Chapter 9: The Holy Trials 9
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
2 Peter 2:1-3
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Dungeon completed: Ancient Evil I
Completion rate: 100%
Unlocked Dungeon: Ancient Evil II
Description: The Empire made its step towards recovery. Tanya Von Degurechaff and her company now are talking about a man going by the name of Adam, a pious man that helped them in their mission. However, instead of answers being found, only more questions appeared. While Albion sits in a shroud of mystery, something old and powerful stirs from within the Church because of your appearance.
As a reward, you have received the skill [Decalogue I].
[Decalogue I] (Passive) - Lv 1
Thou Shalt Have No Gods Before Me.
Weakens any encountered source of divinity by 10%.
You have gained 10 levels.
Role: Warrior has reached level 23.
+50 STR, +50 CON, +20 DEX
Tanya Von Degurechaff Token Obtained.
This item allows you to summon Tanya Von Degurechaff in this world.
Adam nearly tripped because of what the Lord revealed to him. My mission is not over yet.
The world he was sent into… wasn't that simple. What Albus Nicolson talked about, the ancient ruins they found, the purple essence they found. As an exorcist, in all but name, of the Church, Adam could recognize necromancy.
When he entered the laboratory, the foul magic saturated the air, despite there being no signs of the arts inside the main room. Since the doctor created a weaker but more volatile form of the purple essence—if his words were to be trusted—then Adam was sure that they played with the remnants of a powerful necromancer.
After all, Adam knew their reputation came partially from being able to survive through the hardest conditions.
But what lit a fire inside of him was the last sentence of the mission the Lord gave him.
Corruption within the Church.
Adam's anger spiked. Pulsing veins appeared on his forehead as he looked down at the wooden ground.
But his smile never left. The knowledge that his mission was not over yet lit a fire inside of him. The fire of zealousness.
Another emotion warred against his anger. The knowledge that he could still meet with the Half-Angel made him happy and relieved. He had a lot to learn from an agent of the Lord.
As someone wanting to become God's blade, Tanya was an example that he would never forget. Although he had his reservations at first about her willingness to work with heretics and with a country, he supposed she received her orders from God and therefore was on the right path.
Deus Vult, he thought.
If humans were as willing to follow the words of the Lord and let him guide them to all that is good, Adam doubted that the situation would be as dire as it is right now—or at least in his original universe.
He even realized that a Half-Angel willing to disguise herself as an unsightly mortal to guide them towards victory was commendable and honorable.
Maybe holding humanity to Tanya's standard is a bit too much… Adam reasoned.
He shook his head, continuing to read the message his Sacred Gear left for him.
...Thou Shalt Have No Gods Before Me, Adam read, quite stunned that the first commandment could give him power. For him, it simply was a given to abide by this rule, therefore he didn't know how to feel about the Lord granting him strength for something that everyone should follow.
If God saw fit to concede me of this, it must mean that I will need it in the future.
Watching the moon still high in the sky blessing the land with its light, Adam saw his path become gradually clearer.
His sister, taken away by one of the many usurpers that dared to call themselves gods, and just when he took his first step onto the path of an exorcist, he received this skill.
Coincidences did not exist, all was but God's plan.
His sister's soul was still in the clutches of that disgusting being. The feeling of worthlessness he felt that day still hadn't left him, but now, he could confidently say that he will be the hammer crashing down on these false idols one day.
As God wills it, nodded Adam. He felt an inkling of joy when he understood that his sister's soul would not be so easily refused her entry to God's domain.
He felt an inkling of excitement when he understood he would be the one destroying Hades and everything he stood for.
Not a single second had passed in this world, Adam remarked. Truly, the Lord was limitless in his strength.
The warmth suffusing his body when he was reminded that this same Lord was trusting him with missions of the highest order—purifying evil—made him almost smile in joy.
But considering that the trials were starting in a couple of hours, Adam understood that sleeping was his highest priority.
But… What is the purpose of this Token, Adam asked himself.
Everything the Lord did had a goal, even though his feeble mind could not understand it. But in this case, the action of summoning Tanya to this world truly sent him out of the loop.
Maybe Tanya also has a mission to fulfill in this world that I am not aware of?
No matter how long Adam pondered on the matter, he could not come to a satisfying conclusion.
He deposited his sword in a corner of the room, making as little noise as possible—unwilling to wake up his fellow contestants.
Another thing was on his mind. Compared to Xenovia's status, he was extremely unbalanced despite being at a higher level. He understood the difference between normal training that Xenovia underwent and the Lord directly giving him power like himself.
He would not be arrogant and declare that Xenovia was an outlier, mainly because he didn't believe it. If the other contestants were anything like the blue-haired woman, he would struggle to make it through the tournament part of the trials.
