
"You're pathetic, you know that right?"
A voice rang around the white room, dripping with contempt and disgust. Sera spun around, his blood running cold as he recognized the voice - he could see his human form from when he was still the god Azrael, but this version's eyes burned with pure hatred.
"What is this nightmare?" he questioned, but in that instant the figure vanished like smoke, only to materialize inches from his face with a fist already in motion. Sera was too slow to react properly, but his skill desperately activated.
[Ding!]
[The host's life is in danger, your skill Apex Instinct C has activated]
Moving on pure survival instinct, Sera threw up his arms to block the devastating fist, managing to slow its momentum, but the impact still connected with bone-crushing force. The blow sent him flying several meters back, his body skidding across the ethereal floor as pain exploded through every nerve.
"Impossible!" Sera gasped, tasting blood in his mouth. "I can feel pain here? This isn't just a vision - I could actually die!" The realization hit him like ice water. "I don't understand what my goal is, but I can't face that monster - he'll obliterate me!"
The divine Azrael stretched forth his hand and a sinister glow appeared in his palm. As the light faded, it revealed a white hilt with a midnight-black katana blade that seemed to devour the surrounding light. The being pointed the weapon's tip directly at Sera's heart and spoke a single word that made the air itself tremble: "Starpiercer."
The blade erupted in crimson flames with tendrils of golden electricity crackling along its edge. The divine figure became a blur of deadly motion, accelerating toward Sera with supernatural speed. The air screamed as he thrust forward, the flaming blade aimed directly for Sera's chest - a killing blow that would end everything.
Sera knew he couldn't dodge normally - the attack was too fast, too perfect. In absolute desperation, he used one of his skills. In an instant Sera was on the other side of the room - he had used Mirage Blitz, but sweat poured down his face as he realized how close to death he had just come.
'Why am I being hunted like prey? What is the goal here? This is insane!' His mind raced frantically. 'Yes, I was strong in my past life but this power was never part of my strength. What does he want from me?'
Sera immediately thought back to what Grimjaw had said about spirit powers becoming weapons too. 'Is that my spirit weapon?'
As if the universe itself was answering his desperate question, he heard a melodic ringing sound that came with a warm glow in his palm. When the glow faded, hope surged through him - a hilt was left in his hand, the same katana that his divine opponent wielded.
Noticing this change, the Azrael's expression shifted to one of approval mixed with bloodlust. He came at Sera with a flurry of slashing attacks, each strike carrying enough force to cleave mountains. Sera now had a weapon and desperately countered, parrying the hits with everything he had. Although he could block and parry, every successful connection sent jarring vibrations through his bones - the blows were so heavy it felt like his skeleton would shatter at any moment.
The divine form suddenly stepped back and took the stance - the same deadly stance from before. Sera's heart nearly stopped. 'He's preparing that killing attack again! I have to retaliate or I'm dead! Since we're using the same weapon we should have the same skill if the spirit power comes from the weapon. This is my only chance - I can confirm this through the god's system since it's not affected by mortal limitations.'
Sera took the same stance as his divine opponent, knowing this was do or die. He studied every detail - the muscle tension, the energy flow, the killing intent. If he was going to master this technique, it had to be perfect or he would die trying. In the next second, both warriors spoke the words that would decide everything: "Starpiercer!"
Their blades exploded with crimson flames as tendrils of lightning danced around them. The very air crackled with lethal energy. Then they both vanished from their positions, leaving only sparks of electricity where they had stood. Time seemed to slow as their blades raced toward each other's hearts in a deadly mirror of destruction.
Sera's Apex Instinct activated at the critical moment, time stretching like molten glass. With predatory grace born of pure desperation, he twisted his body at the last possible instant, feeling the divine blade whistle past his chest by mere millimeters - so close he could feel its heat. But his own sword found its mark, piercing directly through the god Azrael's heart with a wet, final sound.
