Nameless King

Markaz walked slowly toward Wain. He decided that his last attack had brought Wain to a critical state, so victory was his.

"Well, well..." Markaz muttered as he stopped next to Wain, "I thought you would be stronger, but you ended up making one mistake and getting mortally wounded."

"Stop! Stop!" Erza exclaimed in a furious voice as a golden stream of energy burst out of her. She used the Queen's power to get out from under Markaz's pressure.

"Huh, you're the type who doesn't learn from your mistakes, right?" Markaz smirked before pointing at Erza.

A multitude of dark chains appeared next to her. They grabbed her, squeezed her tightly, and threw her to the ground. Erza tried to get out, but her strength was insufficient, even though she had used her trump card.

"You seem to care about him." Markaz looked at Wain, "I'm sorry to take him from you. I have no other choice, only by getting into the Great Tree can I absorb the Royal Spirit."

"What?!" Alas exclaimed, "What did you say?! How dare you even think about it! This is the Royal Spirit, not the soul of some weak monster. It's not a cup of energy you can just drink and throw away!"

"You're an Elf, you have a special relationship with the Royal Spirit, but I don't care!" Markaz muttered as he clenched his hands into fists, "By doing this, I will gain a unique power that no one else has! It's the only way I can get my revenge on those bastards!"

"Ahahahaha, I see, you passed the wrong trial." Suddenly Wain's voice rang out.

"What? Are you still conscious?!" Markaz said in a dazed voice.

"Of course I am. Did you really think that one attack was enough to defeat me? I just needed time to figure some things out." Wain muttered as he slowly rose, "You passed the Pride Trial, but from the looks of it, the Hate or Envy Trial would have suited you better. You're a weakling who can't do everything on his own."

Whooooooooosh.

Dark streams of energy appeared next to Wain. They floated slowly through the air and enveloped Wain like a shroud. His eyes changed slightly before they had been bright green, but now they were darker and deeper, you could drown in them like an abyss.

"Is it just me, or has he changed somehow?" Alas asked.

"Yeah... Wain found himself, he did what everyone has to do to be able to move on, he discovered his Concept." Ern muttered as a faint smile formed on his face.

[You have met one of the conditions to evolve for the fourth time.]

[Open Basic Concept: 1/1]

[You have unlocked the Darkness Concept.]

[It is a unique power that reflects you better than anything else, so in a short time, achieve maximum synchronization. All you have to do is accept and know yourself].

"Well, you use darkness, and I do, but there is a significant difference between us." Wain said in a calm voice as the darkness turned into a long sword.

"What is it? Do you mean to tell me that you are stronger than me now?" Markaz frowned.

"Sure. After all, to you, darkness is a weapon, just a tool to achieve your goals and to exact your revenge." Wain uttered before pointing his sword at him, "But for me, it is not. I am the darkness now."

Whoooooooooosh.

Wain swung his sword, and a blade of darkness swept at Markaz. It shattered everything in its path, so nothing could stop it.

Markaz created several dark barriers. They could easily protect him from any attack.

"Is that all you can do?! You can't even penetrate my defenses! How do you want to defeat me?!" Markaz exclaimed.

"Just watch." Wain grinned before staring at the blade. It trembled as dark ghosts burst out of It. They screamed, and like a nightmare, they came crashing down on the barriers.

Crackle.

The barriers could not withstand the pressure and shattered into tiny shards like glass. Markaz instantly tried to create a few more but no sooner had he raised his hand than Wain appeared before him.

"I warned you. If that is necessary, I will rip the key from your chest!" Wain exclaimed as he swung his sword from bottom to top.

He ripped open Markaz's belly and severed his left arm. This would have been a fatal wound for any man, even a very strong one, but the tattoos on Markaz's body gave him a bit of time.

Markaz pushed Wain away from him out of the last of his strength and picked up his arm from the ground. He used the ring to pull out a dark key and threw it in Wain's direction.

"We shall meet again!" Markaz's exclaimed while disappearing into the forest grove.

Wain grabbed the key as he dispelled the darkness.

[Pride Key (Unique)

This key was received only by the one who could pass a special test and show his pride. It is the way to the most powerful Spirit in history.]

"I thought that bastard would never die." Erza said in a disgruntled voice since she got rid of her chains.

"He didn't die." Ern muttered.

"What?" Alas wondered, "Are you sure about that? Is it possible to survive with such serious wounds?"

"More no than yes, but not in his case..." Ern muttered, "He managed to survive the loss of his wings, and that's much more painful and life-threatening than a ripped belly. What's more, I'm sure he has plenty of medicine in the ring, so we'll definitely meet him again."

"Not only is he survivable, but he's pretty smart, too." Wain said before moving the key into the ring, "If he didn't get rid of the key, I'd chase him down and kill him, that's for sure."

"Anyway, the keys aren't a VIP pass. We'll just be the ones to open the gate." Alas pronounced, "After that, the others can enter the Great Tree, too."

"Yes..." Wain nodded, "But we have to be first. That's basic."