Ten minutes swiftly passed. As a mournful horn blast echoed, all the Abyssal Knights, including the Abyss-Cleaver squad, withdrew to the battlements, leaving only Li Ang and the other candidates on the circular platform above the churning, mist-shrouded abyss.
Li Ang's expression was serene, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts. The golden-haired scion bearing the noble surname "Arizlan" was the sole individual with a faint smile gracing his lips. The remaining four wore expressions of grave solemnity; fear flickered plainly in some eyes. Clearly, not all had come willingly, nor did all possess the courage and resolve to gamble their lives for a future.
Suddenly, the voice of the lofty personage resonated once more from above: "Abyssal Knights are born of the Abyss, and to the Abyss they shall ultimately return. From the moment we grasped our swords, we embraced this觉悟. So too should you. Countless knights have perished in the past, guarding you and your kin. Now is your time to strive, to become knights who guard yourselves and your families! Children, I await you here. For the living, I shall personally bestow the knight's emblem. For the fallen, I shall offer prayers that their souls may find their way home, lest they wander lost and alone in alien realms. Now, venture into the Abyssal World. With courage and wit, gather intelligence on its fiends and seek out artifacts of law. Return alive. Regardless of life or death, His Holiness the Pontiff shall take pride in your valor!"
The "personage's" voice floated over the castle, echoing in every mind. Though the manipulative intent was plain, a strange鼓舞 nonetheless stirred within them. The abyss beneath their feet suddenly seemed less dreadful. Unbeknownst to Li Ang, the personage had employed a voice-based law skill, essentially casting a morale-boosting buff upon these "cannon fodder." That the exalted Pontiff, unaware of their very names, would feel pridefor them? The starkly high mortality rates of past深渊 explorations belied the pretty words; the fact remained that what lay ahead was a trial where survival was a slender hope.
The circular platform beneath them emitted a click-clackof mechanical activation. Li Ang drew a deep breath, awaiting the final moment. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!As the platform fully retracted, their footing vanished. Li Ang and the others plummeted straight down into the misty chasm below.
The instant they touched the grey-black mist, a portentous feeling of being stalked by misfortune washed over them. Wind howled in their ears, drowning thought. Before their eyes, a tapestry of bewildering and surreal imagery flashed past.
After an indeterminate duration, all anomalies ceased. Li Ang and the five other candidates found themselves within a bakery exuding a distinctly modern atmosphere. Located on a street corner, the shop was deserted save for them. They were surrounded by towering skyscrapers. The streets were lined with abandoned vehicles, and newspapers fluttered aimlessly in the breeze. It was the archetype of a modern metropolis, yet the air hung heavy with an aura of decay and abandonment.
As Li Ang surveyed this Abyssal World, his five nominal teammates did the same. "Buildings hundreds of meters tall, self-moving iron carriages, street lamps that glow at night..." murmured a woman clad in form-fitting leather armor, tall and possessing a certain comeliness, her eyes thoughtful. "It seems we've landed in another world with firearms. We must be wary of being instantly obliterated by concentrated fire from such ranged weapons."
The oldest among them, a square-jawed man with an air of steady reliability, nodded in agreement. "Correct. The knights warned us. While a single bullet from such weapons might inflict a little over a hundred points of damage, a hit to a vital area or a hail of a dozen rounds would overwhelm even our Law-Infused Physique."
"These are secondary concerns," interjected the frailest of the group, a sallow-faced young man who seemed even less robust than the leather-clad woman, unable to suppress his complaint. "The greatest threats are the unfamiliar environment and the unknown fiends. We truly have the worst luck. Many past深渊 trials merely involved handling incursion events within our own world. Being directly dispatched to explore an Abyssal World like this is among the most perilous methods..."
His words cast a pall over the others. The content of the Abyssal Trials was never fixed, but by any measure, what they now faced ranked among the most dangerous, with an overall passage rate hovering around fifty percent. Statistically, half of their group of six might not return alive. The thought weighed heavily upon them.
"Enough," a righteous-faced young man stepped forward, his voice firm. "We have no place questioning the arrangements of the Knightly Order. I am Ke Ang. At this juncture, unity is our paramount need. Only by joining hands can we overcome adversity. Though our situation is perilous, precedents exist for entire groups succeeding. Perhaps fortune favors us, and this is merely a minor, low-level chasm? I propose we begin with introductions—name, Awakening Level, Innate Skill, and areas of proficiency. Then, we should elect a provisional leader. Until the trial concludes, all must follow the leader's unified commands. This will forge us into a cohesive whole, capable of greater strength."
The sallow, skinny man scoffed. "So, you're about to suggest you're the most suitable for this leader role, is that it?"
The righteous-faced young man shook his head impassively, then turned his gaze to the silent, golden-haired scion of the Arizlan family. "Brother Dongli," he said earnestly, "hails from the esteemed Arizlan clan, having undergone the most rigorous elite training since childhood. He is the highest in status and likely the strongest among us. Therefore, I nominate him as our leader."
Surprise rippled through the group. They hadn't anticipated his ultimate aim wasn't self-promotion. "I agree!" The skinny man, the first to object, now became the first to assent. The leather-clad woman and the square-jawed man quickly raised their hands in agreement. For a multi-person mission, a leader was essential. The prestige of the Arizlan name commanded immense respect. Having an elite trained by such a family lead them was something all could accept and trust.
However, Dongli Arizlan's face revealed a rebellious and untamed pride. Without a word, he stood, adjusted his trench coat, and pushed open the bakery door. "My apologies. I am inherently solitary. I dislike operating with strangers, for fear of a knife in the back." He strode out without a backward glance, his figure soon swallowed by the vast gloom.
"Well..." The remaining candidates exchanged bewildered glances, taken aback by Dongli's eccentric disposition.
After a moment, the square-jawed man mused, "If he is unwilling, we cannot force him. Let us elect another. I believe what a leader needs most is a calm, collected demeanor and meticulous strategy. In this regard, Brother Ke Ang has demonstrated both. I propose he assume leadership for now."
"I concur," the leather-clad woman stated. Ke Ang's earlier act of nominating Dongli over himself had earned her trust.
The sallow-faced man fell silent, offering a slight nod of acquiescence.
Seeing this, Ke Ang smiled. "Since that is the case, I shall reluctantly assume leadership for the team. I hope everyone will follow my arrangements in the actions to come. I will also exert my utmost to ensure everyone's safety until the trial's completion. Let the introductions commence, starting with our fair lady."
He did not specifically seek Li Ang's opinion, assuming his silence implied consent. Furthermore, while Dongli possessed the capital to look down upon them and act alone, no one believed Li Ang—whose plain attire clearly marked him as of common origin—had any grounds for objection.