After receiving the global notification that both the [Primordial Goddess] and her [Primordial Chosen One] had been eliminated,
Alex and Kaelios didn’t slow down for even a moment.
The implications were clear.
A battle had just ended.
Blood had already been spilled.
And that meant two things, one side had survived and was most likely recovering, while the others, just like them, would be hunting.
In this stage of the [Chosen Games], hesitation was death.
Everyone still standing was dangerous, and every second spent idling increased the risk of being ambushed.
Even with the [GPS] function keeping track of the remaining gods and chosen ones, they couldn’t afford to relax.
Complacency would be fatal.
So they kept moving.
For the next twenty minutes, Alex and Kaelios moved at near-blinding speed, tearing through the strange and twisted landscapes of the [Creators’ Domain].
They’d already seen their fair share of surreal regions since entering this world, but this time, they pushed themselves harder than ever before, traveling faster, thinking sharper, and staying constantly alert.
Thanks to that, they cleared an impressive distance.
In just those twenty minutes, they had crossed three regions, the [Celestial Glade], with its glowing flowers and floating shards of crystal, the shattered terrain of the [Obsidian Ruins], its jagged black pillars looming like broken monuments, and finally the edge of the [Volcanic Abyss], where boiling rivers of lava roared beneath charred earth.
Each location was radically different, yet equally hostile in its own way.
But Alex and Kaelios didn’t slow down.
Their eyes were fixed on a single goal, reaching the final unexplored areas before anyone else.
Eventually, they reached the fourth and final zone that had eluded them until now.
The [Whispering Marsh].
A sickly chill hung in the air as they crossed its threshold.
A dense, pale mist clung to everything, making it impossible to see more than a few meters ahead.
The air felt damp and heavy, pressing down on their shoulders like an invisible weight.
Pools of dark water were scattered across the ground, slick and murky, hiding their true depth beneath the swirling fog.
The terrain was uneven, squishy in some areas, sunken in others, and strange, gnarled trees grew out of the mud like skeletal fingers, their roots exposed and twisted as if they’d clawed their way out of the earth.
And all around them… were whispers.
Low. Constant. Incomprehensible.
As if the mist itself were alive and murmuring secrets from just beyond reach.
Neither Alex nor Kaelios spoke for a moment, their bodies tense, their eyes sharp.
They had nearly reached the heart of the [Creators’ Domain].
Only the [Shattered Peaks] and the central [Main Domain] remained after this.
One final stretch before everything came to a head.
But just as they began moving again, intent on passing through this eerie land quickly, they were both stopped by the same sound.
Ding! Ding!
The familiar chime of their interface ringing in both of their minds.
A translucent panel unfolded in front of them, glowing faintly in the mist.
Both of them read it at the same time, their expressions shifting the moment they saw the contents.
[Your “GPS” function has detected two gods and two chosen ones within 5 kilometers of your location.] [An arrow will appear to indicate which direction they are currently in.]
And then, like clockwork, a soft flash appeared above the panel, and an arrow formed, glowing red and pointing directly ahead.
Alex and Kaelios exchanged a single glance.
“Here it is,” Kaelios muttered, exhaling slowly, a grin forming across his face.
“Finally caught someone.”
Alex’s eyes stayed fixed on the arrow.
“Since there are two gods and two chosen ones… they’re fighting.”
“All the better for us,” Kaelios replied without hesitation, “We catch them in the middle, end it before they even realize we’re there.”
Alex nodded.
“No complaints from me.”
Rather than charge in blindly, though, they paused.
They had the advantage, surprise.
There was no need to waste it.
Alex didn’t speak to Kaelios this time.
Instead, he directed his attention toward the two [Void Blasters] that hovered beside him, each one sleek, massive, and brimming with condensed energy.
Up to this point, they’d only been charged to their [First Phase], humming softly with blue light.
But that was about to change.
“Charge to second,” he commanded quietly.
The mouths of the blasters opened slightly, the energy inside pulsing brighter, more violently, as the hue began shifting from blue to a more unstable violet.
Energy rippled through the air in response, stirring the mist as the power grew.
At the same time, Kaelios shut his eyes, standing perfectly still for ten full seconds.
When he opened them again, a subtle glow burned behind his irises.
[World Cleaver] had been activated.
