“I only really want to know one thing,” Alex said, his voice calm but firm, as his eyes locked onto the figure in front of him, [Malvir, Guardian of the Tower of Wrath].
The massive armored warrior stood silently at first, arms folded across his chest, his stance relaxed but unwavering.
“Hm,” he muttered, acknowledging the words but not giving anything away just yet.
“The [Tower of Nightmares]… what’s its challenge?” Alex asked directly, his eyes narrowed and glowing faintly with the energy of recently used power.
Though he’d just conquered this tower and claimed the [Token of Wrath] in record time, barely two hours, it didn’t make him reckless.
If anything, it made him even more cautious.
Because this was it. The final tower remained.
And it wasn’t just any tower. It was the hardest of them all.
Malvir shifted, a metallic scratching sound echoing as his gauntlet idly traced the edge of his plated armor.
“All I know,” he said at last, “is that the [Tower of Nightmares] only holds one giant trial. Unlike this tower, or the [Tower of Destiny], it doesn’t divide its trials into sections.”
“One massive trial,” Alex echoed softly, his expression growing more focused.
Then, another thought struck him.
“But wait, why are you even here in the first place?” he asked, turning his attention back to Malvir, “The [Tower of Destiny] didn’t have a proper guardian like you, did it?”
Malvir let out a quiet chuckle, a hollow sound behind his heavy helmet.
“The [Guardian] of that the [Tower of Destiny] is Kaelios, the God of Destiny himself. I, on the other hand, am just a being chosen to guard this place. Not a [Chosen One], not a god, just a warrior.”
“Still… this is the [Tower of Wrath], right?” Alex asked, raising an eyebrow, “So shouldn’t the [Goddess of Wrath] be the guardian here, by that same logic?”
“She was,” Malvir nodded, “For a long time, it was her role to guard this place. But she passed the position on to me once I proved myself in battle. I earned it.”
“And since then, I’ve served as the final trial for any challenger brave, or foolish, enough to face me.”
A beat of silence passed between them.
Alex could sense it.
The resignation in Malvir’s tone.
“I’m bound to this place,” Malvir continued, almost sighing, “The tower can’t be left unguarded. If someone clears it, that should mean I’ve fallen in battle.
That was the condition set by the goddess herself.”
“And yet you’re still standing,” Alex said quietly.
“Because I can’t defeat you,” Malvir admitted, his voice dropping to a lower, more serious tone, “There’s no point in dying in a fight I know I’ll lose. So I stepped aside.”
That alone made Alex nod with faint respect.
Most NPCs would’ve thrown themselves into a futile battle, but Malvir had chosen to live.
That alone set him apart.
“So now that I’ve cleared the tower,” Alex asked, “you’re free, right? You can leave?”
Malvir’s expression darkened behind his helmet, and when he spoke again, there was a bitter tinge in his voice.
“Yes and no. Technically, I’m free. But the moment I try to leave, the [Goddess of Wrath] will sense it. And when she does, she’ll kill me.”
Despite his intimidating appearance, his grip on the hilt of his massive longsword tightened ever so slightly.
It wasn’t fear exactly, but something close, an acceptance of how little control he really had in the face of divine wrath.
It was a situation with no easy way out.
At least, not as long as the [Goddess of Wrath] was alive.
“Then stay here,” Alex said, turning away, “Just for a little longer. One more month should be enough.”
Malvir frowned, “And why is that?”
“Because she’ll be dead by then.”
Alex didn’t say it to offer comfort.
It wasn’t hope, it wasn’t kindness, it was just a fact.
The [Chosen Games] were nearing their peak.
Only one god or goddess could emerge from the chaos alive.
The rest would fall, whether by mortal hands or each other’s.
The odds were high that the [Goddess of Wrath] would not survive.
“You speak with confidence,” Malvir chuckled, the sound echoing slightly within his helm, “But confidence alone doesn’t make something true.”
“We’ll see soon enough.”
That answer only made Alex’s respect for the man grow slightly.
Malvir wasn’t just powerful, he was smart.
He didn’t jump to conclusions.
He waited, he observed, and he acted when the truth revealed itself.
And for Alex, that made things easier.
He nodded once.
“I’m leaving. Stay sharp,” he said with a smirk, “The next tower’s waiting.”
“Then I wish you luck,” Malvir said, giving a short, respectful bow.
“But remember, no one has ever cleared the [Tower of Nightmares]. Even the strongest lose themselves within it.”
That made Alex pause.
“So… does that mean the [Tower of Wrath] was conquered before?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.
“Yes,” Malvir replied, “But only by three people. And the last time was a hundred years ago.”
Alex blinked.
“Three?”
“The goddess used to be the one watching over this place,” Malvir explained, “But instead of facing her in battle, an impossible task for most, she’d create a final trial instead.
A test of sorts. It was only after I came that things changed.”
“Meaning you’ve been undefeated until now.”
“Correct,” Malvir said, a faint trace of pride in his voice, “And I would’ve continued being undefeated, too, if not for you.”
Alex nodded thoughtfully.
That lined up with what happened in the [Tower of Destiny] too.
There, he had fought the [Dragon of Destiny] while Kaelios watched.
Perhaps the [Tower of Nightmares] would follow the same pattern, but pushed to a level no one had ever endured.
He didn’t know what to expect.
Only that it would be worse than anything so far.
Ding!
A crisp sound echoed in his mind as a message formed in glowing red text before his eyes.
[Do you want to leave the “Tower of Wrath”?]
Alex gave Malvir one last glance.
The two of them exchanged a silent nod, no words needed.
“Yes,” Alex confirmed.
In an instant, crimson light enveloped him.
Lightning surged down like judgment from the heavens, striking the very spot he stood.
But it wasn’t an attack.
It was teleportation.
Ding!
The world spun briefly as Alex was flung through space, and then, clarity returned.
He landed softly on the rocky ground just outside the tower’s entrance.
The same ancient doorway he had walked through earlier still stood, looming with the same timeless presence.
Only now, its symbols were all glowing, marking the completion of the trials.
The tower door pulsed with faint light, and golden text appeared across the stone surface.
[Congratulations, Challenger.]
That was all it said.
But Alex smiled nonetheless.
It was enough.
One token remained. One final challenge. The end was getting closer with every passing moment.
He turned away from the tower, his mind already racing ahead.
He still had other objectives to complete, unfinished quests, remaining items to gather, allies to rally.
He could feel it deep in his gut, obtaining the final token and unlocking the [Door of Destiny] was something he had to do last.
There was something about that door, something final.
And fate seemed to agree.
Because the moment he stepped away from the tower, a new notification appeared.
[Notifications were deactivated inside of the “Tower of Wrath”, but there is one global announcement.]
Alex paused.
“Oh?” he murmured.
Global announcements had become incredibly rare in the later stages of Universal Descent.
Ding!
[Player “Vex” is trying to establish “Overlord City” using a “City Building Scroll”!]