The meeting hall fell into silence.
“What did you just say?” Isolde asked again, his voice low, but his fingers clenched tight around his staff.
For the first time in a long while, the Grand Mage was sweating.
Grand Mages were among the strongest beings in existence, their power rivaling even the most terrifying creatures in Universal Descent.
But there were limits: clear, undeniable boundaries that none of them dared cross.
And fighting a god? That was one of them.
“I said I killed a God, and nothing happened,” Alex repeated, his expression calm as if he was talking about the weather, “So, I don’t see the big deal.”
“The [Chosen Games] will happen regardless, and by the end, only one god will be left standing.”
“You all knew that already.”
A heavy tension spread through the room.
The Grand Mages exchanged looks, some trembling, others gripping their staffs as if preparing for the worst.
They had all heard the rumors.
The [God of the Abyss] had died.
The news had shaken every powerful entity across Universal Descent, spreading like wildfire.
But this kid, this human, was claiming responsibility for it?
Even if the [God of the Abyss] had been in his own domain, even if he had been weakened… killing a god was still impossible.
And yet, Alex spoke as if it was nothing.
Isolde, normally composed, now looked at Alex with something close to disbelief.
Meanwhile, across the room, Arceus was holding back laughter.
He had felt the shift in the air, the sheer pressure of Alex’s aura had sent a chill down his spine.
But even then, he wasn’t afraid.
Arceus knew one thing: Alex hated the gods.
He hated those who stood beside them.
He hated those who sought the destruction of humanity.
As long as you didn’t fall into one of those three categories, you were safe.
And Arceus had known from the moment he invited Alex here that chaos would follow.
He just didn’t think it would happen so fast.
Alex sighed and closed his eyes, summoning his [Universal Orbs].
Ten orbs of different colors emerged from his body, swirling around him in perfect synchronization.
The sheer energy they radiated sent waves of power through the hall, making the very air hum.
But Alex had underestimated one thing: the insanity of the Grand Mages.
Before he could react, Isolde spun his staff, his aura igniting.
A sharp, cutting glow burst forth from the top of his weapon.
Staff Blade!
In a single motion, the staff extended into a blade of pure blue energy, slicing forward faster than light.
The attack was so sudden, so precise, that no one even had time to stop it.
Alex’s body was cleaved in half.
His upper and lower halves split apart, both sections collapsing onto the table before slowly sliding to the floor.
The room fell into silence.
“Annoying brat,” Isolde muttered, his breathing heavy, his eyes filled with fury, “You talk about killing a god, but you can’t even react to this?”
“Nice one, boss!”
“Good job!”
“Yeah, get rid of that bastard! The gods will be pleased knowing we took him out.”
Laughter and cheers erupted among the Grand Mages.
Alex’s body was still falling, but as it descended, his eyes turned hollow.
His expression darkened.
‘I knew I should have killed them all.’
His thoughts were clear, unshaken by the fact that he had just been cut in half.
All of them, every single Grand Mage, was aligned with the gods.
He had suspected at first that maybe half of them, at worst, were working towards humanity’s destruction.
But now? All of them were in on it.
It made sense why they wanted to wait before unleashing destruction.
It wasn’t hesitation, it was patience.
And patience was something Alex no longer had, especially for all of those he despised.
His body trembled, and a crimson and golden aura ignited from his remains, surging outward in waves of unfiltered power.
Meanwhile, Isolde turned his gaze to Arceus.
“And you,” he spat, “You were already a pain, refusing to join our meetings, ignoring our plans, but this?”
He gestured toward Alex’s corpse.
“This is the final straw.”
The other Grand Mages raised their staffs, all of them now pointing directly at Arceus.
Yet Arceus remained seated, unmoving.
He didn’t even flinch.
Arceus knew there was no escaping this.
With all fifty-two Grand Mages preparing to attack at once, even someone like him would struggle to survive.
But he wasn’t paying attention to them.
Instead, he was looking at Alex’s corpse.
More specifically, at Alex’s eyes.
Even though his body was split in two, his pupils were still moving, staring directly at him.
And they were burning with a single message:
“I’m going to kill them all.”
Arceus smirked.
None of them, not the Grand Mages, not even himself, had anticipated that things would turn out like this.
Even Alex, when he revealed that he had killed the [God of the Abyss], had only done so to gauge their reactions.
To see who among them was truly on the gods’ side.
But now…
[LIAR!]
His [Cursed Eyes of Truth] had activated every time Isolde spoke.
Every word he uttered was a lie.
The moment Alex realized this, there was no turning back.
“Any last words, traitor?” Isolde sneered, “The moment the [Chosen Games] end, we’ll destroy the last world, and we’ll rule for millennias to come.”
Arceus chuckled, “I feel like you should be more careful.”
Isolde frowned.
“Someone who killed a god doesn’t die that easily, right?”
Isolde’s heart stopped as he sensed something from behind.
He spun around, eyes locking onto Alex’s corpse.
DESTINY SHIFT!
[Undoing Death…]
Sparks of energy surged, and Alex’s two halves reconnected instantly, back to their original position.
Flesh, bone, and blood rewove themselves as his body snapped back together.
A second later, he was whole.
He exhaled slowly, his aura flaring violently.
The crimson and golden energy surrounding him surged to its peak.
The room shook.
The air itself became heavier.
“What… the hell…” one of the Grand Mages muttered.
Alex’s gaze lifted, his golden irises glowing.
Then…
“KILL HIM!” Isolde roared, “HE CAN’T BE IMMORTAL! NO ONE IS!”
The Grand Mages hesitated for only a moment before unleashing their magic.
Fifty-two Grand Mages.
One target.
Spells rained down from every direction, the sheer force of them enough to obliterate even a god.
Alex didn’t move.
“You shouldn’t have come here, kiddo,” Isolde smirked, “Biggest mistake of your life.”
“Heh,” Alex grinned, his left arm twisted, transforming into the [Bleeding Dragon Claws], “I’ve made worse.”
The first wave of magic struck.
Alex braced for impact.
This fight… it was worse than his battle with the [God of the Abyss].
Fifty-two Grand Mages, plus the [Grand Mage Master] himself.
Even a god might have been overwhelmed.
But for Alex? This was just another test.
If he truly wanted to protect humanity, if he truly wanted to win the [Chosen Games], then he had to kill them all.
Dying wasn’t an option, because if he did… It would mean he was too weak.
And that was something he refused to accept.
Ding!
[You have selected the “Orb of the Unbreakable.”]
Alex’s aura exploded outward.
It was time to eliminate them all.
And cross another name off his [Elimination List]