[7 seconds until explosion…]
Arceus had made a critical miscalculation.
He had assumed Alex wouldn’t be able to reach him anymore.
He had believed that teleporting away had been the smartest move.
But now, as he stared into Alex’s eyes, those golden, glowing eyes that radiated an ancient, untapped power, he realized his mistake.
Something was aiding Alex.
Something far beyond just skill or talent.
Was this the same power that helped him kill the [God of the Abyss]?
Arceus never doubted Alex’s strength.
That much had been obvious from the start.
But strong enough to kill a god inside their own domain?
That was a different level entirely.
No, Alex shouldn’t have been able to do that.
His current abilities, while impressive, weren’t at the level where he could have outright destroyed a god within their own territory.
And yet, the fact remained, Alex had done it.
He had slain the [God of the Abyss] and escaped from a realm where escape should have been impossible.
That was the real reason Arceus wanted this fight.
It wasn’t just about seeing Alex’s strength for himself.
It was about witnessing whatever force had allowed him to defy reality itself.
But now, there was no time to think.
Alex had already slashed him twice, and Arceus wasn’t about to take another direct hit.
If he didn’t react immediately, the next attack would be worse.
[5 seconds until explosion…]
“Enough,” Arceus muttered, raising his staff.
A shimmering golden light expanded outward, forming an impenetrable shell around him.
[Supreme Magic Barrier!]
The defensive spell should have forced Alex to back away, at least for a moment.
Even if he was overwhelmingly strong, brute force alone wouldn’t be enough to shatter this barrier instantly.
But Alex only grinned.
His eyes burned even brighter.
He had been waiting for this.
[Destiny Shift.]
[Undoing Arceus’ Barrier.]
The instant Alex activated his skill, the golden barrier flickered.
Then, without so much as a warning, it vanished.
“…What?” Arceus muttered in disbelief.
Alex wasted no time.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
-567,248,200! -567,248,200! -567,248,200!
The rapid succession of blows cut into Arceus, his HP plummeting faster than he could process.
And yet, in Alex’s mind, it still wasn’t enough.
He could feel the Fated Cataclysm growing in his palm.
It was different from before.
Instead of letting it expand freely and detonate over time, he had kept its power condensed in his grip.
This was something new.
If he timed it right, he could throw it directly at his opponent instead of waiting for the explosion. Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire
That meant absolute accuracy.
And no escape.
[3 seconds until explosion…]
Alex didn’t hesitate.
Instead of slashing again, he twisted his body mid-air, using his momentum to kick Arceus downward.
The impact sent Arceus plummeting toward the ground.
Even as he fell, he tried to correct his flight.
[Celestial Elevation!]
But of course, Alex had anticipated this.
[Undoing Celestial Elevation.]
Which meant…
Arceus kept falling.
And that’s when he truly understood.
Alex could cancel events if they happened within a certain time frame.
“…Damn,” Arceus gritted his teeth, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice.
“I should have figured it out sooner.”
He had been too slow to recognize it.
If he had realized it before, he could have adapted.
Instead, Alex had completely controlled the flow of battle.
But still, Arceus thought, falling to the ground wasn’t a death sentence.
He had magic.
He had high attributes.
This fight wasn’t over yet.
Right?
Wrong.
[2 seconds until explosion…]
Alex opened his palm.
The blinding golden orb within it pulsed violently.
Without hesitation, he spun in the air like a tornado, building up momentum, before hurling the [Fated Cataclysm] straight at Arceus like a cannonball.
FWISH!
[1 second until explosion…]
Arceus barely had time to react.
The glowing orb shot toward him at such insane speed that his brain only processed it the moment it was inches from his face.
“Oh…” he muttered.
And then he realized.
“…I lost.”
[Fated Cataclysm: Activated.]
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion erupted upon impact, consuming everything within its radius.
A golden shockwave expanded outward, obliterating the surrounding terrain for kilometres on end as condensing the power of the golden orb made it more powerful.
The sheer force of it was so immense that Alex wouldn’t be surprised if people miles away, whether in the Mystical Forest Fox Tribe Village or even distant cities, could hear the blast.
But at the end of the day…
He won.
Ding!
[You have completed the final Grand Mage Student Quest: “The Student Defeats the Teacher.”]
Alex exhaled as he landed, his wings retracting into his back like always.
But then, a thought struck him.
“…Wait.”
If Arceus was dead, then that meant…
“…Shit.”
Before the realization could fully sink in, a familiar voice spoke up.
Clap.
Clap.
“I’m impressed, human,” said Artemis, appearing nearby.
“I didn’t think Master would lose.”
“You truly seem to have been chosen.”
He gave Alex a respectful bow before adding, “If I hadn’t dashed out of range at the last second, I would have been killed too.”
Alex blinked.
“What about Arceus?” he asked, still processing everything.
This had been a fight to the death.
If Arceus died, that should have been it.
Right?
Artemis simply smiled and gestured toward the crater.
“Look.”
Fwish!
From the heart of the destruction, a figure emerged.
Arceus.
Still alive.
Badly injured, but very much not dead.
“…What the hell?” Alex muttered.
How was this even possible?
Even Varyn, the God of the Abyss, hadn’t survived when Alex hit him directly with [Fated Cataclysm.]
“Immortal Regeneration.”
Alex turned to Artemis, who had a knowing look on his face.
“…What?”
A new status window popped up.
[Immortal Regeneration]
Effect: Instantly restores 50% HP and MP, even if mortally wounded.
Cooldown: 10 minutes.
Alex stared.
“…Holy shit.”
That basically meant Arceus had two lives.
And if no one killed him twice within a ten-minute window…
He couldn’t die.
That was beyond overpowered.
But even without knowing about this skill, Alex still didn’t hold back either.
This was how determined he was to accomplish everything he could.
Getting those rewards and proving himself strong enough to take on a Grand Mage was the top priority, and he had done it.
“Well,” Arceus interrupted, advancing with Artemis, “here we are again.”
Despite his injuries, as they didn’t all disappear, he grinned.
“I’m impressed.”
“You could have killed me while I was unaware of your revive condition,” Alex admitted.
Arceus chuckled.
“True. But you would have just made it as though it didn’t happen, right?”
Alex narrowed his eyes.
He was surprised at how quickly Arceus had understood [Destiny Shift.]
But at this point, he trusted him.
And of course…
Ding!
[Your reputation with Arceus has reached 100!]
[You have maxed out your reputation with Arceus.]
Nice.
Now, Arceus saw him not as a student…
But as an equal.
And that would change everything.
“Now then…”
Arceus reached into his robes and pulled out one final reward box.
His smile widened.
“Time to see what you’ve earned.”
Alex nodded.
He was excited to know what the last rewards could potentially be, since afterward, then all the [Grand Mage Student Quests] would truly be over.
This was the last one after all.
Arceus had nothing more to ask of Alex, who had proven himself countless times already.