The Omnipotent System

Eclipse Online – Sovereign's Trial Gates

The massive bronze gates of the Sovereign's Trial loomed before them, etched with runes that pulsed softly in the fading orange light. The golden plains around them rippled with wind, distant trees bending under its force. The world felt heavy here, like something was watching.

Jack cracked his neck, stepping forward to stand beside Kieran. "Alright, genius. You've read up on the mechanics, right? No dying on us today."

Kieran said nothing, his violet eyes locked on the gates. In his first life, he had never cleared this Trial. His old party had wiped five times before disbanding. Back then, he was weaker. Back then, he didn't know the attack patterns.

But back then, they weren't here either.

He glanced sideways at the group.

Elamenor stood silent, arms folded, muscles coiled with quiet tension. His eyes were half-closed, golden irises hidden behind dark lashes. He looked like he was asleep, but Kieran knew better.

Arianna was humming under her breath, spinning her staff in wide, lazy circles, the end glowing faintly with cyan light. Her ponytail swished behind her like a cat's tail, restless and eager.

Jameson checked the edge of his dagger with a thin cloth, eyes blank and focused. Erren scrolled through her interface, whispering her buffs under her breath like a prayer.

And Jack… Jack was grinning. Always grinning. Black lightning sparked faintly around his shoulders, crackling like a heartbeat. His presence felt like standing next to a sleeping tiger.

The gates rumbled.

With a groan of ancient metal, they opened.

Wind roared out, warm and dry, carrying the scent of stone, ash, and magic. The air shimmered with heat as if a forge lay beyond.

"Showtime," Jack muttered.

They stepped inside.

—

The Trial Arena

The ground was cracked stone, wide and circular, with pillars of obsidian rising at uneven intervals. Magma flowed in glowing rivers between the tiles, illuminating the darkness with angry red light. High above, the ceiling was lost in black shadow, but sparks of molten rock drifted down like fireflies.

At the center stood their opponent.

A colossal golem forged of black iron and burning crystal. Its arms were thick as towers, clawed hands curled into loose fists that dragged against the floor. Its chest was a glowing furnace, light flickering through cracks in its armored plating. Two molten eyes flickered open as it sensed their arrival.

> [BOSS: SOVEREIGN GUARDIAN – PHASE ONE]

Kieran's interface flickered with notifications, but he ignored them. His hand tightened around his sword hilt.

He could feel the others tensing beside him.

"Same plan as before," Jack called out, his voice echoing through the chamber. "Elamenor, tank. Arianna and Erren, watch for AoEs. Jameson, you're with me. Kieran—"

"DPS," Kieran finished quietly.

Jack grinned, black lightning sparking across his knuckles. "Good boy."

The golem moved.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Its first step shook the entire arena, cracks spiderwebbing across the ground. Lava sloshed against stone as the creature raised its head, molten eyes locking onto them.

Then it roared.

A sound like grinding metal and erupting volcanoes, deafening and primal. The air rippled with heat, washing over them in suffocating waves.

Elamenor was already moving.

FWOOOOOM!

His form blurred as he shot forward, fists glowing with orange ki. He slammed into the golem's chest with an impact that rang through the chamber like a gong.

The golem barely staggered. Its arm shot out, backhanding Elamenor across the arena. He caught himself mid-air, flipping to land in a three-point crouch before charging again.

Arianna raised her staff, cyan runes flaring along its length. "Barrier: Diamond Aegis!"

A translucent shield erupted around them just as the golem's fist came down.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

The shield cracked but held, the force of the blow sending shockwaves through the ground. Erren moved behind Arianna, her fingers dancing across her interface as she activated debuffs.

"Armor Break! Weakness Exposure! Mana Drain!"

Jameson disappeared into the shadows, reappearing on the golem's shoulder. His dagger flashed, carving glowing runes into its plating before he leapt away.

Jack raised a hand.

CRACK!

Black lightning tore across the arena, slamming into the golem's leg. The creature staggered, molten eyes flickering as damage numbers exploded above it.

"Hit it now!" Jack yelled.

Kieran moved.

He flickered forward, Phantom Cloak trailing violet shadows behind him. His blade ignited with ghostly light as he slashed across the golem's knee joint.

SHIIIIIIING!

Cracks formed in the metal, glowing white-hot. The golem roared, lifting its foot to stomp him, but Elamenor appeared again, slamming both fists into its ankle with a grunt.

CRACK!

The joint buckled. The creature fell to one knee, slamming its fist down in rage.

"Dodge!" Arianna screamed.

They scattered as the fist obliterated the ground where Kieran had stood. Stone shards flew in every direction. Heat washed over him, making his lungs burn.

Jack reappeared above the creature's head, black lightning sparking between his fingers.

"Final Arc: Thunder Devourer!"

He plunged his hand down.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Lightning erupted in a pillar of black and violet, engulfing the golem's head. The creature roared, its furnace chest flickering wildly.

> [BOSS HP: 25% REMAINING]

"It's going berserk!" Erren shouted. "Incoming AoE in five—four—three—"

Kieran planted his sword in the ground, activating Phantom Shield. Violet light flared around him as the golem slammed both fists down.

The arena cracked open.

Lava erupted from the fissures, geysers of molten rock shooting into the air. Heat blinded him, burned his lungs, but he held his shield firm.

Arianna's barrier shattered. She screamed as molten rock grazed her arm, but she spun her staff, casting a quick heal on herself before raising another shield over Erren.

Elamenor charged again, ignoring the lava burning his legs. He leapt, fists cocked back.

BOOOOOOM!

He slammed into the golem's chest, cracking the furnace open. Molten light poured out, illuminating the entire chamber in blazing white.

"Finish it!" Jack roared.

Kieran moved.

Time slowed around him. His blade shimmered with violet light as he flickered through the shadows, reappearing behind the golem's exposed core.

He exhaled softly.

Then he thrust.

SHIIIIINK!

The blade plunged into the molten furnace. The golem froze. Its eyes flickered once… twice…

Then shattered like glass.

> [BOSS DEFEATED]

> [LEVEL UP]

The creature collapsed forward, molten metal splashing across the stone floor as it went still.

Silence filled the arena.

For a moment, no one moved. The only sound was their ragged breathing, the faint crackle of cooling lava.

Then Jack laughed.

It was a wild, reckless sound, echoing through the chamber. He turned to them, grinning wide.

"That," he panted, "was fun."

Arianna dropped to her knees, gasping. "Fun? My mana's gone… my everything is gone…"

Elamenor stood over the golem's corpse, silent, his fists still glowing with heat. Jameson wiped his dagger clean, exhaling softly. Erren collapsed backward, staring at the stone ceiling with glazed eyes.

Kieran pulled his sword free, violet eyes reflecting the dying glow of the molten core. His chest rose and fell with quiet, controlled breaths.

This was just one Trial. Just one victory.

But for the first time since he regressed… he felt something shift in his chest.

Not hope.

Not relief.

Just… calm.

And as he turned to face his party—these monsters in human skin, these variables that defied everything he thought he knew—he felt a faint smile ghost across his lips.

Maybe… just maybe… he didn't have to do this alone.

The wind howled through the broken arena, scattering embers into the fading orange sky.

And in the distance, beyond the shattered gates, the world waited for them to step forward again.