Luna's men swarmed the gate as they marched out to battle. According to the system, training a soldier only takes a minute. However, with the two demons present in the kingdom, a buff was granted. The duration used in training soldiers and building had been halved due to the buff granted by the demons.
Even though Luna had acquired many soldiers in such a short time, her buildings were limiting the training of additional soldiers since they wouldn't have a place to stay.
Luna's men successfully defeated some Southern soldiers and took over their artilleries. The others were still battling it out while the people in the kingdom repaired the damaged buildings. The battle went on for almost an hour. The Southern soldiers kept coming resulting in Luna asking how many soldiers they had.
Luna stood on the wall watching the battle unfold. The kingdoms around her were still fighting each other. Fires could be seen in every direction, and the screams of the soldiers filled the chaotic night.
A spear whooshed through the sky toward Luna. She dodged and grabbed the spear before looking in the direction it came from. She could see a pair of crimson eyes staring at her with a smile on his face, at the far end of the battlefield. Luna squinted her eyes, trying to see her opponent's face.
"Greetings, fellow guardian," The man's voice echoed within Luna's mind. Luna assumed a stance and prepared to launch the spear back at him. "I only want to talk," His voice was heard again. Luna halted, discarding the spear onto the battlefield. Luna summoned Asmodeus and ordered him to take control.
Luna leapt toward the battlefield. The instant her foot touched the ground, Luna bolted in the man's direction. Utilizing her flames, Luna quickly covered the great length between them. The man was clad in full armor, excluding a helmet.
"I have many questions, but firstly, I would like to know who you are and what you want from me," Luna said.
"There is no need for any hostility. I mean no harm, and, even if I did, you would not be able to stop me," The man said. He threw an object at Luna and said, "An event will take place in the east. That ring will take you to the location. Upon participating, guardians will have the chance to get a hero as a reward. You can only bring one of your heroes with you."
Luna asked why he was giving her the ring when they knew nothing of each other.
"If you really want to know, I suggest you accept the invitation and wear that ring. The event will happen tomorrow. See you at the arena." Turning to leave, he said, "There is a Southern barracks behind an oak tree, north from your kingdom. Destroy it and the soldiers will stop spawning."
Luna watched as the man galloped away. She clasped the silver ring in her hand, looking into the distance.
Beatrix ran up to Luna, saying, "The Southern soldiers won't be coming anymore. I found a building north from here with multiple soldiers coming out of it, so I destroyed it."
Luna tapped Beatix's shoulder as she walked past her and told her that she had done a good job. Luna and Beatrix returned to the kingdom. Luna was pondering over whether to participate in the event or not.
The Southern soldiers were wiped out after their barracks were destroyed. Luna's soldiers returned to the kingdom after the battle, those who were injured were being treated in the infirmary while the rest were stationed around the kingdom.
Melinoe teleported into Luna's room with a sheathed blade. Luna was preparing to go to bed when Melinoe arrived. "You shouldn't go into people's rooms without knocking," Luna said.
She apologized and said, "It's very important I give this to you." She offered the sword to Luna. "This is the sword of a corrupted sorcerer in the outskirts of the Southern Kingdom. I was not able to unsheathe the sword. Hence, why I am here to give it to you. Before dying, the sorcerer said something: The one who unsheathes the sword becomes one with it. I would like to know what her words mean if you don't mind."
Luna eyed the sword, asking, "What's with the inscriptions?"
"Those of the language of the South. They are the only ones who speak that language. I am sorry for I have no knowledge of it."
"It's not your fault," Luna said. As she attempted to unsheathe the sword, Melinoe backed away. Luna gave her a questioning look. The moment the sword moved an inch out of its sheathe, blood could be seen dripping from it. Upon completely pulling it out, she attempted to talk to Melinoe before realizing she was no more in her room. Luna was standing in the middle of what looked like an arena. "Where am I?"
"I welcome you to the 'Arena of Trials'," A voice roared. Lune felt a chill run down her spine. She grasped the bloody sword tightly as she awaited the owner of the terrifying voice to emerge from its hiding place.
"Where are you?" Luna asked. Her eyes darted around, attempting to spot a movement in the darkness. Hearing a boulder shift itself, Luna retreated away from it.
The ground shook as the boulder rose to its feet. A gigantic creature towered over Luna, its huge form creating a sense of dread. Luna gaped at him in shock.
"You are bigger than anyone I've ever met," She said.
The creature knelt on the ground with a knee and plunged its hand into the ground. With the ground shaking once more, it pulled its hand out, revealing a colossal hammer. "I have spent decades in the forsaken arena, awaiting a worthy challenger. Guardian of Ebondrift, if you yearn for the blade of carnage, you must shatter my core. Many have failed to complete this simple task. I wish you good luck," It said. This loudness of its voice almost gave Luna a headache.
"That is not a simple task. Getting to that core," She pointed to the glowing crystal between the creature's chest, "is like climbing a mountain and that requires a lot of stamina." The sound of blood dripping from the sword caught Luna's attention. "What's with this sword anyway? It's as if it's the one generating blood."
The huge creature grabbed his colossal weapon with both hands and raised it high above his head. "The blood belongs to all those slain by the sword. The sword absorbs their body and soul, thereby granting the user power to defeat his foes," The giant brought its hammer down with an intent to kill.
"Parrying this giant's attacks is out of the options. I should wait till his weapon reaches the ground then I will start climbing it," Luna said. She looked up at the incoming attack. Due to its size, the attack was slow giving Luna time to plan her move.
"No mortal has ever clashed with my weapon before," The giant said, surprised to see Luna not moving from her position.
"I'm not going to be the first. That huge thing is going to flatten me so, no thanks. I have the ability to jump high enough to evade the aftermath of that thing hitting the ground. However, to be able to do that, I first have to move away from the hammer's range," She dashed to the side as the hammer approached, almost above her. Looking up as she was running, she said, "This thing is too huge and he calls this simple. I have to evade this huge weapon before climbing his gigantic rocky body to get to his core."
As she was running, Luna opened her palm and moved her hand back. Conjuring flames in her palm, Luna compressed it into a ball as big as her palm and released it, causing it to explode. Though the compressed form looked small, it had enough firepower to throw a person. The blast of wind from the explosion pushed Luna forward, helping her barely escape the hammer.
"Damn it," Luna said as she got up to her feet. The debris from the contact of the giant's hammer with the ground flew everywhere. Luna protected herself with her hands however, some managed to graze her. "This is going to take some time," She said.
"Now, now, do not give up, we just started," The giant said, seeing Luna's crouched form. "Staying still is a disadvantage against my weapon. Move around a bit, you might get a chance."
Luna looked up at the giant. "If you practice your aim, you might get a chance," Luna said.
The giant swung his sword in Luna's direction, causing her to sprint away. "The blade cannot be wielded by weaklings. Strike my core to prove your worthiness, and the sword is yours. All you have to do is strike my core, Guardian of Ebondrift. How hard is that?" It continued to talk as it moved its hammer toward Luna.
"You talk a lot. Is it because I'm the first challenger you have ever gotten in years?" Luna stated. As she continued to run, Luna felt the hammer reaching her. The giant used more strength to pull its weapon toward Luna at a faster pace. "Someone's pissed," She said.
