The Cursed Extra: Bloodline of Sacrifice-Chapter 146: The Trials of Tower [1]
If you lose, you're thrown out."
The air grew tense.
"The first person to reach the top wins. No exceptions. No teamwork. No saving each other."
He took a step forward, voice low and commanding.
"This test isn't about how strong you think you are." His smirk widened. "It's about proving it. Alone."
No one spoke.
No one dared to.
"Because when you're standing at the top, there's only room for one."
---
(POV: Caspian)
A tower climb. One-on-one battles.
Orien wasn't testing skill.
He was testing who had the strongest will to win.
Caspian exhaled, rolling his shoulders.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward.
One by one, the others followed.
The entrance loomed before them.
.
The moment Caspian stepped inside, the entrance behind him sealed shut.
The air shifted.
A dim glow flickered to life, revealing a vast arena.
The space stretched endlessly in all directions, yet somehow, Caspian knew there were walls—hidden beyond the illusion of infinity.
At the center stood his opponent.
A tall, armored figure. Its body was a patchwork of steel and shadow, its face concealed behind a featureless helm.
The only thing visible was a faint, eerie blue glow emanating from the slits in its visor.
It didn't move.
It simply stood there, its presence overwhelming.
Then—
A voice echoed from above.
"Defeat your opponent. Only the strong advance."
The figure finally moved—and then it charged.
The armored figure exploded forward with terrifying speed. Caspian barely had a second to react before a massive sword came crashing down.
CLANG!
The impact sent shockwaves through the arena. Caspian dodged, rolling to the side, his heart pounding.
(That speed—!)
The knight turned, relentless.
It swung again. A deadly arc, aimed straight for Caspian's chest.
He had no time to think.
Feral Charge.
The world blurred as he surged forward.
The knight's blade whistled past his shoulder—so close he felt the wind split—before Caspian twisted, shifting his momentum, and brought his sword crashing down—
A perfect counter.
Sparks erupted.
But something was wrong.
Caspian felt a jolt of resistance—as if the knight's body wasn't entirely solid.
Then—
The knight's blade flickered.
Caspian's eyes widened as the sword phased through his counterattack—as if it weren't bound by reality at all—
And then—
Pain.
The flat of the knight's blade slammed into his ribs.
Caspian was sent flying. He crashed against the ground, rolling several times before he forced himself back up, coughing.
A sharp ache burned in his side.
He clenched his teeth.
"What the hell was that?!'
The knight didn't move. It simply stood there, its eerie blue glow flickering like dying embers.
Caspian narrowed his eyes.
'This thing isn't normal.'
He exhaled sharply.
Caspian lunged.
This time, he didn't hesitate.
His sword edge gleamed in the dim light as he slashed horizontally, aiming to sever the knight's torso.
But—
It happened again.
The knight's body flickered, shifting like a mirage—and Caspian's blade passed through empty air.
His eyes widened.
'It phased again?!'
Then—
The knight moved.
A brutal backhand swing—faster than before.
Caspian barely managed to twist away, but the sheer force of the wind pressure sent him skidding backward.
He steadied himself, heart hammering.
'If I can't hit it, then—'
He narrowed his gaze.
'—I need to figure out when it becomes solid.'
He took a slow breath.
Instead of attacking blindly, he shifted his stance—and waited.
The knight tilted its head slightly, as if considering him.
Then, with a burst of movement, it charged again.
Caspian watched closely.
Its sword gleamed with the eerie blue glow—flickering like a dying flame—
There.
Caspian's eyes sharpened.
'Every time it swings, it solidifies.'
He exhaled sharply.
'That's my chance.'
The knight raised its blade—another downward cleave.
Caspian didn't dodge.
Instead—
He stepped forward.
The knight's sword descended.
And at the perfect moment—
Caspian pivoted, narrowly avoiding the strike—and slashed upward.
This time, his blade connected.
A deep gash tore through the knight's torso, a burst of dark mist erupting from the wound.
The knight staggered.
Caspian's lips curled into a sharp smirk.
'Got you.'
But then—
Something changed.
