Fwish! Ding!
In an instant, the darkness vanished.
Alex and Kaelios hit the ground hard, landing on solid stone after several seconds of silent descent through the endless black void.
The echo of their impact echoed briefly, then faded into silence.
“You there?” Kaelios called out, eyes scanning the space ahead.
Alex didn’t respond with words, he just gave a curt nod, his expression tense as his gaze roamed across the terrain around them.
What surrounded them was a vast, circular arena, not just an arena, but a colosseum of unimaginable scale.
Its smooth, polished stone stretched far and wide, easily dwarfing any stadium Alex had ever seen on Earth.
The space was enormous, like three football stadiums stacked together and merged into one singular battlefield.
It wasn’t just big, it was built for chaos, movement, and war.
Empty stone seats spiraled around the outer edge, climbing high toward the sky.
But those seats weren’t occupied.
No cheers. No movement.
The audience was absent.
And above them, the sky hung still, with the sun shining on them even though it was supposedly midnight in Universal Descent.
Kaelios muttered under his breath, “Light Dummies.”
As soon as the words left his lips, twenty glowing, translucent humanoid shapes appeared around him.
Each of them hummed faintly with divine light, standing at the ready, still and silent.
“Looks like we can use our skills,” Kaelios said, flexing his hands and glancing around the space.
Alex simply nodded once more.
Without hesitation, he activated his [Bleeding Dragon Claws], letting the dark crimson aura gather around his hands as six massive wings burst from his back.
The claws crackled with violent energy, and blood shimmered faintly around the tips, already thirsty.
Kaelios, never one to be left behind, spread his own golden wings as radiant particles began gathering above him.
From the sky, two shining [Destiny Swords] descended, taking form in his hands as if answering a silent call.
Their glow was soft, yet filled with purpose.
They didn’t know what was coming next, but in a place like this, the only mistake was not preparing.
And just then, ahead of them, on the far side of the arena, two silhouettes emerged from the shadows.
“Oh,” Alex muttered.
Kaelios mirrored him with the same quiet word.
“Oh.”
Both of them understood immediately.
Ding!
A system panel materialized before them.
[The “Elimination” Round consists of removing half of the “weaker” participants. To do so, you will face one other pair in a death match. The team that eliminates the other advances. The losers… are out.]
There was no room for misunderstanding.
No mercy.
No negotiation.
Only one side would walk away.
Another panel quickly followed the first, this one simpler but no less cold.
[Fights were assigned randomly. Luck decided your opponent. Good luck.]
The two panels blinked out at once, disappearing into particles.
Now, all across the many worlds watching, Universal Descent, Earth, and the 24 other realms, giant black screens took over the skies.
They displayed one simple question to the billions of viewers.
[Spectators, which battle do you want to watch?]
Beneath that question were nine squares, five aligned on top, four beneath.
Each represented one of the nine elimination fights that were taking place simultaneously.
People began murmuring as they tapped the glowing panels.
“No pictures… just text?”
“It’s all random…”
“Wait, look! One has a name!”
From cities to small towns, across empires and planets, billions of fingers clicked, swiped, and selected which square to watch.
With each click, they were teleported into one of the nine battlefields.
Dozens of magical cameras circled above every arena, providing smooth, seamless angles of every swing, every clash, every drop of blood.
It was like watching a movie with gods as the stars.
Back in the arena, Alex clenched his fists as he stared forward.
“Well,” he sighed, keeping his voice calm, “Let’s do this.”
Kaelios gave a firm nod, his golden eyes sharpening as he readied his swords.
And then,
Ding!
A massive panel hovered into existence above the arena.
[God of Destiny Kaelios and Chosen One of Destiny FateBreaker] VERSUS [God of the Moon Selvaron and Chosen One of the Moon Lunareth]
And just like that, the identity of their opponents was revealed.
The mysterious panel from before, the one with the nine nameless squares, now changed.
All nine battles now showed a proper preview, four figures facing off in their arena, and the title of their match.
No more guessing. No more shadows.
The [Chosen Games] had truly become a public spectacle.
But to Alex, none of that mattered.
Not the fame. Not the exposure. Not the billions watching.
Right now, the only thing he could focus on were the two standing in front of him, his enemies.
His [Eyes of Cursed Void] pulsed, scanning his targets.
[God of the Moon, Selvaron]
[Level: 1,100]
[Skills: ???]
Levels weren’t everything, Alex knew that better than anyone.
In this arena, power didn’t always come from numbers. It came from what you’d endured. From what you’d survived.
Still, Selvaron was formidable.
He stood nearly two meters tall, lean and powerful, with half of his hair silver and the other half a deep, blood-like red.
Floating around him were glowing orbs, some silver like the full moon, others crimson like the Blood Moon.
His clothing shimmered like it had been woven from strands of moonlight.
Regal, almost celestial, with his calm silver eyes watching them carefully.
And then came the Chosen One.
[Chosen One of the Moon, Lunareth]
[Level: 2,000]
[Skills: ???]
Her level was higher than Selvaron’s, but again, expected.
Every Chosen One in these games was probably at level 2,000.
That wasn’t what made them dangerous.
It was their adaptability, their creativity, and the power their gods passed to them.
Lunareth was tall as well, just a little shorter than Selvaron, standing at around 1.9 meters.
Her long silver hair drifted slightly in the wind, and like Selvaron, those same glowing orbs orbited her shoulders.
Unlike his elegant attire, she wore a long crimson robe, laced with runes and lined with moon sigils.
Her eyes were deep red, piercing and amused, and she wore a confident smile as if this whole fight was merely a formality.
She radiated the calm power of someone who believed they couldn’t lose.
They were analyzing Alex and Kaelios too, their eyes moving from the glowing dummies to Alex’s blood-soaked wings to the golden light radiating from Kaelios.
Both sides were taking their time.
“You ready, human?” Kaelios asked, his stance shifting.
His swords floated behind him now, poised and angled toward the enemies.
His dummies spread wide, forming a half-circle in preparation.
Alex exhaled slowly and nodded.
“Yeah.”
The air around them thickened with tension.
Then, a final panel slammed into existence above them all.
[FIGHT!]
Everything moved at once.