Apocalypse Baby

Onigi clutched his wound.

It wasn't healing.

His breathing grew heavier as pain pulsed through his body. His regeneration—it wasn't working.

His eyes narrowed.

Dorion's blood had done something.

A special effect? A curse? Whatever it was, it was stopping him from healing.

And knowing Dorion, this wasn't his only trick.

Dorion tilted his head, a wicked smirk tugging at his lips.

"Are you done, old man?" he taunted. "I still have a lot more to dish out."

Onigi tightened his grip on his weapon.

The kid was dangerous—too unpredictable.

His mind raced. But his heartbeat was calm.

'Should I use that?'

But before he could decide, another presence arrived.

A sharp shift in the air.

Alex.

No...not Alex.

A clone.

Onigi's frown deepened. "What is he up to this time?"

Alex's clone glanced at the battlefield, his gaze flicking from the scattered bones to Onigi's wound.

"Oh..." Alex muttered, a grin creeping onto his face.

"This scene was certainly not what I was expecting."

This fight wasn't going the way he expected.

Dorion somehow was winning.

Alex's gaze sharpened. He looked at Dorion differently now.

The kid was way stronger than he had seemed at first.

No doubt because of his connection to a deity.

That power, that affiliation, gave him an edge.

Did Onigi have something like that?

Alex doubted it.

With a sigh, he decided to cut straight to the point.

"Alright, listen up. I plan to blow the entire maze up, so you two might wanna put this little fight on hold and get to stepping."

Dorion blinked.

"Huh?"

The words clearly caught him off guard.

Alex pointed behind him.

"Follow the straight path I made, and you'll be fine."

Then he smirked.

"But hey, if you two wanna keep fighting, be my guest."

Alex placed his hand against the maze wall setting an explosion disk.

A smirk played on his lips.

"But I'd advise you to leave. My explosion doesn't discriminate."

With that, he turned and ran off, leaving both of them staring after him.

Dorion exhaled, then turned to Onigi, a sharp grin forming on his face.

"Well? What's it gonna be, old man? Temporary truce?"

Onigi didn't even hesitate.

He lifted his sword and pointed it straight at Dorion, his gaze unwavering and cold.

"Like I said earlier, I'll be taking your head. No matter the interference."

Dorion's grin faltered slightly.

What a troublesome geezer.

He really wished Onigi would just wait. The last thing he wanted was to get caught in Alex's explosion.

There was also something off about Onigi's aura now.

Something unsettling.

For the first time, he wasn't sure he'd win this fight without nearly dying himself.

Onigi took a step forward, his voice low and firm.

"One of us isn't leaving this place, kid."

His grip on his sword tightened.

"So raise your weapon."

*

As Alex's clones sprinted through the maze, setting up explosives, the real Alex stood before the fallen titan undead.

He extended his hand, using [Dismiss] to transfer his explosion disk all over the maze, the energy spreading like wildfire, saturating the ruins with unstable mana.

This action rapidly burned his mana.

And he was running out quickly.

But he didn't care.

The destruction he was about to unleash would be a masterpiece.

This sight of it was something he'd love to see.

More undead swarmed toward him, but Alex barely acknowledged them.

One punch. That's all it took.

Bones shattered, skulls crumpled, and bodies collapsed like broken puppets.

Then there was a shift.

A heavy presence filled the air, thick with rage and vengeance.

The big boss had arrived.

The Undead Guide.

And he was furious.

Alex spotted him through the haze of broken walls and dust, casually lifting a hand in greeting.

"Oh… hey there." He waved like he was running into an old friend. "If you could just wait a sec while I finish up here, that'd be awesome."

The Undead Guide's skeletal frame tensed, his glowing eyes burning with fury.

"Damn you! You've ruined it all!"

He roared, his voice shaking the very foundations of the maze.

Alex unfazed, tilted his head as he asked in a casual tone:

"Ruined what, exactly?"

"The entire trial!" the Undead Guide roared.

A dark rift split open beside him, and from it, a sword of pure void energy materialized in his grasp.

Without hesitation, he lunged at Alex, moving faster than expected.

CLANG!

Alex barely had time to draw his own blade, meeting the strike with a powerful parry.

Sparks flew as metal scraped against metal.

The Undead Guide didn't let up.

His sword became a whirlwind of deadly strikes, slashing from all directions.

Left. Right.

A downward cleave.

A twisting thrust.

But Alex deflected every attack, stepping back with each strike, keeping his cool.

"Now, because of you…" the Undead Guide growled, pushing harder, "I'll make sure every single player in this maze doesn't make it out alive!"

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Are you sure you want to do that?"

With a sudden burst of speed, he twisted his wrist, swatting the Guide's sword aside. Then, in one smooth motion, he drove his boot into the undead's chest, launching him backward.

The Undead Guide staggered, backwards.

His skeletal teeth clenched in pain.

"You'll regret this…" he snarled.

Alex's lips curled into a smirk as he raised his hand.

"Would I?"

He snapped.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Explosions ripped through the maze, shaking the ground.

Walls crumbled.

Flames roared.

Thick smoke twisted into the air as entire sections of the labyrinth collapsed into rubble.

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And that was just the start of it.

The Undead Guide gritted his teeth, his hollow eyes burning with fury.@@novelbin@@

He lunged at Alex, sword raised but Alex simply snapped his fingers.

BOOM!

The Undead Guide's body detonated, chunks of bone and shadow scattering into the air.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then his body reformed.

Bone snapped back together, shadow tendrils stitched his form whole once more.

Alex narrowed his eyes.

"This is why I hate you guys. Your annoying asses just keep coming back."

The Undead Guide uttered darkly.

"I'm undead. It's what we do."

Alex folded his arms.

"Yeah? Well, let's see how long that lasts."

The Undead Guide twitched. A flicker of unease crossed his face.

Alex smirked.

"I can sense it, you know. The energy leaking out of you."

The Guide stiffened.

"You're the one sustaining this place, aren't you?" Alex continued. "An anchor the Nightmare is using to keep the maze together. To generate monsters. To keep this trial running."

The Undead Guide's glowing eyes widened.

"What…? How'd you—?"

Alex let out a low chuckle.

"Come on. It's obvious. You're more than just a 'guide', you're the body. The maze is the heart. You can't exist without it. You're both linked."

The Undead Guide took a step back.

For the first time, a hint of fear flickered in his expression.