Chapter 87: The Sacrifice

  “Goren, you stupid idiot!” I shouted, slamming my fist against the wall of my house.

  I wasn’t prepared for my own new damage. My fist shot through the wall, tearing the stone down like it was paper. Now, I no longer had a wall between my bedroom and living room.

  But that was the last thing that bothered me.

  This was Goren’s plan all along.

  He sacrificed himself so I could inherit all his stats, skills, and possessions.

  Together, we couldn’t pass through the main antechamber, but he believed that one of us – carrying the power of both – could.

  “Dolos!” I roared into the air. “Are you enjoying this, you bastard?!”

  The real villain of it all. The one who orchestrated every single moment of this nightmare centuries in advance. He backed Goren into a corner, leaving him no choice but to make this his third wish. Which means this was not a blessing, but a curse in disguise. Something Dolos planned for to happen.

  Or…maybe it was the other way around?

  I recalled Goren’s carefree behavior during – and before – our fight. He was content with what was about to go down. That much was clear.

  Could it be that he forced Dolos’ hand instead?

  I didn’t know much about godly pacts, but Goren said that if Dolos’ hadn’t fulfilled his final wish, it would've killed him. Had Goren turned the tables on him and pressured him to agree to this?

  If that wasn’t the case, I couldn’t imagine why Dolos would agree to a wish that would leave me - Chronos' champion - alive, and grant me enough power to potentially save our world.

  No. Not potentially. I will do this.

  I exhaled sharply, my mind racing through my next move.

  Right now, I was the strongest person in our world. In history.

  Right now, I was as strong Gaelith’s Darkness. Or at least as strong as he was when I saw him last.

  I will make sure Goren’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

  I will save our world.

  I didn’t need anyone else.

  I will solo this shitty tomb all on my own. Down to the last level.

  I’ll beat Erebus into submission.

  No one else needed to die.

  With resolve burning in my chest, I equipped my armor.

  Then, everything took a turn for the worse.

  [Déjà vu System Alert]

  [Darkness Ascension Imminent]

  [Countdown to the End of the World: 00:19:59]

  Gaelith's Darkness had found Gaelith in the tomb and they fused.

  I had no time to waste.

  I bolted out of my house, tearing the door off its hinges.

  Suddenly, Yana was there.

  She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening as she saw me.

  Her mouth opened, but no words came out at first. Her gaze flickered between the demolished door, the sheer power radiating off me, and then – my status.

  “A-Aidan…w-what?” She stammered, her voice trembling with disbelief. “Y-your level?!”

  She staggered back a step as if the very sight of me overwhelmed her. It wasn’t just shock – it was confusion, awe, and maybe even fear…

  The moment I saw her, I wanted nothing more than to embrace her, to hold her tight and tell her everything.

  But there was no time.

  I had nineteen minutes to reach the tomb and save the world.

  I took a deep breath, locking eyes with her.

  “Yana, I love you.” I said simply, my voice going soft. “I’ll explain everything later, but please, stay here. Don’t go to the tomb. It’s too dangerous!”

  Before she could respond, before she could even process my confession, I launched off the ground, activating Flight.

  The wind roared in my ears as I shot toward the tomb at full speed.

  ***

  At my current level, Flight allowed me to levitate freely with no limit or cooldown. More than that, I could now use Wind Rush to accelerate mid-air, pushing my speed beyond anything I had ever experienced.

  I shot through the morning sky, reaching the tomb in less than a minute. As I landed at the entrance, dust kicked up from the sheer force of my descent. The gathered adventurers stared in shock.

  Their expression mirrored Yana’s from earlier: wide-eyed disbelief and fear.

  Among them, I noticed the Rogue guild, Silvercry, huddled together. But there was a new face among them. Goren’s deletion from existence had left a vacancy, and someone had filled his spot.

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  My heart ached at the sight, knowing that they didn’t even know he existed.

  I exhaled deeply, pushing that thought aside and stepping toward Stephan Lorren. “Open the tomb. Now.”

  He barely reacted at first, blinking as if trying to process my words. Then, he took a step back, his eyes flickering between me and my absurdly high level.

  “The level…” He muttered, stunned.

  Then, Lady Mikaela stepped forward, fearless as ever.

  “Who are you?” she demanded, her tone sharp while she still looked confused.

  “My name is Aidan Dar.” I answered. “There’s a lot you don’t understand, and I don’t have the time to explain. Open the tomb now, or our entire world is doomed.”

  “Aidan Dar…” She whispered, eyes narrowing as if she recalled the name.

  I couldn’t afford to wait for her judgement.

  “NOW!” I roared.

  Fearsome Aura activated on its own. A wave of pressure burst from me, shaking the air, paralyzing everyone around me. Even the legendary guild masters stiffened under its weight.

  I gestured toward the tomb’s entrance. “Open it. Now. It’s a matter of life and death.”

  Stephan Lorren nodded, snapping out of his daze, shaking.

  He turned to his mages and gave the order.

  “Unseal the entrance!”

  Five mages stepped forward in a straight line before the stone doors, their hands glowing as they began their incantations. Powerful sigils pulsed in the air, unravelling the magical lock.

  After a moment, with a deep, groaning sound, the stone doors trembled open.

  I turned to the gathered adventurers.

  “Stay back!” I commanded, my voice booming. “Do not enter, no matter what happens! I will deal with this on my own!”

  I didn’t wait for a response. I stepped inside.

  As expected – even anticipated – an entire army of Void monsters awaited me.

