Saga saw what the old man who emitted the light had just done. A powerful energy immediately radiated from within Dompai. Saga was quite badly injured, as the powerful attack from the Yarko leader had struck him in the chest.

He now thought about his two comrades inside Dompai who had already entered. He saw that Junta and Drisin were also struggling to deal with the man on his left. Saga immediately channeled the dark energy within his body. At least, his injuries would be lessened with the power of darkness he possessed.

Saga had to escape; who knew what would happen to his leaders, Jasum and Mora, inside Dompai. After the energy explosion within Dompai, it seemed the Heart Dragon had been activated.

Saga swung his sword and threw a bolt of sword energy at the Yarko leader. Yarko saw the long-range attack and thought the black warrior still possessed considerable power. Yarko easily deflected the attack. However, it was a diversion; Saga quickly disappeared and was already near the Gonan leader.

Leader Gonan, who had just unleashed a powerful magical blast that shook the ground in front of him, halted the attack. A sword flash came from his right, and he deflected it with an energy barrier. It was a surprise attack from Saga. Saga retreated and stood near Drisin and Junta, who were also injured.

Saga nodded to Drisin as they prepared to leave. Yarko and Gonan charged forward, ready to attack the three of them at once.

The dark warriors had their own trick to escape. Junta slammed his palms on the ground, and a dark cloud enveloped them. The dark area was large enough to cover a distance of 7 meters.

Gonan launched a barrage of magical attacks at the dark cloud. Yarko swung his sword, sending the energy of the explosions shooting straight into the black cloud.

Blaaaaamm! Booooomm!

As the fog slowly cleared, only the traces of Leader Gonan and Leader Yarko's attacks remained. The three dark warriors had vanished without a trace. Of course, they had left using the portal as they had before.

"Let them go! I think there's already an intruder among the elders on our continent. He's trying to seize the sacred artifact, Heart Dragon."

Grandpa Nurin's words were immediately understood by Yarko and Gonan. Indeed, there was no way they could breach the defenses. In fact, they could disguise themselves as Prisma City soldiers to seize one of the artifacts from the Heavenly Secrets stored on the Orpris Continent.

They had launched a surprise attack, which was the first step for the dark forces to begin their action. The threat to the martial world was becoming increasingly apparent, perfect for the formation of the Heavenly Army, which would be trained to become the most powerful force possessed by any school on the continent.

"Grandpa Nurin," Yarko, who was one of the most respected figures on the Emerald Continent, dared to speak, "Excuse me, Grandpa, but what about the Heavenly Army participants still inside Dompai? Shouldn't we just go in and help them repel the two dark forces that have already entered?" he asked the elder of the Orpris Continent.

Naturally, Chairman Yarko felt compelled to ask this question. Remembering that the two members of the dark forces had already entered the magic circle to enter Dompai, a battle would undoubtedly ensue within Dompai between the Heavenly Force participants and the two dark forces.

Grandpa Nurin, an advisor or elder on the Orpris Continent, smiled at Leader Yarko, "You guys can rest assured. To become strong, they must receive important lessons as a starting point for their Heavenly Force journey. They will face the dark warriors head-on."

"But Grandpa," now, the voice of Leader Gonan, also from the Orpris Continent, interjected, "What about you breaking the seal on the Heart Dragon and allowing them all to face the Heart Dragon illusion?"

Leader Gonan certainly wasn't too worried about the two dark sect warriors trapped within the Heart Dragon. However, what about the Heavenly Force participants who would have to face the dark forces and also be under the influence of the Heart Dragon?

Grandpa Nurin smiled, his eyes fixed on the Dompai building. "Let them prove whether they are worthy of being part of the Heavenly Troops or not. This is a real test for them. There's no need to worry about their reputation. Whether they pass or fail depends on their own abilities."

Chief Yarko and Chief Gonan exchanged glances. Grandpa Nurin's decision must have been carefully considered.

Grandpa Nurin turned and looked at Dompai, his lips slightly quirked. He activated and unlocked the Heart Dragon seal out of necessity. Originally, the Heart Dragon seal would be unlocked once they had chosen their weapons. However, due to the sudden arrival of the dark forces, everything now depended on the abilities of the Heavenly Army participants.

However, Grandpa Nurin had one thought in mind: what other surprises would the young man bring? Yes, it was Aji, whose speed was quite surprising, possessing the speed of a high-ranking assassin.

And Grandpa Nurin smiled.

***

All eyes inside Dompai were dazzled. It was the light radiating from the tip of the spear, which was facing upward. At that moment, Aji and Mora were close to the spear. The large room inside Dompai seemed to turn completely white from the glare.

