Now that he had managed to wield all twelve holy swords at once, Alex felt a little better about himself.
It had taken time, far longer than he initially expected.
But with Kaelios’ guidance and his own relentless effort, he had done it.
He had pushed through the struggles, refined his control, and finally reached a point where he could wield the blades naturally.
Even after succeeding, he didn’t stop immediately.
For another hour or two, he continued training, focusing solely on his [Celestial Judgment] holy swords.
No other abilities, no shortcuts.
Just him and the swords.
Like before, he ordered the training dummy to attack him relentlessly.
However, this time, he refrained from using [Bleeding Dragon Claws] or any other skills.
The only weapons he allowed himself to use were the twelve holy blades floating around him.
At first, he struggled.
The dummy still managed to land a few strikes, pushing his reflexes to their limit.
But as time passed, something changed.
His movements became smoother.
The swords moved with him, responding not to individual commands but to his overall instincts.
He no longer had to focus on each blade separately, instead, they flowed together as an extension of his will, allowing him to fight without hesitation.
This, Alex realized, was likely how Arceus controlled his blades while simultaneously casting numerous other spells.
It wasn’t just about mastery over a skill, it was about reaching a state where the weapons became part of himself.
Eventually, he felt like he had done enough for now.
With a deep breath, he deactivated [Celestial Judgment], letting the swords vanish.
In a real battle, the holy swords could break.
He knew that.
But at this point, he was confident in his ability to use them effectively.
That was what mattered.
“Alright,” Alex muttered to himself, “one last skill left.”
His gaze shifted to the final ability he had yet to test: [Universal Orbs].
Among all the skills he had trained with today, this one was the strongest.
The pinnacle of his current arsenal.
He steadied himself, preparing to unleash it.
But just as he was about to activate the skill, a notification appeared before him.
[You should head to Angel City.]
“Huh?” Alex frowned.
“Didn’t he say tomorrow?”
[We ARE tomorrow.]
“Oh.”
It took a second for him to process it.
Without any devices to track time and with the [Garden of Destiny] always bathed in the same eternal blue sky, it was impossible to tell how long had passed.
But now that he thought about it, he had been training for quite a while.
The message confirmed it, his time here was up.
It was time to return to Angel City.
“Alright, I should be strong enough,” Alex nodded, pushing aside his desire to finish training for the Forbidden Skill.
That could wait.
The looming pressure of the [Chosen Games] still weighed on him.
Every day spent training was another day closer to the final event of this world.
But he had more than just that to focus on.
[Time until Chosen Games:][1 Month, 23 Days, 7 Hours, 12 Minutes…]
There was still time.
Not much, but enough.
And he couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.
Alex took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts.
He needed a plan, something structured.
What were his priorities?
How far did he intend to go in eliminating the threats on his [Elimination List]?
How strong did he need to be by the time the [Chosen Games] arrived?
Then there was the [Door of Destiny].
He only had two out of the five required tokens.
Could he gather the remaining three before time ran out?
So much to do.
So little time.
For about five minutes, he stood there, lost in thought.
Then, finally, he shook himself out of it.
Thinking wouldn’t accomplish anything on its own.
He had to act.
His first step was clear: head to Angel City.
From there, everything else would fall into place.
“You’re leaving?” Kaelios’ voice called out from his hammock.
“Yeah,” Alex replied, “I have things to do. But I’ll probably be back in a month or so.”
Kaelios grinned, “Alright. Get strong, kid!”
“I will,” Alex smirked, “I need to defeat that dummy at 90-100% of its power, after all.”
“Heh,” Kaelios let out a short laugh, “If you’re planning to do that, you might as well spar with me directly once you feel confident enough. We can fight as many times as you want.”
Alex considered it for a moment.
It was a good idea.
Fighting Kaelios would be far more effective than using the dummy.
“Yeah,” he nodded, “Let’s do that when I’m ready.”
With that settled, Alex opened his [World Map] and selected [Angel City].
The teleportation menu presented him with multiple options.
He had several available teleportation points within the city, places he had visited before, such as the [Double Experience Zone], the [Entrance], and even the [Golden Palace].
But in the end, he simply selected [Entrance].
It would be strange to teleport directly inside the palace.
Besides, the angels were likely waiting for him at the entrance anyway.
It was the most logical choice.
…
A moment later, he teleported.
As he materialized in front of the massive gates of [Angel City], his feet touched the ground lightly.
The angel guards stationed around the entrance immediately reacted to his sudden appearance, their hands reaching for their weapons.
But the moment they saw his face, they froze.
Recognition flashed in their eyes.
Not only was Alex a guest of the city, but he was also far beyond their level of power.
Even if they wanted to stop him, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Instead of resisting, the guards swiftly stepped aside, bowing respectfully as he walked past them.
Alex sighed internally.
He hated this kind of treatment.
Being treated like some “higher being” felt hypocritical.
He despised the gods, yet he was being treated like one.
But if it helped keep the angels in check, he would tolerate it.
As he stepped into the city, just as he expected, a group of fully-armored angels was already waiting for him.
At the center of the gathering stood a familiar figure: Volks, the Angel King.
A small crowd had gathered around him, murmuring amongst themselves as Alex approached.
“Hello there, God Killer,” Volks greeted with a smile, “As you requested, we have followed through with your demands.”
“Good.”
“Come with me,” Volks gestured, “I’ll take you to the [Angel Bloodline Temple].”
So that was their first priority.
It made sense.
If they were willing to accept him as one of their own, granting him the [Angel Bloodline] was the natural first step.
After all, just like the dragons, why would they reject someone as powerful as he was?
It was nothing but beneficial for them.
And for Alex, it was equally beneficial.
Gaining a bloodline meant more stats, more perks, and more abilities.
A perfect deal.
As Volks began flapping his eight golden wings, Alex unfurled his [Wings of Destiny] and followed him into the air.
None of the other angels followed, meaning Volks had personally decided to handle the ceremony alone.
While soaring above the vast city, Alex turned to Volks.
“What about the [Annihilation Crucifix]?” he asked.
“We have it,” Volks replied, “But only an angel can wield it. So it’s fortunate that you asked to join our bloodline as well.”
“Oh,” Alex raised an eyebrow.
He hadn’t known that.
But it worked out perfectly.
For about five minutes, they flew in silence, gliding over the massive structures of Angel City.
Then, in the distance, Alex spotted their destination.
A grand temple stood before them, a structure radiating divine energy.
Its towering pillars gleamed under the sunlight, and its intricate carvings told stories of angels from ages past. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire
This was it.
The [Angel Bloodline Temple].
The place where he would take his next step toward power.