[4:38 remaining to kill, or death.]
Alex had less than five minutes to take down one of the remaining participants, or he was screwed.
If he failed to do so, he’d be facing off against the Primordial Dragons.
“I think you’d probably manage to kill two of them with your current strength,” Alphox laughed, his voice full of amusement.
‘Maybe, but there’s ten of them, not two.’
The idea of fighting even one Primordial Dragon was a nightmare.
Taking down two? Doable, but still risky.
But all ten? That was nothing short of suicide.
And the worst part? The battlefield itself was Xyrran’s domain, the space-and-time dragon.
There was no guarantee that Xyrran wouldn’t manipulate the space inside to his advantage, tilting the odds against Alex even further.
It was like the [God of the Abyss] with the [Abyss], or Kaelios, the [God of Destiny] with the [Garden of Destiny].
These domains helped immensely, granting incredible advantages if the user was inside of them.
Even Arceus, the Grand Mage, had a domain, which was the [Mage Tower] itself.
Alex could only imagine what his own domain would look it, but to have a domain, he would have to get stronger and do a few things.
Until then, he would rely on his skills.
A quick glance at the counter made his stomach tighten.
[Participants Alive: 19]
The number had dropped. Two more had died.
Turning to his left, he caught sight of a figure landing a short distance away, Astariel.
Astariel’s stance was sharp, his [Dark Blade] already forming in his grip.
He hadn’t recognized Alex at first glance.
And since the only way to survive was to kill, Astariel moved immediately to strike.
‘Time to use Destiny Shift,’ Alex thought, preparing himself.
But just before Astariel’s blade came down, recognition flickered in his eyes.
The angel hesitated.
His gaze locked onto Alex, and in an instant, he shifted direction, as if… not wanting to attack Alex?
‘Huh?’
Without a moment’s delay, Astariel spun and redirected his attack from to Alex to two participants locked in a fierce battle nearby.
A dark crescent of energy sliced through the air.
Swish! Slash!
The attack landed cleanly.
Two bodies hit the ground, lifeless.
Astariel exhaled through his nose.
“Oops,” he muttered, sounding almost disappointed. “Only meant to kill one.”
Alex barely had time to process what happened before a familiar “ding!” rang out.
[Participants Alive: 17]
‘Shit.’ Alex clenched his teeth. ‘That means someone can kill off all the remaining participants just to stop others from completing the condition.’
If one of the remaining contestants went on a killing spree, they could wipe out everyone before time ran out.
If that happened, nobody else would get the chance to meet the condition of the calamity event, which was to kill another user, ensuring their own survival at the cost of the rest.
Then—
Ding!
[Participants Alive: 16]
The number was dropping too fast for comfort.
It had only been a minute, and already five people were dead.
At this rate, less than half the participants would be left standing when time was up.
And the Token Holders? All seven were still alive, each desperately hunting down their own kill.
For them, having a token meant nothing if they didn’t kill someone first.
Ding! Ding!
[Participants Alive: 14]
Alex reacted instantly.
Nine [All-Element Fox Summons] appeared at his side.
“Flank me,” he ordered. “Attack anyone I attack.”
His summons responded immediately, moving into position.
Using [Fated Cataclysm] now would be stupid.
Everyone was already on edge, if he used it recklessly, they’d all turn on him.
Better to wait until they were vulnerable.
His eyes scanned the battlefield, locking onto two fighters engaged in combat.
One of them, a swordsman, was deflecting arrows with precise, calculated movements.
The other, an archer with demon horns.
Alex quickly identified the archer as a member of the trio from the sixth hallway since he had a golden outline and token above his head.
He didn’t waste a second.
[Threads of Fate! x2]
Hundreds of glowing threads snapped into existence, surrounding the archer and the swordsman alike.
Each thread represented their future actions, mapping out every movement they would make.
Even their weapons were outlined with the same glowing strands.
And then Alex noticed something strange.
‘Wait a second…’
The arrows themselves had threads wrapped around them.
That meant his skill didn’t just predict the actions of people, it predicted everything they used as well.
A powerful realization, but no time to dwell on it.
“Just kill him already,” a woman’s voice interrupted.
She was part of the same trio, her own demon horns marking her race.
She was impatient, watching her ally struggle against the swordsman.
The third member, a wolf-headed beastkin, kept his gaze locked on Alex.
They had already killed one person each, except for the archer.
He was the only one left who still needed to complete his condition.
Alex searched for the other trio, and noticed that only the minotaur had landed a kill so far since he wasn’t moving.
His two companions were still searching for their targets.
That meant soon enough, every Token Holder would have finished their requirement.
Unless Alex stopped them.
Because…
The demon archer suddenly grinned.
“Alright,” he roared, his aura flaring as he nocked another arrow. “Let’s see you deflect this!”
His power surged into the arrow, enhancing it.
Alphox’s voice rang in Alex’s head. “Just go.”
“I know.”
Alex and his summons rushed forward.
Right as they closed in, the archer fired.
The swordsman swung to block it, but the arrow phased straight through the blade.
“What the—?”
The swordsman barely had time to react before the arrow hit him.
Fwish! Boom!
His body collapsed instantly.
A brutal kill.
The archer laughed, “HAHA! Demons always got tricks, you bastard!”
His allies nodded, satisfied, with that, all three of them had completed the final calamity: they won.
The Dragon Bloodline was theirs for the taking! And with it, the demon and wolf race would also grow!
“We’re in the clear,” the demon woman smirked.
“Idiots,” the wolf man grinned. “They never stood a chance.”
But then— Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire
Destiny Shift!
[Undoing target’s death.]
Alex rewound the event.
The swordsman’s body lurched back to life.
He blinked in confusion, “Huh? I got revived?! Then it must mean I’ve been chosen by the gods—”
He was ectatic, it was surely that, the gods saw his potential and decided to help him, or at least that was what he believed for a single second.
Because once he looked to right, all he saw was Alex standing right beside him.
His left hand glowed with the [Bleeding Claws].
The swordsman’s face fell.
“…Oh.”
Fwish! Slash!
Alex’s claws ripped through his neck.
[Weakness Destroyed! Instant Death!]
Ding!
[You have killed “Orthox, The Swordsman” and gained 2 billion experience points!]
[You have extracted “Orthox’s Blade” (Divine)]
Low experience points and a trash item in Alex’s standards, but even then…
Ding!
[You have fulfilled the conditions of the Fifth Calamity.]
A slow grin spread across Alex’s face.
He had done it.
But when he turned back toward the trio—
They were all staring at him.
And the reason was obvious.
He stole the kill.
The demon archer, who had received the kill notification just seconds ago, suddenly got another message.
[Target was revived, thus conditions not met.]
His eyes twitched.
“…You bastard.”
The demon woman flexed her fingers. Her nails sharpened into claws.
The wolf man grinned, his body lowering to all fours.
“We’re gonna tear you apart.”
The archer nocked another arrow. “Make sure I land the final hit.”
“We know,” the woman said coldly.
“AAOOOOO~” The wolf man let out a low howl, his muscles tensing.
Alphox sighed, “Guess you gotta kill them too.”
“Yeah,” Alex muttered.
No time for talk.
A three-on-one fight was about to begin.
[Participants Alive: 12]
[2:49 remaining for the Fifth Calamity.]