Chapter 211: Battle Begins

Chapter 211: Battle BeginsApollo and the fifty geniuses snapped back to reality and took another step, crossing the third major barrier to reach the twenty-eighth platform.

The moment they stepped onto it, an overwhelming force hit them—gravity was forty times stronger than usual, and spiritual pressure weighed down on their minds, making their thoughts sluggish and clouded. Yet, despite the suffocating atmosphere, they understood that this was only the beginning. The real challenge still lay ahead.

Each participant steadied themselves, knowing that brute force alone wouldn’t suffice. They had faced similar pressures on earlier platforms.

Booom!

As expected, another disaster appeared, but this time it was lighting, and not ordinary, but lightning containing an aura of sky-tearing lightning. It bombarded all of them with such terrifying power and destruction that even the people watching from far away could feel the devastating sensation.

The lightning storm raged across the twenty-eighth platform, bolts crackling with the terrifying might of Sky Tearing Lightning. Each flash split the air with loud booms, and arcs of violet energy snaked through the sky, creating a chaotic web of destruction.

The other geniuses braced themselves, activating their strongest defences. Some conjured elemental shields, while others used specialized techniques to redirect the force. Yet, the sheer ferocity of the lightning tested even the most prepared among them.

At this, even Apollo, who was calm, eyebrows frowned. The power of the lightning was so great that his ice law could not take it easily, so he decided to use space law. The space law is a law that can actually be used in almost every way, whether it is speed, attack, or defence; it belongs top in each area without any particular weakness.

He shifted seamlessly into his understanding of space law. With a single thought, the air around him distorted. Space bent, folded, and twisted under his will. Bolts of lightning that should have struck him dead-on now skidded off the warped fabric of space, diverted like rivers changing course. Some disappeared into tiny spatial tears, vanishing into nothingness.

"Space law..." One after another, many participants saw the abnormality around Apollo and could not help but become shocked, even awe and envy flashing in their eyes.

Around him, others struggled. In contrast, Apollo stood calm amidst the storm, as if untouchable. Each step he took warped space around him, creating safe zones from which the lightning could not reach. His movements were fluid, almost lazy, like someone strolling through a park, not a battlefield.

The other geniuses began to falter under the relentless assault. More than a few fell to one knee, their defences failing, lightning burns marking their skin.

Only a few remained standing tall, and most of them were having difficult times, two or three unable to hold on burst into golden light and were eliminated without moving any further.

Apollo and the genius representative from the Titania clan seem most at ease in the bombardment of terrifying lighting.

Kassandra and the other three representatives from the Titania clan were bathing in the lighting; instead of feeling danger, they were enjoying it. As they have the blood of legendary titans in their veins, they have not only received an indestructible body but also undeniable affinity and control over the lightning element.

The sky-tearing lightning didn’t seem to hurt them; instead, it was like baptism, making them stronger. They calmly walked through, followed by Apollo and other representatives of the other nine great clans.

Although they didn’t look as easy as Titania Clan or Apollo, it wasn’t much different as they calmly walked ahead.

The intensity of the dangers increased with every step they took, and like that, the geniuses continued to go on. And after hours of hard trekking, the group of geniuses has arrived at the sixty-third platform.

But now only eighteen geniuses remained on the sixty-third floor, and most of the geniuses either lost or chose to remain on the lower platform to use this as an opportunity to improve their understanding.

They faced different disasters before reaching the sixty-third platform; whether it was an ice storm or countless rains of golden swords, they faced dangers all around, and only the strongest remained that had come to this step.

Of the eighteen remaining, fourteen belong to the ten great clans, and two come from powerful clans just below them. The last two are Apollo and a true dark horse, who emerged suddenly from behind and took everyone by surprise.

The guy is named Eon, who also seems to be from a weak clan but didn’t show anything before and only showed his strength at such last moment, shocking the people.

The platform hummed with latent energy, warning that the next step would be even deadlier than the previous ones. There was no time for hesitation. Each participant knew that only by continuing to advance could they hope to reach the peak and claim the rewards waiting at the top.

