THE DESCENT OF EVIL GODS

The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, Su Chen stood atop a rocky plateau outside the military base. Below him, the first batch of awakened soldiers stood at attention, their expressions filled with a mix of excitement and unease.

They had spent the night testing their powers—flames, lightning, enhanced speed, and even more bizarre abilities. But Su Chen knew raw power meant nothing without real combat experience.

And today, they would truly fight for the first time.

The Trial of Blood

A massive iron gate groaned open behind Su Chen, revealing a sealed-off valley that had been turned into a hunting ground.

Inside—abominations waited.

Twisted creatures, remnants of failed experiments from the awakening research, lurked in the shadows. Beasts that had absorbed stray mana but mutated uncontrollably.

Some had four arms, others had eyes covering their entire bodies. Their roars echoed, sending chills down the soldiers' spines.

"This is your battlefield," Su Chen said. His gaze swept across the group. "You will not leave until you have killed."

Silence.

A soldier hesitated. "Sir… we're fighting alone?"

Su Chen's eyes narrowed. "The gods will not wait for you to be ready. The gods will not give you time to train. You will kill, or you will die."

A wave of mana erupted from him, pressing down on them.

"You want to survive the gods' descent? Then prove that you are worth saving."

With a simple flick of his hand—

Boom!

A shockwave pushed them forward.

The soldiers stumbled, falling straight into the battlefield.

The Awakening of Warriors

The moment their feet touched the ground—

The beasts attacked.

A mutant wolf lunged at a young soldier, its claws glowing with eerie blue energy. He barely had time to react before—

Boom!

A blast of fire erupted from his hand, burning the creature mid-air.

The wolf howled but didn't die. It rolled to the side, its flesh bubbling but still moving.

The soldier's face paled. "It's still alive?!"

Before it could pounce again—

Crack!

A bolt of lightning speared through its skull.

A second soldier had intervened. His hands crackled with blue energy, his breathing ragged from fear.

But then—he saw what he had done.

The beast twitched, then collapsed. Dead.

For the first time, he felt the thrill of a kill.

And then—something inside him shifted.

His mana surged.

The more they killed, the stronger they became.

A Battlefield of Monsters and Men

All across the valley, the fight intensified.

A woman with shadow-based abilities moved like a phantom, appearing behind a monstrous bear before slashing its neck with a blade of darkness.

A man with enhanced speed dodged a massive claw strike, retaliating with a flurry of punches that shattered his enemy's bones.

But not all were so lucky.

Some soldiers screamed as they were tackled to the ground, barely able to keep their enemies at bay.

One man was pinned down, his rifle useless against the hulking beast above him.

Just as it lunged—

Boom!

A flaming fist smashed through its skull.

The soldier gasped as his comrade pulled him up, fire still burning around his arms.

"Stay on your feet," the rescuer growled. "Or die like a coward."

The saved soldier trembled, then clenched his fists.

Fear turned to determination.

He raised his weapon—and this time, he fired with purpose.

Su Chen Watches

From the cliff, Su Chen observed everything.

The weak ones would either adapt or die.

The strong ones—they would rise.

And sure enough, some were already beginning to show real talent.

He focused on the fire user who had saved his comrade. His flames were getting hotter, stronger, as if feeding off the battlefield.

Another, the lightning wielder, was moving faster, his attacks becoming more precise with each kill.

Su Chen's eyes narrowed.

It was happening.

The more they killed, the stronger they became.

It wasn't just mana replenishing—it was evolving.

These weren't just awakeners.

They were true warriors in the making.

And soon—they would be ready to challenge even the gods.