Alex left the [Hatred Sect’s Hideout] the same way he had come in.
His footsteps echoed through the dark, crumbling corridors.
The air was thick with the stench of death.
The walls were lined with the corpses of the sect’s members.
Some of them had been killed by Alex, their bodies broken and lifeless.
But as he moved closer to the entrance, he noticed something strange.
Many of the corpses weren’t his doing.
Their heads were missing, likely a result of the curse that had punished them for their betrayal.
Even more unsettling, their bodies seemed… drained.
Hollow.
As if something had sucked the life out of them.
Alex quickly made the connection.
The [Hatred Demon] had been draining their essence, even after it had been dragged underground.
But he shook his head, forcing the thought aside.
‘That thing’s dead,’ he told himself.
‘I don’t care.’
He continued walking, his pace steady despite the unease gnawing at him.
The further he went, the more corpses he passed, each one a grim reminder of the sect’s downfall.
Eventually, he reached the stairs leading to the surface.
He climbed them without looking back, his mind focused on what lay ahead.
When he finally stepped out into the open air, Alex took a deep breath, savoring the feeling of freedom.
The return to the surface had taken long enough for all of his [Universal Orbs] to recharge, as well as his other abilities.
Only his [Destiny Points] remained low, but for now, that didn’t matter.
He had survived, and the [Hatred Demon] was gone.
That was what counted.
With a sense of relief, Alex opened his [World Map].
A little under a month remained before the [Chosen Games], but he wasn’t about to slack off.
He had too much to do.
His first thought was to visit the girls in the [Mystical Forest] and use the [Annihilation Crucifix] to undo Arcelia’s curse.
But something held him back.
Seeing them now felt like it would disrupt his momentum.
He was on a roll, checking off his objectives one after the other, and he didn’t want to break that rhythm.
Instead, he made a decision.
“Yeah,” he muttered, nodding to himself.
“Let’s go to Dragon City to deal with them.”
He clicked on the map to confirm his choice of teleportation.
But before the process could begin, a crimson panel appeared before him.
[You are not allowed to do that in combat.]
Alex froze, his heart skipping a beat.
Before he could process what was happening, another panel appeared, this one darker and more ominous.
Two horns protruded from its top, and the text sent a chill down his spine.
[Do you truly believe you could kill me?]
“Huh—” Alex started.
But before he could finish, the ground in front of him exploded.
The force of the blast sent him stumbling backward, his eyes wide with shock.
As the dust settled, a figure emerged from the crater.
It was the [Hatred Demon], its crimson body pulsing with dark energy, its eyes burning with an ancient, unrelenting hatred.
“#?!?~#'(” the creature spoke, its voice a guttural, incomprehensible growl.
“WHY WON’T YOU FUCKING DIE!” Alex shouted, his voice raw with frustration and fear.
He didn’t waste a second.
He activated [Celestial Judgment], summoning the twelve holy blades that descended from the sky.
The air around him crackled with energy as his [Universal Orbs] materialized again, hovering around him like satellites.
His left arm shifted, transforming into the deadly [Bleeding Dragon Claws].
The [Hatred Demon] laughed, the sound alien and terrifying.
“#€{{##ék,” it growled, its voice dripping with malice.
“FUCKING DIE!” Alex roared, his voice echoing through the land.
[You have selected the “Orb of Dominion.”]
The orb activated, and spectral chains erupted from it, shooting toward the [Hatred Demon] with incredible speed.
But before the chains could reach their target, the creature raised its hand, a crimson point of energy forming around one of its fingers.
Fwish! BOOM!
In an instant, the [Hatred Demon] closed the distance between them, its massive hand gripping Alex by the neck and lifting him off the ground.
The chains from the [Orb of Dominion] shattered, their energy dissipating into nothingness.
“H-How… can… you be so fast…” Alex gasped, his voice strained as he struggled against the creature’s grip.
He was one of the fastest beings in Universal Descent, but even he couldn’t match the [Hatred Demon]’s speed.
The creature didn’t respond.
Instead, it raised its other hand, the one with the glowing crimson finger, and pressed it against Alex’s forehead.
The moment it made contact, crimson veins erupted across Alex’s body, spreading like wildfire.
His eyes turned a deep, blood-red, and he let out a scream of pure agony.
It felt like his mind was being flooded with hatred, his thoughts drowning in a sea of malice.
“You can hear me, can you not, child?” the [Hatred Demon] said, its voice now clear and filled with mocking amusement, “Your doom, as well as the one of all creatures in all 25 worlds, will come.”
Alex could understand it now, but that didn’t make the situation any better.
He was losing himself, his mind slipping away under the creature’s control.
But even in his pain, he knew he couldn’t give up. He had to fight back.
With what little control he had left, Alex focused on one of the holy blades from [Celestial Judgment].
He sent it flying away from him and the [Hatred Demon], then ordered it to come back.
“How futile,” the [Hatred Demon] laughed, its grip tightening, “You cannot beat me.”
“I-I don’t… need to….” Alex managed to say, a weak smile forming on his lips as the holy blade returned.
But it wasn’t aimed at the [Hatred Demon].
It was aimed at Alex himself.
Slash!
The blade phased through his own head, killing him instantly.
Alex’s goal was simple: to die.
By killing himself, he could break free from the [Hatred Demon]’s control and stop it from clouding his mind.
“I won’t let go, though,” the [Hatred Demon] laughed, its voice filled with cruel amusement, “Such an idiotic attempt, and you thought this would be one of those ‘cool’ moments of yours…”
Alex could still hear it, even with a gaping hole in his head.
But he didn’t care. His plan had worked.
By dying, he had regained enough control to use his abilities.
[You have selected the “Orb of Balance.”]
Even in death, Alex’s determination burned bright.
He activated the orb, sending it flying a short distance away.
When it landed, the orb warped gravity, pulling the [Hatred Demon] toward it with an irresistible force.
The creature was caught off guard, its massive body dragged toward the orb.
As it struggled, Alex used another holy blade to slash at its arm, forcing it to release him.
BOOOOOM!
The [Orb of Balance] detonated, the explosion distorting space and shaking the ground for miles around.
The force of the blast sent the [Hatred Demon] flying, its body torn apart by the sheer power of the explosion.
Destiny Shift!
[Undoing death…]
Alex’s body reformed, his wounds healing as he was brought back to life.
He gasped for air, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.
He had survived, but he knew the fight wasn’t over.
The [Hatred Demon] emerged from the explosion, its body battered and broken.
Half of its head was missing.
Its left arm was gone.
A gaping hole in its chest revealed a crimson, beating heart.
“How…” Alex muttered, his hand instinctively touching his own head, “The Heart of Calamity is still here…”
But the [Hatred Demon] didn’t seem affected.
It laughed, its voice filled with malice.
“Once you’re dead,” it said, “it will all be over.”
“Try me…” Alex replied, his voice steady despite the fear coursing through him.