The streets of the city were a battlefield turned graveyard.
Alex led his undead army forward, the air filled with the sounds of crumbling stone and the faint metallic tang of blood.
His skeletons, grand skeletons, bony knights, and spectral wraiths moved with relentless efficiency, cutting down anything in their path.
Players who had once bravely charged forward now scrambled to escape, their confidence shattered.
“Keep going,” Alex commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos.
The undead didn’t hesitate. Each swing of their weapons and swipe of spectral claws ended another life, thinning the opposition with terrifying speed.
The defenders’ morale was broken.
Cries of “Run!” and “We can’t stop them!” echoed through the streets as survivors abandoned their posts.
The few who stayed behind made pitiful last stands, trying to buy time for others to retreat.
One such player, a heavily armored knight, raised his sword and roared, “You’ll go no further, FateBreaker!”
Alex didn’t stop. He didn’t even spare the knight a glance.
A Bony Knight, its blade glowing faintly with Alex’s mana, cut the knight down in a single strike. His death was as unceremonious as it was swift.
Behind him, Alice and Aurelia followed closely, their eyes darting across the desolate city.
Alice’s bow hung loosely at her side, while Aurelia’s dagger glimmered faintly, still dripping with the blood of those who had foolishly tried to block their path.
By the time Alex reached the heart of the city, the streets were nearly silent.
His path had been carved in blood and fear, but it didn’t matter, Alex simply wanted to win.
[5:02:48 hours left]
Ahead loomed the target of his assault: the central spire.
The building was a towering structure of black stone, its surface marked with glowing red runes that pulsed like veins.
It was both imposing and grotesque, a clear statement of the power it was meant to represent.
Alex approached the entrance, a set of massive double doors, and pushed them open with a deliberate motion.
“Stay close behind, the strongest among them should be inside,” Alex called, and everyone, undead included, nodded.
The walls of the lobby were lined with elaborate carvings, and a faint crimson light bathed the room.
Alex strode forward, his steps echoing in the vast chamber.
An elevator waited at the far end of the room, its steel doors reflecting the dim light.
Alex pressed a button, and the doors slid open with a soft chime. He turned to his undead army.
“You’ve done well,” he said, his tone neutral.
With a wave of his hand, the undead dissolved into streams of black energy, disappearing back into the void from which they had come.
After all he couldn’t fit all of them inside.
The elevator ride down was a brief moment of quiet.
Alex leaned against the wall, his eyes half-closed as he calculated his next moves.
Alice and Aurelia exchanged a glance but said nothing, their trust in him absolute.
When the doors opened, the scene before them was both grand and foreboding.
A long hallway stretched out, its walls adorned with glowing runes similar to those on the building’s exterior.
The crimson light was brighter here, casting flickering shadows across the polished floor.
“That’s the Altar’s light,” Alex grinned.
Just as you might know, every city has an altar, and that also included [Star City], who’s altar was hidden deep in the academy, or [Bell City], which was under the [World Association].
Alex didn’t bother summoning back his undead in this tight hallway either.
The group advanced.
The hallway eventually opened into a massive chamber, its walls curving to form a circular arena.
At the center stood a smaller room, separated from the rest by a glowing barrier.
Three figures waited in front of the barrier: Daniel, Dawn, and Viktor.
“FateBreaker,” Daniel called out, his voice echoing in the vast space.
He stood tall, his armor gleaming despite the faint smudges of battle. “You’ve made quite a mess. But this is where it ends.”
“And here I thought you’d be smart enough to back down,” Viktor added, his grin smug.
Dawn said nothing at first, his expression calm, almost amused.
“Brave words,” Alex replied, his tone cold, “Do you think you can stop me?”
Viktor laughed, a harsh sound that echoed in the chamber. “We don’t need to stop you. Just slow you down.”
He stopped a few steps away, his eyes narrowing.
“You talk too much,” Alex said simply, raising his hand, before eventually letting it down.
He didn’t summon his undead to fight. He didn’t need them for this.
Daniel was the first to react, launching spells with practiced precision, aiming to easily kill the man.
And yet…
Impenetrable Fortress!
The wall rose up in front of Alex, blocking every attack.
Viktor used his talents to block and counter, his movements confident and fluid, but a single push from Alex’s dagger sent him flying.
“…Let’s end this, I don’t have your time,” he mumbled.
With a quick incantation, he called down Fury of Thunder.
Bolts of lightning arced through the room, striking both Daniel and Viktor.
The latter let out a strangled cry as the electricity coursed through his body, leaving him smoldering on the floor.
“Hm,” Viktor muttered weakly, his grin fading. “Seems like… you’ve made yourself plenty of enemies, FateBreaker, you won’t get away with that…” He collapsed, his body disintegrating into pixels.
Dawn managed to dodge the initial strike but didn’t retaliate. He merely smirked.
“See ya later,” Dawn said cryptically before vanishing into a swirl of shadows, leaving Daniel behind.
Daniel’s face twisted with rage and desperation as he glared at Alex, despite the damage, he continued to fight, some items protecting him.
He turned his attention to Aurelia, his eyes filled with fury. “Traitor,” he spat, lunging toward her.
Alex moved faster.
In a blur, he was in front of Daniel, his dagger flashing in the crimson light.
The blade found its mark, slicing through Daniel’s armor as if it were paper.
Bleeding Strike!
-204,437!
“You…” Daniel gasped, stumbling back. Blood poured from the wound, staining the floor. “You’ll pay for this… all of you…”
He fell to his knees, his vision dimming. His final words were barely a whisper. “This isn’t… over…”
Boom!
His body exploded right afterward, and Alex made sure to place himself right in front of the bomb.
[Death Bomb (Divine+)]
It was an item that made it so that the moment the user’s heart stopped beating, a massive explosion would immediately occur for revenge purposes.
-1,000,000!
And though that thing did damage a lot of damage to Alex, he was still alive thanks to the [Blessing of the Fox Spirit].
With the defenders gone, he summoned back his army, and the undead swept through the remaining players in the chamber.
Most didn’t even try to fight back, choosing instead to flee.
Those who stayed were cut down without mercy.
The barrier flickered and disappeared, granting access to the altar room.
Alex stepped forward, the weight of the moment pressing down on him.
The altar chamber was enormous, its design both ancient and alien.
The ceiling stretched high above, disappearing into shadow, while the floor was a smooth black stone that reflected the crimson light.
At the center stood the core, a glowing sphere of energy about 30 meters in diameter.
It pulsed rhythmically, each beat sending faint vibrations through the room.
Alice and Aurelia entered behind him, their eyes wide with awe.
“Wow…” Alice murmured.
“It’s beautiful,” Aurelia added.
Alex, however, was unfazed.
He had seen altars like this before, some even having a defense mechanism within them.
To him, it was just another step toward his goal.
“Let’s finish this,” he said, his tone calm but resolute.
He stepped forward, the crimson glow reflecting in his eyes, ready to claim his victory