The Cursed Star - Chapter 54. (Patreon)

The sky littered with stars, and the Blood Moon was brightening with every passing second, basking everything in its red moonlight. The Dozens of Towers around the Colosseum lit up in different lights, illuminating everything around them.


For the Fourth Test, some guests chose to come out and stand in air, on top of transparent discs. Everyone had different reasons, but somewhere, all related to a personality who was standing in the middle of the Colosseum of Ends together with the other six Judges.


“Ne-ne Aizen…” Beena held his hand and looked around curiously at the Contestants. “There are some pretty girls. You want them?” She mischievously giggled.


A chill ran up his spine, and he laughed off her comment. The eyes of the other Judges were already scrutinizing him.


“Lord Renzo…” Aizen politely nodded at the man who stood tall, had a fair complexion, lanky physique, and his auburn eyes were sparkling with wisdom, containing hints of carefreeness as well.  


His Greeting brought a smile on Renzo’s face, and he politely bowed.


“You look a lot like your parents, but I must say that you are more charming, and your features are perfection that can not be improved upon.”


“It is not something I can take credit for, it is a blessing, but thank you!” Aizen, surprised at the flattering compliment, answered politely. “Lord Kyrgo!” He greeted the other Powerhouse of the World.


“Morningstar!” The rugged man nodded with a light smile and raised his hand. A brilliant golden flame with hints of bronze shade engulfed his hand. “I suppose you were going to ask me for this at some point tonight.” He smiled. “Shall we do it right here, in front of everyone?”


Aizen chuckled and nodded.


“Your DuskAsh flame is special, and yes, I hoped that I would get a chance to see it tonight.” He replied and drew his hand closer to the flame. There was no heat emanating from it, and even after Aizen let it surround his hand, he felt no pain.


A serene sensation permeated his body, and the smile on his face brightened.


“The Flame of Judgement…” He nodded with respect.


Everyone around them was stunned at seeing the Morningstar touching the Flames of Judgement and not getting harmed by them. There were some people from the Towers that were looking intently at the scene. The significance of this moment served as the fact, based on which they would devise their future concerning the Star Palace.


The Flame of Judgement burned every living thing whose heart contained evil, and whose Karma was cursed. And it harmed anyone who held ill intentions towards the wielder. In addition to these special traits, there was another trait. The DuskAsh flame was a Bloodline ability that once took root at its target, was inextinguishable as long as the wielder remained conscious and not ran out of mana.


“Your Father got burned by it the moment he touched it.” Kyrgo smiled at him. “You are probably the first Morningstar to remain unharmed by the Flames of Judgment.”


Aizen frowned at the words and confusedly looked at the Golden Flame.


“The Test is about to start.” Jalaisha stepped forward and smiled at Aizen, taking his mind off the thoughts running in his mind.


The Judges turned their attention back at the Contestants, and the countdown on the Virtual Screens hit zero. The fifteen-minute break was over.


“The Trial of Elemental Control. The Fourth Test in the Blood Moon Tournament…” The MoC raised his voice. “We have two Phases of the Trial of Elemental Control. First up is the Affinity test. Everyone that passes the Affinity Test will get one point, but if you fail, you can still take part in the next phase. This Affinity test is only to grab that one vital point.”


“Light”
“Lightning”
“Ice”  
“Fire”  
“Magma”  
“Water”  
“Wind”  
“Earth”  
“Wood”  
“Crystal”
 “Metal”  
“Smoke”  
“Darkness” 

 
“Every Contestant is only allowed to choose one Element in the Affinity Test. Then your Element will compete against the Elements of Judges present here. The Judges, selected for the Trial of Elemental Control, each have Elements that they excel in.” The MoC ran his eyes on the group of Contestants.


“Empress of Devildom, Lady Beena will officiate the Elements of Smoke, Fire, and Ice.”  
“General Venus will officiate the Element of Water.”  
“Lady Jalaisha will officiate the Element of Wind.”  
“Lord Malcolm will officiate the Element of Magma.”  
“Lord Kyrgo will officiate the Elements of Earth and Wood.”  
“Lord Renzo will officiate the Elements of Metal and Crystal.”  
“Lord Aizen will officiate the Elements of Light, Lightning, and Darkness.”


