BLOOD CHAINS!
With no other options left, Alex did what he did best: adapt.
In an instant, he forged a new ability from his [Blood Arts], something born purely out of desperation and sheer force of will.
Ding!
A translucent panel flickered into existence before him, even as time seemed to slow.
[Your mastery of “Blood Arts” has increased from “Average” to “Very High”!]
Alex’s eyes widened.
A sudden leap like that only meant one thing: [Blood Chains] was incredibly powerful.
This reassured him.
“Very High” was the final level before “Mastered,” the pinnacle of any [Art].
That meant he was just one step away from fully unlocking the potential of his [Blood Arts] before the [Chosen Games] began.
And then, another notification appeared beneath the first.
[Blood Arts Perk #6: Blood Chains]
[Effect: Uses a massive amount of blood to create crimson chains capable of binding a target.]
The strength of the chains scales with the user.
There was no time to analyze it further.
Alex immediately activated the ability, and his own blood responded.
From his still-bleeding wound, a massive surge of blood erupted and coiled around him, forming long, sinuous chains that pulsed with a deep, ominous red.
The blood pooled at his feet, twisting into more chains like serpents waiting to strike.
And just as the first set of chains took shape—
“JUST DIE!” Isolde’s voice echoed through the darkness, filled with frustration and bloodlust.
Fwish! Fwish! Fwish!
The [Grand Mage Master] attacked relentlessly, his [Staff Blade] slashing at Alex from every direction.
He was no longer holding back.
Dozens upon dozens of strikes came at Alex, each one meant to kill.
The speed was overwhelming, any lesser fighter would have been torn apart instantly.
But Alex refused to die.
He sidestepped, twisted, and dodged, every movement honed to perfection, every reaction happening in the span of a fraction of a second.
The smallest misstep would cost him everything.
And then, he saw it: a single opening.
For the briefest moment, Isolde overextended.
‘Now!’ Alex didn’t hesitate, “GO!”
The blood chains launched forward, striking like crimson vipers, their ends sharp like spearheads.
SNAP!
One wrapped tightly around Isolde’s leg, pulling him to a sudden stop just before he could retreat back into the darkness.
“What the—?!”
Isolde’s eyes widened as he looked down, processing what had just happened.
He immediately raised his [Staff Blade], aiming to sever the chain.
But Alex had already accounted for that.
His hand flicked forward.
[You have selected the “Orb of Thunder.”]
A sphere of crackling, golden electricity shot forward, hovering ominously in the air.
[This orb arcs between enemies like a living thunderbolt, chaining from target to target and stunning those it strikes with divine lightning.]
It was the perfect choice for this situation.
The moment Isolde sliced through the [Blood Chains], freeing himself…
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
The orb discharged.
A bolt of divine lightning surged forward, striking Isolde square in the chest.
“AHHHH!”
His body seized up, his muscles locking in place as violent energy coursed through him.
The [Orb of Thunder] didn’t deal damage, but it had one devastating effect: it paralyzed the target for exactly ten seconds.
This perk was so strong that even Kaelios had been paralyzed by it, and the use of [Destiny Shift] didn’t help either.
Ten seconds was more than enough time for Alex to end this fight.
He selected his next move.
[You have selected the “Orb of Dominion.”]
The second orb that was hovering around Alex suddenly moved closer, dark and swirling with eerie energy.
[Effect: Summons spectral chains that restrain the enemy completely, preventing any movement or resistance.]
These chains are unbreakable.
It was the same orb that had killed Kaelios, a god, multiple times.
If even a god couldn’t escape it, Isolde never stood a chance.
SHHRAKK!
The spectral chains erupted outward, shooting toward the stunned Isolde.
They wrapped around his arms, his legs, his torso, lifting him off the ground and suspending him in midair.
The paralysis wore off a second later, but it was already too late.
“NO—!”
Isolde struggled, his face twisting in sheer panic as he tried to break free.
He twisted, thrashed, gritted his teeth, but the chains didn’t even budge, they would never let go unless their master told them to.
His Staff Blade fell from his grasp, clattering uselessly to the ground.
Alex exhaled heavily, his breath ragged.
His body ached, his mind was numb from the pain, and his left arm was still gone, cut off at the start.
But even then, while Isolde was struggling with the chains, who refused to let go no matter what, Alex ignored the [Grand Mage Master].
For the first time since the battle started, he had a moment to fix it.
He willed his [Blood Arts] into action.
[Blood Arts Perk #5: Body Regeneration] activated.
A deep crimson glow surrounded his shoulder where his arm had been severed.
Blood pooled outward, twisting, forming veins, then muscle, then skin, slowly, methodically rebuilding his entire arm from nothing but his own blood.
The sensation was strange, hot, tingling, almost burning, but within moments, his left arm was fully restored.
He flexed his fingers, testing their movement.
‘Perfect, just like before.’
A smirk formed on Alex’s face as he now knew that his body was back to normal, with no way for Isolde to harm him.
He stepped forward, stopping just a few feet from the floating, helpless Isolde.
The [Grand Mage Master] had always looked powerful, untouchable, an existence beyond ordinary humans or even anything else in Universal Descent.
But now? Bound in chains, struggling pathetically?
He looked like nothing.
Alex tilted his head, his smirk widening.
“Bye-bye.”
The man didn’t even feel like toying with him like he did with Varyn and Lorien in the Abyss, he simply wanted it to end as soon as possible.
“YOU—” Isolde shouted.
And… Alex activated the [Orb of Dominion].
CRACK!
The chains tightened, their force increasing exponentially.
Isolde’s limbs snapped one by one.
“AAAAARRGH!”
His screams echoed through the [Master’s Domain].
Blood dripped from his mouth, his eyes rolling back in pain.
He couldn’t move, he couldn’t resist, he could do nothing.
“You…”
But even with his body being crushed, he still tried to talk.
His breath was ragged, his voice filled with venom.
“You… are going to lose… Humanity will fall… to the [Chosen Games]… Be… ready…”
Alex didn’t even react.
He just watched as the chains squeezed tighter until…
CRACK! CRACK! SPLASH!
Isolde’s body was crushed completely.
The chains vanished.
His lifeless, shattered form dropped unceremoniously to the ground.
And as his corpse hit the floor, the darkness of the [Master’s Domain] finally shattered.
The world around Alex flickered.
And suddenly, he was back.
The massive, elegant garden that led to the [Grand Mage Mansion] stretched out before him, bathed in moonlight.
The cool night breeze blew past, rustling the leaves.
Isolde’s lifeless body lay still at his feet.
Alex exhaled.
For the first time in this entire fight, he allowed himself to breathe.
He had done it.
The battle was over.
And then, a familiar sound.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The experience notifications started rolling in.
Alex didn’t even need to check.
He already knew: he had just killed every single Grand Mage besides Arceus.
And with that, his gaze lifted toward the towering mansion ahead.