The moment Ace grasped the Law of Wrath, the Wrath-Ace seemed to have sensed it, and instead of showing any panicking reaction, it laughed wantonly before sneering mockingly, "Itâs not so easy to control Wrath!"
It rushed forward again, a storm of fiery slashes collapsing space itself with maddening killing intent locked on Ace.
Right at that moment, Aceâs eyes turned cold as he knew to get rid of this clone, he had to use the Law of Wrath, or it would be meaningless to undergo this trial not to mention he personally wanted to deal with this guy who irked him to no end because deep down, Ace knew the clone might be the mirror of his inner thoughts!
Almost instantly, Ace invoked the Infernal Surge!
Instantly, his suppressed anger ignited, his aura skyrocketing as his silver-black flames mixed with crimson fury. The world trembled around him, and he felt his realm seemed to have been evaluated with the Law of Wrath!
This was completely unexpected, as Ace wasnât aware that laws could even evaluate realms, or it was just the uniqueness of the Law of Wrath.
Nonetheless, Ace wasnât distracted as he raised his hand, he unleashed Blood Vortex Howl, and the sky split apart, birthing a vortex of screaming blood-light that devoured the cloneâs flame storms and threw them back with greater force!
But the Wrath-clone only laughed harder, feeding on the storm, growing stronger.
That was when Aceâs gaze sharpened, and this time, he didnât need any primordial pill to recover his primordial spirit Qi anymore, as his anger seemed to be converting into spirit Qi!
He effortlessly invoked the Crimson Retribution, turning the enemyâs fury against itself!
The clone froze mid-attack as its flames coiled back, consuming its body from within.
However, just before the clone was engulfed entirely, its eerie voice, tinged with satisfaction, reverberated in Aceâs ears, "Irony...you know...wrath dies to its own rage..."
âWhat is this? he couldâve used the same three mystic abilities, but he didnât, or he couldnât? And his final words were almost like he wanted me to succeed? Was that clone not made with this trial?
â Aceâs eyes flickered with a hint of confusion as Wrath-Aceâs final action seemed to be strange.
But right at that moment, the wrath clone imploded into a radiant explosion of crimson light, and with that, everything turned into darkness...
When Ace opened his eyes again, he was back in the obsidian plain. The crimson pillar had dimmed, now flickering faintly like dying embers.
His chest heaved, his eyes flickering with intertwined violet, silver, and red hues.
Inside his inner world, the Law of Sin seemed to be taking a shape as the Law of Sloth, Pride, and Wrath, forming a triangle of paradoxes.
He sat slowly, exhausted but smiling faintly, "Sloth calms... Pride commands... Wrath destroys. Theyâre opposites â but they can flow."
He could faintly sense the patternâsuppression, domination, eruption. A cycle of control, release, and consequence. Yet he knew this was only the beginning. Four more pillars awaited: Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and the final Sin, Greed!
The moment Aceâs thoughts settled, the pillar beside Wrath began to quiver.
A deep, viridian light pulsed from its surface, illuminating the obsidian plain with eerie, shifting waves of emerald hue.
Unlike Wrathâs explosive heat or Prideâs suffocating grandeur, this light was coldâpoisonously so. It shimmered like the scales of a serpent under moonlight, whispering of hunger that was never satisfied.
Aceâs heart sank slightly as he could now guess which sin he was going to face now that his Law of Sin was becoming powerful and more complete.
He muttered, "So this time itâs the Trial of...Envy!"
Before he could stabilize his thoughts, a tendril of green radiance surged from the pillar and coiled around him like a living vine. It tightenedânot painfully, but possessivelyâand then, with a tug, dragged him forward into an endless abyss.
Ace didnât resist as he was already used to it now. Moreover, he was more concerned about the trial itself than about the process of being dragged into it.
When the light faded, Ace found himself standing in a silent space filled with fractured reflections. Each fragment is a floating mirror suspended in nothingness, and within every shard flickered a vision.
Aceâs eyes widened because those visions were alternate realities of himself!
Some showed him destroying his eternal enemy, Heaven; others revealed him wielding powers of darkness and suppressing everything in existence.
In one, he saw himself seated beside Eva and Alina, smiling in peace, while another showed him killing Damien.
Every reflection radiated overwhelming strength and fulfillmentâversions of Ace that had everything he ever desired.
Then came the voice of the ancient, echoing faintly in the infinite void
, "Envy is hunger without end. It devours joy and breeds spite. It whispersâwhy them, not you? To overcome envy, one must face oneâs own covetous heart!"
Aceâs expressions were complicated as, unknowingly, his fists clenched. At that moment, the mirrors began to tremble, and from each reflection, a version of him stepped out, startling Ace!
Dozens of Acesâeach emanating distinct power, each representing something he had desired. The Supreme Thief with infinite laws. The King of Kings who ruled all domains. The Heavenâs Stealer with divine beauty and worshiping followers.
They surrounded him like a coven of shadows, smirking.
The strongest among them, a version of him clad in golden robes with radiant eyes, took a step forward.
His voice was cold yet oddly familiar, "You envy us, donât you? We are what you could have been if your fears and petty morals didnât shackle you."
Aceâs eyes narrowed dangerously because he knew this was part of this damn trial after encountering the Wrath-Ace. But what happened last was still vivid in his mind, leaving him slightly doubtful.
Nonetheless, he hides his actual thought and retorts. "Youâre not me. Youâre delusions."
"Delusions?" The Supreme Thief Ace sneered. "We are your truthsâevery wish, every jealousy youâve buried beneath that calm mask. The thief who steals everything but dares not claim what he truly wants."
Their laughter echoed, grating against his soul. The air shimmered with jealousy so thick it was almost tangible. The more he looked, the more that feeling gnawed at himâthe weight of his unrealized potential, his hidden desires.
Then, one by one, the clones began to merge, forming a colossal Ace towering above the void, wrapped in emerald flames of corrosion. His presence exuded silent resentment, the kind that decayed even the stars above.
Aceâs mind reeled as he felt his own spirit energy start to wane, as though the creature was feeding on his self-worth. Every insecurity, every buried envy, was fuel for the beast.
âSo thatâs what this trial is... envy doesnât attackâit consumes you from within!â
Ace gritted his teeth, summoning the Law of Sin to anchor his mind, but even it seemed corroded by that viridian aura.
His heart began to pound as whispers filled his mind...
"Why do you have to be the one to sacrifice everything!?"
"Why must you be the Heavenâs Stealer?"
"Your parents abandoned you because you were cursed!"