At the words of MoC, all seven Judges spread out in the Arena and the Contestants stepped inside the sections set in front of each Judge. And then, crystal globes appeared in front of each individual.


“These are Elemental Hearts.” The MoC informed the Contestants. “The respected Judges will place a speck of their Element, in its base form, inside the Elemental Heart. After that, you must place a speck of your Element, in its base form, inside the Elemental heart to compete with it.” And then he revealed the two ways they can pass the Test. “The first and direct way to pass the test is when your Element eliminates the Judge’s Element.” The contestants lightly smiled, knowing full well that it was not possible. “And the second method is if your Element lasts in the battle for a few seconds. Each Judge will decide on a time limit for their respected Elements, but it will remain within the range of 5 to 25 seconds.”


“25 Seconds?” A Contestant couldn’t believe what he had just heard. His eyes brimmed in confidence and determination, but the Contestants with keen senses looked dreaded.


For the Judges to set a maximum time limit of 25 seconds meant that it was going to be ridiculously difficult to achieve.


“Are you ready?” The MoC asked all the Contestants.


“Yes!” The reply came fast and crisp.


Aizen looked at the few contestants in front of him. Only seven people belonged to the Element of Light, and twelve belonged to the Element of Darkness. Yuliya was one of them. And then there were twenty-five people belonging to the Element of Lightning.


The Contestants looked at him curiously, and Yuliya was looking at him sternly. She was the one one who had witnessed the might of his Element of Darkness, and she knew that she was in trouble.


Aizen paid no attention to her, and one by one appeared before each contestant and infused a Speck of his Elements inside the Elemental Hearts.


A wisp of Black Flame, a small ball of Violet light, and a ray of Violet lightning.


After the Judges were finished with the procedure, they announced the time limit for their Elements.


“All of you must hold on for 5 Seconds,” Aizen informed the three groups. The words finished, and a separate Virtual Screen appeared before each Contestant. As soon as someone infused his Element inside the Elemental Heart, the Countdown started.


Yuliya infused a speck of her Darkness inside the Elemental Heart, and to her horror, the black flame immediately started to devour it. Her heart sank as she watched her sea of darkness get helplessly devoured by the Black Flame.
“4”
“3”
“2”
“1”….


Her Darkness was devoured at exactly 5 seconds, and her heart could still not calm down. She looked on her side and saw the pale expressions of the Contestants who had failed, and when she looked in the sections of Light and Lightning Elements, the helplessness on their sides was the same. Those who managed to pass, all made it to the 5 seconds mark, and everyone else fell short by a second or two.


Some Contestants had listened to the Rules and waited to see the performance of other Participants before proceeding, but nearly all of them had lost hope of passing after witnessing how dreadful the Affinity of Aizen was with his Elements.


Audren Lycan was one of them, and Kancer Goldritch was another heavy-weight of the Tournament who had still not proceeded with the test.


They intently looked at the Black Flame and the ball of Light, and every beat of their heart was stronger than the last.


Finally, they gritted their teeth and infused their Elements in the Elemental Heart. Horror struck their face as they saw their Elements dying before their eyes, just like the rest who had passed, the maximum time they could last for was 5 seconds. The Black Flame devoured the Sea of Darkness, and the Violet ball of Light brightened as the Golden ball of Light lost its luster before vanishing.


Audren was not pleased with his result, and even after he had passed, he infused his element once more to battle against the Affinity of Aizen.


The result proved the same as the last one, and the black flame devoured his Element at the 5th-second mark.


“If anyone of you is unsatisfied, they can retake the test one more time.” Aizen sighed at the result and offered another chance to the Contestants.


Not a single Contestants took the offer. They did not want to go through that mental torture again. They realized perfectly well that no matter how many times they would try it, the result would remain the same.


To beat a Morningstar when it came to Elemental Control was impossible, but these prideful youngsters failed to even hold on for more than 5 seconds. It was a result that would forever haunt them.


The First Trial finished within a minute, and the Contestants who passed the first Trial had their names appear on the Screens.


