Ascension Gates: Rise of the Beast Monarch-Chapter 41: The First Trial of the Ruins

The ancient temple doors opened slowly.

A deep grinding sound echoed across the valley as massive stone slabs moved after centuries of silence. Dust fell from the ceiling, drifting into the cold night air.

Beyond the entrance stretched a dark stone corridor illuminated by glowing golden runes.

The light was dim, but steady.

Ancient.

Mysterious.

Everyone in the valley stared at the entrance with tense anticipation.

For two days the ruins had remained sealed.

Now they had opened.

And it happened because of Aether.

Lucien Valcrest’s eyes darkened slightly as he watched Aether standing calmly near the entrance.

He didn’t like that.

Not at all.

Someone else receiving attention before him was unacceptable.

But for now, he remained silent.

Because what mattered most was the inheritance inside the ruins.

---

Aether stepped inside the temple.

The Flame Sovereign Pup walked beside him, flames flickering softly along its body.

Behind him, several others followed.

Rylan.

Three adventurers.

Two academy students.

And Lucien with his armored wolf.

The moment they crossed the entrance, the massive doors slowly closed behind them.

BOOM.

The sound echoed through the hall.

Several people immediately turned back.

The doors had completely sealed.

One of the adventurers muttered nervously.

"Well... guess there’s no turning back now."

Golden runes along the floor began glowing brighter.

Then the ancient voice returned.

Calm.

Deep.

Emotionless.

"Welcome... challengers."

Everyone froze.

The voice seemed to come from the entire temple itself.

"This ruin preserves the inheritance of an ancient being."

"Those who seek it must prove their worth."

Lucien smirked slightly.

"Finally."

He crossed his arms confidently.

"I’ll pass whatever tests this place throws at me."

The voice continued.

"Only the chosen may proceed."

Suddenly—

The floor lit up.

Golden light surged across the corridor and gathered into several glowing circles on the ground.

Five circles.

One by one they activated.

Then beams of light shot upward from them.

Everyone looked at the circles nervously.

"What are those?"

Before anyone could react, one of the beams moved.

It stopped directly in front of a young adventurer.

The light surrounded him.

Then the voice spoke again.

"Candidate accepted."

The adventurer looked shocked.

"Accepted?"

Another beam moved.

This time it stopped in front of Rylan.

The light surrounded him as well.

"Candidate accepted."

Rylan blinked.

"Well... that was unexpected."

Lucien stepped forward confidently.

"Obviously I’ll be chosen too."

As if responding to his words, a beam of light moved toward him.

It stopped in front of him.

Then surrounded him.

"Candidate accepted."

Lucien smiled proudly.

"Of course."

Two more beams moved.

One selected another academy student.

The other selected a female adventurer wearing dark leather armor.

That made **five candidates**.

Everyone looked around.

The remaining explorers waited nervously.

But no more beams appeared.

Then the voice spoke again.

"Five challengers have been chosen."

"Others must leave."

The unchosen adventurers immediately protested.

"Wait, what?"

"We came all the way here!"

But the ruins ignored them.

A glowing door appeared on the wall behind them.

"Exit granted."

Clearly, the ruins would not allow them to proceed.

Most of them reluctantly walked toward the exit.

Only six people remained in the hall.

The five candidates...

And Aether.

---

Lucien frowned.

"Why is he still here?"

The ruins had not selected Aether.

Yet he had not been asked to leave either.

Everyone turned toward him.

The ancient voice paused briefly.

Then it spoke again.

"Anomaly detected."

Golden runes around Aether began glowing intensely.

The energy within the ruins reacted strangely.

Even the walls trembled slightly.

Rylan looked surprised.

"What’s happening?"

The voice continued.

"Foreign authority detected."

Lucien frowned deeper.

"Foreign authority?"

The runes surrounding Aether flickered repeatedly.

Then suddenly—

They stabilized.

The voice spoke once more.

"Permission granted."

"Special challenger accepted."

Everyone stared.

Lucien’s expression twisted slightly.

"So he gets special treatment now?"

Rylan chuckled quietly.

"Looks like the ruins really like you."

Aether simply remained calm.

But internally, he understood something important.

The strange power within his soul was interfering with the ruins’ selection system.

Instead of rejecting him...

The ruins had allowed him to participate outside normal rules.

Which meant one thing.

He would not face the same limitations as the others.

---

The voice spoke again.

"The first trial will now begin."

The floor shifted.

Massive stone walls moved, reshaping the corridor.

Soon the group stood inside a circular arena chamber.

Ancient statues surrounded the room.

Each statue held a different weapon.

Sword.

Spear.

Axe.

Bow.

Rylan whispered quietly.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

The voice continued.

"Trial One: Combat and Control."

"Defeat the guardians."

Suddenly—

The statues moved.

Stone cracked as they stepped down from their pedestals.

Their eyes glowed bright gold.

Animated guardians.

Eight of them.

Each radiating strong battle energy.

The female adventurer cursed.

"Damn... these things look tough."

Lucien smirked.

"Relax."

He pointed forward.

"Fenrir, destroy them."

His armored wolf roared and charged.

Meanwhile the other challengers summoned their beasts.

Rylan summoned a blue-scaled serpent.

The female adventurer summoned a shadow panther.

Aether glanced at his partner.

The Flame Sovereign Pup’s flames flared slightly.

"Ready?" Aether asked.

The beast nodded.

The guardians attacked.

The battle began.

---

Stone blades clashed against claws and fangs.

Lucien’s wolf smashed through the first guardian easily.

Rylan’s serpent wrapped around another, crushing its stone body.

But the guardians were stronger than expected.

One struck the female adventurer’s panther, throwing it across the arena.

Another fired a glowing arrow of energy.

Aether stepped forward calmly.

"Crimson Step."

The Flame Sovereign Pup vanished.

In the next moment, a blur of fire streaked across the battlefield.

Three guardians froze mid-motion.

Then—

Cracks spread across their bodies.

Flames erupted.

They shattered instantly.

Everyone stopped fighting for a second.

Lucien’s eyes narrowed.

"That beast..."

The Flame Sovereign Pup moved again.

Its twin tails spun gracefully as it danced between the remaining guardians.

Each strike precise.

Each flame perfectly controlled.

Within moments, the final guardian collapsed.

Silence filled the chamber.

The first trial had ended.

---

Golden light filled the room again.

The ancient voice spoke.

"Trial One complete."

"All challengers pass."

Stone doors opened deeper inside the ruins.

The next trial awaited.

But far below the temple...

Deep inside the sealed core chamber...

A pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.

A beautiful figure sat quietly inside a glowing prison seal.

Which had watched everything. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Every challenger.

Every battle.

But its gaze lingered on only one person.

Aether.

A faint smile appeared on its lips.

"So..."

"The one who carries that power has finally arrived."

Then it leaned forward slightly, resting its chin on hand.

"How interesting."

The mysterious being continued watching silently.

As the trials had only just begun.