[Determination Meter: 90/100]
Alex’s eyes narrowed as they fell on the glowing meter flickering beside him.
No one had explained what this was, not even a hint.
But deep within, instinct spoke louder than any guide or instruction.
This was his domain, his space, his will.
And right now, he needed it more than anything.
Without hesitation, Alex pushed forward, cutting through the air like a blade unleashed, his grip tightening around the [Scythe of Hatred] as he slashed toward Nocteron, the so-called [God of Death].
Fwish! Slash!
The blade howled as it cleaved through Nocteron’s twisted form, slicing the deity clean in half before he could even process the attack.
But the victory was fleeting.
As expected, Nocteron’s body began to stitch itself together mid-air, green soul energy fusing his split halves as if nothing had happened.
“You still don’t get it?” Nocteron snarled, his voice echoing with malice.
Around him, tens of thousands of souls twisted and danced, mocking Alex with wicked laughter.
“You. CANNOT. Win.”
BAM!
Without warning, Nocteron’s legs ignited with green underworld fire, and he launched forward.
His foot struck Alex square in the chest, the impact sending him crashing backward across the crumbling battlefield.
Swash! Bam!
The world trembled as Alex’s form skidded violently across the ground.
And even now, clad in the overwhelming power of his [Pure Hatred] form, he could feel it. The pain.
It seeped through the haze of power, reminding him that even now, even at this level, he was still mortal.
Still, he didn’t flinch.
“…Is that… all?” Alex muttered, pushing his scythe into the dirt to stabilize himself.
A small smirk tugged at his lips as he locked eyes with Nocteron, whose expression twitched in irritation.
“You won’t last,” Nocteron barked, voice laced with frustration, “You think pain makes you stronger? That resistance makes you a threat? Hades! Assist me!”
A calm, low voice echoed back.
[Hm.]
Hades raised all four of his monstrous arms, and in that instant, four black shackles burst out from the void, burning with eerie green flames, cracking reality as they surged toward Alex like hunting serpents.
The ground beneath Alex split open, revealing bottomless darkness and thousands of screaming souls trying to claw their way free.
‘That must be his domain,’ Alex realized, ‘He’s trying to pull me in.’
With a grunt, Alex swung his scythe at the incoming shackles, trying to sever them before they could reach him.
Fwish! Fwash!
But they moved like living shadows, dodging his strikes, slipping past his defenses with unnatural precision.
Within seconds, all four shackles wrapped around him, two latching onto his arms, the other two his legs.
“You’re mine now,” Nocteron grinned as Hades gave a sharp tug, yanking Alex forward like a broken puppet, “Let’s take a little trip, to my domain.”
The cracks beneath Alex deepened, the infernal pit opening wider.
Thousands of souls reached for him, eager to drag him into eternal torment.
He clenched his teeth.
He knew, he couldn’t let that happen.
[Remembering everything you have fought to be here, and the pain flowing through your body, your determination grew a little.]
[Determination Meter: 95/100]
“…I don’t think so,” Alex whispered.
And then he spun, fast.
The move looked reckless, an act that would only tighten the chains, but Alex wasn’t stupid.
His [Wings of Hatred] were still out, and each blade-like feather shimmered with crimson power.
The sharp edges sliced clean through the shackles as he spun, severing the magical restraints like they were paper.
Shhh-click!
The chains shattered with a metallic wail.
Before Hades or Nocteron could react, Alex surged forward, wings bursting open to propel him with blinding speed.
He didn’t go for Nocteron this time, he aimed behind him, straight for Hades.
The [Ruler of the Underworld] barely had time to blink.
Fwish! FWASH!
Alex’s scythe tore through one of Hades’ four arms, severing it completely in a burst of green fire.
The limb fell to the ground, writhing before vanishing into smoke.
Hades let out a guttural roar, his form twisting, contorting, until he shifted into a larger, more demonic version of himself.
He lashed out.
One massive hand grabbed Alex by the wings and smashed him down into the dirt with unimaginable force.
CRASH!
“Grkh—!” Alex let out a strained breath as the ground cracked beneath him.
But the assault didn’t end there.
Nocteron leapt forward, twisting mid-air before unleashing a spiraling green-flame kick straight to Alex’s chest.
BOOM!
Alex’s body was sent flying once more, crashing through several jagged rocks before skidding to a halt.
His crimson aura pulsed around him, flickering.
Blood dripped from his lips.
Still, his expression didn’t change.
He stood. He endured. Because he had no choice.
“You should be proud,” Nocteron sneered, “No one has survived even one of our combined attacks, and yet you survived three.”
“Take solace in that. You will not survive a fourth.”
He raised his hand, pointing at the deepening abyss beneath their feet.
“The underworld is calling. Accept your fate.”
Alex looked down.
The cracks had widened, covering almost the entire battlefield.
Green flames now spilled from them like rivers of fire, and he could feel the pull, a call from death itself.
It wasn’t just some visual trick.
This was the beginning of Nocteron’s domain.
And if it fully activated, Alex knew he would die.
His eyes darted toward the side of the battlefield, where Lich continued to battle the [Undead Lord].
Their clash had raged endlessly, but cracks had started forming on the skeletal champion’s skull.
The tide was shifting. Lich would win soon. And once he did, Alex would be alone.
[Thinking about your upcoming demise, your determination grew.]
[Determination Meter: 98/100]
“Four minutes remaining,” Hades announced, his monstrous form towering over them now, “Four minutes until this battle ends, with one of you dead.”
He didn’t need to say who it would be.
They all thought they knew the answer.
“Oh-hoho,” Nocteron laughed, soul flames crackling around him.
“Four minutes to fight the inevitable.”
“Let’s see how far that little spark inside you can carry you, human.”
[Knowing that your end is near, your determination grew, do not give up.]
[Determination Meter: 99/100]
Alex could feel it.
His veins burned, not from pain, but from raw energy.
His Hatred and Determination were no longer separate forces.
They were merging, fusing into something vast, something almost divine.
But he could feel the weight of it, how heavy it was.
If he lost control, it would destroy him too. He didn’t care.
“What now?” Nocteron mocked, “Will you give up, or die trying to win a fight that was never yours to win?”
Alex didn’t answer.
He checked his items. He had nothing left of real use.
Only the [Random Potion] given by Arceus, but he had no time to gamble.
Then it happened.
“Goodbye,” Lich whispered, his voice laced with cruel joy.
Alex turned in time to see the [Undead Lord] cleaved in half by a swing of Lich’s obsidian scepter.
The skeletal knight fell, its body fading into light.
“…And then there was one,” Lich smiled.
Both gods turned their full attention to Alex.
“You should be dead already.”
“You don’t even know why you’re still fighting.”
“Kaelios fell. You’re next.”
“Everything you love will burn.”
“Give up.”
They mocked him, jeered, insulted.
But Alex saw through it.
They were stalling, trying to break his will before their domain did. Too late.
[Your Hatred and Determination refuse to yield to their power. You remember everything that happened.]
He remembered the [God of Darkness] killing him.
His resurrection. His rebirth in Universal Descent. The girls who followed him.
The quests. The struggle. The enemies he had slain. The impossible odds he had conquered.
Everything he had lost. Everything he had gained.
All of it came flooding back in a single heartbeat. And in that moment, everything inside him snapped.
[You will make them regret ever facing you.]
[Your determination has reached its maximum, now get rid of them =)]
[Determination Meter: 100/100]
The battlefield exploded in light.
A blinding, all-consuming radiance burst from Alex’s body, washing over the dead lands like a second sun, pushing back the darkness, silencing the laughter, and severing the chains of death itself.
The time for survival was over. It was time to end this.