With it, Kaelios could summon the [Angel of Destiny] mid-battle, a force that could tip the scales the moment it appeared.
These were the precautions they took.
They knew that the battle would likely come down to seconds.
Whoever hit first, and hit hardest, would win.
Anything less… would be fatal.
Cowardly? Maybe.
But that didn’t matter.
The ones who hesitated would die, and the ones who prepared would survive.
Thirty seconds passed.
The blasters’ cores had shifted fully, now burning with deep purple energy.
The [Second Phase] was complete, but it was already becoming unstable, the air around the blasters shimmering from the raw pressure.
Alex held up a hand, signaling for them to pause.
They couldn’t hold this phase for long.
The third was out of the question, it would tear the blasters apart if left unchecked for even a few seconds.
He glanced over at Kaelios.
“Let’s go.”
Kaelios gave a sharp nod.
Together, the two of them launched forward, vanishing into the fog like shadows chasing death.
Meanwhile, deeper inside the [Whispering Marsh], past layers of mist and beyond the reach of light, another battle was nearing its end.
A lone figure stood on the pale grass below, surrounded by pitch-black fog.
The air was void of light, vision, or direction.
“GIVE UP.”
The voice came from everywhere at once, thick and cruel.
“You’ve lost,” another voice added mockingly, “There’s nothing left.”
The figure staggered, barely managing to remain upright.
Slash! Slash!
Two blades cut into his body from the darkness, drawing deep lines of red.
Blood splashed across the gray grass.
This figure… was Dretheon.
The [God of Nightmares]. And he was losing.
After only a 3-minutes battle, Dretheon had been overpowered and pulled into the personal domain of his enemy, the [Darkness Domain].
A space that devoured all light and sensory input.
He couldn’t see a thing, couldn’t hear where attacks came from.
His nightmares had been severed, his abilities dampened.
But worst of all, his Chosen One, Revenhart, had been killed.
Struck down by a single, brutal strike from the sky above, when the [God of Darkness] had grown in size and brought down the [Sword of Darkness] like a divine guillotine.
The notification had hit hard.
[“Revenhart, The Chosen One of Nightmares” has died. Your link has been severed. Power reduced by 50% for the next 2 weeks.]
Dretheon had screamed in rage.
He still was.
“FUCK YOU!” he roared, his voice echoing uselessly through the void.
All of his [Nightmare Points] had been used.
All his nightmares were gone.
Every last reserve was drained.
And then… the darkness began to ripple.
For a brief moment, he could see, just slightly farther than before.
Hope stirred for a heartbeat. But it was false hope.
From the black fog, a figure stepped forward.
The [God of Darkness]. Veyrion.
He wore a simple, unsettling smiley-face mask.
But through the eyeholes, only pitch darkness stared back.
“It was a good fight,” Veyrion said calmly, raising a hand, “But it’s over.”
Dretheon understood.
His opponent wasn’t showing mercy, only finishing a fight already won.
“…Fuck… you,” Dretheon growled once more, summoning one final [Nightmare Spear].
He lunged, desperation driving his final motion.
But—
Fwish! Fwam!
The [Sword of Darkness] deflected the attack effortlessly.
A moment later, it pierced through Dretheon’s throat.
The [God of Nightmares] collapsed.
Silent. Still. Dead.
And the darkness receded.
The [Darkness Domain] faded, revealing the mist of the [Whispering Marsh] once more.
Veyrion let out a slow breath as he dismissed the sword.
“Good job,” said Nocturne, his Chosen One, also lowering his weapon.
“Only gets harder from here,” Veyrion replied.
Then the world pulsed with a new notification.
[The “God of Nightmares” and “Chosen One of Nightmares” have been eliminated. Three pairs remain.]
But that wasn’t all.
A second notification appeared, only visible to Veyrion and Nocturne.
[As you have won a battle, all injuries and cooldowns have been reset. Ganking is discouraged. You are fully restored.]
“Good enough,” Veyrion groaned as he sighed, “Let’s go, only one more and it’s the [Final Fight].”
“We’re close to the end,” Nocturne said, turning.
But then, he froze.
“…Wait.”
Veyrion turned his head.
“What is it?”
“Check the [Tracking Function],” Nocturne replied, eyes narrowing.
Veyrion opened it as well. One look, and he stiffened.
“…We’ve got company.”