The divine form's expression changed completely, hatred melting into something like pride and relief. Blood flowed from his lips as he smiled genuinely for the first time. "Take good care of Allborn, Sera," he whispered, his voice carrying the weight of eons.
He dissolved into countless particles of pure light that flowed into Sera's spiritual form like liquid starlight. As the celestial energy merged with his soul, Sera felt his spiritual form expand and grow stronger, though his physical body trembled with exhaustion.
But his victory was short-lived. Looking in front of him, Sera's blood turned to ice as he faced a new nightmare - another form which resembled his current ogre appearance, but this version radiated pure malevolence. Its eyes burned with such hatred that the very air around it seemed to writhe in agony.
Without warning, the shadow-self bent down and pressed its palm against the white ground. "Black Field!" it snarled.
A writhing black shadow with a sickly purplish hue erupted from the point of contact, spreading across the infinite landscape like a plague. The darkness reached Sera's position within seconds, and he could feel its hunger - it wanted to devour him completely.
"Converge!" the malevolent twin commanded with sadistic glee.
The vast field of shadow suddenly contracted with terrifying speed, forming a perfect circle around Sera's feet. He could feel the darkness pulsing with predatory life, like being trapped in the stomach of some cosmic beast. Then the shadow-self raised its hand with deliberate cruelty and pushed downward. "Down!"
An overwhelming force slammed into Sera from above like the weight of entire mountains. He crashed face-first into the ethereal floor, the pressure so intense he couldn't lift his head, couldn't move his limbs, couldn't even breathe properly. He was being crushed slowly, deliberately, like an insect under a boot.
Through the crushing agony, Sera's mind raced frantically. From his previous life-or-death encounter, he understood what he had to do - he needed to master the same power his shadow-self was using to survive this nightmare. Drawing upon his divine knowledge of mystical forces, he pressed his palm against the white surface beneath him with desperate determination. "Black Field!"
His own shadow erupted outward with hungry violence, spreading across the landscape to match his opponent's darkness. The technique felt disturbingly natural, as if he had been born to wield such power.
The shadow-Sera was caught completely off-guard as the competing darkness engulfed him. Sera immediately followed with the next command, his voice filled with newfound confidence: "Converge!" His shadow field contracted around his malevolent twin, trapping the figure in a perfect circle of binding darkness.
But Sera had learned from his divine opponent - he gave no time for recovery or counterattack. His katana blazed to life as he launched himself forward with killing intent. "Starpiercer!"
The flaming blade found its target with lethal precision, piercing through the shadow-self's chest. The malevolent twin let out a scream of rage and disbelief before dissolving into wisps of dark energy that flowed back into Sera's spiritual form like liquid shadow.
As the second absorption completed, raw power coursed through his spiritual veins like molten metal. The soul scape began to fade around him, reality reassembling itself piece by piece.
Sera's eyes snapped open to find himself back in the forest clearing, but everything had changed. The other younglings remained locked in deep meditation, their faces twisted with strain and concentration as they fought their own inner battles. According to the position of the sun, a grueling four hours had passed since the exercise began.
In his hands rested something that made his heart race - the midnight katana was no longer just a spiritual manifestation but a physical weapon of incredible craftsmanship. The blade pulsed with inner fire while the hilt felt perfectly balanced in his grip, as if it had been forged specifically for him.
He looked up to find Grimjaw standing directly in front of him, but the instructor's usual stoic expression had been replaced by something Sera had never seen before - genuine excitement mixed with profound respect. A predatory grin spread across the seasoned warrior's scarred face.
"Become my disciple!" Grimjaw declared, his voice carrying such intensity that several of the meditating younglings lost their concentration entirely.
The words echoed across the clearing like thunder. Those who opened their eyes witnessed something unprecedented - their terrifying instructor, the same merciless figure who had put them through weeks of absolute hell, was looking at Sera with unmistakable admiration. The power dynamic had shifted fundamentally, and everyone present could feel the electricity of change crackling in the air like lightning before a storm.