Alex sat on the ground, his tone calm but laced with a chilling finality.
“Let’s chat before you die,” he said, his voice echoing in the hollow silence of the Abyss Arena.
“It doesn’t matter to me if you don’t. The result is the same.”
Varyn didn’t respond.
His gaze remained fixed on the ground, or more precisely, on the growing orb of golden energy before him.
It pulsed with an ominous light, growing brighter with each passing second.
He could feel it: the moment it exploded, his life would end.
There was nothing he could do to stop it.
No escape.
No last-minute miracle.
Just the inevitable.
[25 seconds before explosion.]
“25. 24. 23.”
Alex, noticing Varyn’s silence, began counting down.
His voice was steady, almost mocking, as if he were reminding the god of his impending doom.
This was the timer for the [Fated Cataclysm], a spell that would soon consume everything in its path.
“Tick. Tock.”
Alex smiled, standing up and walking toward Varyn.
He crouched down, his face inches from the god’s.
“Might as well be useful, no?”
Varyn remained silent, his expression unreadable.
His dark aura flickered weakly, a shadow of its former power.
He had lost his connection to the Abyss, and with it, his strength.
Alex stood again, turning his attention to the lifeless body of Astolf, the Undead King.
The once-mighty ruler lay broken, his head severed from his body.
Alex knelt beside the corpse, placing his palm on it.
In an instant, Astolf’s body disintegrated into dark particles, which flowed into Alex’s body.
[The Undead King will revive in one week.]
Alex turned back to Varyn, only to find the god now staring directly into his eyes.
There was a flicker of defiance in Varyn’s gaze, but it was fleeting.
[17 seconds before explosion.]
“You know,” Alex began again, his grin widening, “you won’t be the last one to die.”
“All of them… before they can do anything, I’ll get rid of them all.”
At these words, Varyn’s eyes widened.
His dark aura surged weakly, as if trying to resist, but it quickly faded.
He had lost too much power to fight back.
“A god, about to die, at the hands of a human,” Alex mocked.
“I wonder what they’ll say about you?”
“Well, they’ll mock you, but eventually… they’ll join you.”
“Do you truly think you can beat them?” Varyn finally spoke, his voice trembling with fury.
“Do you… truly believe that taking over this world is our main goal?”
“It’s only a small part of it.”
Alex’s smile faded.
He hadn’t expected that.
Varyn’s words carried a weight that made him hesitate.
Seeing Alex’s reaction, Varyn smiled.
It was a cold, bitter smile.
“I will die, true, but this won’t stop what’s coming next.”
Alex remained silent, his mind racing.
What was Varyn talking about?
“Earth will merge with the 24 other worlds we’ve connected through Universal Descent,” Varyn continued, his voice growing stronger.
“They’ll become one, a single, massive world.”
“Cities will rise, civilizations will align, and everything will be perfect.”
But Alex knew there was more.
He could sense it.
Varyn wasn’t telling him everything.
“But now…”
Varyn’s grin grew wider, almost monstrous.
His eyes darkened, bloodshot and leaking black liquid from his nose, eyes, and mouth.
“The final event will soon begin.”
Alex took a step back, his instincts screaming at him.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
“We’ve been waiting all this time for Kaelios to acquire his own Chosen One,” Varyn continued, his laughter growing louder and more manic.
“Now that it’s happened… THE CHOSEN GAMES WILL FINALLY BEGIN!”
Alex’s eyes widened.
“The fuck…?” he muttered, taking another step back.
[5 seconds before explosion.]
“NOW THAT ALL OF US HAVE OUR CHOSEN ONES, NONE OF THIS MATTERS ANYMORE!” Varyn shouted, raising his arms.
“THE FINAL BATTLE OF THE GODS SHALL BEGIN!”
[3 seconds before explosion.]
“What do you mean by that—?” Alex tried to ask, but Varyn cut him off.
“Child, you are not ready for what is about to come,” Varyn said, his voice dripping with malice.
“Whatever you thought would happen in the future… what you just caused will be far worse.”
“That doesn’t make sense—”
[One second before explosion.]
“Child,” Varyn sighed, his voice calm now, almost pitying.
“Only one will remain, and it will not be you.”
He pointed at Alex, his grin returning.
“Goodbye.”
[Exploding…]
BOOOOOOM!
The golden orb expanded rapidly, its light blinding.
The explosion consumed everything in the Abyss Arena, illuminating the entire Abyss.
When the light faded, Varyn was gone.
All that remained was his crown, lying on the ground.
Alex fell to his knees, the weight of everything that had just happened crashing down on him.
“Phew…” he muttered, his voice shaky.
“This was… terrifying.”
But he had won.
A panel appeared before him, confirming his victory.
[You have slain “Varyn, God of the Abyss” and gained 400 billion experience points.]
Adding that to the 250 billion he had gained from killing Lorien…
[+650 billion experience points.]
The notifications began flooding in.
[You have reached level 877, gaining 4 stat points to all attributes and 5 free points to assign.]
[You have reached level 878, gaining 4 stat points to all attributes and 5 free points to assign.]
[You have reached level 879…]
[You have…]
…
[You have reached level 934, gaining 4 stat points to all attributes and 5 free points to assign.]
It was a massive boost in levels, but not quite enough to reach level 1000, where he would be able to undertake his tier-8 advancement task.
For some reason, Alex felt like level 1000 would be his final level before the end.
He could already fight level 2000 beings, and he had even killed a god in their own domain.
He could do it.
But now, he had to worry about the “Chosen Games.”
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Varyn’s words echoed in his mind, and his instincts screamed that these games would be the final challenge before the fight with the gods, or at least the place where the final battle would happen.
Before participating in the [Chosen Games], Alex needed to reach his peak condition.
That meant getting to level 1000, claiming all of Arceus’ rewards, and eliminating everyone on his [Elimination List] earlier than expected.
It was now or never.
He had to act.
But first, he had things to extract.
[Extract from Lorien, Chosen One of the Abyss]
[Abyss Core (Divine)]
[Description: Allows access to the Abyss at any time, as well as the ability to leave freely.]
[Eyes of Darkness (Artifact)]
[Description: Allows you to see in any type of darkness, including the Abyss.]
[Abyss Scythe (Artifact+)]
[Description: Weapon used by those familiar with the Abyss, can be devastating if it acquires enough souls and evolves.]
The first two options were useless to Alex, who planned to leave the Abyss and never return.
He selected the third option, the [Abyss Scythe].
It could be useful if it evolved, but for now, he stored it to examine later.
Next, he turned to Varyn’s remains.
There was no panel this time, meaning he had to extract directly.
He approached the spot where Varyn had disintegrated, placing his palm on the crown.
[You have extracted “Crown of the Abyss God” (Artifact++)]