However, Adam did not despair. He knew God would not have empowered him if it wasn't because he needed to pass the Trials. And even if that were the case, then God would light up his path towards his next mission.
Tanya's world still needed his help, and his failure at this trial would not mean the end of all things for him.
With or without a fragment of Excalibur, his purpose was the same. Evil disappeared under the might of the righteous. Whether the way to express this faith was through his fist or a Holy Sword, it did not matter to him.
But as the minutes passed and fatigue was still hiding from his mind, Adam realized something crucial.
The level-ups reset my tiredness... I probably won't be able to sleep tonight, Adam thought as he stood up from the bed he entered.
Once more, he made sure not to make a noise. Robbing the other members of their precious sleep would make him unworthy of the trust God had in him.
He retrieved his claymore delicately.
Silently, he opened up the door of his room and headed towards the small chaste area he spotted when visiting the dorms earlier. Both Xenovia and he commented on the fact that it seemed to be an ideal area to train during the tournament.
His feet were quick, much quicker than they had been a couple of hours ago—at least from his perspective. Thanks to his increased stats, he wiggled through the corridors unnoticed by the sleeping contestants.
Adam marveled at the difference, a 70-point increase in dexterity made in his overall stealthiness. His figure hopped throughout the pristine hallway of the dorms and exited the building.
Arriving at the self-designated training area, Adam whipped out his sword from the clothing protecting it.
The air splitting from the ferocity of Adam's strikes this night perturbed nothing other than Adam himself.
Repeatedly, burning the motions into his brain until it could take it no more.
Through exercising, you have pushed yourself to a new limit and have increased your STR by 1
Adam grinned.
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"Good Morning Adam," Xenovia said, her calm voice attracting Adam's attention immediately. She was wearing her standard tight exorcist outfit, hiding her figure with a white cloak that engulfed her from the neck to her feet.
While his training last night left him tired and his muscles were aching, his improved body—thanks to his Sacred Gear—allowed him to push through the exhaustion easily.
This morning, his step was assured and his eyes wide open.
"I greet you, Xenovia Quarta, may God bless you," Adam said, waving at the blue-haired girl.
Xenovia nearly tripped when she heard Adam's greeting. Since when do fellow exorcists greet each other so formally, she thought, harboring resentment towards him for putting her on the spot like this.
Probably because of the states that she was getting as she nearly spilled her breakfast on the floor.
As blunt as she was, she simply glared at anyone daring to send a look in her direction, and while it killed the glares, it only fueled the private conversations.
"M-may God bless you too," she said when she stood back up, verifying that she had saved every bit of her meal.
A growing girl like her must abide by the holy three meals, her mother had told her. It was definitely not because she was a glutton.
The staff responsible for the functioning of the tournament had woken them up to get breakfast, and Xenovia, the moment Adam entered her sight, directly walked towards him.
Her general disposition towards others and the fact that Griselda Quarta was her mother made her, while not untouchable, still difficult to approach within the Church. The few people she could call her friends weren't taking part in the Holy Sword Trials. Having been raised outside of the Church, Adam did not know anyone here and thus ate alone.
The two teenagers found a rather companionable peace in the silence between them.
However, Xenovia couldn't help but become curious when she noticed Adam's body and general demeanor. A lot had changed for him during the night.
As usual for her, Xenovia immediately cut to the chase. "Adam, how did you gain so much strength in so little time?"
The daughter of Griselda Quarta, trained harshly ever since she could hold a sword, had a keen eye on evaluating people. While she rather appreciated Adam's personality, he wasn't what Xenovia would call a threat to her in the incoming tournament.
Or at least that was the case until last night.
The current Adam was completely different. His muscles looked more wired, more purposeful, his torso seemed broader, supported by wider legs.
Wait a second, Xenovia thought. Did he even grow taller?
She narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. Her mind immediately went to the worst outcomes possible. Could it be that some evil being replaced Adam?!
Quick to jump to conclusions, Xenovia's body tensed as her hand approached the handle of her sword under the table.
Ignorant of Xenovia's thought, Adam blinked and internally commended her for being so perceptive. He had noticed the changes in his body last night, but simply shrugged it off. Not many people could discern the difference. "Only through God and my Sacred Gear, was I able to achieve the strength necessary to compete in this tournament," he preached.
"... Huh?" Xenovia couldn't believe it.
"Exactly what I just said. My sudden increase in strength comes from the Lord and my Sacred Gear."
"..."
What is wrong with him? She asked herself. She did not take Adam as one of those believers.
"By the Lord… You mean through your Sacred Gear, right?" uttered the blue-haired exorcist.
