The rumble grew into a roar that shook the stone.
From the fissures ahead, a colossal form emerged—its body forged of obsidian rock and molten fire, its mane blazing like a living furnace. Golden eyes glared down upon the disciples, each gaze heavy as judgment.
A Heavenly Guardian Beast.
Its claws carved furrows into the plateau as it stepped forward, its voice like thunder rolling through the storm-scarred air.
"Only those who withstand me may climb further. The weak will remain as ash."
Flames licked its fangs.
---
The Beast's Wrath
With a roar, the beast unleashed firestorms across the plateau. Disciples scattered, some erecting barriers, others cut down in an instant. Stone cracked, and molten rivers split the ground.
The trial had shifted from endurance to combat against heaven's chosen hound.
---
Arhaan's Struggle
Arhaan raised his chains, crimson-gold light flaring as they lashed against the beast's fire. Each strike rattled his bones, each step forward a battle against both heat and force.
His mind screamed at him to dodge, to yield—but his spirit held. He recalled the villagers burned by "divine punishment," those who perished nameless beneath flames like these.
If heaven sends fire, then I'll be the storm that breaks it.
With a roar, he surged forward, his chains striking like serpents, carving deep into the beast's obsidian hide. The flames parted for a heartbeat, and other disciples rushed into the gap he created.
---
Kael's Shadow
Kael, meanwhile, stood untouched.
Every blast of flame curved unnaturally around him, swallowed by his crimson-black aura. Where Arhaan fought with sweat and blood, Kael walked through the inferno like a man born of it.
"Follow Kael!" disciples shouted. "He clears the way!"
Kael's strikes were precise, almost beautiful, each blow aimed to cripple the beast. He looked every bit the leader the sect craved.
But his eyes, glowing faintly crimson, never left Arhaan. Each moment Arhaan drew blood, Kael matched it. Each cheer Arhaan earned, Kael stole away with twice the brilliance.
Their battle wasn't against the beast alone—it was against each other, beneath heaven's gaze.
---
The Beast's Roar
Wounded and enraged, the Guardian's molten mane blazed brighter, and its roar shook the skies.
"Then let the unworthy be burned away!"
Pillars of fire erupted across the plateau, threatening to consume disciples indiscriminately.
Arhaan braced his chains. Kael's aura deepened into shadow.
And for the first time, their powers would clash—not directly, but colliding through the beast they both sought to overcome.