Lord of Annihilation

Lifting his head, Lucius turned to look towards Olivia and asked, "Heavy?"

"Yep. My entire body feels like it's carrying something really heavy on its back," replied Olivia.

Hearing her answer, Lucius nodded his head and said, "That's good."

"Good?"

"It means you've got one foot into the next Stage."

Abruptly sitting up, Olivia turned to look at Lucius with widened eyes and asked.

"I'm already there!?"

"Why wouldn't you be?" Lucius nonchalantly asked, returning to his resting pose.

"Well! I mean…I thought...," Olivia scratched her head in confusion and awkwardly asked, "Isn't this a bit too sudden?"

"Opportunities for ascension are sudden. Don't tell me you don't want to ascend?" Lucius asked with narrowed eyes.

"Of course, I want to ascend now," Olivia immediately shook her head. "I want to ascend as soon as possible."

"What's the issue then?" asked Lucius. 

He then looked at the faintly glowing twelve-edged crystal in his hand and got up from his sitting position.

Turning to face Olivia, he continued, "The sooner you ascend, the sooner I can undergo my ascension. Time is running out and we need to get to the Grand Alcana Empire as soon as possible."

"Oh yeah, almost forgot about that. There's only about a year left, right?" asked Olivia.

"Correct." Lucius nodded his head and continued.

"Undergoing the final trial should give you the required impetus to start the breakthrough into the next stage. From there, it will take you anywhere between a month to three months to consolidate your level and form your Domain. This period will consist of your 'ascension'."

"I trust you have a basic idea of what will happen during this period?"

Nodding her head, Olivia replied, "Yep. Ka'lor'ah had already explained it to me multiple times. I have it memorized."

"Good," Lucius muttered. "Do you have a basic idea of what and how you want your Domain to be? Have you decided the Core Rules that you are going to build it around?"

"I have," affirmed Olivia.

"What are they?" questioned Lucius.

Hearing his question, Olivia suddenly adopted a serious expression and shook her head. "I can't tell you that. It's a secret."

An unnoticeable frown appeared on Lucius' face from hearing her response. 

Narrowing his eyes, he asked with a cold voice, "This isn't the time to be playing around. Tell me seriously."

With eyes firm as steel, Olivia slowly shook her head and answered, "I'm not playing around and I can't tell you either."

Denying him once more, she then firmly continued without giving Lucius an opportunity to respond. 

"You don't have to worry too much. I've already discussed with Ka'lor'ah and together we did some preparation to ensure the success of my Domain's formation. Rest assured, I'm taking this very seriously."

Saying as much, Olivia shut her mouth and quietly stared at Lucius' face. She unwaveringly stared into his bottomless, pitch-black eyes, showing not the slightest hint of hesitation or weakness.

For whatever reason, Olivia was dead set on not revealing any information about the Domain she was planning to form to Lucius.

Seeing her unyielding demeanor and serious countenance, Lucius sighed and took a step back.

"…fine. It is your life after all."

Standing up, Olivia performed a proper bow towards Lucius and apologized, "I'm sorry for keeping this a secret from you for now. I will reveal it when the time comes."

Looking at Olivia's bowing figure as she stayed in that position for a few seconds, Lucius shook his head and softly muttered, "I hope you understand what you're getting yourself into."

"I do," she replied without a moment's hesitation.

Not speaking any further, Lucius simply infused his soul power into the twelve-edged crystal and displayed a projection of the timer into the air.

[00:00:58:47]

"Are you ready?"

Performing one final check on her armor, Olivia rested her hand on the sword sheathed by her waist. Lifting her head, she looked at Lucius' handsome face and confidently replied.

"I'm ready."

----------

Before a massive cave entrance spanning a hundred meters in height and three-hundred meters in width situated on the face of an enormous mountain, a curtain of white light appeared.

The curtain of light lasted for a few seconds before disappearing into the air and revealing two humanoid figures.

In the front stood a tall, angelic-looking woman dressed in a beautiful purple-colored armor. Her tall figure, bountiful assets, and confident bearing combined with her divine-level mature beauty gave her the demeanor of a regal empress.

Her left hand, pale as a sheet of paper, rested on the hilt of her sheathed sword while the right remained lowered. Her mesmerizing violet eyes scanned the surroundings with equal parts of caution and curiosity. 

Standing directly behind her was a taller man whose looks equaled, nay, surpassed the woman's own beauty. His physique lacked the wide build commonly seen amongst most humanoid men and looked quite skinny and slender.