The knight's eerie glow intensified.
Caspian's instincts screamed.
He immediately jumped back—
Just as the knight's wound stitched itself shut.
His breath caught.
'It's regenerating?'
And then—
The knight spoke.
"Not bad."
Caspian froze.
'…It can talk?'
The knight lifted its blade, pointing it directly at him.
"You adapt well."
Its voice was deep. Hollow.
"You pass."
And then—
The entire room shifted.
A strange weight pressed down on Caspian's body.
Darkness.
Caspian stood frozen, his breath shallow.
The air had changed.
The knight was gone.
No sound. No presence.
Just—nothingness.
'What is this?'
His heartbeat echoed unnaturally loud in his ears.
Then—
A single step.
Not his.
Something moved in the void.
Caspian tensed.
Another step.
It was closer now.
But he couldn't see.
'If I can't see, I need to listen.'
He slowed his breathing, sharpening his focus.
His Zone expanded—feeling the shifts in the air, the subtle weight of the space around him.
There.
Something was lurking.
Another step—this time behind him.
Caspian **whirled around—**slashing instantly—
But his blade met nothing.
A whisper brushed past his ear.
"Too slow."
His blood ran cold.
The ground beneath him vanished.
For a split second—he was falling.
Then—
Light.
Caspian's feet hit solid ground again.
The second floor of the tower stretched before him.
A vast, open expanse—shrouded in shifting mist.
And standing in the distance—
A figure.
Not a knight this time.
Not even something human.
A mirror.
Tall. Silver. Perfectly smooth.
Caspian narrowed his eyes.
'No… it's not just a mirror.'
It was a reflection.
Of himself.
His own image stared back at him—expression blank.
Then, without warning—
The reflection moved.
Faster than him.
Caspian's stomach dropped.
And before he could react—
It attacked.
A perfect mirror of his own swordplay.
Bloodmoon clashed—against another Bloodmoon.
Caspian gritted his teeth as the force of the impact sent him sliding backward.
His own stance. His own power.
'So that's the second trial.'
A battle against himself.
But before he could even think—
The reflection smirked.
Not just any smirk.
His smirk.
And then it spoke.
"Let's see if you're worthy of being Caspian Arcwright."
Caspian's hands tightened around his sword.
His own voice—mocking him.
His own skills—turned against him.
A fight against himself.
A fight against his limits.
Caspian's muscles tensed as he lunged forward, Bloodmoon cutting through the air in a perfect arc.
His reflection mirrored him exactly—slashing at the same angle, the same speed.
Clang!
Their blades met in a violent spark of steel against steel.
Caspian gritted his teeth. He had expected resistance, but this was unnatural.
'It's not just copying my movements—it's anticipating them.'
The reflection pushed forward, forcing Caspian onto the defensive.
Each strike was executed flawlessly.
Each dodge—effortless.
Every feint, every shift in footwork—perfectly countered.
Caspian's breath came faster.
'How do you beat something that knows everything you're going to do?'
The reflection tilted its head, smirking. His smirk.
"Is this all?"
Caspian's chest burned with frustration.
But—frustration was pointless.
He exhaled sharply.
'If I fight like myself—I lose.'
That meant—
He needed to be unpredictable.
The reflection lunged—its blade aiming for his ribs.
Caspian reacted—but not with his sword.
He dropped his weapon.
The reflection hesitated.
And in that split second—
Caspian surged forward.
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A fist to the jaw.
The reflection's head snapped back.
Its balance wavered—just enough.
Caspian seized the moment.
With raw force, he drove his knee into its ribs, sending it staggering.
Bloodmoon was still falling—but before it hit the ground, Caspian snatched it mid-air—
And with all his strength—
He slashed.
His blade cut cleanly—splitting through the reflection's chest.
For a moment, silence.
Then—
The reflection shattered.
A soundless explosion of glass and light.
Caspian stood still, breath heavy.
The mist surrounding him began to fade—
And then—
A voice echoed through the void.
"You passed."
The tower trembled.
And beneath his feet—
The path to the third floor began to rise.