At that moment, a miracle occurred.

Aji felt his body shiver. He felt as if he were in a vast green field filled with tall grass, as tall as an adult's stomach, swaying in the breeze. Where is this? Aji thought.

Aji's body trembled as he remembered everything. Yes, this was really the resonance of the Soul Deep and the Heart Dragon. Then, why did he feel like he'd been teleported here? What must Aji do to escape the Heart Dragon illusion?

Aji already knew about the Heart Dragon artifact. In the past, the Heart Dragon was carefully guarded by advisors from across the continent and hidden in a specific location. The Heart Dragon would inflict damage on anyone affected by it, as the power of the Heart Dragon would create an illusion.

This time, Aji felt himself within the Heart Dragon illusion. The resonance between the Deep Soul within Aji and the shattering of the Heart Dragon artifact was palpable. As he was contemplating a way out of the illusion in the grassy field, Aji was startled to see a figure walking through the grass.

The green grass was scorched along the path, followed by a figure walking toward Aji. The figure was very familiar to Aji, and his fists clenched. The walking figure scorched the tall grass around him and reduced it to ash.

The figure was Lord Demon, the one he had fought with twenty years ago.

***

On the other hand, Jasum, also caught in the shimmering light, seemed transported to a hillside littered with boulders. Jasum wondered why he was there. He only remembered fighting and being ganged up on by the Heavenly Army participants taking the test.

A flash of energy flashed, and Jasum leaped back and landed on a large rock behind him. The boulder Jasum had been standing on exploded like a sandblast. A figure hovered in the air; it was the one who had attacked him earlier.

Jasum's gaze sharpened on the floating figure. His muscular build and build were quite old, perhaps in his forties. The figure made Jasum's eyes widen sharply. That was...

Jasum's rage exploded, the energy in his fists blazing, ready to crush anything in his path. "Finally, you've come, Lightning Striker!" Jasum shouted, and he lunged with his sword. He charged and attacked the floating figure, the one who had once humiliated him. And Jasum vowed to avenge his crushing defeat when he faced Lightning Striker.

Jasum had trained day and night relentlessly, waiting for the moment when he would once again meet the pride of the white sect, the Legend of Lightning Striker.

HIIIIIAAAAAA!

Alicia, who had just attacked Jasum, was also sent flying by the beam of the spear's tip. She opened her eyes and found herself on the edge of a lake. The water was so clear that it could captivate one and make one linger.

Alicia approached the edge of the lake. She felt a coolness. "It's beautiful." That's it, Alicia was playing on the edge of the beach while sitting, her hands splashing the water, and the water felt very fresh.

The sun rose a little, its shimmering rays illuminating the water, creating a colorful beauty on the trees, the air, and everything reflected in the lake. It was beautifully colorful, and even countless butterflies flitted around Alicia.

This was the most beautiful place Alicia had ever seen, and this was Alicia's dream. A peaceful life without wars to become the next head of Prism City. No more strenuous and boring training; Alicia wanted to be free like a butterfly and live in peace. That was all.

This was the perfect place to live for the rest of her life. She was captivated by the beautiful scenery around her, sparkling, colorful, and refreshing.

"This is so beautiful, so comfortable here," was what Alicia had always wanted. She smiled at everything she saw. Everything was beautiful and serene.

On the other side, Lao, who was casting shadow energy from his discus weapon, found it difficult to see because of the explosion from the spearhead. When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by thousands of people, their bodies shrouded in dark energy.

Lao gritted his teeth, furious. This was the moment; Lao would not let this opportunity slip away. He would destroy the entire army of darkness with all his might.

Lao held a deep grudge: the death of his parents. He had witnessed their deaths with his own eyes when he was a child, hidden in a hidden place, protecting his younger sister, Gayatri. From that hidden place, his parents' screams deafened his ears, and he couldn't hold back his tears any longer.

"You're finished!"

Lao's shout was accompanied by thousands of energy discs, the shadows of his two weapon discs. The thousands of dark troops attacked and charged Lao all at once. Lao was undeterred, swinging his discs back and forth, left and right. The shadow energy of the glowing and shimmering discs twisted, reflecting Lao's commands and directions.

BLAAAAMMM! Booommmm! Braaakkk!

Attack after attack collided, sword clashing with energy discs. The light of fire, light, and energy exploded as they collided. Lao took down about ten dark soldiers. However, one of them attacked with a long-range attack, hitting him in the chest.

Lao retreated and somersaulted, regaining his strength and preparing for another fight. This was endless for Lao, but he would fight to the bitter end, his revenge at its peak.