Without a word, everyone took the first step toward the next challenge. Apollo’s foot landed silently on the surface of the sixty-fourth platform, and the air rippled as a new disaster began to manifest.

But after a second, nothing happened, making him wonder what happened, and just as he thought that, a mysterious invisible force appeared that was neither physical nor spiritual but a power that seemed to attack the soul.

Suddenly, a cold chill ran down his spine from within. His mind buzzed with discomfort as the force latched onto something deeper—his very soul.

Apollo’s pupils contracted. A soul attack.

It was unlike anything he had encountered before—neither magic nor law-based. This was pure soul essence, raw and invasive, bypassing even the space law barrier that shielded him from most physical attacks.

The mysterious attack rippled through the air, invisible to sight and intangible to touch, but it carried a weight that could crush an unprepared soul in an instant.

Several geniuses faltered. One of them, a young man from the Blazeflame clan, clutched his head and screamed before collapsing, his golden elimination light flashing as he was ejected from the trial, leaving seventeen participants. Others staggered, eyes wide with fear and confusion as the unseen force gnawed at their souls.

Apollo remained rooted, his expression unreadable. A soul-based attack? He knew such things were rare and difficult to guard against.

But starting from the sixty-fourth platform, not only did the gravitational force and spiritual pressure intensify significantly, but three different forces—physical, spiritual, and soul—also seemed to merge somehow, creating tremendous pressure on everyone.

The combination of these three forces was overwhelmingly terrifying, as if nothing could resist it—like it was a fundamental force of life itself.

Even Kassandra and the other representative of the Titania clan frowned but remained standing; their indestructible bodies didn’t give them resistance to the soul attack. They also began to feel traces of discomfort—the same immortal physiques that could withstand lightning could not fully shield the vulnerability of their souls.

Not to mention, after the three forces combined, the individual effect of the three forces seems to have increased, making it more difficult.

Everyone felt pain, as no one was protected now, and they all faced the mysterious attack directly. Whether it was their body, mind, or soul, they were oppressed from all three sides.

Despite the pain and agony that made them tremble, the group pressed on, climbing higher and higher. Gritting their teeth, they crossed platforms one by one until the strongest geniuses of the past thousand years finally reached the ninetieth step.

Although no major surprises awaited them after the sixty-fourth platform, the combined pressure from the three forces increased exponentially every nine platforms. In the end, only twelve remained—those who could truly be called the strongest representatives to emerge in thousands of years.

Among the twelve, ten are from the ten great clans, with their strongest genius making their way, and the rest were Apollo and the mysterious Eon.

But they didn’t move on; instead, at the moment they had stopped, and the atmosphere around them was tense. Even though all of them were breathing heavily and looked like they were in pain, they still showed an impressive aura.

"Tch, didn’t expect outsiders to reach this far," sneered a young man with fiery red hair, his voice laced with disdain. He stood at the front of the group, his scarlet robes embroidered with the symbol of an ancient flame—the mark of the Pyroth clan. His narrowed eyes flicked toward Apollo and Eon, sharp as daggers.

"Hmph, you’re one to talk," Kassandra cut in before Apollo or Eon could respond. Her gaze was cool, and her words were sharp. "If you keep this attitude, you’ll be the first to lose."

The Pyroth genius’s eyes darkened, and his sneer deepened. "Bitch, do you really think you’re the strongest just because you ran around fighting everyone?"

He gave a mocking laugh, his lips curling. "Looks like you’ve turned into the trash from wasting time-fighting weaklings." With that, the Pyroth genius jumped forward, his hand igniting with searing flames as he launched an attack, intent on eliminating Kassandra for daring to speak out.

"Forget the outsiders—let’s settle our business first." Another young man from one of the ten great clans snarled, leaping toward another rival genius with deadly intent. The tension exploded as old grudges boiled to the surface, and within moments, many of the ten great clan geniuses were locked in furious combat, attacking one another without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Apollo and Eon exchanged a glance, untouched by the chaos around them, as the other geniuses tore into each other.