The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

"That's right. Three of the four major forces are going against Ye Wang. As the saying goes, those who follow the right path will find many helpers, while those who stray from it will find few. We have a huge advantage."

Just then, a voice rang out from the doorway, "Excuse me."

As the voice spoke, a handsome man wearing sunglasses, with long hair, trousers, leather shoes, and a long black trench coat walked in.

"I'm sorry, this hotel is not open to the public," Daohe informed him.

“I am not a guest.” The man carrying the suitcase walked up to the three of them, took off his sunglasses, and smiled. “You are all psychics who are preparing to participate in the Psychic War, right? I am Silva of the Patch tribe, one of the ten priests in charge of organizing this Psychic War. I am here to assess your eligibility to participate, guided by a great soul.”

"The ten priests who orchestrate the Spirit Summoner War? To assess our eligibility to participate?" Dao Lian stood up, his brow furrowed slightly. "How will they assess us?"

“It’s very simple.” Silva opened his arms and smiled confidently. “As long as you can deliver a powerful blow to me, one of the ten priests, I will hand over the oracle tablet that represents your qualification to participate in the psychic battle.”

"Are you sure you want to use a powerful attack on me?" Su Qi also walked over, carrying a knife.

"What's wrong? That's exactly the rule of the test. I will judge the effectiveness of your attack, and that will be the basis for determining whether you are qualified to participate."

“We’re fine…” He looked at Silva with a strange look in his eyes, “I’m just afraid that if I strike you, you might die.”

……

Meanwhile, the riverbank beneath the bridge, the gathering place, was completely silent.

At this moment, more than twenty of Ye Wang's followers were gathered on the riverbank, standing like a solemn forest of steles, raising their heads slightly and quietly looking up at Ye Wang, who stood in front of them on a stone.

"Everyone, you are all excellent psychics, special individuals whom I selected from among thousands of psychics. You will become my companions and help me build a new world. I have always believed this."

He looked down at the crowd and said, "After a month of hellish training, you have become the most outstanding among all the psychics. Now, please allow me to borrow your power."

"Lord Ye's wish is the goal we are determined to achieve at all costs. Please give us your orders."

As the leader bowed his head and knelt on one knee, everyone fell down like waves of harvested wheat, bowing their heads before him.

With a deep, meaningful smile, Ye Wang announced, "Then let's begin, the Star Festival."

Chapter 43 Offering Sacrifices for the Birth of a King

In a dark alley, a boy clutching his skis is fleeing for his life.

The tall buildings on both sides blocked out the light, and the pale moonlight stretched across the ground. The angle of the shadows resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast, ready to swallow his tiny figure at any moment.

"Ha...ha...Damn it! How...how could it have turned out like this! Is the so-called psychic war just about killing each other!?"

Holoholo was exhausted and panting heavily. His lungs were churning like broken bellows, and every breath he took made his throat burn and ache. His hands, feet, and bones felt like a doll on the verge of falling apart, and he could almost hear the dangerous creaking sounds as he ran.

But he couldn't stop, nor dared he stop, because stopping would surely mean being killed.

"...This is...this is outrageous!"

Horohoro had a dream: to become the Shaman King and build an endless field of bee-flecked vegetables to provide a dwelling place for the dwarf gods who had lived alongside his Ainu people for generations. So, carrying the hopes of his entire village, he traveled from Hokkaido to Tokyo as a shaman to participate in the once-in-five-hundred-years Shaman War.

He knew the battle to determine the Shaman King would be anything but easy, and he thought he was well prepared, but as it turned out, he had completely underestimated the brutality of this Shaman King war.

Not long ago, Holoholo witnessed a psychic being killed. And it wasn't a one-on-one duel; it was a three-on-one, brutal massacre. This was completely different from the rules the Patch tribesman had described earlier. Clearly, they weren't engaging in a fair duel guided by a great spirit, but rather a hunt—a one-sided hunt of the strong against the weak.

This was a war where lives were at stake. The city was now full of enemies, and if he didn't leave, he could die at any moment. He realized this after seeing the bloody scene. His heart wavered because of the fear of death, but in the end he still chose to stay.

Because he still has dreams and things he must accomplish, but only if he can survive.

