The colosseum stood silent beneath the watchful gaze of countless eyes across the realms, billions observing, anticipating.
And at the center of it all, under the weight of their expectations, two gods and two chosen ones faced off, their presence alone warping the air around them.
On one side stood Kaelios, the [God of Destiny], his golden armor glowing faintly under the sun’s final rays, and beside him, the [Chosen One of Destiny], FateBreaker, known by many as Alex.
His wings were spread wide, six in total, each feather shimmering with layered energy, two of them tainted in crimson-black hatred, thrumming with power.
His gaze was sharp, unwavering.
Facing them were Selvaron, the [God of the Moon], tall and composed, his white robes flowing gently despite the heavy atmosphere, and Lunareth, his Chosen One, dressed in silver-etched battlewear, her hair a curtain of pale silk and her eyes glowing faintly red beneath the fading sunlight.
Their gazes met, and they knew, this would not be a duel for show.
This was war.
All four stood at the peak of power, backed by divine favor and millennia of preparation.
And none of them hesitated.
The [Chosen Games] had already been set.
Every god had agreed to it, understanding full well the risks, the stakes.
One survivor.
One god.
One Chosen.
The last pair standing would seize control of Universal Descent, and with it, influence over all twenty-five worlds.
More than that, they might earn the unimaginable, power from the mysterious [Creators] themselves.
No words were needed.
[Fight!]
The signal echoed not just in the arena, but across dimensions, carried by the very fabric of the game.
And like a dam breaking, the silence shattered.
Kaelios wasted no time.
He raised a hand to the sky, summoning his signature skill, [Light Dummies], manifesting twenty radiant figures made of solidified light.
Each one consumed 1 Destiny Point, and with 20 summoned at once, the cost was steep.
But the opening strike had to be decisive.
At his side, Alex activated his arsenal of prepared abilities.
A dozen swords of pure divine energy fell from the sky, [Celestial Judgment], and hovered around him like a halo of death.
Following that, [Universal Orbs] emerged from his core, glowing spheres of chaotic energy that orbited him in a shifting pattern, warping space around them.
His massive wings flapped once behind him, the [Wings of Hatred] pulsing with barely-contained rage.
The [Bleeding Dragon Claws] on his left arm dripped with a faint crimson mist, and his presence radiated overwhelming force.
Lunareth’s expression didn’t change.
A faint smile played on her lips, but her eyes, sharp and cold, narrowed slightly.
She could feel the danger Alex posed.
She wasn’t foolish enough to underestimate him.
Selvaron, by contrast, didn’t even move.
He stood still as his own set of moonlight orbs began to hover and rotate in the air around him, each one moving in perfect synchrony.
Unlike the chaotic orbit of Alex’s orbs, these followed strict and ancient lunar cycles, rotating with the rhythm of celestial laws older than creation itself.
Kaelios stepped forward, lifting his hand.
The dummies froze mid-motion, awaiting his command.
Then, his voice rang out, clear and calm.
“Advance.”
Instantly, the Light Dummies surged forward, blades of radiant energy in hand, moving at speeds equal to elite Chosen.
Dozens of streaks of light tore across the battlefield in unison, like shooting stars crashing toward Selvaron and Lunareth.
But Lunareth didn’t flinch.
She casually lifted her hand, and a wall of glowing moonlight slammed into existence in front of her, wide enough to protect both her and Selvaron.
The wave of dummies hit it like a tidal wave of swords against a cliff, exploding into bursts of energy.
None made it through.
Selvaron lifted his hand next.
[Moon Summon]
The sun above vanished in an instant.
A giant full moon materialized high above the colosseum, blotting out the light, cloaking the battlefield in a cool, silver darkness.
The world felt… different.
A holy silence fell.
It was as if time paused to acknowledge the moon’s reign.
“An eclipse,” Alex muttered under his breath.
“Careful,” Kaelios added, voice low, “This isn’t good.”
