After successfully testing each and every one of his [Universal Orbs], Alex couldn’t help but feel satisfied.
Each of these orbs was unbelievably powerful, whether for attack, defense, or versatility.
Paired with [Dragon Bleeding Claws] for short-range combat, [Flames of Oblivion] for long-range destruction, [Celestial Judgment] for both, [Blood Arts] for distraction, and [Destiny Powers] to escape the impossible, he had everything he needed.
With all these abilities at his disposal, he should’ve been able to handle just about anything.
And yet…
“Well,” Kaelios grinned, cracking his knuckles, “Time to start the real spar, don’t you think?”
Alex felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple.
He knew he was strong.
That wasn’t the problem.
The problem was whether or not he was strong enough to take down one of the top five gods.
Because that was exactly who he was about to fight.
Kaelios, the God of Destiny.
Sure, maybe if Alex had [World Cleaver], he’d have a better shot.
But Kaelios had 300 Destiny Points, while Alex only had 150, half of that.
And in this battle, those points made all the difference.
Because as long as Kaelios had Destiny Points, he could just undo anything Alex did.
Over and over again.
Against any other god, things would be different.
Most gods didn’t have the power to reverse events like he could.
But against Kaelios, Alex would need something else: something beyond just strength.
“I have somewhere to be in thirteen days,” Alex suddenly announced, “Until then, let’s train.”
Kaelios’ grin widened.
“Now that’s what I like to hear.”
And so, the battle began.
…
Thirteen days later.
Time flew by in an instant.
Neither Alex nor Kaelios needed rest.
As a Chosen One and a God, neither of them required sleep.
They spent every single moment fighting, testing, improving.
At first, it wasn’t even close as Kaelios didn’t hold back, not even a little.
He fought seriously from the very start.
And Alex?
He lost.
Again and again and again.
But no matter how many times he died, no matter how many times he was forced to start over, he never gave up.
“Last attempt,” Alex groaned, standing up after another brutal defeat, “After this, I need to go to the Grand Mage Meeting.”
Kaelios chuckled, “Alright then, try to last more than five minutes.”
“I’ll try,” Alex said, stretching his arms.
Then, after a pause, he added, “By the way, how much would you rate my progress so far?”
Kaelios knew exactly what he was asking.
If Alex had been fighting a dummy version of him instead, a version without intelligence, only his stats and abilities, what percentage of that version could Alex take down?
“Around 60%,” Kaelios admitted, “If I was just a mindless opponent, with no real strategy, I’d probably lose once my Destiny Points dropped below 180.”
Which meant…
Stat-wise, Alex was already on par with Kaelios.
The only reason Kaelios kept winning was because of his overwhelming Destiny Point advantage, letting him use more skills, more resets, more abilities.
“Good to know,” Alex nodded, “But I still need to hit at least 90% to be satisfied. So get ready.”
Kaelios raised a brow.
“Ambitious. I like it.”
He stepped forward, golden aura flaring.
“But don’t forget, I only set the bar at 80% because I know you’d be hell for the other gods.”
Alex smirked.
“Yeah, I figured as much.”
That was the main issue.
Kaelios knew all of Alex’s abilities inside and out, because they were based on Kaelios’ own powers.
Normally, [Universal Orbs], [Celestial Judgment], and even [World Cleaver] were terrifying because no one expected them.
But against the original and someone who had already seen Alex use them, he couldn’t rely on catching his opponent off guard.
Which meant he had to win through pure skill.
[3…]
The countdown appeared.
Kaelios took his stance.
His golden armor gleamed under the light, white hair flowing behind him.
His wings stretched out slightly, then settled.
[2…]
Alex didn’t waste time.
Universal Orbs! Celestial Judgment!
All twelve holy swords came from the sky, hovering around him in a golden formation.
Meanwhile, the Universal Orbs pulsed to life, materializing as shimmering spheres of raw energy, swirling around his body.
He didn’t summon his [All-Element Fox Summons].
They were useless in this fight.
That was something Alex never thought he’d say.
Those summons could easily destroy Level 1500 monsters, but against Kaelios?
They lasted twenty seconds at most.
Even worse, every time they got hit, Kaelios gained two Destiny Points.
Summoning them was basically feeding Kaelios more power.
So instead, Alex focused on what mattered.
[1…]
Dragon Bleeding Claws!
Crimson claws extended from his left hand, dripping with energy.
[FIGHT!]
While fighting with Kaelios, Alex had obviously managed to check out all but one of the god’s abilities.
[Kaelios, God of Destiny (Universal)]
[Level: 2,000]
[HP: 250,000,000,000]
[Skills: Destiny Shift, Threads of Fate, Fated Cataclysm, Scale of Destiny, Destiny Swords, Destiny’s Barrier, Fated Doom, Annihilation Paradox, Chains of Inevitability, Eclipse of Fate, Passive Destruction, World Cleaver…]
These were his skills.
He had 12 of them that he actively used in battle in addition to his battle knowledge and insane stats.
A true powerhouse.
The skill Alex had never seen was [Passive Destruction], by the way.
And it was apparently another [Forbidden Skill].
Each of these skills required Destiny Points to be used except for [Destiny Swords].
But with 300 of those, and the fact he regained them each time he avoided an attack or hit someone, it was truly almost impossible to win.
Yet even then…
Alex still knew he could push it more.
Kaelios wasted no time.
Destiny Swords!
Twin golden swords appeared in his hands, a simple yet deadly technique.
“Here goes, final attempt, human!” Kaelios laughed, scraping his two swords together, making sparks fly.
Alex nodded.
Then, without hesitation…
[You have selected the “Orb of the Mountain.”]
He launched his holy swords forward, selecting the orb at the same time.
Then, without wasting a single moment, he launched his orb directly at Kaelios.
Kaelios raised a brow.
“More aggressive this time?”
For the past two weeks, Alex had always started cautiously, waiting, analyzing.
Now, he was attacking immediately.
“If playing defensively only gets me 60%, then I might as well attack.” Alex grinned.
Kaelios let out a short laugh, “Good thinking.”
He clashed with the incoming holy swords, deflecting them with expert precision.
But then…
The Orb of the Mountain slammed into the ground beneath him and the entire battlefield cracked apart.
Tendrils of earth and shadow shot out, wrapping around Kaelios’ limbs, dragging him down.
“Tch.”
Kaelios immediately tried to fly upward.
But he couldn’t.
The tendrils yanked him down, swallowing him into the abyss as the ground snapped shut around him.
Silence.
Then, boom!
Kaelios burst out of the ground a few seconds later, brushing dust off his armor.
“It’s annoying that I can’t use [Destiny Shift] on these Forbidden Skills…” he muttered.
“That’s the point,” Alex said casually.
That was his key realization over the past two weeks.
Kaelios could reverse most attacks.
But [Universal Orbs]?
He couldn’t undo those.
No matter what he did, no matter how many Destiny Points he had, he could not escape the effects of these Forbidden Skills.
And because of that, Alex knew he could win.
The man rushed forward, claws gleaming, orbs swirling, holy swords ready to strike.
Kaelios raised his golden blades, smirking.
“You’re improving,” he admitted.
Alex grinned, “I know.”
Then they clashed.