We began working our way down, one trial after another. After the 4th trial, it moved up to three clones. Each time, I had to figure out a new way to kill them. Then, the pain of that death was transmitted through Alysia, although I secretly took it upon myself.
In the third trial, I was able to electrocute them to death. At least that was pleasantly numbing. In the fourth trial, I use absorb until I had completely eaten away their souls. It was an unsettling feeling, but I had experienced enough pain in my soul that it was something I could handle pretty well. In the fifth trial, I took them out by removing the oxygen around their heads, effectively asphyxiating them. My lungs ached after that one.
After each one, I needed to take longer and longer rests. Also, eventually bringing them down often took more and more effort. The last one took nearly ten minutes of continuous casting, and that was already after wearing them down. Although I was growing increasingly shaken, Alysia seemed to be encouraged and upbeat. I did everything I could to keep her from noticing my problems.
The murals were of course on every level too. However, it was difficult to make heads or tales of the ones I saw. One of them depicted the man going around killing people with his sword, bathing it in blood. Another one depicted him forging the soul of his daughter into the sword. The final one depicted him leading villagers into the dungeon.
If I had to put things together, I’d say that the man made some kind of agreement with the dungeon and sacrificed the villagers. In exchange, he got her soul back. However, for some reason, he didn’t resurrect her. Instead, he made her into a sword. Either way, he wasn’t a good person. It wasn’t a surprise he killed himself in the end.
“How will you defeat the next ones?” Alysia asked eagerly.
“I was thinking of crushing them. There is also falling to death. That would be difficult though. Maybe I could use portals so that she gains enough momentum and… splat.” I spoke without thinking.
“Ah… Deek.” Alysia sounded awkward.
I coughed. “Ah! I’m sorry. It’s just…”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I know you’re trying your best. I’m happy to be by your side. I feel… comfortable, in your hands. I just wish I could help more in the upcoming battles. Since they are immune to my slice, I feel like I’m useless. I just wish… I could be something else.”
As she spoke, her body suddenly morphed. I let out a cry of surprise as her body reformed, and a moment later, I was holding a giant hammer.
“Wh-what did you do?”
“Ah! I don’t know! I was just… I was wondering if crushing would be the same as slicing, and then I was hoping that I could be a hammer, and then I was a hammer!”
“You… you can be any form you want to be!” I cried out in surprise.
That would make the last few trials a lot easier. The two of us walked out into the sixth trial, and we continued to fight. I didn’t seem to unlock Magic Hammerman or anything like that. Although her appearance was that of a hammer, I guess her soul was still a sword.