Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage-Chapter 587: Inexplicable Tribulation II

CH587 Inexplicable Tribulation II

***

While everyone outside was left wondering what was happening within the trial, inside it Alex did not have the luxury of thought.

He was simply in too much pain.

After ravaging Alex’s soul with its wrathful tribulation nature —and still failing to find what it was searching for— the tribulation lightning left the Soul Space and moved into another domain within Alex’s body.

The Bloodline Space.

Boom!

The moment the tribulation lightning entered the bloodline space, it immediately locked onto its target.

Alex’s heretical bloodline pools.

Bang!

Strike after strike crashed down upon the bloodline pools, causing Alex to feel as if he were burning from the inside out.

"AARRRGGGHHHH!!!"

He roared in pain and agony.

His mind teetered on the brink of collapse, barely clinging to consciousness by a single fragile thread.

When the ninth strike slammed into the bloodline pools, Alex’s bloodlines could no longer endure the assault silently.

The humanoid manifestation of Alex’s fused bloodline suddenly appeared above his body— both within the Bloodline Space and upon the Pyramid of Elements.

The manifestation raised itself and began taking the brunt of the Heavenly lightning strikes.

Alex still felt excruciating pain, but at least there was now some measure of reprieve.

Nineth strike...

Eighteenth strike...

Twenty-fifth...

Twenty-sixth...

And finally—

Twenty-seven strikes crashed down upon Alex’s fused bloodline manifestation.

By the end, the manifestation was completely battered.

Innumerable injuries covered its entire body, and it was clearly standing on the verge of collapse.

Fortunately, it seemed the Heavenly Tribulation had finally run its course.

The dark storm clouds slowly receded, and the skies above the pyramid gradually cleared.

A radiant golden beam of sunlight cascaded down upon Alex and his bloodline manifestation.

The light after the storm.

The sun’s rays bathed the weakened figure lying atop the summit of the pyramid.

The light seemed to pierce through his skin, flowing into his body where it merged with the remnants of tribulation lightning left behind within him.

Suddenly, a mystical transformation occurred.

The combination of the sun’s rays and the lingering tribulation lightning fused together, giving birth to an entirely new form of energy.

Wherever this energy flowed within Alex’s body, the affected area rapidly regenerated and was reborn anew— stronger than before.

Just like the tribulation lightning earlier, this new energy moved through the various spaces of Alex’s body without obstruction, leaving healing and renewal in its wake.

His blood vessels were left clean of any impurities, improving the quality of his blood further. Likewise, his mana pathways were widened even further, increasing Alex’s mana flow rate at any time.

But the most noticeable change occurred within Alex’s bloodline.

Or rather, within his bloodline manifestation.

As the manifestation healed, its previously bestial and infernal traits gradually softened and smoothed away.

It now appeared more human than ever before.

Its face was still somewhat indistinct, but the outline had become noticeably more human in shape and structure.

Fortunately, the changes seemed to be limited to its appearance.

The aura radiating from the figure remained unmistakably that of Alex’s fused bloodline.

Even though its form had become more refined, the bloodline’s nature was still clearly infernal, beastly, and draconic.

Just as the mysterious energy completed its work within the Bloodline Space, another transformation took place.

The forming, illegible runic glyph within Alex’s bloodline space suddenly manifested upon the forehead of the humanoid bloodline manifestation.

It settled there naturally, as though it had always belonged in that place.

What changes this glyph would eventually bring to Alex’s bloodline remained unclear, as the rune itself still appeared incomplete— not yet fully formed nor ready to reveal its true nature.

It was often said that danger and opportunity walked hand in hand.

In the case of the Heavenly Lightning, tribulation and rebirth were indeed two sides of the same coin.

In fact, they were separated only by a single turn of fate.

First came the tribulation.

But if one persevered through it, rebirth would follow.

Although Alex had misinterpreted the trial because of assumptions drawn from his previous life, the fundamental cycle between tribulation and rebirth remained unchanged.

