Chapter 677 Trial of Victory
After reading as much about the Tower of Nike as she could, Shiro put the books away and started to make her way out of the building.
To complete the tower of Nike, the bow was actually one of the best options when starting with no divinity since it allowed her to fight at a safe distance. And even if they reached melee distance, it wasn't like she'd lose out in terms of technique either.
'To get to the Tower of Nike, I'll need to travel north of this place. It'll take around three hours if I jog so it's not too far.' Shiro thought to herself.
The Tower of Nike seemed like a rather short tower from the outside world but the truth was different. It only looked like a short tower due to the fact that most of it was underground along with the entrance.
In order to attempt the Tower of Nike, one needed to make their way down a ravine where some monsters reside and find their way through a cave system. At least, that was what it was like in the beginning.
However, thanks to the multitude of people wanting to complete Nike's Tower, a pathway was carved out of the ravine alone with a set of stone guardrails to guide one to the entrance properly.
After making her way out of the city of Vox, Shiro followed the map in her mind and eventually found the ravine that she had to go down.
Looking to her left, she could see the start of the stone steps which led to the darkness of the ravine.
"Ominous." Shiro sighed with a soft smile and started to walk down while keeping a hand on the hilt of her short sword.
After all, she didn't know if a monster was going to suddenly ambush her.
Around halfway down the steps, she could hear a few voices talking to each other.
"I believe in you. Even if you fail, this one is rather lenient and wouldn't take your life. It'll teleport you back here so don't worry son." A feminine voice encouraged.
"I don't think that's how you encourage someone mum." The younger voice sighed.
"Well it's also bad to just say you will complete it perfectly. But just know I believe in you haha." The feminine voice chuckled.
Raising her eyebrow, Shiro was slightly surprised that there were some people already here but it was understandable. After all, even if the Tower of Nike was a low grade second tier divinity, it was a popular choice for first tiers due to its leniency with failure.
Unlike some of the other second tier divinities, this one wouldn't kill you if you fail. But it didn't mean that it was free of risks either.
While you may not die, you are sure to be heavily injured when you come out.
As Shiro walked down the staircase, the duo heard the sound of footsteps righting out and hushed for a moment to check who it was.
Seeing a beautiful young lady with snow white hair, the two relaxed slightly.
"Anyways, good luck on the test. Your father's going to prepare some good food for us when we get back." The woman smiled.
She was a middle aged lady with brown hair that reached halfway down her back. She wore a simple dress that most of the commoners would wear which consisted of a simple white shirt, a brown vest and a skirt which reached down to their ankles.
As for the boy, his clothing was also something that could be seen in every town. He wore a long sleeved white shirt, a brown jacket, baggy pants and a pair of farmers boots.
Giving the mother and son duo a quick glance, Shiro returned her focus back to the main target of her journey here. The Tower of Nike.
To call it a tower was a bit of an exaggeration due to the gate of said tower.
With over 90% of the tower being underground, it was more fitting to call it a dungeon rather than a tower.
Besides the gate were two large stone pillars that had carvings of large scale battles. There were weapons being thrown, cavalry men and even what seemed to be people blessed by divinity flying through the sky with blessed weapons which rained thunder down on the ground.
Connected to the top of these pillars were chains which dr.a.p.ed through the cave which was similar to what reigns would look like on a carriage.
Remembering that Nike was Zeus' Charioteer, it made sense why the chains would look like reins.
As for the gate itself, there was a single image and that was Nike herself with her wings unfurled behind her. Above her head was a golden laurel wreath which served as a symbol of triumph. Compared to the stone gates and the dark caves, the golden crown was especially eye catching with its design.
Taking a deep breath, Shiro took a moment to close her eyes and focus her mind. No matter what, she was going to complete this trial and continue on to the five primordial trials. After all, they were her main goal and the key for her to complete this test that Nyx has bestowed upon her.
With the allure of a mysterious reward on the line that even the primordial deity of night coveted, Shiro snapped her eyes open as her aura turned sharp like a sword.
Walking up to the gate without fear, she placed her right hand against the cold stone surface and pushed with all of her might.
As the gates opened, a golden light wrapped around her body, shielding her from prying eyes and soon, she was nowhere to be seen.
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Shielding her eyes from the light, Shiro blinked a few times to readjust herself. Once she could see properly once more, she found herself in front of a giant stone tablet.
[Trial of Victory]
[Obtain victory in this scenario. Heroes appear in the heat of battle. While cooperation with other people is key, sometimes it takes one person to change the flow of everything. Can you be that person? Defeat the enemies and slay the commander in the centre of their encampment.]
[Time limit – 1 day.]
Seeing this, Shiro didn't hesitate and immediately summoned her bow.
As if understanding her desire to fight, her scenery changed once more and she was thrusted in the centre of the battlefield.
Glancing around her, Shiro could see that she was in the middle of a fight as her allies were being slaughtered around her. Behind her was a heavily fortified city and in front of her was what seemed like an endless army.
Without even giving her a chance to think about her current situation, Shiro widened her eyes and drew her short sword.
Lifting it in front of her, she parried the attacks of the soldier that tried to kill her while her guard was down.
Shifting her body weight, Shiro narrowed her eyes and used a set of martial arts that she had neglected for a while as she hadn't been fighting people. Her Phantom Path.
Brushing off the soldier's attacks so that it hit the ground beside her, Shiro leaned forward for a lunge with her sword.
*PUSHI!!!!
Slashing the man's throat with ease, she used her shoulder as a battering ram and crashed into his sternum.
*CRACK!
Feeling the bones crack under her sudden charge, Shiro smiled in satisfaction.
With a single swift set of movements, she sheathed her sword away and summoned an arrow for her bow. While this was happening, she had also positioned herself under the soldier's body so that she was using it as a shield from ranged attacks.
Stabbing her arrow back, she pierced the soldier through the eyes and into the brain, killing him quickly.
Ripping out the blood soaked arrow from the man's eye sockets, she notched the arrow onto the bow string and pulled back with all her might.
Locking onto the closest target, she fired without hesitation, piercing his head through the ear.
As the blood of the soldier poured onto her hair, Shiro pushed his corpse off her body.
Raising up her hand, she brushed her blood covered hair back, revealing a set of beautiful eyes that scanned the battlefield along with a grin that revealed her pearly white teeth. Looking at Shiro's expression, one would see a maniacal war demon who lived for the pleasure of a good fight.
"It's been too damn long! Entertain me!" She laughed out while notching more arrows.
Stepping to the side, she kicked one of the approaching soldiers on the back of the knee, forcing him to fall backwards as she fired an arrow into his face at point blank range.
Grabbing one of her daggers that she had stored on her belt she twirled them in her hands to gather some momentum and threw it at an archer in the distance.
Piercing his throat accurately, she shifted her attention away from the archer and shot at a few of the incoming soldiers that wanted to take her life.
Elsewhere, Nyx watched the scene with narrowed eyes and a beautiful smile.
Usually, when Shiro kills someone in a dungeon or trial, her monster counter never increased as they didn't count as human lives due to the fact that they were akin to simulations.
However, in this trial, her counter started to increase…
Advanced Monster (459/1000 Human's Killed).
(460/1000).