The sun had barely risen over Elandros, but the city already hummed with tension. Rumors of Ethan Cross, the outsider who had survived the Crucible and defeated assassins, had spread like wildfire. Nobles whispered, soldiers gawked, and somewhere in the shadows, Kael's allies readied their plans.
Yet nothing compared to the storm about to descend.
The king had summoned Ethan to the Grand Arena, a colossal structure used for tournaments, executions, and trials of champions. Today, it would be the stage for a test unlike any Ethan had faced.
[ System Alert: New Quest Generated ]– Trial of the Goddess's Champion– Objective: Survive and overcome the champion sent by the Goddess of Fate.– Rewards: Fate-Breaker Evolution, +10 Strength, +10 Endurance, Skill Unlock: Divine Thread Mastery.– Warning: Fatal risk. Probability of death high.
Ethan's heart raced. This wasn't Kael. This wasn't an assassin. This was direct intervention from a god—the Goddess of Fate herself, testing him.
Arrival of the Champion
The arena doors swung open with a deafening roar. Light cascaded across the marble floor, illuminating a figure at the center.
She was ethereal—tall, lithe, with silver hair flowing like liquid starlight. Her eyes glowed faintly gold, and her armor shimmered with divine radiance. A sword, impossibly large yet graceful, hovered at her side.
[ Alert: Divine Entity Detected. Classification: SSS-Rank Champion, Affiliation: Goddess of Fate. Threat Level: Maximum. ]
The crowd fell silent. Ethan could feel the threads around her, thicker, denser, pulsing with a rhythm that threatened to overwhelm him. Every instinct screamed caution.
The champion's gaze landed on him. A smile, calm yet sharp as a blade, crossed her face.
"You are the one the gods whisper about," she said, voice musical yet filled with authority. "Ethan Cross… let us see if fate bends to you, or if it will break you."
Opening Clash
Ethan drew his golden blade, threads shimmering in response. The system whispered guidance, warnings flashing.
[ Fate-Breaker Surge: Ready. Duration: 15 seconds. ]
The champion moved first. She didn't run; she flowed, her sword arcing in patterns that defied normal physics. Each strike carried threads of destiny, attempting to cut, manipulate, and sever Ethan's fate simultaneously.
He dodged, countered, and struck. Sparks of energy and threads collided. The first blow grazed him, rending his arm and sending shockwaves through his body.
[ HP: 100% → 82% ][ Warning: Divine strike risk detected. ]
Ethan gritted his teeth. "No holding back."
Activating Fate-Breaker Surge, he moved faster than the eye could track, severing threads, blocking divine strikes, and even deflecting attacks that would have split a normal warrior in two.
The champion tilted her head, intrigued. "Interesting. You fight with more than strength. You… manipulate destiny."
[ System Alert: Skill Unlock Candidate – Thread Manipulation Upgrade ]
Divine Interference
From the shadows above, Ethan felt a pulse—a faint but unmistakable interference. Loki's presence, mocking and playful, rippled through the threads.
[ Warning: Fate Manipulation Overlap Detected – Potential Override by Loki ]
One strike, perfectly timed, veered dangerously. The champion's sword was no longer the only threat—Loki's interference twisted the threads, attempting to throw Ethan off.
Ethan's mind raced. Every fiber of his being screamed panic, but the system responded.
[ Alert: Thread Stabilization Protocol Active ][ Fate-Breaker Skill Enhanced: Temporal Reflexes Unlocked ]
Time slowed fractionally in his perception. Threads shimmered, almost like strands of light he could pluck and redirect. He spun, deflecting multiple attacks simultaneously, and found a single opening—a faint shimmer above the champion's shoulder.
He struck.
The Turning Point
The strike connected—not to flesh, but to destiny. Threads pulsed, shifted, and a small portion of her power faltered.
The champion staggered, surprised. "Impressive… mortal."
Ethan seized the moment, pushing further. Each strike now wasn't just physical—it was fate itself being rewritten. The crowd gasped as sparks of golden light lanced outward from Ethan's blade, threads of destiny snapping and reforming around him.
[ Skill Activated: Divine Thread Mastery ]– Temporarily manipulate opponent's movement threads, probability of success 70%.– Duration: 10 seconds.
With a final surge, Ethan executed a perfectly timed strike. The champion's sword was knocked aside, her thread briefly destabilized, and she landed on one knee.
Silence fell over the arena. Even the nobles seemed stunned.
Aftermath and Recognition
The champion rose gracefully, bowing to Ethan. "You… are worthy."
The system chimed.
[ Quest Complete: Trial of the Goddess's Champion ][ Rewards Granted: Fate-Breaker Evolution +10 Strength, +10 Endurance ][ Skill Unlocked: Divine Thread Mastery Lv.1 ]
Ethan lowered his blade, chest heaving. Every muscle screamed in exhaustion, every breath burned. But victory had been earned—not through luck, not through chance—but through will, skill, and mastery of his system.
The crowd erupted. King Aldric's expression shifted from curiosity to pride. Even Kael, watching from the council chamber, clenched his fists.
[ Alert: Rivalry Escalation – Kael's Hostility +5 ][ Warning: Divine oversight increasing – Loki and Goddess threads active simultaneously ]
Ethan knew this was only the beginning.
Foreshadowing the Next Arc
As he exited the arena, bandaged and battered, the champion approached him.
"You have potential beyond mortal understanding," she whispered. "The Goddess has noticed your resolve. But beware… not all gods are so benevolent. Loki, in particular, enjoys chaos."
Ethan's golden threads flickered in the sunlight. "I know," he said. "I'm ready for whatever comes."
Somewhere, beyond the mountains, Kael's lips curved in a dark smile. Plans were already unfolding. The war for fate had only just begun.