[Current Balance: £2,733,571 15s. 11d.]
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"I am not alive, yet I grow;
I do not have lungs, yet I need air;
I do not have a mouth, and yet I can drown.
What am I?"
'Bruh... that's common in the modern era...' Alaric sighed, but then smirked. "A fire."
The runes on the door flared brightly, and the stone began to shift, sliding open to reveal the next passage.
The voice spoke again, its tone almost amused.
"Correct. Proceed to the next trial."
Alaric stepped through the door, his Eternal Mangekyo glowing in the darkness. The second trial awaited, and he was ready.
---
The second chamber was larger than the first, its walls lined with towering statues of ancient warriors.
In the center of the room was a pedestal, upon which rested a single, gleaming sword. Alaric approached cautiously, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger.
As he reached the pedestal, the statues came to life, their stone forms cracking and shifting as they stepped down from their pedestals.
The warriors raised their swords, their eyes glowing with an otherworldly light.
Alaric smirked, his Eternal Mangekyo spinning faster. "Now this is more like it."
The warriors charged as their movements were swift and precise.
His hand instinctively went to the hilt of his Kusanagi, the blade sliding out of its sheath with a soft hiss.
The first statue lunged at Alaric, its blade a blur as it aimed for his throat.
Alaric didn't move.
At the last second, he tilted his head slightly, letting the blade whistle past his ear.
His Kusanagi flashed, and the statue's sword arm crashed to the ground.
Before the statue could react, Alaric's boot connected with its chest, shattering its torso into dust.
Two statues charged at once, their swords swinging in perfect unison.
Alaric stepped into the gap between them, his Kusanagi slicing through the first statue's midsection.
Before the second statue could recover, he spun and drove a punch into its stone face, shattering its head into fragments.
The decapitated statue crumpled to the ground.
"Too slow," Alaric said, his voice calm, almost bored.
Three statues circled him, their movements coordinated and precise.
The first attacked high, the second low, and the third aimed for his flank.
Alaric moved like a blur.
He leapt over the low strike, parried the high one with his Kusanagi, and sidestepped the third.
In the same motion, his sword sliced through the first statue's torso, his kick shattered the second's legs, and his elbow crushed the third's face.
All three collapsed in a heap of rubble.
A statue lunged from behind, its blade aimed at Alaric's back.
Without looking, Alaric spun and caught the sword between his fingers.
The statue froze, confusion etched in its stone features.
Alaric smirked.
With a flick of his wrist, he snapped the blade in two.
Before the statue could retreat, he drove a punch into its chest, shattering it into dust.
Five statues charged at once, their swords gleaming in the dim light.
Alaric didn't wait.
He met them head-on, his Kusanagi a blur as it sliced through stone limbs and torsos.
One statue lost its head to a precise slash, another its legs to a low sweep.
Alaric's elbow shattered a third's chest, and a spinning kick sent the fourth flying into the fifth, both crumbling into debris.
A massive statue, twice the size of the others, swung a colossal stone hammer at Alaric.
He didn't dodge.
Instead, he raised his Kusanagi, the blade meeting the hammer with a deafening clang.
The force of the impact shook the chamber, but Alaric's stance didn't falter.
With a roar, he pushed back, shattering the hammer with a single strike.
Before the giant statue could react, Alaric leapt and drove his sword through its chest, splitting it down the middle.
The massive statue crumbled, its pieces shaking the ground as they fell.
A dozen statues surrounded him, their swords raised in unison.
Alaric exploded into motion, his movements too fast to follow.
His Kusanagi flashed in every direction, slicing through stone limbs and torsos.
Statues fell one after another, their shattering forms filling the air with dust.
Alaric's fists and feet moved like weapons of their own, shattering stone with every strike.
In seconds, the dozen statues were nothing but rubble.
A single statue remained, its blade trembling as it faced Alaric.
Alaric tilted his head, his smirk widening.
The statue charged, its sword aimed for his heart.
Alaric stepped aside, letting the blade miss by inches.
His Kusanagi flashed, and the statue's head tumbled from its shoulders.
The body crumbled to the ground.
Alaric stood in the center of the chamber, surrounded by the shattered remains of countless statues.
His breathing was steady, his Kusanagi gleaming in the dim light.
He twirled the blade in his hand once, then sheathed it.
He twirled his Kusanagi in his hand, the blade gleaming in the dim light as he glanced at the pedestal in the center of the room.
Resting atop it was the sword he had come for... Excalibur.
Alaric stepped forward, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spinning lazily as he approached the pedestal. The air around him seemed to grow heavier, the faint hum of energy intensifying.
"Finally," he said, his voice calm but carrying a hint of anticipation. "Took you long enough to make this interesting."
As he reached for the sword, the ground beneath him began to shake. The walls of the chamber trembled, and the air filled with the sound of cracking stone. Alaric glanced around, his smirk widening.
"A trap, huh? Predictable."
The floor beneath him gave way, and Alaric dropped into darkness.
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