"Yes... I possess such power, such potential..." An uncontrollable thought sprouted in Ye Yu's heart, as if agreeing with the mirror figure's words. He felt his spirit being tugged by some force, threatening to leave his body and soar toward the summit of the Golden Stairway, to embrace the imagined supreme glory.
Just then, Ye Yu abruptly bit the tip of his tongue! A sharp pain, accompanied by the strong metallic taste of blood, instantly shattered his momentary daze.
"Silence!" Ye Yu's roar thundered through the Golden Hall like a crack of lightning. "The power is mine, the potential is mine, and the future is mine! But a 'King' is not self-proclaimed, and 'Supremacy' is not built on arrogance!"
His gaze was as sharp as a blade, locked onto the haughty reflection in the mirror. His voice was resolute, carrying an unshakable conviction:
"My strength exists to protect those I care about, to explore this unknown world, to challenge greater heights! Not to look down upon others and feed your ridiculous vanity!"
Ye Yu's words resonated like a tolling bell, each syllable infused with formidable willpower, striking hard against the twisted arrogance of the mirror's projection. He was refuting the mirror figure—and, more importantly, launching a thorough purge against any trace of pride that might have taken root in his own heart.
"Admit it! You were born to be King! Why suppress yourself?" The mirror figure's face contorted, its voice turning shrill and piercing in a final desperate struggle. The aura of arrogance solidified like chains, coiling around Ye Yu once more.
"My path is mine to walk! My heights are mine to climb!" Ye Yu growled, his eyes erupting with Conqueror's Haki.
BOOM—!!!
An invisible, supreme pressure surged forth like a hurricane—no longer the passive defense he had used against Lust, but an active, kingly assault brimming with indomitable will.
This Haki was pure, vast, carrying the authority to dominate all—not the narrow, extreme arrogance of the mirror's illusion.
CRACK—!!!
Under the impact of the Conqueror's Haki, the massive crystal mirror—along with the twisted, arrogant projection within—instantly fractured into a spiderweb of fissures.
The haughty expression on the reflection froze, morphing into stunned disbelief. It tried to scream, but the sound was swallowed by the shattering glass.
BOOM—!!!
With a deafening explosion, the great crystal mirror burst apart, scattering into countless glittering shards that rained down like golden droplets. The arrogant projection vanished into nothingness.
As the mirror shattered, the suffocating aura of "nobility" that had filled the space abruptly dissipated. The Golden Stairway still gleamed brilliantly, but it no longer carried the seductive whisper demanding that he "ascend and claim kingship."
Ye Yu stood in place, breathing slightly heavily, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Resisting the amplified arrogance within his heart had been no less perilous than withstanding Lust's primal assault—perhaps even more mentally taxing. Yet his eyes now burned brighter, deeper, as if his soul had been tempered, purged of impurities that might have hindered his future path.
Ye Yu slowly exhaled a turbid breath, his gaze fixed on the spiraling Golden Stairway. At its summit, the hazy glow seemed slightly clearer now, faintly revealing the outline of another gate with a distinctly different style.
The third trial of the Seven Sins Corridor lay ahead.
Just then, Ye Yu keenly sensed something within him becoming more condensed and vibrant. It was his Conqueror's Haki! After the intense battle against his own projection of Pride—especially that final, willful burst of impact—his Conqueror's Haki seemed to have been tempered, becoming purer and more formidable.
His Conqueror's Haki had grown stronger. Though it couldn't be cultivated directly, it would naturally enhance alongside his destiny and spirit.
Ye Yu had inherited the combat prowess of seven individuals, but he would also temper and elevate every aspect of himself.
"An unexpected gain..." Ye Yu clenched his fist, savoring the subtle shifts in his mental state as a satisfied smile tugged at his lips. This Seven Sins Corridor was truly an ideal place to temper one's will and sharpen one's strength.
A notification appeared: leaving now would yield no rewards.
Continuing meant facing untold dangers.
Without hesitation, Ye Yu took firm strides onto the Golden Stairway leading to the third trial. Each step echoed resolutely through the silent hall, ringing with unmistakable clarity.
He was curious—which of the Seven Deadly Sins awaited him in the next trial?
Outside.
Xia Ling, Zhang Tian, and the others stared nervously at the black-red mist that resembled congealed blood. Nearly two hours had passed since Ye Yu entered, yet aside from the mist appearing slightly darker, there had been no movement.
"Why is it taking so long..." Zhang Tian twisted her fingers anxiously, her small face etched with worry. "Captain... he'll be alright, won't he?"
Though equally concerned, Xia Ling's voice carried absolute faith in Ye Yu. "Believe in him! Creation can always work miracles and overcome anything. This Mystic Realm may be eerie, but it won't stop him!"
Even so, her tense gaze fixed on the mist betrayed her inner unease.
Meanwhile, inside the third gate, Ye Yu turned back after it closed behind him. The door was forged from a dark, blood-like black-red metal, its edges glowing with molten light.
Carved into its surface was the image of a roaring Giant, muscles bulging and eyes crimson, its massive hammer raised as if to split the heavens. Just looking at it unleashed a torrent of raw, scorching fury—an all-consuming wrath capable of incinerating reason itself.
Wrath!
Ye Yu's expression instantly hardened.
The erosion of Lust and the temptation of Pride had been perilous, but they were primarily mental assaults and distortions. This Wrath Gate, however, radiated pure, unadulterated destructive energy—a primal fury that could ignite blood, burn souls, and reduce all reason to ashes.
"Hah..." Ye Yu took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Instantly, it was as if he had entered hell itself.
Before him stretched an endless sea of molten lava.
Crimson magma churned like boiling blood, roaring as it surged in towering waves before crashing down in showers of searing fire.
The scorching air warped under the intense heat, thick with the acrid stench of sulfur and smoke. Every breath felt like inhaling scalding blades, scorching his throat.
Beneath his feet was not solid ground, but massive black reefs floating in a sea of magma, scorched red-hot, sizzling with each step he took.
The harsh environment was secondary—what proved most lethal was the intangible "wrath" permeating the entire space!
This wrath was like tangible flames, seeping relentlessly into Ye Yu's body, violently agitating every nerve. Every memory of injustice, humiliation, and fury—Lin Muxue's public scorn and expulsion, Li Cang's smug mockery, the uproar and skepticism during the Contract ceremony, the faces of those who once fawned over him only to turn cold in an instant—all surged and amplified like fragments of memory thrown into a boiling cauldron, fueled by rage.
"ROAR—!!!"
An ear-splitting, endlessly savage roar erupted from the center of the molten sea. With it, a colossal figure burst through the magma, rising slowly.
The figure bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Ye Yu, but its size had nearly doubled. Its muscles bulged like forged steel, its skin an ominous black-red, covered in fissures as if magma might erupt from them at any moment. Its eyes were two blazing crimson flames, its hair like wild, dancing fire.
It wielded no weapon, but its massive fists were wrapped in terrifying Armament Haki, so dense it appeared as a tangible black-and-red force. Just the act of clenching them made the surrounding space groan under the strain.
This was the manifestation of Ye Yu's inner fury—the Wrath Berserker: Ye Yu!