Dressed in similar attire to the woman, albeit in black, the man sported an expressionless look and did not seem to carry any weapon. 

Although no overt aura was felt from his body, those looking towards him felt an inexplicable sense of danger and a cold chill running down their back.

"This is the area of the Twelfth Labor?" Olivia, who had finished scanning the immediate surrounding for signs of danger, turned back and asked Lucius.

Pointing his finger to the cave entrance before them, Lucius replied, "It's in there."

"The final trial is very straightforward. Challenge the Peak-Level Stage 4 Mutated Cerberus sleeping inside the cave and gain its acknowledgment."

Hearing that sentence, Olivia remained silent for a few seconds. 

Dumbly blinking a few times, she spoke, "I think I misheard your sentence. Challenge what and gain its acknowledgment?"

"A Peak-Level Stage 4 Mutated Cerberus," Lucius serenely replied.

"Is this a joke? Are you joking?"

"Not at all."

"Ah, I see," Olivia nodded her head at his answer. She then looked towards the cave entrance and spoke, "So where's the exit? How do I leave this place?"

Unamused by her display, Lucius placed his palm on her back and pushed her towards the cave.

"Stop wasting time and get in there. There are only fifty or so minutes before the trial closes and kicks us out."

Forced ahead by his push, Olivia stumbled nearer to the cave entrance. 

"Hey, hey, hey, wait a second! How am I supposed to challenge a Peak-Level Stage 4 beast and gain its acknowledgment with my meager strength!? What if it mistakes my honest challenge for disrespect? Aren't I just asking to die!!?"

"You'll be fine. The creature within is very tame. It won't kill any participant," Lucius calmly replied. He then added with an almost soundless mutter, "…i think." 

Fortunately, or perhaps, unfortunately, Olivia possessed a very sharp set of ears that managed to catch his noiseless mutter.

"You think!!? What if I become the first!?"

"You may not retreat. This final trial will be the spark that lights the fuel of your ascension."

"Then we can just find another spark!! Plus, this trail isn't any spark! It's a freaking incineration chamber! Lucius, I might actually die before—"

GROOOWL!

Olivia's frantic cries were abruptly cut off by a thunderous low growl and a gust of warm breath originating from inside the cave entrance. 

The sheer presence contained within that sound froze Olivia in her tracks similar to a deer caught in front of headlights. Her thoughts whirred to a halt and her heart threatened to stop beating.

"You out there, final participant. Step into the cave and come into the presence of my magnificent self to receive your final trail."

Gulp.

Olivia audibly gulped as soon as she heard that majestic, beastly voice. Her body continued to stand unmoved as her mind desperately tried to regain control over the former.

"You heard it. Step into the cave and receive your trail," Lucius' casual tone flowed into her ears.

Judging solely from the indifference and nonchalance contained within his voice, Lucius seemed to remain completely unaffected by the presence and aura of the monster living inside the cave.

Thankfully, it was this very same nonchalance was allowed Olivia to calm down and regain her bearings. Taking a few deep breaths and tapping her cheeks twice, she turned around to take one final look at Lucius before stepping into the cave.

As her mentor, Lucius followed after her, remaining as casual and bored as always. 

The duo continued to walk along the wide cave tunnel for a few minutes before arriving at a massive clearing.

Humongous brightly lit torches decorated the massive walls of this clearing, illuminating the beast's dwellings. 

Crystallized volcanic rock made up the floors and walls of this clearing. Their surface was immaculately smooth and absent of the slightest scratch or blemish.

The ceiling of this mountainous clearing stood at a height of almost half a kilometer in the air. Thousands of stalactites hung from the ceiling, glowing with various eerie colors. Not only did they look threatening but they also screamed of danger.

And finally, at the middle of this elaborate stage was the owner of this dwelling. The Master of the Twelfth Labor. The Peak-Level Stage 4  Cerberus!

"Cutting dangerously close to the trial's closing, aren't you? Final participant."

The voice of the Stage 4 beast viciously howled within the confines of the cave. 

"No matter. Fifty minutes is more than enough time to deal with a challenge from a weakling like you. So then, let us be—" 

The majestic voice that induced fear into the bones of all those who heard it abruptly cut off. 

Olivia, who was avoiding looking directly towards the Peak-Level Stage 4 beast as a show of respect, felt confused and cautiously lifted her head to sneak a peek.

It was then that she found herself dumbfounded by the stupid look of shock present on all three heads of the Cerberus.

"Y-you! Wh-why did you come here again!?"

The awe-inspiring beast screamed in a voice that contained the feelings of surprise, anxiety, and finally...fear.