He didn’t need to explain.
Alex felt it too.
This wasn’t just a visual trick, this moon changed everything.
The power Selvaron and Lunareth used didn’t rely on Destiny Points like theirs.
Instead, it was tied to moonlight.
The longer they stayed exposed to it, the stronger they became.
And now, with the moon summoned directly above, their power source was unlimited.
A faint hum filled the air.
Both Selvaron and Lunareth raised their hands again.
The Moon Wall still stood, deflecting any stray remnants of the previous wave.
From the sky’s glow, energy condensed into their palms.
[Moon Sword]
Massive blades forged from pure moonlight formed in their hands, humming with celestial energy.
Their edges gleamed with silver sharpness, as if capable of cutting fate itself.
In perfect unison, both swung their blades five times.
Each strike unleashed a crescent arc of glowing force, ten total, and in a flash, all twenty [Light Dummies] were sliced cleanly apart.
The arena was bathed in arcs of silver light, leaving no trace of the constructs behind.
Alex tensed, his mind racing.
“They… cut them down that fast?”
Kaelios sighed beside him.
“Summons won’t work here. We’ll need to face them directly.”
Alex nodded once, grimly, “Should I use the [Void Blasters]?”
Kaelios shook his head.
“Not yet. If we use them now, we won’t have a card left for what’s coming. Save them. Just in case.”
“Understood.”
They began moving forward, weapons drawn, but Alex’s enhanced gaze suddenly caught something unusual above their opponents.
Two glowing bars hovered faintly above Selvaron and Lunareth’s heads, only visible to those with high-level perception.
[Selvaron – Moonscorched: 34%] [Lunareth – Moonscorched: 32%]
Then, just a second later:
[Selvaron – Moonscorched: 35%] [Lunareth – Moonscorched: 34%]
It was rising fast.
Alex’s eyes widened.
“Kaelios… We need to end this quickly.”
“Yeah,” But he never got to finish the thought.
In a blink, Selvaron and Lunareth dashed forward, Moon Swords glowing brightly as they aimed to strike first.
Kaelios tried to react, shifting to defend, but Lunareth suddenly feinted, and struck low.
Slash!
Kaelios’s body was sliced cleanly in half, vanishing into silver mist before he could reform.
“Kaelios!” Alex shouted.
But Selvaron stopped Lunareth.
“Don’t get careless.”
Lunareth nodded, crimson eyes locking onto Alex.
“You’re next.”
Alex’s mind was racing.
“The Moonscorch meter… It increases with time and exposure, doesn’t it? And with each percentage, new skills unlock.”
Their brief expressions of surprise confirmed it. But they didn’t speak.
Lunareth simply charged, her Moon Sword flashing with deadly intent.
This time, Alex was ready.
He activated [Threads of Fate], golden lines erupting around Lunareth, each one showing possible paths and outcomes of her movements.
She swung down, and Alex met her blade mid-air with his [Bleeding Dragon Claws], sparks flying.
Before she could back off, he prepared to counter with the [Wings of Hatred], aiming to slice her in half.
But then:
[Lunareth – Moonscorched: 50%]
[You have unlocked: Moon Reflection]
She activated the skill instantly.
A beam of moonlight flared behind Alex, and from it emerged a perfect mirror image of Lunareth.
Slash!
The clone struck before Alex could even turn fully.
Its hand plunged through his throat.
“Guh—!”
As Alex collapsed, his mind processed it all.
The Moonscorch system wasn’t just a power source, it was a timed escalation, and if it reached a certain level, Selvaron and Lunareth would become unstoppable.
He had to warn Kaelios.
He had to—
[You have died.]
But just as quickly, both Alex and Kaelios activated their trump card.
[Destiny Shift]
[Undoing death…]
Their bodies reformed in blinding light, reborn from the fabric of fate itself.
No more warm-ups.
No more hesitation.
Now, they would fight with everything they had.