Beta Testing the Apocalypse 087 (Patreon)

Standing before the 39 people who were preparing to enter The Trial of First Ascension, Leon felt he could cut the tension with a knife. The mood was lightened by people like Ed, Felix, and even Subaru, who managed to earn a promotion to Green, but since they had no idea what to expect, the air was thick with nervousness.

"Today is a breakthrough moment," said Leon. "I understand many of you are nervous, fearful, and even excited, but you need to set aside all of that and focus on two things: your training and your reason for climbing the Tower in the first place. So long as you have those two things, there are no heights you can't reach. And never forget that your brothers and sisters in arms and your loved ones outside the Tower are awaiting your triumph and safe return..."

Though Leon's speech arguably made things worse for some people, he wasn't alone at the front of the group. Mordred and Hayato were flanking him, the former raising her fist high, exclaiming, "FES, what's our policy!?"

Reacting to Mordred's shout and surprising those who weren't members of the Frontier Expedition Squads, the bulk of the crowd raised their fists and responded, "Together, we climb! None left behind!"

"Put some spirit into it!" shouted Mordred.

"TOGETHER, WE CLIMB! NONE LEFT BEHIND!" responded the members of the FES, replacing the previously tense atmosphere with one of fervor. Leon felt slightly awkward, as if the spotlight had been removed from him, but as he had never been fond of speeches, he just smiled and nodded in approval...

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"Let's see what all the fuss is about..." muttered Mordred, making her way through the corridor she was transported to after placing her hand on the colossal stone doors and affirming she wished to enter the Trial. It took a few minutes, but she eventually found herself in a large circular chamber constructed of muted blue stone and permeated by a thick fog, the sound of distant whispering entering her ears like an auditory hallucination.

'I hate mind games...' grumbled Mordred, empowering her eyes and ears with Mana to sharpen her senses and keep out foreign Mana. Enhancing the former caused the mist to glow with a peculiar rainbow sheen, but she didn't have time to inspect it as the mist promptly congealed toward one spot, forming a copy of herself with a familiar greatsword.

Raising her brows, Mordred scoffed before smiling and asking, "Is that what this Trial is all about? Fighting and overcoming yourself...?"

"Something like that," replied the mist-formed Mordred, brandishing her sword and charging at the original with Mana Burst. Ordinarily, the latter would have been excited by the prospect of facing someone with similar skills and strength, but as the copy was 'much' slower, she didn't bother to raise her sword in turn and instead darted past it, grabbing its ponytail before smashing its head into the ground and stomping it without mercy.

"Weak..." said Mordred, her expression and tone filled with condemnation.

"But we didn't remain weak, did we?" asked a voice identical to Mordred's, followed by a second doppelganger appearing. This time, however, it was noticeably faster than the first. Not fast enough to require Mordred to get serious, but enough to make her realize the meaning of the second verse on the stele, the one about confronting your past and echoes of resilience forever cast. In essence, she would be facing multiple versions of herself, evidently possessing the same power and equipment she had at the start or end of each Floor.

"Less talking!" shouted Mordred, bodying the second clone with a heavy punch to the center of its face. Then, with a battle-hungry grin, she swept her markedly more ornate greatsword, dispersing the mist around her with a powerful gust of wind as she exclaimed, "Come at me all at once...!"

"And you wonder why I never acknowledged you..." said a voice that sent a shiver up Mordred's spine and gave her goosebumps. At the same time, a petite figure with features similar to her own but notably fairer and with clearer eyes appeared, garbed in silver armor over a royal blue, white, and gold-trimmed battle dress.

Pointing a silverly white sword with a predominately blue hilt and a golden cross guard at Mordred, the petite figure apathetically stated, "Even if you were to challenge the sword of selection, do you honestly believe it would recognize a 'traitor' as having the qualifications to rule...?"

Contrasting the bluish-white Mana that typically appeared when she used Mana Burst, a distinctly crimson aura enveloped Mordred as she turned to face the figure of her 'father,' her expression beyond enraged, almost feral as she growled, "You DARE appear before me in that form...?"

"This place, similar to the sword of selection, reflects your heart," replied the mock Artoria, shifting to a back stance with her sword angled behind her as she declared, "One who clings to the past but refuses to recognize their mistakes can never grasp the future they desire..."

Causing Mordred's pupils to contract, the faux Artoria burst forward with incredible speed. She was nowhere near as fast as she was in Mordred's memory, but as the latter wasn't even half as powerful as she was in her previous life, she barely managed to get her sword into a hanging guard's pose, blocking the faux Artoria's broad, Mana-empowered slash but being sent flying by the force behind the blow.

Flipping over and kicking off the wall she had been sent hurtling toward, Mordred eyes glistened with crimson light as she exclaimed, "A fake has no right to lecture me...!"