Before long, Alex slowly awakened.

He felt completely refreshed.

Not a single scar remained on his body.

Even more so, he could feel that his Truth-Seeker Eyes were in the process of reawakening after having shut themselves down to preserve their integrity.

Amongst other changes.

Yet despite these pieces of good news, Alex did not celebrate.

Instead, he shivered as the memory of the pain he had just experienced resurfaced vividly in his mind. His body trembled unconsciously.

Fortunately, the trial space seemed considerate enough to wait until he had regained his bearings before sending him out.

When Alex finally opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that everyone was staring at him.

"What’s going on?" he asked.

"Are you alright?" Eleanore asked immediately.

"Yes... but why is everyone so worried?" Alex replied.

"You, brat, went above and beyond and challenged the Heavens themselves. I don’t know whether to praise your courage or condemn your foolhardiness," the old man said.

"The tribulation lightning spilled over into this space, alarming your party. They almost turned on me," the old man added with a light chuckle.

Alex frowned.

Something in the old man’s words struck him as strange.

"Wasn’t I supposed to reach the top of the pyramid?" he asked.

"Of course not," the old man replied immediately.

"In all my years, I have never seen anyone at Second Order attempt, much less reach the tribulation platform at the summit of the Pyramid of Elements. The summit exists to assist Fifth Order sorcerers who are preparing to break through to the Sixth Order."

The old man shook his head.

"The young calf fears not the lion," he added with clear exasperation, genuinely unsure whether Alex deserved praise... or a reprimand.

"But the trial didn’t reveal anything and just let me continue," Alex argued innocently.

The old man suddenly felt an urge to end the conversation immediately.

Without responding further, he waved his hand and released the barrier surrounding Alex.

Then he turned his attention toward the next person who had completed their trial.

Alex seemed to sense something as well and turned his attention toward the remaining trial participants.

His eyes flashed briefly as he concealed a look of surprise upon seeing Udara attempting the Elemental Stele trial.

But almost immediately after that, his eyes could no longer hide his astonishment when he saw who had completed the trial first.

It was same the Udara.

As Udara awakened from the Elemental Stele trial, the surrounding ambient darkness mana surged toward her, wrapping around her body as though she were the beloved daughter of darkness itself.

Her presence seemed to soften within Alex’s perception.

Even though he was looking directly at her, he had the strange feeling that if he took his eyes off her for even a moment, he might completely lose track of her.

Her Darkness affinity had clearly increased by a tremendous margin.

Roar!!!

Suddenly, the distinct roar of a tiger echoed within everyone’s mind.

The group immediately turned toward the Anima stele, where Kavakan had just awakened.

Behind him stood a vivid tiger phantom, radiating overwhelming killing intent.

The killing intent was so pure and potent that one might genuinely believe the phantom could kill someone with a single glance.

However, that should have been impossible.

After all, it was merely a phantom.

Or... was it?

The phantom gradually dispersed, leaving Kavakan standing there alone.

The hulking weretiger looked toward the group with a slightly sheepish expression.

While everyone else focused on Kavakan, Alex’s gaze had already shifted elsewhere.

His eyes moved toward Zora, who had now spent the longest time within the trials.

Considering her extraordinary talent, Alex found it difficult to understand why she was struggling so much with the Elemental trial.

However, almost as if responding to his thoughts, Zora’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

Those familiar icy-blue eyes appeared once more.

For a brief moment, they looked so cold —like the ancient heart of a glacier— that Alex felt his own heart skip a beat from an inexplicable sense of fear.

But when those blue eyes met his crimson gaze, the coldness quickly melted away, returning to the familiar intensity he knew.

Even so, while the change in Zora’s eyes faded, the transformation around her did not.

Even while sitting still, the air surrounding Zora’s body grew so cold that tiny flakes of ice began forming in the air around her.

***