“The second Phase of the Elemental Control is Imitation.” The MoC announced.


In front of the Contestants, the Elemental Hearts transformed in the form of a Disc, and after the Judges eliminated their Elements form the Elemental Hearts, all the Contestants were asked to stand on their Discs.


“Your task is simple. Each Judge present here was submitted a blueprint before the Tournament, and all of them would follow it and create sets of designs with their Elements. Each set of designs is equally difficult for all Elements, and therefore, the result will be collective. Your task is to imitate them, and your results would depend on how long you can keep up with the Judges.”


After these words, a Formation was lit in the Arena.


“All Contestants and the Judges would lower their Realm of Strength to the First Rank of Royal Blood Realm, the Strength that you gain after your initial Awakening. You are not allowed to raise it during the Trial.” The MoC began instructing them about the Rules.


“All contestants must keep channeling a steady stream of their Element inside the Element Heart under their feet. The Elemental Heart would shatter if your control over the Element is not smooth or wavers even for a fraction of time, and that will mark the end of your Test.”

“The Formation you are placed inside will determine if you have successfully imitated the Judge’s design or not, and in case you fail, it will teleport you out of the Formation.”


“No Foul Play!”  
“Artifacts are forbidden!”  
“Potions and Pills are forbidden!”  
“No mystical edibles are allowed!”  
“Bloodline Abilities are forbidden!”


“The First Place in the Test will get 5 Points. The second place will attain 4 Points. Third Place will get 3 Points. Top 10 will get 2.5 Points. Top 25 will get 2 Points. And every one that keeps up for over three minutes will get 1 point. The point you gainst in the Affinity Test will be added to the result of the Imitation Test.” The MoC announced. “If you manage to keep up with the Judge till the End, you will get an Arcerian Potion.”


The enthusiasm of the Contestants was not high enough as it had been in the last Test. They soundly remembered how pitiful everyone was after passing through those Domains. No one managed to make it to the Ring of Glory to claim the Arcerian Potion. And they felt that keeping up with the Judges till the end was going to be impossible for them.


The Judges stood on the Elemental Hearts as well, and then as the three-minute countdown started, they performed the Set of Designs that they were responsible for.


The crowd was in awe, watching Aizen and the Empress of Devildom perform three sets of designs simultaneously was a sight to behold. And the designs for each Element were different, with a few similar ones. The spectators marveled and revered at their control over their respected Elements.


The first designs Aizen was responsible for was creating different shapes stacked together with the Element of Darkness and Light, and with Lightning, he had to make it appear as if there was a jellyfish cloud over his head, whose lightning Tentacles constantly sparked. The design was exquisite, but for the Element of Lightning, it was one of the primary designs.


The secondary Designs began right after the primary designs were finished, and everyone that failed to keep up with the Judge was teleported out of the Formation. During the Secondary designs, where Aizen created a flying figure of a dragon with his Light Element, a complex web of Lightning, and a Phoenix with his Darkness Element, few Contestants broke their Elemental Heart and they were teleported out of the Formation. They failed to maintain a steady stream of Element in the Elemental Heart as they imitated the Designs.


The three-minute mark was crossed when the Secondary Designs finished, and then they moved to the Advanced Designs. It was where the Second Trial ended for all the Elements.


The Contestants, who Aizen was Judging, failed to create two Phoenixes with Darkness, flying around, dancing happily. The other batch failed to create a cloud above the Dragon and make it rain with their Light Element. And the batch of Lightning Element failed to imitate the Spherical design made out of exquisite rings of Lightning.


The Winner of the Second Phase, and the overall winner of the Elemental Control Trial, emerged from the batch of Crystal Element. It was a young girl wearing a veil, and she kept up with the Judge until the end of the Advanced Design. Her Elemental Heart shattered because of a little negligence, earning sighs from the crowds.


She looked a little displeased with herself and politely bowed to Lord Renzo.


The action made Aizen a little curious because there was some frankness in her eyes toward Lord Rezo. It was a sort of feeling that would be present among acquaintances, and it proved right when the Points Table was updated. He did not miss her name this time.


