Is this really a Game?!

The battle raged as the horde continued their assault, the remaining army soon reaching the walls, and their immense numbers crowding as they smashed against the walls, many of them dying, squished between the walls and the other monsters who cared not for their brethren and were charging with full force.

Reign, who was still wielding one sword, was still in a trance-like state, his movements fluid, his mind free of any distractions as he focused solely on the sword he wielded in his right hand. Each swing of his sword was deadly and precise, cutting down the monsters that dared approach him with dreadful efficiency.

He wasn't even consciously thinking about his actions anymore, his body moved by itself, guided by what seemed sheer instinct as he only focused on improving each swing, improving his foot placement, the way his body moved, the way his hips slightly twisted when he swung the sword.

He was fully focused and committed to doing so, not caring for the trial and the growing number of monsters that were assaulting him. That was not to say that he was in a bad spot, in fact, he was killing monsters so quickly and efficiently that he was perhaps better at it right now than he was before.

Aethion and Jared, who were still observing Reign from within his consciousness, noted the change. His swordsmanship was evolving, his style becoming better, more refined, deadlier, with each passing moment.

Read latest chapters on empire

His defeat in the previous trial was truly a catalyst for growth, they doubted that even Radagan would have anticipated such a thing to happen, that Reign would actually grow so much after their battle in such a ridiculously short span of time.

Some of his attacks were almost like Radagan's, but of course, that was only how it looked like, as they, as well as Reign, knew that things were missing for his attacks to be like his. Still, Reign was evolving, he was learning, adapting, and improving at a pace so ridiculous, that most people would find it frightening, perhaps even Radagan would have stared in shock at what was happening.

"He's on the cusp of evolving his swordsmanship, only a bit more, and he will reach the next rank," Jared said, his face beaming with a smile as he spoke with pride.

"Yes, the SS rank is within his reach, just a bit more, and he will achieve it," Aethion said as he stared at Reign with great anticipation.

"Not even that monster of a human they had fought against would have anticipated this, after all, who would think that a person like Reign existed, capable of improving so much so quickly, being able to copy and learn from a person that was much stronger than them after fighting them only once."

'After all, even Jack was shocked at how high Reign's talent was, and he is a Transcendent that might be even stronger than I was at my peak, not to mention that captain, that man, as carefree as he looks, is a force to be reckoned with, that much is certain.' Aethion thought, not sharing his thoughts with Jared.

He couldn't be certain, but it seemed that every single Transcendent that Reign and the others had come across was special, quite a bit stronger than an average Transcendent was, especially when it came to that mean, Drayce.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Aethion even suspected that Drayce knew about him, that he had noticed his existence a long time ago, perhaps from the very start. The other Transcendents might have also noticed something, but they were all keeping quiet about it, not willing to pry into whatever secret Reign had, but Drayce, he might very well know exactly what is going on.

'A Transcendent of the highest Tier, and I don't only mean that when it comes to how high of a realm he reached, but his strength, which might very well stand at the very top of all Transcendents that exist currently.' Aethion thought before shaking his head and chuckling.

He then again focused on Reign, who was still improving.

Reign's strikes began to flow together seamlessly, each one a perfect follow-up to the last. The monsters that came at him were cut down effortlessly, their attacks deflected or dodged with minimal movement. Reign was in his element, his single sword becoming an extension of his will.

The others were doing good so far as well.

Mia's frost proved to be very effective as it slowed down the larger monsters while freezing the fast ones who didn't have such good defense. Against her, their advantage was completely nullified, their bodies unable to do anything else but freeze, before being shattered into pieces.

A frozen wasteland surrounded Mia, who was holding nothing back and was currently battling a larger monster that had strength that nearly matched her own.

Wolf, with his chaotic flames, was akin to a demon. His body was enveloped in flames, as was the entire platform he was standing on. Similarly to Mia, he had nullified the advantage in speed the monsters had, burning them to ashes the moment they got close to him, his flames reaching a temperature so high, that his flames could be felt by the others who were on the platforms closest to him.

They felt the rise of the temperature and glanced, seeing how Wolf was swinging his sword, his flames roaring to life as they burned brighter and hotter as the battle continued. The dead bodies of the creatures served as fuel as the chaos energy devoured them, growing stronger and further empowering his flames as they turned into a raging inferno that consumed the monsters with no mercy.

Tank and Greenie were both fighting in a similar manner, using their robust bodies, great defense, and immense endurance to take on the monsters head-on. Tank was blocking attacks, allowing some to pass as they did nothing to his thick armor and bronze skin.

His ability was also close to evolving, after all, he was the tank of the party and was used to blocking attacks, using his tough body to absorb the damage, which made it much easier for him to constantly gain exp for his ability and learn how to utilize it better.

He had a feeling that soon, he would also have an S-rank ability.

Greenie on the other hand was smashing every monster that came close to him while using some of his skills to create fields of powerful force that crushed any and all that dared come close. His hammer was covered in blood and bits of flesh, each swing crushing the bodies of the lesser creatures and causing the bodies of the larger, more durable monsters to cave.

Aelrinder was like a whirlwind, his spear causing fierce gales to erupt every time he swung it, and creating powerful streams of wind that would pierce through multiple monsters each time he stabbed.

Powerful winds were present on the entire platform as he fought without holding back.

He was slicing and stabbing through the monsters with the precision of a master spearman. His spear struck with the speed and ferocity of a storm, cutting through armor-like hide and flesh alike. The whirlwinds he summoned lifted the smaller creatures into the air, leaving them vulnerable to his deadly strikes or forcing them to fall down from the wall.

Jin, however, fought quite differently. He was still standing in the same spot, in the very middle of the platform, only twisting his body in order to hit the monsters while constantly pouring mana into the ground, as well as the air around him in order to prepare his explosions at all times.

Explosion after explosion rang through the fortress as each time a larger group tried attacking, they were met face-to-face with an explosion that ripped them apart.

The ground around him was cratered and broken from the sheer power of his attacks. And his punches ... each one was like a cannon blast, blowing apart the abominations that dared to challenge him.

Shadow had stopped darting around, disappearing in and out of the darkness around the platform. Now, he was copying what Laura was doing, creating huge tentacles of darkness that he used to crush any monster that dared come close to the platform.

Laura was still continuing the same, his demonic energy was able to take the life force of the monsters directly, allowing her to use it as fuel to continue fighting, breaking the monsters apart.

Beast was still launching arrows, but now, thanks to the large number of monsters launching themselves at him, he was using the arrays he had placed around the platform, and Blackie had made a move as well.

Blackie's body was a blur as he tore through the creatures that were attacking him and Beast.

And then, a change suddenly occurred, a powerful wave of energy sweeping through the entire area, causing them all to stop for a moment and stare at the origin of that aura.

Reign had evolved his swordsmanship.