Receiving Mordred's flurry of blows as if she were an adult dealing with the flailings of a child, the faux Artoria chuckled before calmly replying, "You say a fake has no right to lecture you? Then what makes you think a fake like yourself had any right to vie for my crown and throne? You didn't even have to work for your power and knowledge. Everything in your life was handed to you, but you still wanted, BELIEVED you were entitled to more..."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP...!" bellowed Mordred, pumping so much Mana into her sword that it fractured. The faux Artoria attempted to block the blow that followed, but as the power behind it was too great, both she and her sword were sliced in two by the exceptionally powerful and chaotic blade of energy that left a deep scar upon the Trial's chamber.

Instead of reforming her body, the faux Artoria's voice echoed through the chamber, stating, "You're still a child, Mordred...all you know to do is lash out at the things you dislike rather than confronting them. You could learn a thing or two from that man you serve..."

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH...!!!"

Still enraged, Mordred slammed her sword into the floor, destroying its foundation as the crimson Mana exuding from her body rampaged like a violent, destructive tempest. She believed that by destroying the magic circle and runes engraved into the chamber's floor, walls, and ceiling, the Trial wouldn't be able to continue, and she was correct. Before the room went dark, however, the faint voice of Artoria could be heard whispering, "You can't escape from your past if you never let go of it, Mordred...soon enough, you will learn this lesson the hard way..."

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As multiple people could take on The Trial of First Ascension at the same time, Miu and several others entered personalized instances shortly after Mordred disappeared. They also had to pass through a long corridor, but what awaited them at the end varied drastically. In Miu's case, she found herself in a familiar arena, identical to the one where she had been forced to murder the boy she liked. Even her outfit had changed to the one she wore at the time, an ornate bird mask and a skimpy gi without any panties to ensure her opponent would be plentily 'distracted' during their fight.

"M-Miu..."

Though she briefly tensed when she heard the familiar, pain-filled voice, Miu didn't panic as she looked down at the severely beaten and bloodied figure of a muscular boy with wild brown hair, crawling toward her in a white gi and black pants with muay thai wrappings around his fists and forearms.

Exhaling through her nose, Miu sat in seiza with her knees scraping against the hardened dirt of the arena, grabbing the youth's, Kenichi's outstretched hand as she somberly stated, "This is quite the cruel Trial. But if its purpose is to get me to accept the past and move on from it...I have already done so..." 

"Miu...you...betrayed me..." said the faux Kenichi. "All I ever wanted...was to be with you. But, now...while I lie dead...killed by your hand...you sleep with another man..."

Shaking her head, Miu calmly stated, "The 'real' Kenichi would never say something like that...he would also want me to be happy, no matter what, so you shouldn't borrow his face to say such things..."

"..."

*clap* *clap* *clap* *clap*

As the faux Kenichi on the ground remained silent, the sound of clapping could be heard from behind Miu, followed by the appearance of a man in a demonic, three-eyed mask and a black gi trimmed with gold and kept in place by a crimson obi and sash.

"Well done, my disciple," said the man, recognizable as Silkwat Jenazad by Miu, aka the Demon God Fist.

Spreading his arms wide, Jenazad exclaimed, "You've finally embraced the cold-hearted callousness required to become truly strong! Now, let the darkness within your heart flow throughout your body! Destroy this talentless whelp once and for all...!"

"You're wrong..." stated Miu, shaking her head and appearing calm and composed despite Jenazad being the person she hated more than any other. However, as the man behind her wasn't the true Jenazad, she felt nothing but resolution as she released the hand of the faux Kenichi, rose to her feet, and turned to face him in a martial arts stance, stating, "There may be darkness in my heart, but it's far from the only thing. Now, enough chatter. If we're going to fight, let's fight. If not, I have better things to do than confront illusions..."

"Oh? You think you can take me on...?" asked the faux Jenazad, punching his withered right fist into the palm of his left hand as he stated, "Then, as your 'true' Master, it's only natural I teach you a lesson. Then I can see for myself how well that man has 'trained' you!"

Without waiting for Miu's response, Jenazad moved forward like a blur, his speed even faster than the original's. However, as she knew all his moves and, more importantly, no longer held any fear toward the man, Miu didn't hesitate to charge forward and meet his flurry of attacks with her own. At the same time, a warm rush of energy flowed through her body, causing a confident smile to develop across her face as she knew she wasn't facing him alone...

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As Mordred was, unsurprisingly, first to complete her Trial, elevating her to Level 2 and causing her stats to seemingly 'reset,' she and Leon were watching the other Trials on the holographic display, cuddling in silence. He had obviously watched her Trial, but unless she wanted to talk about it, Leon wouldn't pry. Instead, as she listlessly stared off into space, not really paying attention to anything as she lay across his lap, he caressed her head and ran his fingers through her hair.

"I'm hungry..." droned Mordred, interrupting the protracted silence and prompting Leon to remove some meat skewers from his Storage, hand-feeding them to her without her having to rise from his lap. Fortunately, as it took nearly three hours for the second person to finish, he had plenty of time to pamper her back to her usual self before the members of the CVS or FES could see her acting like a sulky child...

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