Chương 79: Chapter 77: The Trial of Courage

The black sword descended. Rayan barely had time to react. Steel collided with steel. CLANG! The impact echoed across the endless golden plain as Shadowbreaker met Valen's worn blade. Sparks burst into the air, illuminating the sea of ancient swords planted across the battlefield. Rayan slid backward several meters, his boots carving deep trenches into the earth. His arms tingled. The attack had been simple. No Astra. No flashy technique. Just a single swing. Yet it carried enough force to shake his entire body.

Valen remained where he stood, his expression calm.

"I've heard stories about you," he said, resting his sword casually on his shoulder.

"The prince who awakened the Dharma Astra. The boy who survived Elysion. The man who made the First Child of Origin acknowledge humanity once again." His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"But stories are often exaggerated." Without warning, he vanished. Rayan's instincts screamed. He twisted his body just as another strike swept past his neck. The blade missed by inches, cutting several strands of black hair that drifted into the wind. Before Rayan could recover, Valen's boot slammed into his chest. BOOM! The impact launched him across the plain. He crashed through dozens of abandoned swords before finally stopping. Cassian instinctively stepped forward.

"We have to help him!" The Guardian immediately blocked his path.

"You cannot."

"What?"

"This trial belongs only to the Dharma Heir."

"But he'll die!" The Guardian's gaze never left the battlefield.

"If he cannot overcome this alone..."

"... then he has no right to inherit Valen's legacy." Cassian clenched his fists. For once, he had no witty reply. Rayan slowly stood, coughing blood onto the golden grass. Nothing was broken. But everything hurt. He looked at Valen with renewed respect.

"So this is the Second Heir..." Valen smiled faintly.

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"The First King was stronger than me."

"The Third was wiser."

"The Fourth possessed greater Astra." He lowered his sword.

"But when humanity needed someone to stand at the front..."

"They called for me." The ancient warrior took another step.

"Do you know why?" Rayan shook his head.

"Because courage is contagious." The words lingered in the air. Then Valen attacked again. This time, Rayan didn't meet him head-on. He sidestepped, redirecting the strike before countering with Shadowbreaker. Valen blocked effortlessly.

"You've improved."

"But you're still fighting to win." Another exchange. Another clash. Another explosion of sparks.

"You should be fighting..." Valen pushed Rayan backward with overwhelming strength.

"... to protect." Hours passed. The sun never moved. The sanctuary existed beyond time. Again and again, Rayan attacked. Again and again, Valen defeated him. His clothes became torn. His hands bled. His breathing grew ragged. Yet every defeat taught him something. Valen wasn't using overwhelming Astra. He wasn't relying on impossible strength. Every movement... Every strike... Every step... Had purpose. No wasted motion. No unnecessary force. Only absolute conviction.

Watching from the edge of the battlefield, Siena quietly observed the duel.

"He isn't testing Rayan's strength." The Guardian nodded.

"He's testing his heart." Cassian frowned.

"I don't get it." The Guardian pointed toward Valen.

"Look closely." Cassian focused. Only then did he notice. Every attack Valen made forced Rayan away from the center of the battlefield. Toward something. Toward the ancient flag planted in the earth. Cassian blinked.

"He's protecting the flag."

"Exactly." The Guardian smiled.

"The trial began the moment they crossed swords." Another devastating strike sent Rayan crashing to one knee. He struggled to breathe. His vision blurred. Valen slowly approached, planting his sword into the ground before him.

"You've fought well."

"But you're missing the answer." 5Rayan looked up.

"What answer?" Valen gestured toward the battlefield around them. Thousands of broken swords. Countless tattered banners. An endless plain of silent sacrifice.

"What do you see?" Rayan glanced around.

"The remains of a war." Valen shook his head.

"Look again." This time... Rayan truly looked. Every sword pointed outward. Every banner faced the same direction. Every fallen warrior lay before the flag. Not behind it. In front of it. Realization slowly dawned.

"They weren't protecting the kingdom..." Valen smiled.

"They were protecting the people fleeing behind them." The ancient warrior picked up a child's wooden toy from the ground. It was old. Cracked by time. Yet carefully preserved.

"A king doesn't stand behind his people."

"He stands where the enemy must first pass." The toy disappeared. Valen raised his sword once more.

"Now answer me."

"If protecting everyone required your own death..."

"... would you still walk forward?" Rayan remembered the frightened child who had handed him a wooden sword in Ayanor. He remembered Arkan's final smile. His mother's compass. His father's trust. Siena. Cassian. The soldiers. The children rebuilding their homes. He smiled.

"I already have." Golden light exploded from his body. The Dharma Astra resonated with his conviction. Shadowbreaker shone brighter than ever before. The sanctuary trembled. Valen lowered his sword. For the first time since the trial began... He bowed.

"You have passed." The endless battlefield dissolved into countless particles of golden light. The ancient warrior walked toward Rayan, placing a hand over his heart.

"Courage is not the absence of fear."

"It is choosing others over yourself despite that fear." A stream of golden energy flowed into Rayan. The second pillar within the Dharma Astra ignited.

Legacy Inherited Second Dharma Heir: Valen Virtue Acquired: Courage Synchronization Increased 75% → 80% New Astra Art Unlocked Dharma Astra: Lionheart Dominion A sovereign's will that cannot be broken. Effects: Nullifies fear and mental domination within the Domain. Greatly strengthens allies' resolve. Increases the user's power in proportion to the number of people they are protecting.

Valen's form slowly faded. His final words echoed through the sanctuary.

"Remember this, Rayan."

"The strongest king isn't the one who never falls..."

"... it's the one whose people rise every time he does." The light vanished. The sanctuary disappeared. Rayan opened his eyes. He stood once more before the colossal mountain gate. The symbol of Courage had changed. It now glowed with brilliant gold. The Guardian smiled proudly.

"You've inherited your first legacy." Before anyone could celebrate, however, the ground beneath the mountains began to shake. A royal messenger stumbled into the valley, exhausted and covered in dust.

"Your Highness!" He dropped to one knee.

"The northern sanctuary..."

"... has already fallen." Rayan's smile disappeared.

"Who reached it?" The messenger looked up, fear evident in his eyes.

"It wasn't Heaven."

"It was..."

"... a man wielding the Dharma Astra." To Be Continue....