Booommm! Blaaaammmm!

Aji gave the signal. Lao detonated the entire disk of energy, using the remaining energy within him. Gayatri, who had sensed the energy explosion, immediately erected a barrier with her energy. She didn't understand why she was being asked to block it from the outside with her energy.

Barsha was also confused, as she had to prepare with her speed as an assassin. She had to clear out the remaining ones. What kind of attack would make the attackers fall and leave them alone?

The explosion had occurred, the energy shattered, and her vision became blinding. By the time she could see her surroundings, dozens of people wearing face masks had already collapsed on the Colosseum floor. Only two or three remained standing. The energy fog created by Gonan had vanished.

Now, everyone could see the situation on the entire Colosseum floor. The three remaining examiners, as if still feeling compelled to attack, were down to three. They immediately completed their task and charged towards the four people, Aji's group.

As the attackers charged forward, Barsha swiftly intercepted them and weaved, knocking them all down in quick succession. Barsha's vision was no longer obscured by the energy fog created by Gonan. The clear light allowed him to move freely and immediately strike down the remaining three men with the hilt of his dagger.

The three attackers fell, and that was the last thing the remaining participants of the second test saw. The audience, still awake on the walls of the Colosseum, was curious about the results.

Including Chairman Yonan, who seemed frozen in place. He had just realized that someone had been able to dispel the fog he had created. He was shocked, and when his eyes regained consciousness, he saw dozens of assassins on the second test assignment fall to the ground.

Barsha's finishing attack ended the second test session, the survival mission. Several warriors immediately entered the Colosium floor through holes in the walls and rushed to carry the fallen warriors to the ground for treatment.

Everyone was still waiting to see what would happen. Chairman Gonan still couldn't believe what had happened. He was still pondering what had happened just a few seconds ago. However, he had to announce what had happened because he was the examiner for this second test.

"Alright! I hereby declare that these are the remaining survivors who have passed the second test, with this survival mission. Tomorrow, those of you who have passed will undergo the third test to become Heavenly Troopers!"

Leader Gonan opened his arms in congratulations to those who had successfully passed the second test. This signaled the end of the second test.

21 Heavenly Troopers were remaining who had passed and remained on the Colosseum floor. Those who had fallen had all been taken to the Colosseum's inner chamber for treatment.

However, until Leader Gonan announced that the second test was over and that the survivors were the only ones left, no one knew exactly what had happened with the flash of explosion and why the attackers had fallen so quickly.

The warriors were still curious, including Alicia, who was still puzzled. She herself had previously felt that, for a while, it seemed as if the attackers had stopped attacking them. She hadn't sensed any attacks or energy approaching.

There was absolutely no attack, except for the sound of weapons clanking and energy colliding elsewhere. The clash was so loud that it even created a powerful energy rebound that Alicia felt.

Alicia knew that all the attackers seemed to be taking down the participants elsewhere entirely. They weren't even getting hit. Alicia tried to use her magic to make the fog in front of her part, allowing her to see through the gap she had created.

Attack after attack from the attackers, dozens of them, struck the four-person team. And it was during their coordinated movement that she saw all the attackers being blown away and falling, and a massive energy explosion blinded her.

Alicia was puzzled by what had happened. She guessed that the energy was a powerful force that had caused the surrounding area to be attacked.

One thing that puzzled Alicia was: how could the energy blast only affect the attackers? And why didn't the remaining participants around them fall at all?

After Chairman Gonan declared the second test complete, there were 21 remaining participants.

The participants who passed were announced by their numbers: Gayatri, Lao, Aji, Barsha, Arion, Astro, Alicia, Midan, Domar, Rosa, Nagada, Sanjo, Yara, Nanji, Samuel, Nora, Hamda, Namud, Binto, Aria, and Mega.

The participants were asked to return to the town square tomorrow. They were all invited to eat or rest at their lodgings. The remaining participants were also asked to meditate to restore their energy. They had to prepare themselves for the upcoming test. Tomorrow was their third test.

Of course, the third test was even more difficult than the previous two, as they prepared to become Heavenly Troops.

The participants dispersed and left the Colosseum, though the thoughts of every participant, examiner, and spectator were still lingering. Everyone was still curious about what happened after the massive explosion caused by Lao.

No one knew, and everyone was still guessing.

***

An old man remained standing at the very top of the Colosseum. He watched everyone leave.

The bearded old man, Nurin, had been a relaxed figure, watching all the action unfold. Now, he was left alone; all the spectators had turned away, and the examiner had also withdrawn.

Nurin held his beard. He watched intently as a young man was about to exit the door beneath the Colosseum floor. Aji caught his attention. The old man smiled as he stroked his rather long beard.

"Interesting! There's such an interesting figure in this Heavenly Troops test."

Nurin nodded. He hadn't expected to witness such a grand spectacle, he thought.

While most people were unaware of what was happening, he himself was delighted with the sharpness of his strength. He had watched the final test battle closely. Just as Lao was about to explode his energy discs, another woman enveloped them in an energy barrier.

At that moment, a figure emerged from the barrier, moving at a speed undetectable to the naked eye. He held all the energy discs and weaved around, striking the attackers, knocking them down one by one with the discs Lao had created.

The man was Aji. The barrier Gayatri had created was meant to protect them, as the energy disc fragments shattered as Aji attacked the examiners one after another with incredible speed.

That was what Nurin realized; perhaps she was the only one who understood the situation.

The question was, was it the man or Aji? Was he a speedy assassin who had reached the 9th rank, the highest rank?

Nurin turned around, and a second later, he vanished like lightning.