[Chosen Ones with number 5 may now move inside the arena.]
The moment the announcement echoed across the arena, Alex’s expression didn’t shift.
He knew it was his turn.
The final fight of the [Chosen Round] had come.
And although the name of his opponent hadn’t been said yet, it didn’t take much to guess who it would be.
At the start of this round, ten gods had remained, the God of Destiny, God of Darkness, God of Death, God of Hatred, Primordial Goddess, God of Swords, Goddess of Fate, God of Nightmares, God of Elements, and the God of Destruction.
Four fights had already passed. Four gods had been eliminated.
Now, only five remained beside Kaelios: God of Death, God of Nightmares, God of Darkness, the Primordial Goddess, and the God of Destruction.
That meant only one thing.
The Chosen One of Destruction hadn’t fought yet, and neither had Alex.
So it was obvious who the final battle would be between.
This last clash would mark the conclusion of the [Chosen Round], and after it ended, only five gods would move forward into the [Main Round] of the Chosen Games.
This battle wasn’t just the last one, it was the deciding one.
Everyone would be watching closely.
Every god, every audience member, and even the other Chosen Ones who had already fought.
All of them were about to witness the final showdown that would end the round for good.
Click… Fwash!
The heavy sound of the metal door opening pulled Alex back into the moment.
The chamber he’d been waiting in released him to the long, narrow hallway that led toward the blinding white light of the arena.
It was time. But as soon as Alex took his first step forward, the world slowed around him.
Colors faded, turning into shades of black and white with glowing outlines.
His breathing steadied. His thoughts sharpened. His vision narrowed.
[Focus] mode had activated instinctively again.
Alex figured that was how his body handled high-pressure situations, giving him extra time to think, to plan.
And right now, he needed every second.
If he wanted to avoid giving away too much of his power, he’d need to kill his opponent instantly.
One move. One shot.
That would be the most efficient outcome, not only to preserve the mystery of his abilities, but also to send a strong message to the gods.
But the real question was, what skill could guarantee that outcome?
He had several skills that could kill. Many of them were devastating.
But there was only one that came to his mind now, only one ability with enough overwhelming force to obliterate everything in its path.
[World Cleaver].
That would be the one.
Still walking through the hallway with the world slowed around him, Alex let his thoughts drift back.
Searching for anything, anything, that might give him an edge.
That’s when a memory surfaced, one during the second fight, between Nocturne and Reinhardt.
“You’re already armed?”
“I could summon my sword from my chamber if I wanted, guess the creators are letting me keep it close.”
That single exchange had stuck with Alex.
Everyone assumed you could only use abilities once inside the arena, but that wasn’t exactly what was said.
There was no rule preventing a Chosen One from using a skill or activating an ability before stepping onto the battlefield.
Most people just didn’t bother, since it would only reveal information early or waste energy.
But Alex realized something critical.
[World Cleaver] needed time to charge.
And if he could start charging it now, before the match was officially underway, then it would activate at the perfect moment.
That was all he needed.
A slight smirk tugged at the corner of Alex’s mouth.
He closed his eyes mid-step.
Fwish!
The next time he opened them, he found himself in the depths of his own mind.
And it had changed.
Nearly everything inside was overtaken by crimson, Hatred’s influence.
The once pure white of his mind had been mostly swallowed, leaving only the faintest traces of light.
The red had spread further than ever before.
It even surprised him, just for a moment.
But there was no time to focus on that.
“World Cleaver!”
He reached for the [Blade of Destiny] with clarity and purpose as it appeared, wrapping his hand around its hilt as the energy of the world itself responded.
The moment he activated the skill, he felt the heavy hum of its charge begin, and the mental space around him started to ripple.
It worked.
Without being in a fight, without entering the arena, he had started it.
A moment later, he opened his eyes again, back in the real world.
[Focus] mode faded as time resumed its normal speed. Color rushed back into his vision.
