The Broken Halo

Chapter 82: The Region of Death

The second trial was a trial that took place in darkness.

There was no ray of light, only the black moon which released a dark light unto the demon realm.

There are beasts and demons who thrived better under the black moon, and there are also beasts and demons who thrived better under the crimson moon.

Demons usually called the beasts that thrived under the black moon, the Beasts of the Night or the Night Beasts.

And the Blackwind Valley was a place where 99% of the beasts were Night Beasts.

Night Beasts were very similar to assassins in the sense that they used the darkness to stalk and kill their prey.

The second trial was meant to test the capability of the trial candidates in an environment that was suitable for assassins, and in an environment where their enemies were also similar to assassins.

It was meant to see how well some of the candidates could thrive in such an environment, and if they were capable of surviving assassins that were not truly assassins.

And the first issue all of the candidates had to deal with was visibility in the night.

Some of the candidates were like Simon who had the innate ability to see in the night, while some needed to use techniques to see.

This single factor led to some of the candidates dying to beasts and even to some other candidates.

Some of the arrogant candidates who believed that they could handle the Beasts of the Night died by sudden attacks from beasts in hidden and even open locations.

There were some candidates who stood directly in front of the beasts that killed them, but they were not even aware of the beast’s presence.

Numerous killings happened left and right in the Blackwind Valley, and one could hear the last screams of the candidates and the death throes of the night beasts.

The Blackwind Valley was rife with numerous activities, but one of the biggest was where the screams of numerous candidates could be heard in nearly every part of the valley.

The screams was one of horror and immense fear, and some of the candidates wondered in fear just what sort of beast could cause a group of candidates to scream in such horror.

Every single candidate had been trained to some degree by their families, so for a group to express such fear meant that the beast must be extremely terrifying.

However, some candidates thought deeply about it.

They only heard the screams of the candidates, but they never heard the roars of the beast or beasts.

It was extremely strange to them, and the brave and curious ones decided to approach the screams.

However, a killing intent that was so thick and dense to the point that those with exceptional senses saw a region of the valley being covered in a swirling red hue.

Many Lesser Beasts and even some Dire Beasts ran for their lives the moment they perceived this killing intent, and this led to some candidates who were close to the region, being forced to deal with more beasts.

More candidates died, and many ran for their lives in the dark.

It was certain that many tripped on roots, stones, and even on their feet in the chaos.

But a few who were lucky and didn’t have to face this beast horde decided to approach the region that was covered in the most powerful killing intent many of them had ever perceived.

Some beasts also decided to approach the region because of the blood they could smell.

The quality of the blood was appealing to many beasts, and they desired to consume such blood to increase their power.

Both candidates and beasts decided to approach the location, though with caution.

However, and to their surprise, the killing intent suddenly vanished.

Beasts met trial candidates and trial candidates met beasts, and what happened next was easy for anybody to imagine.

A battle between nearly thirty candidates and over thirty beasts occurred around a pile of six corpses.

The cries, roars, and screams tore through the forest, and many of the candidates who chose not to approach the region were baffled.

What in the world was going on?

Those who could not contain their curiosity decided to cautiously approach the region so that they could understand what was going on, while the more cautious and fearful ones, decided to distance themselves from the region of death.

The Region of Death was the name some candidates chose to give the region, and its name was rightfully deserved.

The region was soaked in blood and filled with dozens of corpses of beasts and several demon races.

And watching the scene of chaos and death on a tree branch was Simon in brand new dark robes.

Simon crouched on his two legs with his arms dangling in between his legs, but his eyes were like that of a predator as he watched everything unfold beneath him.

He was the reason behind the creation of the Region of Death, and if he was being sincere with himself, he did not expect his plan to be so successful.

When he was thinking of how he could hunt efficiently, he sensed the presence of demon beasts and some of the trial candidates approaching his location.

At first, he was startled by how many presences he could sense, but when he saw the pile of corpses, he knew why.

That was when he thought of a plan.

Since the pile of corpses which all had noble bloods in them was attractive to the demon beasts, and there were also curious trial candidates, why not allow both of them to encounter one another.

And that was what he did.

Four Superior Dire Beasts were the first to reach the site of his battle with Jath and his companions.

The beasts feasted on the corpses when they didn’t sense anything dangerous, and while they were feasting, six candidates who appeared but they hid when they saw four Superior Dire Beasts.

They only had two Superior Fiends amongst them while the others were Prime Fiends.

To Simon’s surprise back then, the group wanted to back off out of caution. So, he gave a little push.

A flick of a stone on the eyes of one of the Superior Dire Beast from the direction of the group was enough to draw the attention of all the beasts.

And unfortunately for the six candidates, Simon successfully drew the attention of the four Superior Dire Beasts toward them.

This first battle was led to the creation of the Region of Death in the second trial of the Shadowgrave Clan.