The Cursed King

Chapter 285  Spectre

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Back in Cretea, Loriel was exerting himself to his limits to pass the tournament. Unlike others who had a natural affinity for magic, Loriel was just himself.

Among fellow humans and mortals, Loriel was amazing, but in the world of gods and magic users, he was weak. Loriel was a pale imitation of what other creatures were capable of.

Even if Loriel considered himself strong and powerful, a minotaur would beat him and show him strength beyond that he was capable of.

The elves were more agile and adept with the bow than Loriel and those of scholars who wielded magical staves, grimoires and others were able to perform great feats of magic unlike any other.

If Loriel thought he was fast on his feet then fairies would overtake him through the air, centaurs would rush past him with their bodies more suitable for running and Loriel would find himself barely holding on to the last cut-off for participants.

Time and time again, Loriel found himself humbled and put to the limits of his humanity.

Loriel fell to his knees and was covered in several cuts across his body, wounds that were filled with poison as he passed through the last bend of the Blackwood Haunted Forest. He had encountered ghosts and tried to cut them down to no avail.

Screams and howls echoed within the forest that chilled one's spine and spread goosebumps across one's skin as monsters beyond one's imagination harassed and attacked all those who passed them.

Everyone was tormented with nightmares, visions of pasts and futures that would haunt them and scar the mind. A god was supposed to have a mind that could not be tainted by sorrow and doom.

Within the forest haunted and plagued by ghosts, ghouls, and spectres, Loriel found himself witnessing a vision that made the man cry.

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While others saw monsters, what Loriel saw was… a simple vision. However, this was the vision that had an effect as powerful as monsters for the other participants.

The spectre in front of him had transformed into the silhouette of Elise and that of another unknown person. The two were walking hand in hand and even when Loriel tried to call out to his wife, she never once looked back at him.

"No, this is just showing me a vision of what I fear the most," Loriel whispered to himself. "It's not true. This is all fake."

If that wasn't enough, a spectral hand suddenly touched his shoulder and when Loriel glanced behind him, he found himself staring at the ghost of a young Emmelyn.

She was the woman whom he encountered on his travels when he was younger. She was beautiful, feisty, and he was madly in love with her.

She was the reason why he had hurt his wife's feelings so badly. Seeing Emmelyn before him reminded Loriel of his sins to Elise.

Why…? Why must he see Emmelyn again here in Cretea? He didn't want to have anything to do with her. Emmelyn was in the past. He wanted to move forward and look for his wife.

"Maxim," the ghost smiled brightly at him.

"Argh! Go away!!" Loriel slashed with his sword to no avail. He didn't want to see Emmelyn, at all. He would rather see Elise even though it was only her ghost.

Loriel's sword could not find itself cutting creatures that held no physical forms and yet Loriel still managed to reach the end of the forest along with several other participants.

He ran as fast as his feet could carry him, following after the visions of his wife and that of the other ghost. Even though his body passed through numerous thorns, vines, and other things in the forest blocking his way, Loriel didn't give up.

Blood seeped through his clothes from the numerous wounds and cuts, big and small, that he experienced. He didn't feel the pain because all his focus was exerted on his wife and his wife alone.

"Elise!" Loriel cried out and shouted hoarsely. He did not know the real purpose of this test and yet his heart was filled with a sensation that cut at him far more than anything.

"I know that you deserve happiness more than anything in the world… I am sorry for everything that I've done." Loriel's eyes glittered with tears. "I am sorry for being such a terrible husband. I am sorry for being so selfish and dumb…"

Finally, the ghost image of Elise looked behind her and gave Loriel a laugh. It was a ghostly laugh and nothing compared to that of his real wife, but then the ghost finally vanished and what replaced the ghost vision was a small ray of sunlight outside of the ominous woods.

He was shown the way out.

Loriel quickly ran off to the edge of the forest and arrived at last at the end of one of the first of the many trials in Cretea. He arrived and saw that only half of the original number of participants were present.

While there were those who found themselves giving up halfway and not finding the strength to continue on the tumultuous tasks and competition, Loriel's will and decision to continue on even when he was at his weakest made him last longer than others.

Even when he was on the edge of his life, beaten and bruised beyond compare, Loriel somehow found the strength to pull himself up on his feet and throw himself back into the game.

It surprised countless participants and even gods who spectated.

"Many succumbed to their fears or were pulled back by their desires," one of the gods murmured to their companions. "I've seen some of them lose their minds and try to battle what cannot be defeated."

"They only reflect whatever it is that they truly fear or want after all, whether it is a past that has haunted them or a future that they do not wish to imagine," another god commented.

"Even brute force isn't enough here, isn't it?" the other one spoke up with a frown. "Ghosts that were vanquished only returned in vengeance and trapped the participant that attempted to slay them."

"It is a battle of the mind naturally," Dimitri explained as he looked at the remaining participants, seeing among them those who were worthy of the potion of immortality in the testimony of heart and mind.

Among them stood Loriel who looked extremely injured who ran, chasing after a vision that Dimitri realized as Elise.

The God of Knowledge's heart thundered when he realized who this person was. It must be Elise's husband who arrived in Cretea to look for her.

He understood that Dante must have taken Elise away. Now, Loriel was here and he looked like the most determined soul Dimitri had ever seen in his long life.

Somehow, Dimitri had a feeling that Loriel would succeed in this tournament because of his sheer determination.

"Oh, Dante…" Dimitri found himself saddened at the realization of what was probably about to come. As long as Loriel continued and lasted until the very end, the man would obtain the powers to become a god.

What came next was a confrontation.