The Pinnacle Of Man

"What an OP ability! This will help me the most in world domination." Leon proudly thought to himself. "What were you saying again?" He then stated, looking at Lirien with a smile still resting on his face.

Lirien's left eyebrow twitched as an annoyed expression showed on his face. "As I said before, each ability requires a trial that you must complete, and without letting me explain, you have picked the most difficult trial there is. Truth be told, even I do not know the trial, as it is not my ability." He forced himself to say.

"Look, in each trial, you, or in other words, your soul, is transported into another realm where you must complete a certain task. Meaning I won't be able to help you. In some trials, losing even means that your soul will not be in the hands of the gods anymore, and will instead be entombed in the river of souls deep within the underworld. Do you wish to still do this trial?" Lirien's face showed real concern.

For a moment, Leon was silent. Although he was excited about this power, he wasn't just some bumbling buffoon that would take bad bets without thinking. After a few seconds, Leon's face turned serious. "Lirien, have faith in me. I will return here as soon as possible with the ability within my grasp. You have my word."

"... Fine then. If you fail this test, Leon, I swear I will never forgive you." Lirien said as he moved his wrist, allowing Leon's body to once again turn into the violet orb and moving it towards the ability panel.

"Che! You don't have the right to hold a grudge against me, you bastard, you're the one who blackmailed me into this." Leon joked, forcing another irritated expression on Lirien's face.

As his soul was put inside the hellish panel, Lirien said his final words. "Just stick true to yourself, you brat!" On saying this, Leon's soul disappeared within the panel.

All of a sudden, Leon lost consciousness for a moment before waking once again, this time in a completely different area. As he opened his eyes, the bright rays of the orange sun glared at him from the sky, causing him to block his face.

Looking around, he realized that he was in the midst of a dense bamboo forest that was so green that even the air seemed like it had a misty green hue. With the sounds of birds chirping in the treetops and a small river trickling nearby, a serene peace entered the young man, one that he had never felt to such an extent before.

Gripping the bright and luscious grass on the ground, he stood up and saw a dirt path nearby that he began to follow. Right now, everything seemed like a dream, but it was also very vivid and real. As he walked, the path before him looked endless. It curved left and right and waved up and down but never did it seem to end.

"A conqueror, the greatest form of being. One who is free to do what he pleases. One who is victorious in any quarrel to better the lives of the ones who he cherishes. One who never loses, no matter what. Leon Evangeld, who do you think is the greatest conqueror the world has ever seen?" A mysterious voice sounded throughout the realm, sounding deep and slow, like a calming ember.

Although the voice was random, for some reason Leon wasn't in the mental state to think of it as odd. He simply went along with it.

"The greatest conqueror, huh? Would that not be… Alexander? Alexander the Great." He said, thinking back to when he first heard about the conqueror from a few people back in the day.

"Alexander of Macedon… hmm, that is indeed a great answer. I remember that mortal… the gods were afraid of him. If they had not taken his life at such an early age, he would have marched his phalanx through the gates of Olympus, and torn through the heavenly realm itself in his never-ending conquest…" The voice stopped for a moment before continuing.

…

"Hahaha! What an interesting soul he was! One of the few four humans in history to break out of Heaven's Enlightenment." The voice laughed and then ceased to talk.

After this, Leon noticed that the seemingly endless path opened up shortly ahead. On arriving at the opening, he saw a small hut and a campfire right outside in the front yard with a few logs surrounding it. Atop one of the logs sat a man whose body was adorned with a purple cloak, inside of which was a purple tunic. On his head could be seen a royal diadem and on his feet a pair of golden sandals.

Noticing the young man approaching him, the man near the campfire stood up slowly and turned around. Now Leon could clearly see the linothorax armor he had on.

As they locked eyes with each other, a surreal feeling of overwhelming tension overcame Leon's mind. 'This man… how can his eyes make me feel in such a way?' He thought to himself in shock. Unbeknownst to him, however, this feeling of danger and uncertainty that he felt from a mere gaze was something called one's presence, or spiritual aura.

"So you have finally arrived! One who I have been asked to test." The man spoke with a loud and commanding voice. Without any hesitation, he walked right over to Leon and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. Out of nowhere, Leon suddenly noticed that his entire body was shaking slightly. He felt no fear in his mind, but his body seemed to want to react differently.

"What is your name, young man?" He grinned wholeheartedly. His smile alone seemed as bright as the sun. The man in front of Leon was not just some ordinary person.

"L- Leon. Leon Evangeld, King Alexander." He replied, stuttering a little as nerves had overtaken him slightly.

"Ah, so you already know who I am? Then this should be quick. Listen carefully, Leon, I am from the 9th gate of Tartarus, one of the deepest realms of the underworld. I do not know the exact reason why I have been chosen to examine you, but this is my only chance. My goal is to make you fail to move up within the realms, therefore, I must not allow you to pass. I mean no hostility towards you, but I must return to the world so that I may conquer it once and for all. It is my God-given purpose."

Just like that, Alexander laid out everything that he had been planning to say. His purpose, goal, and reasoning behind it. The way he spoke threw Leon off, almost as if he knew that he could fail Leon at any moment, and was already apologizing as if Leon had failed before even beginning the trial.

"A conqueror, huh? If that is the case, then I do respect you." Leon said, before pausing for a short time. At this moment, Alexander felt as though the young man had understood him and was ready to give up.

"However… I also have a purpose of my own, and a separate mission that is god given as well. If I fail this trial here, I will join you in the underworld and who knows how long it will take for me to get out. For this reason, I cannot simply give up so easily. I'm sorry for being so selfish, but you will have to give up on your goals for mine." At this moment, Leon stopped shaking, his feeling of uncertainty and tension completely erased from his mind and soul.

Now, his gaze matched that of Alexanders.

"I see… How long will it take for you to escape the underworld, huh? Those are bold words. No human has ever escaped that pit of doom before. To think, a child such as you seem to have ambitions far greater than even I. Pfft! Hahaha!" He laughed, not out of mockery, but out of pure bewilderment at this odd boy.

"Fine then, even if you won't give up, I won't allow you to pass."

"Bring it on, conqueror of Persia."

"The trial will be…"

.

.

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"A staring contest!"