His body felt a little heavier now, the charge of [World Cleaver] quietly draining his energy in the background, but it was worth it.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
With steady steps and burning resolve in his eyes, Alex advanced.
Fwash!
The light of the arena hit him like a wall as he stepped through the tunnel exit.
For a brief second, the brightness forced him to blink.
Then he adjusted, and walked forward without hesitation.
In the center of the battlefield, his opponent stood already waiting.
[The final fight of the “Chosen Round” will now start!]
[FateBreaker, Chosen One of Destiny VS Dren, Chosen One of Destruction]
[Fight!]
Silence and tension so thick it could’ve been cut with a blade followed.
Alex glanced at the bleachers, spotting Kaelios among the crowd.
The man’s expression was unreadable, neutral as ever, but when their eyes met, Kaelios gave him a small nod and a thumbs-up.
Alex returned his attention to his opponent: Dren, The Chosen One of Destruction.
He had short, spiked brown hair and dark red eyes that looked almost feral.
A tattered black coat covered his broad, armored body, the fabric torn and stained with old blood.
Thick gauntlets rested on his arms, one of them ending in a brutal spiked claw, and resting on his shoulder was a massive black warhammer.
The guy looked like he’d stepped out of a battlefield, and never left it.
‘Looks like he figured it out too,’ Alex thought, eyeing the hammer, ‘He summoned his weapon ahead of time, just like me.’
It made sense.
Dren had probably realized the same thing Alex did, that early activation meant more time.
Still, there was always the risk that Dren had a powerful time-based ability of his own, something that could turn the tide in a moment.
But Alex wasn’t afraid.
The outcome of this battle would be decided quickly.
And then—
“DESTROY!”
Dren’s roar echoed through the arena as he lunged forward, closing the distance between them in a blink.
He lifted his massive hammer high above his head and brought it crashing down.
Boom!
Alex darted backward, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow.
“CAN’T. ESCAPE. DESTRUCTION!”
Again and again, Dren swung, trying to catch him with brute force.
Each swing was fast, surprisingly fast for such a large weapon, and carried a devastating impact.
Alex gritted his teeth and finally summoned the [Bleeding Dragon Claws] on his left arm, deflecting the next blow with a precise parry.
‘No wings, no resurrections. Nothing flashy. Just the basics,’ he reminded himself.
Revealing his ability to come back from the dead was far too dangerous.
If anyone learned about the [Destiny Points], they’d eventually find a way to counter them, and that would be fatal.
“ANNOYING. DESTROY. ALL.”
Dren didn’t stop. He was relentless.
Each clash shook the ground, and every missed strike from his warhammer sent shockwaves through the walls and floors.
Alex noticed it after about a minute.
The arena around them had begun to fall apart.
Cracks spread along the stone like spiderwebs. Debris littered the battlefield. The air grew hot, the pressure heavier.
Then Dren suddenly stopped, his expression curling into a grin.
“PERFECT. DESTRUCTION IS COMING!”
He raised his hammer again, this time with purpose, and slammed it into the ground with all his strength.
CRACK! BOOM!
A massive crater split the battlefield in two, a deep rift that tore through the arena’s center like a wound.
At first, Alex thought it was just terrain manipulation, until the ground beneath began to shift.
“MONSTER. IS. HERE.”
And that’s when it emerged.
A massive rocky hand burst from the crater, followed by another.
Then the head. Then the chest.
One by one, its colossal body rose from the abyss.
A 500-meter-tall monster of rock and lava stood before Alex.
Its veins glowed orange with molten heat, and its jagged face twisted into a roar.
Lava oozed from its mouth, steam rising with every breath.
Dren now stood on the monster’s shoulder, pointing his warhammer forward like a general commanding an army.
“KILL OPPONENT.”
The monster roared, loud enough to shake the heavens.
Alex exhaled and steadied his stance.
“Of course I get the most annoying fight,” he muttered.
His eyes narrowed. His heartbeat remained calm.
[World Cleaver] was nearly ready. And once it was, this fight would be over.
No matter how big that monster was.