The Points table of the Fourth Trial of the Elemental Control showed on the Virtual Screens.


“First Place: #527: Felicia Ivan Summer. Age: 39. Affiliation: House Summer. Blood Realm: Ancestral. Points Won: 6.”  
“Second Place: #641: Zen Arkas Hexis. Age: 81. Affiliation: House of Hexis. Blood Realm: False-Origin. Points Won: 5.”  
“Third Place: #367: Nimra Nageshnami. Age: 37. Affiliation: Shivanjani. Blood Realm: Immemorial. Points Won: 4.”  
“Fourth Place: #565: Stephen Bronx Hexis. Age: 40: House of Hexis. Blood Realm: Ancestral Blood. Points Won: 3.5.”  
“Fifth Place: #627: Insia FoxHeart. Age: 72. Affiliation: White-FoxTemple. Blood Realm: False-Origin. Points Won: 3.5.” 

 …………….  
“Tenth Place: #615: Zeros Azereus. Age: 45. Affiliation: Star Palace. Blood Realm: False-Origin. Points Won: 3.5.”

…………….  
“Thirteenth Place: #301: Yuliya Lycan. Age: 22. Affiliation: Star Palace: Blood Realm: Immemorial. Points Won: 3.”  

…………….  
Twenty-First Place: #616: Lyla Azereus: Age: 31. Affiliation: Star Palace: Blood Realm: False-Origin. Points Won: 3.”


The overall Points Table of the Tournament saw some great Changes. Zeros was no longer in the first position, and the number of people in the Top 10 increased.


TOURNAMENT POINTS TABLE:
“First Place: #565: Stephen Bronx Hexis. Age: 40: House of Hexis. Blood Realm: Ancestral. Total Points: 14.5.”  
“Second Place: #615: Zeros Azereus. Age: 45. Affiliation: Star Palace. Blood Realm: False-Origin. Total Points: 14.”  
“Second Place: #627: Insia FoxHeart. Age: 72. Affiliation: White-Fox Temple. Blood Realm: False Origin. Total Points: 14.”
 “Second Place: #107: Kancer Goldritch. Age: 19. Affiliation: Chamber of Lights. Blood Realm: Royal. Total Points: 14.”  
“Second Place: #527: Felicia Ivan Summer. Age: 39. Affiliation: House Summer. Blood Realm: Ancestral. Total Points: 14.”  
“Third Place: #619: Kyren Belphezar. Age: 67. Affiliation: House Belphezar. Blood Realm: False-Origin. Total Points: 13.5.”  
“Third Place: #643: Audren Lycan. Age: 88. Affiliation: Velrich. Blood Realm: False-Origin. Total points: 13.5.”  
“Third Place: #300: Valken Lucifer. Age: 34. Affiliation: House Lucifer. Blood Realm: Immemorial. Total Points: 13.5.”  
“Third Place: #628: Adrien Lucifer. Age: 45. Affiliation: House Lucifer. Blood Realm: False-Origin. Total Points: 13.5.”

 ……………………  
“Fourth Place: #616: Lyla Azereus. Age: 31. Affiliation: Star Palace. Blood Realm: False-Origin. Points: 13.”  

……………………  
“Fifth Place: #301: Yuliya Lycan. Age: 22. Affiliation: Star Palace. Blood Realm: Immemorial. Total Points: 12.5.”   

……………………    


“They are still holding on.” Mother of Devils lightly smiled and said to Aizen. “The Little Wolf will be fine, but those two White Wolves won’t be able to do well in the Test of Knowledge.” She said and disappeared from the place.


Aizen frowned at her words and looked at Yuliya. He was not expecting the three of them to do well in this Trial, but the words of Mother of Devils made him see Yuliya in a new light. He nodded to all three of them before disappearing from the Colosseum and appearing inside the Host’s Tower were Akira and Liafina were waiting.


Beena Lucifer was back on her couch, with her eyes peacefully closed.


“The Next Competition is the Trial of Knowledge and Art.” The MoC announced, and the eyes of all contestants turned grave. It was the Test that perhaps they all feared the most.