  I summoned Silverfang. With one swift horizontal sweep, I activated Horizon.

  An arc of wind sliced through the air – carving through at least a hundred Void monsters in an instant, killing them.

  The XP gains were irrelevant at this point. I’m here to end this, not level up.

  Before the backline could do anything, I swapped to Goren’s Golden Bow, raising it high and pulling back the glowing string.

  A storm of magical arrows rained down.

  Unlike when I had seen Goren use it, my arrows were endless – an absolute downpour of destruction. The sheer volume alone obliterated the remaining Void creatures, turning the entire main antechamber into a graveyard of dissolving monster corpses.

  Some of the more curious adventurers had peeked inside despite my warning – led by the guild masters themselves – watching in stunned silence as I erased an entire army in seconds.

  Their expressions were frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.

  “GET BACK!” I roared.

  This was going to be my last run. No one needs to die.

  Then, it came.

  A familiar shadow loomed in the chamber, towering over the corpses of the slain monsters.

  It shrieked, not impressing me.

  The Right Hand of Darkness, level 222.

  I was waiting for it.

  The Right Hand roared, its monstrous cleaver whistling through the air with a massive overhead swing, aiming to cut me in half.

  But I was already gone.

  The world seemed to slow around me, every moment dragging in my heightened perception. Using Apex Reflex, made everything move so, so slow.

  Before the cleaver could even hit the ground, I had already reappeared behind my foe.

  I swapped to Goren’s sword – Convergence.

  Gripping the hilt, I drove it into the ground, activating Pillar of Truth. The instant the blade pierced the stone, an eruption of magic burst upward – a pillar of magic surging from below, striking the Right Hand before it had even finished its attack.

  That’s right. You’re not the boss anymore – I am.

  The creature reeled, its body twisting, but I didn’t wait for it to recover.

  I swapped back to Silverfang.

  With a deep inhale, I charged Unyielding Charge. The magic surged through my body, locking me in a straight-line trajectory, powering me with all of Kaelstrife’s might.

  Before the Right Hand of Darkness could even react – I was already through it. A gaping hole tore through its midsection.

  For a brief moment, it seemed defeated. But then, it began knitting itself back. Like always.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” I called out.

  I knew its regeneration capabilities too well by now. If I didn’t stop it immediately, I’d just be wasting my time here, endlessly fighting it.

  But as I approached, it whistled.

  That’s new.

  Before the stone to my side even cracked, I anticipated the incoming foe with Enhanced Distance Gauge.

  Left Hand of Darkness, level 222.

  I could feel it closing in on me. But it was so slow for my enhanced perception.

  I waited for it. Accepted its approach. Already having a plan in my mind.

  Just a little closer. I’d let it approach me.

  The moment its cleaver was near, I activated Wind Fortification.

  A shockwave of air erupted from my body – a blast of wind detonating outward like a hurricane.

  Both creatures were sent flying back, crashing against the walls.

  The Right Hand slammed into a crumbling pillar. The Left Hand, having just entered the battlefield, was blasted against the very wall it had broken through. Dust and debris filled the antechamber.

  But with Enhanced Distance Gauge, no one was hiding from me.

  I exhaled with anger, fury rising within me, fire burning in my eyes.

  “I’m coming for you, Erebus.” I muttered.

  I activated Enhanced Blur Strike.

  “Goren sends his regards, you fucks!”

  The world literally froze – my Agility stat so ahead of everyone and everything, I could literally read an entire book before anyone moved an inch.

  I moved swiftly. Nothing moved around me.

  Then, I unleashed hell on both Hands.

  A single strike wouldn’t work against these things. Neither would a dozen.

  I made sure they received thousands.

  Silverfang sliced, slashed, and carved through their shadowy bodies, cutting through everything in its path – anything that could be severed. Every strike was perfect. Every movement was calculated. I was destruction.

  By the time I was done, time resumed.

  The Right Hand and Left Hand of Darkness erupted into millions of pieces.

  No regeneration this time.

  No whistles.

  Just silence.

  [Right Hand of Darkness - Defeated]

  [+666,666 XP]

  [Left Hand of Darkness - Defeated]

  [+666,666 XP]

  [1,500,000 XP converted into 3 Stat Point]

  [3 Points Available: Choose a stat to level up]

  I immediately allocated the points into Agility.

  Before I could move, a voice called out, filled with disbelief.

  “W-what are you?!” Stephan Lorren stammered. “This – this is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before…!”

  I sighed, having no time for explanations. “It doesn’t matter right now. As I said, just get away from here. It’s not safe for you!”

  Lady Mikaela took a step forward, her eyes sharp, filled with curiosity and fear. “But you’re level 183! How?!”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter! Do as I say, or we all die!”

  A heavy silence fell over the crowd.

  I wasn’t looking for status, or respect. I just wanted to end this.

  I checked the timer.

  [Déjà vu System Alert]

  [Darkness Ascension Imminent]

  [Countdown to the End of the World: 00:09:47]

  [System will collapse after this event]

  Less than ten minutes left…

  No more delays.

  I summoned Astral Spear, gripping it tightly in my right hand.

  Then, without another thought, I hurled it at the ground, activating Shooting Star.

  The spear pierced through the stone, tearing through the floors below.

  One by one.

  Crushing through each level on its path, the power of Shooting Star sent tremors through the entire tomb.

  A straight path to the bottom.

  To Erebus.

  All that was left now was to descend.

  I activated Flight, lifting off the air, and dropped into the holes the spear had created.