"Indeed," nodded Adam.
Xenovia let out a sigh of relief she didn't even know she was holding. In her experience, Church members that talked too much about God intervening in their lives always ended up going down dark and dangerous paths.
"What is your Sacred Gear exactly then? I've never heard of one that allowed this kind of growth in just an entire night…" Xenovia questioned. "I know you've said that you can judge people thanks to your Sacred Gear, but…"
"Oh, my Sacred Gear evolved when we were on the train," Adam nonchalantly said.
"... So that was the change you told me about back then," realized Xenovia.
"Exactly…"
The discussion once more petered out, Xenovia having reached a satisfying conclusion as the blue-haired woman started to all but engulf her breakfast under the widened eye of her male companion.
I'm wondering if that should be considered a skill by itself… thought Adam.
Prompted by the devouring mouth in front of him and knowing that time waited for no one, Adam shook his head and focused on his plate instead of watching Xenovia's fascinating ability to devour her food.
If there was another thing that she didn't comment on, it was Adam's holy power. Mostly because she knew that Sacred Gear came in all forms and could accomplish even the wildest of things. She decided to not question the man that could become her friends in the future—enlarging her rather narrow circle.
It took everything she had to stop herself from asking those questions. She had sworn to her mother to make some efforts, but that didn't mean that it was easy for her.
She honestly also suspected some sort of Balance Breaker being at play. While not privy to the intricate workings of God's gift to humanity, she never heard of a Sacred Gear being able to multiply someone's strength so quickly.
Except the Boosted Gea-
Xenovia perked up, her eyes roaming over Adam's body once more.
"..." His lips twitched. Before he could say anything, the woman in front of him once more returned to her eager task of engulfing her breakfast.
A Balance Breaker would be whatever the user desired, recited Xenovia, remembering an old lesson she had to go through.
If Adam desired strength for the Trials, then that would be what his Sacred Gear would give him. Making it into something reaching the likes of a Longinus would be totally unheard of.
One principle that she learned to regard Sacred Gears in the Church was that no one truly understood how they worked, so she supposed it wasn't outside the realm of possibilities.
If that was the case, then it was her duty to protect such a rare gem. She could very well be in front of the one that would drag the Church out of the critical situation they found themselves in ever since devils and the other pantheons learned of the Sacred Gears.
Artifacts granted by the grace of the Lord to the weak humanity, to protect them from the darkness and from the lies… All just to get enslaved by every other faction for these same gifts.
Someone doubling their reserve of Holy Power in a night… Short of a Miracle Child, I've never heard of something like this. Xenovia was in slight disbelief.
There has been no sign of him being one of the renowned feathered half-children… But Xenovia did not discard this theory just yet.
Despite the burning curiosity in her mind, she knew that if Adam was not aware of his heritage, asking him would not result in anything. Miracle Children were to be protected by the Church, due to what they suffered in the past.
If Adam was currently awakening his ancestry, then she needed to tread with caution.
However, since she also believed Adam, she didn't forget about his Sacred Gear.
One theory does not exclude the other… considered Xenovia. Her eyes narrowed.
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The activity within the coliseum was at an all-time high. The Church conducted very few things more important than the Trial in this dimension.
It was the first time since the creation of the fragments of the holy sword Excalibur that every fragment—except Excalibur Ruler—would be given to the worthy at the same time.
The Lord was shedding its light upon the Church, some would say.
On this occasion, they gathered big names of the Church from around the world to see the newest generation fight for the right to hold these treasures.
This day was bound to be recorded in history.
It was why at first Adam felt his heartbeat speed up as he recognized some of the most virtuous people in the world wandering around the coliseum. He was ecstatic to breathe the same air of the people that paved the way to the fight against Evil. The protectors of humanity, the humans that were the closest to God.
It was like a dream come true to Adam. For someone like him that had been growing up to the epic songs of the Christian warriors of old, seeing legendary figures so close made him regain a childish glee that nothing else could elicit from him.
Xenovia was feeling much the same, but being used to seeing several of these great figures, her glee was much more concealed than the bright-eyed man jerking his head left to right constantly while walking through the walls of the coliseum—trying to see as much as possible.
Still, Xenovia couldn't say she didn't enjoy the usually stoic Adam being so expressive once she mentioned that the strongest exorcist had also come to the trials.
It made even less sense considering that his initial response was less than enthusiastic.
Even if his face of shock and his wide smile didn't last long, Xenovia would leave this Trial with an enjoyable experience, no matter what happened from now on.
However, what Xenovia didn't notice was the slowly dimming glint in Adam's eyes. His pace slowed down as they passed by more and more people.
As they nearly reached the place where the strongest exorcist was said to be, Adam completely stopped.