"A bunch of unruly bastards! If you're so tough, fight me one-on-one!"

Having witnessed the hunt, Horohoro now replaced the previous victim as the new prey. He attempted to fight the three, but was easily defeated in a single exchange and forced to flee. Despite this, he remained resentful, believing that their easy victory was due to their numbers.

That's the end of it.

Suddenly, a girl with a cigarette dangling from her mouth, long, disheveled hair, and a delinquent-looking appearance blocked the way.

"That's right, stop wasting time, just die obediently and become a sacrifice."

"Die, hurry up and die."

Immediately afterwards, two girls with pigtails, one wearing a black dress and the other wearing a cloak, who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, chased after them from behind.

"hateful!"

I still clearly remember how they killed people, so I didn't underestimate them because of their appearance.

"Who exactly are you people?" Holoholo, while manifesting his super-spirit form, leaned against the wall and warily scanned the three. "You kill indiscriminately without any regard for rules or reason. Aren't you afraid of being expelled from the Patch tribe?"

"It doesn't matter, as long as the person who is going to become the Shaman King is a good person. All we need to do is clear the obstacles for that person and offer sacrifices for the birth of the king."

"Sacrifice? Could it be that the sacrifice you're talking about... is me?"

"Hmph, you only understand now? Since you understand, then go die right now. It is your honor to be a part of the spirit of a great man."

As soon as they finished speaking, the three of them simultaneously manifested their super spirit forms and attacked this side.

"Who wants this damn glory! I still have my own dreams, how can I die here so easily!"

Holoholo manifested his super-spirit form, gritted his teeth, and prepared to fight, but at that moment...

"Stop it, all of you."

With a tearing sound, a long spear descended from the sky, landing squarely between the two sides.

The next moment, a loud bang rang out, the ground shattered, rocks flew everywhere, and a violent shockwave spread out, almost blowing the four people away. They had to stop and shield their eyes, and it took a while for the wind to subside.

Turning my head again, I saw a figure standing steadily on the upright gun barrel, surrounded by flowing wind, exuding a powerful sense of oppression.

"Hmph, looks like another meddlesome fool. Perfect, if we can get more offerings, the great master will surely praise us."

"How lucky Mary is, there are always idiots who come to her door."

"Mai Zhi, kill them quickly and go back to see the good master."

Despite the impressive entrance of the newcomers, the three women were full of confidence and showed no sign of backing down. After a month of hellish training, and with their revered elder personally admitting it, they had no belief that they would lose against two psychics who had appeared out of nowhere.

Then, they were taken away from their mediums and spirits and taken to the police station.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

Soon after, watching the three women being handcuffed and dragged away in a police car while cursing, Holoholo stood there dumbfounded for a while before finally calming down and looking at the boy standing beside him, "And who are you? Why did you suddenly appear to save me? Are you from the Patch tribe?"

"Pachi tribe? No, no, no, I'm from the World Peace Team... no, I'm from the Taoist school. The reason I'm here is entirely due to the inexplicable instructions of some unreliable family head."

Daohe sighed, puzzled as well, wondering why he had been sent to rescue someone who was clearly unrelated.

The real answer, however, is for systematic evaluation.

The death of a character from the protagonist's side will lower the completion rating. Because of this, Su Qi sent Dao He, Dao Lian, and Asakura Ye out to ensure the safety of the relevant characters when Ye Wang's people suddenly caused trouble and indiscriminately hunted down shamans.

Now, besides facing Ye Wang, they also have god-level psychics like Jeanne d'Arc, the leader of X-LAWS, and Satie, the leader of Gandara. After more than a year of hellish training, and with great soul clones at their disposal, they are unlikely to encounter any danger.

He himself needed to keep Ye Wang in check and use divination to determine the situation on the other side, so he couldn't take action himself and entrusted the task to them.

"Alright, it's chaotic outside right now. I'll explain the details to you on the way. Let's head back to the base first."

Afterwards, Daohe took Holoholo back to the Destiny Circle Hotel.

Upon returning, he found the inn much more lively. In addition to the original five residents, there were now four more people: Wooden Sword Dragon, Faust VIII, Zogolab, and Lisel, plus the newly arrived Holoholo, making a total of ten. However, after looking around, he noticed that the people who should have been there were nowhere to be seen.

