Everything in the brown building started to shake—the floor, the walls, even the ceiling and the lights. Rhosa and Rhitta stood up and rushed over toward Aniya, looking around frantically. They didn't know what was happening, so they ran to her for protection.

  "It's starting," said Aniya. She knew exactly what this feeling was. Having reached the second awakening, she had personally experienced this once in her life and had seen others go through it.

  "Let's go," said Aniya as she picked both girls up in her arms and took flight. She flew toward the door of the gigantic brown building, opened it, and continued flying until she reached the entrance of the garden. She quickly opened it and ran out of the room. Everything in the sanctuary was shaking. This was the effect of the start of a tribulation. It was like an earthquake ravaging the land.

  Aniya quickly grabbed the girls' hands and ran outside, taking flight into the air. Many people in the sanctuary were already flying, and far above them was one singular person floating high in the sky. This person was the one who was awakening, causing the tribulation. Everyone gathered below was simply spectating, watching to see whether the person would pass the tribulation—or fall.

  Although one person goes through the tribulation, they are allowed to receive help from outside forces. However, the difficulty of the tribulation increases based on the number of contributing members, and the only way for it to end is for the person who triggered it to complete it. Otherwise, the tribulation continues with a much higher difficulty. Due to these risks, tribulations were often done solo—most people didn't want to risk their lives for someone else's advancement.

  Aniya picked up Rhitta and Rhosa again and flew into the air where others were waiting below. She wanted to watch the tribulation, and it would be a valuable learning experience for the girls—preparing them for their own potential awakenings in the future.

  As Aniya flew toward the group of flying soldiers, a gigantic door appeared in the sky.

  "Remember when I told you about tribulations? This is it. That gigantic door, hundreds of meters tall, holds synergy. When you pass the tribulation, the door opens, and synergy floods into your body, increasing the size of your synergy base and the synergy within you, making you stronger," said Aniya.

  The girls looked at the door in awe. It was huge compared to them—and even compared to the sanctuary.

  "Another thing I should mention, which should be obvious, is that the higher the awakening a person is trying to reach, the harder the tribulation becomes. Tribulations aren't the same for every person, so it'll be interesting to see what kind this one goes through."

  Aniya reached the group, and with the appearance of the door, that meant the tribulation was about to start. She held out her palms, and objects began forming from a dazzling blue light. The light dispersed, revealing three chairs. She carefully placed Rhitta and Rhosa in two of them and sat in the last one herself.

  Far above, next to the tribulation door, black spiraling portals appeared. Dark clouds began forming above the door. The tribulation was about to begin—the attack of the heavens. From within the clouds came thunderous rumbling. As the thunder echoed throughout the sanctuary, figures started walking through the black spiraling portals.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  As they emerged, they flew and charged toward the lone figure in the sky. The figures appeared endlessly—more and more kept coming. Upon closer inspection, they looked like knights. Some carried spears, others swords. Some had wings and wielded both swords and spears, while others had bows and arrows. There were even knights on horseback, brandishing various weapons.

  As the knights charged toward the floating soldier, he rushed forward to meet them. Several knights halted in midair, stopping at a considerable distance. These knights carried bows and arrows and were preparing to fire. Instead of regular arrows, these were made entirely out of light.

  The soldier flew head-on into the volley. Over twenty light arrows streaked toward him. As they neared, he reached back, and a black sword appeared in his hand. He swung it, cutting the first arrow in half. As more arrows closed in, he cut those down too. But there were too many, and he couldn't remain in one spot. A few more arrows nearly struck him, but he avoided them by flying higher at high speed. A loud boom rang out as he accelerated, leaving ripples in the air behind him.

  He flew directly into one of the knights and sliced them in half. Blood splattered through the air and onto his face. This was a battlefield where survival required strength. More knights closed in, swinging their weapons. Another loud boom rang out as the soldier sped through the air again. The speed of his flight caused the nearby knights to explode into a pool of blood—their bodies couldn't withstand the impact.

  A huge number of knights continued closing in. As the soldier flew at high speeds, he clashed with multiple opponents, slicing them with a single blow. Some were split in half, others decapitated, and some stabbed in vital areas like the heart, neck, or head. Blood rained from the sky, falling from the knights he had slain. Despite the carnage, more knights poured through the portals—it seemed endless.

  Arrows began to bombard the soldier faster than before. He tried to evade, but one arrow scraped his cheek, tearing open the flesh and leaving blood running down his face. The more enemies appeared, the stronger they seemed.

  The soldier continued flying, slicing down any knight in his path. The sky echoed with booms from his movement. Trails of blood followed him. The knights he encountered were weak, as this was only the beginning of the tribulation, but their sheer numbers were exhausting him. His stamina started to wane. Thunder rumbled ominously overhead like a brewing storm.

  He cut through several more knights—then, suddenly, they froze. All of them halted in midair as if paralyzed. Then, one by one, they vanished.

  People watching began to cheer, thinking he had passed the tribulation. But the door didn't open. The thunder continued. The portals didn't close.

  More figures stepped through the portals—this time, they were humans.

  Ten portals. Ten human figures emerged. Then, nine of the portals closed, leaving only one still open. A sign that the tribulation was nearing its end.

  Aniya's eyes widened. She had never experienced this herself. Being only in the second awakening, she had only gone through one tribulation. But she had once been told a story by someone who reached the third awakening. She hadn't believed it then—but now it felt real and breathtaking.

  "These human figures..." whispered Aniya.

  Rhitta and Rhosa stared, eyes wide with fear and amazement. They couldn't imagine facing something like this. The enemies seemed endless, and these new human figures looked far stronger than the knights. They would need incredible strength and stamina to survive this level of tribulation.

  The humans floated in the air, looking down at the soldier. They varied in age, gender, and appearance. If someone who had lived for thousands of years and knew every person on the planet were watching, they might be able to identify who these figures were.

  The crowd looked up at the blood-covered soldier with mixed expressions. Some were excited, watching in awe—this was their first time witnessing a tribulation. Others remained neutral, having seen many before. Some looked away, unable to stomach the blood and violence.

  The soldier stood, panting. He was a slim but muscular man in his late thirties, with short, straight blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He was clearly exhausted from the fight. He had to keep track of incoming arrows, airborne knights, and the rumbling thunder—lightning could strike at any moment.

  Auras began to manifest from each of the ten humans. Each aura was unique—it felt as though these were real people. The auras expanded, radiating power. Only those who could control synergy would be able to sense their full strength.

  Aniya's eyes widened again. She felt the aura of every single human—and even the blonde-haired man going through the tribulation.

  Every single one of them radiated the power of the second awakening.

  Tribulation has begun for a soldier seeking to enter the third awakening! Who are the ten humans who came through the portal?!