"Xenovia," he called, his voice dangerously low, and the word pronounced in a parched manner.
"Y-yes?" Xenovia felt a shiver go through her spine.
"Does the Church have a way to verify if someone truly believes in God?" Adam's words were the only things Xenovia could concentrate on. It was as if something muted the world for a moment.
"Not that I'm aware of, no…"
"..."
Adam didn't answer for a while. He stayed stuck in place, gazing towards the open air of the coliseum. It was a gaze of resignation.
The target of his stare?
Dulio Gesualdo.
"... I see."
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"Brothers and Sisters," the soft but clear voice echoed from the center of the coliseum arena. Most of the representatives and sponsors of each participant were already sitting in the bleachers.
Each young man and woman were standing straight, their gaze focused on the man in charge of the start of the Trials. Dulio Gesualdo.
The strongest exorcist being in charge of the starting ritual sent a ripple through the motivation of the young talents of the Church. Some were pumped up about being able to perform before their idol, others not so much.
"..." Dulio observed the contestants and scratched his cheek when he saw their seriousness. "In just an instant, the matchmaking system will start selecting the first contestants to fight in this arena. As you can see, it's… it's big," he said, gesturing to the circular platform inside the coliseum where he was currently sitting in the middle of.
"Such a bothersome… Food all around the world is waiting for me and I'm stuck here instead…" Dulio sighed.
The echoing magic used to spread Dulio's voice throughout the coliseum proved to work a tad too much when the words he muttered under his breath were heard clearly.
The gap between reality and the stories was too big. The contestants didn't know how to react.
Dulio, unaware that his mumbling had been heard, continued to speak without a care. "All of you registered earlier this week in the system, a number should appear in front of you in just a short moment…" At the end of his sentence, a golden flame blazed in front of every participant, catching a few off-guard, and a number made of holy fire was assigned to each of them.
Dulio cleared his voice, "Ahem. This year, instead of evaluating everyone's holy aptitude, we've decided to have a tournament between the contestants first…"
"W-what?!" said one of the representatives from his chair in the bleachers.
The response was slightly chaotic, as murmurs broke out among both the representatives and the contestants. Only a couple of men and women seemed to have been informed of this before the revelation, as evidenced by their lack of surprise.
But overall, each contestant and their corresponding mentors seemed confident of their capabilities to overcome everyone else.
Adam nodded at that behavior.
Dulio gave a few more words to the crowd before they made the brackets known to the public. Adam, as number 68, and Xenovia, as number 21.
"How convenient," Xenovia spoke. "We will not see each other until very far in the tournament."
Adam gave her a look. "Do you want to fight me so badly?"
"Of course." She clenched her fist, a fire in her eyes. "I want to prove to everyone that I'm the best. That includes you- No, especially you."
"... I see," he spoke, realizing how competitive the blue-haired exorcist was. "Unfortunately, I don't intend to lose to anyone. The Lord has shown me the path and I shall not steer away from it."
Xenovia simply smiled. "Then, I only have to surpass God's expectations in that case," she said, rendering Adam speechless for a few seconds. "Even if you have a Sacred Gear that allows you to grow stronger, I shall climb over that and win this tournament."
Adam was unwilling to back down. Xenovia had lit up his own competitive nature. "You can try," he spoke with a smile. "I hope that the defeat won't be too harsh for you."
Xenovia simply snorted exaggeratedly and walked towards her cell. Each participant had a cell assigned to them with their number where they would stay in-between fights or if they lost.
Seeing her walk away, Adam gained a faraway gaze and sighed. Sorry, Xenovia, but sometimes there are things that aren't meant to be…
The Lord had shown him the path, literally.
Mission Unlocked:
The Holy Trials.
Description: As a participant of the holy trials organized by the Church, you have entered a fierce competition between the brightest young talents of this generation. Raise above your peers and show yourself worthy of the Title.
Rewards:
+10 Levels in the current equipped Role.
+5 Levels in [Holy Energy Manipulation].
A random shard of Excalibur.
[Holy Fire Manipulation] Skill.
Adam smirked and he thought back to what he had seen earlier. It wasn't a fire burning inside of his eyes.
It was an inferno of zealousness.
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There is an advanced chapter on my Pat re on if you'd like to read it a week earlier. Feel free to check it if you'd like to support me: Pat re on .com (slash) HiddenSword
I have finally created my own discord, for my two ongoing stories, here's the link if you want to come and chat: discord .gg/UQ4YbqphM9
A/N: Now the clashing of steel begins. Adam will finally have to prove his worth on the biggest stage of his life! Feel free to drop a review or join the discord to tell me what you thought about the chapter.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone