The moment us opened his eyes, anyone could tell the aura around him looked different. Even his presence felt different.


    It was as if he had been possessed by something or someone. But this wasn''t the first time it had happened before.


    As he ascended, bolts of lightning burst from his body, obliterating all the chains and monsters around him. By the time he reached the dark hole, now flickering as if about to deactivate, all the monsters had been vanquished.


    "Tsk, why don''t we open the fourth floor?" us muttered. With a wave of his hand, a ball of lightning materialized. Before Ohema could scream for him to stop, the ball struck the base of the tower, shaking it violently.


    Rumble.


    The heavens responded, and as one might expect, a door opened. But instead of monsters or chains, a single figure appeared. The heavens thundered, almost as if cheering for him, but us knew better; they were furious.


    "Your turn now," us murmured, hovering back to the ground, his gaze fixed on the new arrival. The instant his feet touched down, his eyes narrowed, and his demeanor shifted.


    "Fuck," us cursed, realizing he had been tricked by someone he never would have expected, he had tricked himself into infuriating the already furious heavens.@@novelbin@@


    His past came back to haunt him.


    [Brat, that is a Gatekeeper,] the senior suddenly spoke as us continued to look at the winged figure hovering 200 meters above the ground.


    The dark hole had also been deactivated. The dragon was gone, as were the Ice Lotus and the Bell of Harrows. The only thing left was us, now standing bare-chested with a golden ring behind him crackling with electricity.


    "Gatekeeper? Who is he, then?" us asked.


    [The Lightning Tower has nine levels. The first three are known as the Infinite Expanse. They just measure your capabilities and send lightning monsters to test you—in your case, to kill you. However, from the fourth level onward, things are a little different.


    The fourth level is called Tempest Crucible. It has a dangerous kind of monster called Tempest Hounds. Killing them won''t only award you more potent runes, but it will also affect your mind. If you manage to withstand them as you fight, your body and mind will be several times stronger.


    There are others aside from the hounds. However, to unlock that space, you first have to defeat the Gatekeeper. They are like the wardens of the remaining levels.]


    "Easy enough. I can feel it''s just Tier 7, though very powerful. But I''m no pushover either. Let me just kick his ass," us said, summoning his sword.


    [You don''t fight the Gatekeeper one-on-one, brat. The heavens won''t allow it,] the senior said.


    "What do you mean?" he asked.


    [The Gatekeepers use only one sword technique called Heavenly Judgment. It has nine levels, just like the tower, and from the look of things, you''ll have to defend against the first four levels before this tribtion ends.


    In your case, you should prepare for the worst, since the karma around you is too much to wash away with just a few sword attacks. I look favorably on you, brat.]


    "Fuck. What the hell is wrong with these heavens?" us cursed, watching the Gatekeeper.


    Suddenly, the 2-meter-tall winged man raised his long sword, and as one might expect, us felt his movements restricted.


    The clouds parted, making way for a divine light to descend from the heavens. us immediately felt insignificant in front of it, like an ant before an elephant. Yet, despite that, he looked determined rather than fearful.


    "One mistake, and I''m dead." us wasn''t panicking; no, he held a crazed smile as he watched the Gatekeeper closely. Suddenly, a giant sword appeared in the air, about 40 meters long with a pointed tip.


    With just a gesture, the sword shot toward us, aiming for a devastating stab.


    "Absolute Ice Domain."


    "Bell of Harrows: Divine Bell."


    "Eye of Despair: Void Eyes."


    us instantly activated three of his best defenses.


    Boom.


    The sword struck the three defenses, instantly destroying the Ice Lotus and the Void Eyes before colliding with the bell, which resounded with a loud ring. Thankfully, the sonic attack from the bell shattered the sword.


    "That was close," us muttered.


    [That was the first form, Divine Judgment Sword,] the senior said.


    [Now, get ready for the second form.]


    The Gatekeeper raised his sword again, but this time, instead of a sword, a white lightning lion, about 20 meters tall, bathed in lightning, appeared in the sky and immediately lunged at us on the ground.


    us''s arm glowed, and the Nirvana Dragon appeared. It roared and then moved to meet the lion. The dragon looked massive and powerful; however, the power difference was just too great.


    us could sense the danger radiating from the lion. The senior had warned him that although the Chaotic Nirvana me had awakened, it still wasn''t at its peak.


    He would need more than just a few fire cores to strengthen it. Fortunately for him, the dragon seemed to have found a liking for the golden energy inside his soul sea. However, it still wasn''t enough.


    us knew that much, yet instead of underestimating the dragon, he wanted to see how it would first handle the lion. The bell was still standing strong.


    BOOM


    The dragon moved, and when it was just a few meters from the lion, it activated [Dragon''s Authority], exerting its influence, though it was barely felt by the lion.


    But that wasn''t all; it also followed up with a [Tail sh Kill]. A powerful 12-meter-wide crescent arc of me shed at the lion,nding squarely on its head.


    Roar


    The two shed in the air creating an explosion that destroyed the 8km radius. Even Ohema 12km away felt the powerful shockwave. Both the dragon and the lion were destroyed making us cough a mouthful of blood.


    "us..."Ohema shouted feeling her heart crash watching the blood tickling down us''s mouth. Her fist was clenched but she knew there was nothing she could do. Discover more content at empire


    She was in even more pain than us, who was taking on the attacks. Her pain ran deep. Although us didn''t care, as ady, she felt envious of many things.


    Out of curiosity, she had asked Miriam about her time with us. After hearing all about it, she felt a pang in her heart for not having the body to experience something like that. Miriam hadn''t held back, which was the sole reason Ohema was now feeling this way.


    She wouldn''t be able to enter the tribtion, nor could she help release his stress afterward. The pain wasing from multiple directions, and, for once, she couldn''t take it anymore.


    She broke down, watching us fight for his life against odds that even Sovereigns would struggle against. The heavens are indeed cruel.


    [That was the Divine Lion of Judgment,] the senior said. us just remained quiet, doing his best not to lose focus.


    [The third form superimposes the second form. This means the third form will be the second form times two, so be ready,] he warned, and us nodded.


    He deactivated the bell, and his sword appeared in his grip.