Is this really a Game?!

Reign's body surged with power as his transformation took place. His wings slowly unfurled behind him, his muscles bulging as his Nephilim form enveloped him in an aura of seemingly divine power. His body was growing taller and stronger, his presence more commanding, and his strength growing.

He struck the Warden again, but this time, there was no axe to stop his sword from reaching the Warden. His sword, vibrating with immense force, bypassed the axe, which was still locked in defense against Aelrinder's spear and his other sword.

The second sword struck the Warden, the sword and the metal armor creating sparks as even though Reign struck between the plates, the thickness of his sword, and the very small gap between those plates, made it impossible for him to simply stab or cut the body without clashing against the plates.

The force of the blow did cause the Warden to stumble back, however, and the clash still continued. Reign's wings flapped as he pushed harder and harder, doing his best to wound the Warden while the latter actually pushed back, taking a step forward.

The Warden walking forward actually helped Reign a bit, as he continued pushing his sword forward.

"Now!" Reign suddenly shouted, and an arrow arrived.

The arrow was large, enveloped in black lightning, zooming through the area, moving straight toward Reign's sword.

Right before it reached the sword, a powerful explosion took place right behind it, propelling the arrow even further, causing it to strike the sword with immense velocity and power. The moment the arrow struck the sword, causing the sword to be pushed forward, making it even more powerful.

The Warden stopped, unable to push Reign back any longer thanks to the powerful arrow that struck his sword, pushing the sword deeper inside the Warden, causing the metal plates to creak from the sword pushing deeper between them.

The Warden stared into Reign's eyes, his red eyes narrowing as he tried to do the same thing as before, placing Reign under a ton of pressure thanks to his gaze and aura. This time, however, that wouldn't work.

Reign was now in his Nephilim form, which meant he was much stronger than before, not to mention that the Warden's aura was not as concentrated as before thanks to Aelrinder being present, as well as Beast's arrow, which was expelling a ton of mana around them while pushing on Reign's sword, which cut deeper and deeper into the Warden.

The Warden, despite its monstrous strength and aura, was now clearly being pushed back, Reign's sword cutting deeper and deeper as the others all stared with baited breaths. Still, Reign's body was turning red from immense exertion, his muscles bulging, and yet, he still felt as if he needed more, that even with all of this, he wouldn't be able to wound the Warden.

And then it happened, just as he was about to shout, and ask for help, a figure materialized right next to him and punched with everything he had, hitting his sword and giving it the final push it needed.

It was Shadow, he had noticed that Reign was still struggling, and quickly teleported over to his side, pouring all of his darkness into his fist, allowing him to punch with immense force.

Everything suddenly stopped.

All the attacks that had been launched at the Warden froze in mid-air as Reign and the others also felt themselves freeze, unable to move as a devastating aura appeared from the Warden, threatening to consume them all as a bit of blood flowed down Reign's sword.

The blood alone had a powerful aura, and as it slowly flowed down his sword, Reign stared, and then he stared at the Warden, only to be shocked to the very core upon glancing at the eyes.

They were blue, as blue and deep as the ocean, and they were staring right into him, without showing any anger, sadness, frustration, or anything.

'They were pure red before, like a monster's, so why … why do the eyes look human now?' Reign asked himself as he was sent flying back, the aura of the Warden pushing everything in a 100-meter radius away.

"Careful, something has changed!" Reign shouted, a slight panic present in her voice, which caused the others to stare at the Warden apprehensively.

Even without Reign telling them, however, they were aware. After all, the change in the Warden's aura was simply too much to not be sensed by them.

"His eyes," Beast said, staring into the eyes of the Warden who was now observing them all.

"What the hell happened, how are they blue now?" Laura asked, staring at the Warden before they all froze again.

"Well done."

A calm and dignified voice echoed through the area, reaching their ears as they stared in shock at the Warden.

"To wound this body is something usually a Tier VII could only do, and yet, as Tier VI beings, you were able to do so."

"Well done, truly remarkable."

Reign straightened, his grip tightening on his swords as he stepped forward cautiously. "You're... acknowledging us?"

The Warden nodded a slow, deliberate movement. "Indeed. This form you see before you is not merely a vessel of destruction. It is a trial, a test to measure your strength, your resolve, and your understanding of soul power."

At the mention of soul power, Reign's eyes narrowed. "Soul power… you did it on purpose then?"

The Warden's gaze flickered. "Yes. Soul power is the essence of one's being, the very fabric that binds life and death, in the higher realms, one has to learn of it, how to recognize it, defend against it, use it, at least in basic ways, otherwise they will never be able to reach higher and higher."

"Without knowing about soul power, and how to utilize it, at least partly, no matter how talented a being is, they will sooner or later become less than average."

"Why are you telling us this?" Wolf asked, his voice gruff but curious. He still kept his guard up, chaos flames flickering weakly around him, ready for another battle if needed.

The Warden's eyes softened, and he let out a deep, resonant sigh. "Because your trial is complete."

Ding!

The system notification rang in their minds, confirming the Warden's words.

[ Congratulations, players. You have successfully wounded the Warden of Death. ]

[ The second Hell Trial is complete. ]

[ Time remaining to survive: 59 seconds. ]

Reign blinked. The trial wasn't technically over, but they had completed the hardest part. The system had given them one minute to survive after wounding the Warden.

They all clenched their weapons and stared at the Warden, ready to fight against it, only to all stare at it in confusion.

"Wait," Reign said, stepping forward. "You're not going to attack us?"

The Warden shook his head. "You have proven yourselves. To continue this fight would serve no purpose. Your victory has already been decided."

"In truth, this trial does not need you to battle against the aura that this body has produced, it was me who has deemed you worthy enough to go up against me while utilizing the aura of soul devastation, and do not fret, I have only used a bit of the aura's power, so it does not devastate, merely weaken temporarily."

"That made your trial much more difficult than it should have been, asking you to actually survive fighting this body for a minute would be too much, an impossible trial that serves no purpose."

"As the system has given me full control over this part of the trial, I can choose whether or not to attack you, usually the body would have no consciousness, it would merely charge at you to take revenge for wounding it."

The tension in the group began to dissipate. They still remained cautious, but the immediate danger seemed to have passed. The Warden's words carried a weight of finality, and his demeanor had completely shifted.

Reign slowly lowered his swords, his Nephilim form still glowing brightly as his wings moved, propelling him forward, and in an instant, he stood before the Warden, his exhaustion apparent but his eyes still sharp.

"Who are you, really?" Reign asked, his curiosity piqued. "You're not just some mindless trial boss that the system placed to face us."

"Correct, I am not." The Warden said before his body started changing. It became smaller and smaller until it stood at 1.87 meters tall, the heavy armor shifted and twisted, perfectly changing to suit the new size of the body, and it was now sleek and thin.

The Warden then grabbed his helmet and took it off, showing his face, which made them all stare at him.

Medium-length, light blue hair, soft facial features, pure blue eyes, a friendly and warm smile … that was all present on the face of the person that was the Warden.

"I am one of the managers of the arena, please call me Hemmel." The man said, smiling at Reign and the others warmly.

"I have been observing your last couple of trials, 'Heaven's Hooligans', and decided to be present here personally in this body for this one."