Being teleported to the Secret Realm by a Celestial God was a completely different sensation from Teleportation Magic or Star Gate Teleportation.
Westheid felt no dizziness or shock, only a brief sensation of floating before he found himself on a stretch of grassland.
The mission and restrictions for this Trial, issued by the Divine Ancestor, appeared before his eyes.
[You shall be transported two thousand years into the past, to the Kepal Plain at the end of the Age of Dragon Calamity.]
[Your mission in this Trial is to save as many mortals as possible from perishing in the Dragon Calamity.]
[Show me the destiny you weave with your wisdom, courage, and will!]
'Just as I thought. Looks like nothing has changed.'
Seeing the familiar prompt, Westheid felt his heart settle. He could finally relax. There hadn't been any butterfly effect; this was the instance he knew so well.
'First, I need to meet up with Yolanda and Reiya. We should be pretty close.'
Westheid glanced around. His starting point was a quiet meadow surrounded by gently rolling hills. To be honest, the terrain was terrible. It offered no cover, allowing anyone—from Trial Takers eyeing the bounty to Dragon Beasts that might appear at any moment—to hunt down their targets unimpeded.
Westheid had already figured out how to clear the Trial and was completely confident. If his plan had any weakness, it was the risk of falling at the first hurdle—getting killed on the spot before he could even set things in motion.
One hand resting on the hilt of his sword, Westheid glanced at the Branch of Prosperity emblem on the back of his other hand. The Holy Emblem was branded there, serving not only as a broadcast signal but also as the guarantee for a Trial Taker's resurrection.
After all, everything in the Trial was real. Death was permanent. It was just that for a Celestial God, resurrecting a few thousand people was a trivial matter.
'Still, I can't be that unlucky, can I? It's fairly quiet around here.'
After a moment's thought, Westheid decided to signal his teammates.
He moved to a spot that offered what little cover there was, took out a special signal flare, and fired it straight into the sky.
WHOOSH—
BANG!
A piercing shriek tore through the atmosphere, culminating in an explosion that formed a firework in the shape of the Purity Forest's emblem.
The tremendous bang startled birds from the woods. The military-grade flare was so powerful that its shockwave sent visible ripples across the grass.
The nearby Trial Takers, who had been cautiously scouting the area and searching for their own teammates, jumped in fright at the deafening blast.
'What the hell was that racket?!'
......
Outside the Secret Realm, the spectators in Temple Square had begun to watch the Trial Takers' opening moves.
Thanks to Prince Yaligong's earlier declaration, Westheid's team had undoubtedly become the center of attention. Everyone wanted to see how long they could last and how they would be eliminated.
Surviving until the very end? It was a possibility, of course, but with a bounty on their heads, it was highly unlikely. The best they could probably hope for was to find a remote corner to hide in, which would be incredibly boring.
*Boring. We want to see rivers of blood.*
The Secret Realm Trial had always had a bit of a gladiatorial feel to it. No point in pretending otherwise—everyone was a bloodthirsty spectator.
However, the first major highlight of the Secret Realm Trial came from Westheid's actions.
"Duke Qinghui... is he just announcing his position to everyone?"
"He's practically broadcasting his location to everyone nearby. Even if he's trying to create a diversion, he should at least conceal his identity."
"Hah. Duke Qinghui must be utterly despondent. He probably wants to end this quickly to avoid prolonged torment. In that sense, I suppose his thinking is sound."
"......"
The Shadow Flame Duke said gravely, "Duke Qinghui is being most unwise."
Luyetan's elegant brows furrowed slightly. "He doesn't strike me as such a dull man. If he is, I'll be sure to have a good laugh at his expense when he comes out."
In the Royal Family's private box, Yaligong propped his cheek on one hand, snorted, and sneered,
"What an idiot. If he gets eliminated this quickly, I won't get to have my fun... Oh well. I don't care what happens to that useless [Branch of Prosperity]. The important one is that half-breed. If this lures her out, it'll save me some trouble."
As the projected images switched, some of Yaligong's War Knights had already noticed the signal.
......
Westheid neither knew nor cared about the reactions from the outside world. After launching the signal flare, he remained where he was, closing his eyes to focus. He drew the Straight-Blade Sword from his waist and began to clean and maintain it at a calm, unhurried pace, continuing until he heard two familiar voices call out.
"Brother!"
"West!"
Yolanda and Reiya called out almost simultaneously as they reached Westheid's side.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
The platinum-blonde girl spoke the moment she arrived. "Even if we needed to regroup, it shouldn't have been this conspicuous! You never said... Never mind. We noticed people following us on the way here. I don't know if they're after the bounty, but we have to go now!"
Reiya said nothing. She simply watched the black-haired, purple-eyed young man and asked quietly,
"West, what do we do now?"
"Yolanda, do you hear her? What did I say before? You follow my command. Don't ask 'why,' ask 'what to do.' This time, whoever doesn't follow orders takes the full blame."
Westheid first reasserted his authority as commander, then said,
"...We're not leaving. We'll stay right here."
Yolanda's brow furrowed. "You intend to fight them here... Yes. I understand. I won't ask again."
The platinum-blonde girl struggled to suppress the urge to correct him and complain. From a logical standpoint, she simply could not understand Westheid's actions. But since his leadership had already been established, she could not question her commander.
Dissent in the ranks was a cardinal sin in military matters. Yolanda was merely accustomed to offering counsel to the Patriarch; she wasn't truly rebellious.
"We're going to have to fight in a moment. As for how long we need to hold out... that will depend on the situation."
As he spoke, Westheid pulled a small notebook from his coat and handed it to the silver-haired Dragon Girl.
"Reiya, take this time to learn the words in here. With your bloodline, you should be able to pick it up quickly. You only need to learn a few syllables. Just watch for my signal later... The crucial part is how you coordinate with me after that, but that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
After the time they had spent together, Westheid felt that he and Reiya had developed a strong rapport.
"This is... Dragon Language? I understand. Give me ten minutes. I can memorize it all in ten minutes."
Reiya didn't ask what Westheid was teaching her or what he planned to do, placing her complete and unconditional trust in him.
The trio was not given enough time to prepare. Reiya was only halfway through memorizing Westheid's notes when Yolanda drew the sword she wore at her side.
A moon-white brilliance flowed like liquid light along the blade's edge. The platinum-blonde girl stared as if facing a formidable foe at the Trial Takers charging toward them.
"They're here."