[Fight Initiated…]

Even I struggle against the dummies, Kaelios admitted, standing off to the side as the final training sequence began.

His voice held a strange mix of seriousness and encouragement, sharp golden eyes locked onto the shimmering space where Alex now stood, facing what looked like a harmless set of glowing figures.

“Just focus.”

Alex didn’t reply.

He didn’t need to, his attention was already locked onto the field ahead, and more specifically on the twenty [Light Dummies].

It wasn’t a [Forbidden Skill], but the challenge they posed, aka not being hit even once, made it feel like one.

Last round, Alex muttered under his breath, lowering himself slightly into a stance as he rolled his shoulders, mentally reviewing everything that had worked, and everything that hadn’t.

Unlike normal fights, he couldn’t rely on flashy ultimate attacks or devastating cooldown-based skills.

This trial wasn’t made for power, it was made for something far simpler, raw reaction, movement, and adaptation.

Only passive skills were allowed, all those that cooldowns or conditions weren’t.

[Start!]

The world blurred.

The moment the command sounded, every single dummy shot forward.

It was like a wall of light and steel erupted toward him.

Weapons gleamed in the glow, bows already firing, swords raised, lances aiming to pierce.

The first few seconds were always the worst, if he lost his rhythm here, it would all spiral out of control like it had so many times before.

And this exact scenario, the tight formation pushing him into a corner, was one he had failed against more times than he could count.

But this time, he had something different in mind.

‘Use your wings.’

The words echoed through his thoughts, taunting, familiar, and irritating.

The Hatred Demon’s voice, speaking from the depths of his soul.

Alex grimaced.

“I can’t believe I’m listening to that bastard,” he muttered.

Still, he listened.

With a thunderous whoosh, all six of his wings spread open at once.

Two draconic, two angelic, and the last two dark crimson, [Wings of Hatred], now pulsing faintly with power.

With one massive flap, the shockwave launched him straight upward, higher than the dummies expected, stopping midair far above their reach, at least for a second.

Their faceless heads turned up toward him.

Soulless, glowing eyes met his. And then, they jumped.

‘Shit.’

He cursed, realizing they were adapting faster than he could keep track of.

Half of them launched upward after him, agile, unrelenting.

Arrows followed, splitting the air, heading straight for him.

But in the next breath, Alex gritted his teeth.

‘They’re not faster than the Hatred Demon,’ he reminded himself.

That thought alone anchored him.

He remembered that overwhelming pressure, the impossibility of the fight against that monster.

In that battle, he had barely kept up, his only advantage lying in tricks, desperation, and the sheer will to win.

But now, there were no tricks. No gimmicks.

Now, he had to win by his own strength.

Six dummies closed in. Arrows a half-second away.

The end loomed, again.

“Use your wings. Literally.”

The voice returned, and this time, Alex finally understood.

He remembered the description of the [Wings of Hatred].

They were weapons.

Without hesitation, Alex focused on the four regular wings, retracting them instantly.

The remaining two spread wider, glowing crimson and pulsing with hostile intent.

Razor sharp, unnaturally beautiful, and terrifying.

And… he spun.

The wind howled as his body twisted midair, creating a vortex of speed and motion.

His wings followed, turning into spinning blades, slashing the air around him with deadly precision.

Fwish! Slash! Slash!

The six dummies that had leapt up to meet him were immediately shredded.

Their weapons were deflected in a single motion, then, just a blink later, they were bisected by the crimson blades, their forms flickering into light as their bodies fell apart midair.

Alex blinked, surprised even by his own success.

The wings had cut through them as if they were nothing.

He remembered how the wings had made even him bleed when he first got them, how their edges ignored defense and endurance like they didn’t even exist.

If they could hurt him, then against these constructs, it was no surprise they cut like butter.

The thought sparked something dangerous in him.

If he could control this, he could turn those wings into a weapon as deadly as any blade.

‘Why didn’t you ever use them like this?’ he asked aloud, his voice echoing inside his own head.

The Hatred Demon stirred in response.

“Because the [Sword of Hatred] is sharper. These wings weren’t practical for me in my giant form,” the demon replied gruffly, “Now quit whining and kill the rest.”

Alex scoffed, but before he could reply, the remaining dummies adapted yet again.

This time sprouting wings of their own.

Glowing golden feathers burst from their backs, and they launched into the sky to meet him in midair.

‘They can fly now too?’ he muttered, eyes narrowing.

“They adapt to your movements perfectly,” Astolf’s voice chimed in, calm but grim.

But each time Alex used his new wings, a single thought kept creeping into Alex’s mind, and eventually, he asked.

“Why do you even think he even gave me the wings, Astolf,” Alex suddenly asked out of nowhere.

“Because he can’t stop you from having them,” Astolf responded, “For the moment you fully absorb him, he will disappear for good, and you will receive the powers anyway, right now, what he is doing is simply stopping the inevitable.”

The Undead King spoke, and…

[Truth]

It was the truth, meaning that it was simply a futile attempt from the Hatred Demon to survive.

Alex kept using his claws to deflect attacks, or even the wings as shields and weapons while communicating with the two beings inside of him.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

He cut three dummies with his wings, and even exploded another’s head with his claws.

“I simply want to see the end of the [Chosen Games],” the hatred demon replied while Alex was still fighting, laughing loudly, “Nothing more.”

[Truth!]

And yet again, the truth was said.

“Hm,” Alex groaned, “Either way it’s either I die and you die with me, or I live, and I end up erasing you anyway.”

Either way, the hatred demon would be gone, and so it simply wanted to be a spectator of what the end of this entire ordeal would be.

Even while Alex was speaking with them, he still managed to absolutely overwhelm the dummies.

Using his wings had been proven to be extremely powerful, as they essentially acted as shields and blades, deflecting anything and cutting through anything.

Any dummy that was even grazed by the wings instantly died.

Of course, he would need to enhance his control of them, since he was still a beginner, but for a first time, it was absolutely incredible.

He didn’t know the damage these wings did, but since they were shaper than his claws, it was probably around 1,000,000,000 damage per strike.

Eventually, though, he killed all the dummies without being hit a single time.

Clap! Clap!

Kaelios grinned, arms crossed, golden eyes slightly wider than before.

“That… was impressive.”

The God of Destiny rarely gave compliments.

His usual serious expression was replaced by something more relaxed, almost amused.

“Even I feel a little nervous about the [Chosen Games],” Kaelios admitted, nodding toward Alex, “But maybe with training like this, we’ll have more than just a fighting chance.”

Alex landed smoothly, folding his wings behind him.

“We’re going to win,” he said simply, “Otherwise, what’s the point of any of this?”

Kaelios didn’t hesitate, “Right.”

And just as Alex took a breath—

Ding!

A new notification appeared, gleaming bright in his vision.

[The “Monster Tide Trial” for “Overlord City” will begin now. Do you wish to participate?]

Alex’s eyes narrowed, his smile returning.

It was time to meet this guild and the elite families.

And finish yet another objective on his list.