No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

Hearing her threat, Damien laughed suddenly, eyes glittering with amusement. "Alright, alright," he replied teasingly, his voice confident despite the relentless onslaught. "Since you insist."

Then, in an explosive burst of sheer speed and power, Damien moved. His form blurred, startlingly fast, his fists slamming forward with incredible force. Before the doppelganger could react, Damien's fist connected solidly with its chest.

The blow resounded sharply, a satisfying, resonant thud echoing clearly across the arena.

The double stumbled backward, its eyes widening briefly in shock before collapsing heavily to the sandy floor, body dissolving slowly into shadows and smoke.

Damien stood quietly, breathing deeply, a puzzled expression crossing his face. "Huh?" he murmured softly, clearly confused. "Not as strong as I expected."

Lyrisa exhaled sharply in relief, visibly relaxing. "Phew," she sighed dramatically, brushing her forehead theatrically. "I genuinely thought you were in trouble for a moment there, Monkey King. That doppelganger looked terrifyingly strong."

Damien glanced over with an amused smirk. "You doubted me?"

She laughed lightly, regaining her casual, teasing tone. "Never. Well, almost never." Her brow furrowed slightly, however, a shadow of suspicion flickering across her face. "Still, isn't this trial turning out a little too easy?"

As if her words had triggered it, the arena rumbled again, louder and far more violently. Damien turned sharply, instincts flaring warningly as five new figures stepped silently from the shadowy gateway.

Five exact replicas of Damien, each with the same confident, ruthless grin, eyes glowing faintly with elemental power, stared intently at him.

"Great," Damien muttered, his heart rate accelerating sharply, genuine alarm now tingling along his spine. "Five at once?"

Before he could say anything else, the five doppelgangers surged forward simultaneously, a terrifying wave of speed, skill, and elemental force.

Damien was instantly surrounded, fists and feet striking relentlessly from every angle, coordinated perfectly with devastating efficiency. Elemental attacks blasted inward from all directions, fiery heat, freezing water, deadly iron shards, and vicious wooden spikes converging rapidly.

Damien moved desperately, adrenaline coursing wildly through his veins. He ducked, dodged, spun, and blocked with frantic urgency, barely keeping pace with the storm of attacks.

Each breath was sharp, lungs burning, muscles screaming from exertion. Pain flared as iron shards grazed his arms, heat seared dangerously close, and wooden thorns scraped harshly against his skin.

Lyrisa, her teasing long forgotten, gripped her scimitars tightly, stepping forward anxiously. "Damien! That's enough, I'm stepping in—"

"No!" Damien shouted back urgently, determination blazing fiercely in his eyes. "Stay back! I've got this!"

The five doppelgangers pressed the attack relentlessly, their faces identical masks of cruel satisfaction. Damien gritted his teeth tightly, his mind racing frantically, calculating desperately for any opening.

Suddenly, with a flash of clarity, Damien saw it.

A brief, minuscule opening, a single heartbeat's lapse in synchronization among the five doubles. The golden path flared in his eyes, glowing with lethal finality.

Summoning every ounce of strength and speed, Damien lunged forward sharply, bursting through their combined assault with explosive power.

His fist struck the first doppelganger squarely, sending it sprawling with a resounding impact. Damien spun fluidly, his leg sweeping powerfully through another double's stance, knocking it off balance, sending it crashing into a third.

The remaining two doubles hesitated, caught momentarily off guard, their elemental attacks faltering.

Damien seized the brief advantage, pressing his assault swiftly and decisively. His punches and kicks were a blur of focused, ruthless violence, each strike hitting its target with devastating precision. The fourth double collapsed heavily, dissolving into shadow. The fifth, realizing its imminent defeat, summoned a last, desperate surge of elemental power.

Damien anticipated the move perfectly, dodging the final attack with expert precision, his fist slamming forward decisively. The double fell backward soundlessly, body fading slowly into smoke and shadow, leaving Damien breathing heavily amidst the empty arena.

For a long moment, silence hung heavily, punctuated only by Damien's ragged breathing and the rapid pounding of his heart. Lyrisa, eyes wide with amazement and relief, finally stepped closer, her voice filled with awe and concern.

"Damien," she breathed quietly, shaking her head slightly in disbelief, "you are genuinely insane."

Damien smiled faintly, exhaustion evident but his spirit unbroken. "I thought you already knew that," he replied, voice rough but amused.

She laughed lightly, shaking her head again in amazement. "I do, but you somehow manage to remind me regularly."

They both turned cautiously, eyes flicking warily toward the shadowed gateway. But this time, the arena remained silent, the door firmly closed.

Damien exhaled softly, allowing his muscles to relax slightly. "Finally," he murmured softly, a quiet, relieved smile appearing. "Trial complete."

Lyrisa gave a teasing smirk, eyes glittering mischievously. "Are you sure? I thought it was getting fun."

"First Trial Complete," came an ominous, resonating voice that filled the vast emptiness of the arena.

Before them, the air shimmered gently, twisting and stretching until a swirling portal burst into existence, its surface rippling softly like liquid silver. Damien and Lyrisa exchanged a brief, relieved glance before stepping gratefully into its welcoming glow.

As they emerged from the portal, Damien blinked, startled by the sudden brightness. Before them stretched an endless green grassland, lush and vibrant, sprawling out infinitely beneath an expansive sky filled with drifting clouds.

A soft breeze brushed their faces, carrying the scent of fresh grass and blooming wildflowers. The gentle warmth of sunlight caressed their skin, a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere they'd endured during the trial.

Gathered upon the grassland stood others who had survived the brutal first trial, clustered in wary groups or standing silently alone.

Damien's gaze swept rapidly over the assembled warriors, landing abruptly on a solitary figure standing serenely apart from the rest, the mysterious woman from House Umbra. She stood with an eerie calmness, her posture relaxed, her silver hair catching the sunlight like a cascade of liquid mercury.

"What the hell?" Lyrisa muttered, genuine shock coloring her voice. "I thought we were fast, but she's already here?"

Damien's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, studying the distant woman closely. "She must not have exerted much of her strength early in the rounds," he concluded softly. "Then, when the trial reproduced her doppelganger, it was automatically far weaker compared to her true power."