"Miss Anna, where is Daocheng?"

After bringing Holoholo inside and giving him a brief introduction, Dowager handed him over to Yoh Asakura. Dowager then found Anna Kyoyama sitting alone outside the house.

“That guy just left.” The latter sat on the edge of the room, looking up at the starry sky as he said calmly, “He said that Ye Wang suddenly changed his location and immediately went after him, telling us to stay here and not get separated.”

After saying that, he stood up and walked into the house expressionlessly.

"You bunch of idiots, you're making so much noise! ​​Quiet down!"

A moment later, Anna's cold shout came from inside the room, and the somewhat noisy hotel immediately quieted down.

Daohe shook his head, looked up into the distance, and a trace of worry flashed in his eyes. "I hope nothing happens to that guy when he goes out alone."

……

This is a simple warehouse, which the Pachi people have temporarily rented as a temporary residence due to their tight budget.

At this moment, the ten priests of the Patch tribe are gathered at the camp, communicating with their chief, Goldba, who is in charge of this psychic battle in the United States, through an old television set.

"Lord Goldba, I am very sorry to disturb your rest, but this great change has occurred just as the psychic war has begun."

"Really?" On the television screen, an old man with a long feather in his hair and dressed as an Indian priest calmly asked, "Tell me first, what happened?"

The other priests stood to the left and right, while Silva stood in front of the television, also dressed in Native American priest attire, and said with a solemn expression: "Since this morning, Ye Wang's men have been indiscriminately slaughtering psychics who have come to this city from all over the world. Hundreds of psychics have already been killed, including many excellent psychics who have just passed the preliminary test... If this continues, I'm afraid that before we even reach the second stage, most of the psychics will be wiped out."

"I understand. We don't need to worry about it. Let him do whatever he wants."

"Huh!?" He exclaimed in astonishment, "Lord Gordeba, are we ten priests not going to do anything?"

“Silva, our Patch tribe’s mission is simply to follow the instructions of the Great Soul and ensure that the Shaman Wars proceed smoothly to the end, so that the most outstanding Shaman can be chosen as the Shaman King. Those who cannot even protect their own lives are not qualified to become the Shaman King.”

"But……"

"There are no buts. Our Pachi tribe is already short-handed, and we can't afford to get involved in anything else."

“No, this is not superfluous!” Silva argued. “Hundreds of murders occurred on the same day, which has already attracted the attention of the secular government. Although they have been covering it up to avoid causing public panic, they have begun to investigate the matter and have even arrested many psychics. If this continues, it will definitely affect the psychic war, and we must prepare as soon as possible.”

“Lord Goldba, I think Shiba is right,” another priest chimed in. “If we let things continue like this, it might escalate into a major incident that’s hard to handle. Actually, I’ve never understood why the psychic war has to be held in an international metropolis like Tokyo. It’s too restrictive. If it were in a canyon in the Americas, we wouldn’t need to go to such lengths to cover it up.”

"Shut up! This is the decision of a great soul, and no questioning is allowed!"

After Gorchoba finished speaking solemnly, just as he was about to continue, the oracle tablets of all ten priests in the room suddenly rang.

Forty-fourth, fire at me!

"Change the schedule and go straight to the fourth stage, sending all willing shamans to a deserted island near Tokyo for a month-long survival battle. The final winner will be the Shaman King!?"

Everyone was surprised to see the new information displayed on the oracle.

Originally, the specific competition procedures were determined by the Pachi tribe, and the Great Soul would never concern itself with such trivial matters. However, this time, the competition schedule was changed abnormally, and the change was so significant that it was unprecedented.

"Lord Gordeba, what should we do now?"

“Of course we will follow the instructions of the great soul.” Gordeba said without hesitation: “You all go and prepare for this immediately. Use whatever means you have to get the venue and supplies ready as soon as possible.”

"Yes."

The priests responded in unison, then one of them couldn't help but ask, "But Lord Gordeba, why would a great soul suddenly intervene?"

Gordeba frowned slightly, closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then slowly opened them, his expression solemn, and said, "Because the great soul foresaw the destruction of Tokyo."

"The destruction of Tokyo?"