The morning sun cut across Kriegstadt like a blade—its light fractured by skyward smokestacks, crystal towers, and floating iron engines. The city seemed alive, breathing magic and malice in equal measure. And at its heart, the Universitäts-Kathedrale, where the next phase of the entrance tournament would begin.
The Third Trial: Keys of Dominion
The Third Trial was unlike the others. No arena. No constructed enemies.
Instead, every remaining participant received a single message on their System HUD:
"Der Thronschlüssel: The Trial of Dominion begins.""Survive. Conquer. Claim your dominion."
And without warning, they were pulled into one of seven randomly assigned micro-worlds—self-contained dungeons, each based on a lost region of the shattered world. Their task?
Claim the Throne Key, and escape.
Maximilian's World: The Broken Clockspire
Maximilian emerged into silence.
Around him stood the remnants of a giant city-sized clock tower—its gears frozen mid-turn, time magic long decayed. Lightning arced from the shattered sky above, while half-formed constructs crawled through air like fish in water.
"Welcome to Instance: Uhrwerk-Dämmerung – Twilight of the Gears.""Biome: Ancient Temporal Forge.""Threat Level: A+ to SSS.""Objective: Locate the Heartgear. Override the time gate. Claim the Throne Key.""Opposition: 1–4 other participants."
He was not alone.
Footsteps echoed.
Two other figures stepped into view—both instantly recognizable:
Kira Eisenmoor: heir to the Eisen Engineering Dynasty, adorned in high-grade mechframe armor and a glowing aether-axe strapped to her back.
Volkher Raubzahn: a berserker of the Dämmerwolf clan, his flesh reinforced with auric glyphs and bloodsteel bones.
Both looked at Maximilian. Both recognized him.
And both smiled like wolves.
Temporal Warfare
"I vote we kill him first," Kira said.
"No fun in that," Volkher growled. "He fights. We bleed. Fair blood."
Maximilian summoned his System interface silently, preparing three things:
His internal aura harmonization.
A containment barrier tuned to time echoes.
And the dormant fragment of his evolving Class.
"Skill Fragment Reactivation: [Stellarmind Chronoweaver] – Status: 38% synchronized.""New Ability: Temporal Anchor (Rank B+)"
They charged.
And the clockwork world roared to life.
The Battle Beneath the Gears
Lightning cracked as the three collided.
Kira launched explosive glyphs and magitek drones. Volkher's roar summoned a bloodwolf spirit, hammering at the ground with primal fury.
But Maximilian moved like starlight—unpredictable, unnatural, untethered to time.
"Temporal Anchor – Activated."World stutters. Speed shifts. Their blows arrive a second too slow.
His counterattack was surgical. A palm strike shattered Volkher's ribs, forcing the berserker into full fury mode. Kira's armor absorbed a near-lethal counterblast—but her right arm malfunctioned from aura distortion.
They backed off.
"Impossible… what even are you?" she whispered.
"I'm late," Maximilian muttered, already moving toward the Heartgear, ignoring them.
The Throne Key
The Heartgear was not a treasure—it was a throne.
A massive construct built of platinum and starlight, it rotated slowly above a sealed core, runes burning like comets.
To access it, a single challenge awaited:
"Name thy Truth. Burn thy Mask."
Maximilian hesitated.
His SSS+ talent surged at the edge of his soul, begging to be known. But he couldn't reveal it—not yet.
So he lied.
"Name entered: S+ – Stellarblade Variant.""Concealment Protocol Reinforced. Authority Key forged."
Thronenschlüssel Acquired: Tier 1.
The world began collapsing as the instance closed. But before he vanished, he saw something in the broken sky:
A shadow watching.
With glowing red eyes. And horns made of reality fractures.
The Return
Back in the real world, only seven students returned bearing Throne Keys. Maximilian among them.
He stood in the Hall of Selection, now surrounded by archmages, headmasters, and tactical guild advisors. The Throne Key shimmered in his hand.
A message flickered on the System HUD:
"Thronenschlüssel accepted. Choose your university affiliation.""Universität der Ewigen Flamme ""Universität der Blutkrone ""Universität Eisenfaust ""Universität Noctra ""Universität of the Silent Star "
But before he could choose, a notification appeared:
"Hidden Affiliation Detected: Nova Der Abgrund – Forbidden University of the Abyss.""Access Denied Without Divine Clearance."
Elsewhere: The Divine Chamber
High above the mortal realm, the Council of Neutral Divinities gathered.
"The Starblood's host has passed the Third Gate," whispered Vel'Sariel, goddess of lost knowledge.
"Do we intervene?" asked Tormach, god of measured war.
"No," said the Broken Light, appearing as a silhouette made of shattered stars. "Let him fall… or rise… unshaped by our chains."
End of Chapter 5: Der Thronschlüssel – The Throne Key