Scott's form reemerged in an unfamiliar realm, a seething landscape of bubbling gases, scorched earth, and enflamed vegetation. Massive floating rocks drifted overhead as molten rain drizzled from the smog-choked sky. The War Hammer of the Mad God remained firmly in his grip, while the Chains of the Abyss, no longer dormant, uncoiled behind him like a living entity.
Scott narrowed his gaze. Where the fuck is this place?
The last thing he remembered was a barrage of system notifications before a sudden, suffocating barrier of negative energy had enveloped him.
Arcane Authority… is that an evolved form of Authority? He mused, scanning the barren, treacherous terrain. The air was thick with sulfur and ash, the noxious fumes stinging his lungs, heat pressing against his skin like an omnipresent force.
Am I still on the Endless Bridge? He remained still, calculating. No… this doesn’t feel like another territory on the Endless Bridge. I can sense—
A system notification materialized, slicing through his thoughts.
You have exited the Endless Bridge via unconventional means!
Scott’s stomach twisted. Fuck. His expression darkened. That means…
New notifications flooded in, and his scowl deepened.
You have arrived in a fractured timeline! You have been temporarily stripped of all authority as a Territorial Lord! You have been temporarily removed from the Territorial Ranking! As a being possessing authority, and by virtue of the administrator’s decree, you are barred from using authority within the lower floors!
A blinding beam of light lanced through the smog-choked heavens, striking Scott squarely on the head with a speed he couldn’t perceive, let alone evade.
A low grunt escaped his lips as he staggered back before regaining his footing. I feel…
Another notification appeared, mercilessly interrupting his train of thought.
You are being watched by a multitude of Lesser Gods and Gods! The Council of Gods is watching you! The Administrator has unleashed Divine Retribution upon the violator of the Treaty Between Rulers! The Lesser God of Formations is angry! Calculating the estimated duration until your authority and ranking are permanently stripped… Calculations completed! Warning! You must return to the Endless Bridge within thirty days, based on the time estimates of the fractured timeline!
Scott exhaled slowly, eyes locked on the cascading stream of notifications. I expected these bastards to pull something drastic… but to sacrifice one of their own just to get to me? I should’ve seen this coming.
The nature of the timeline has begun to bend to the will of the Council!
His gaze snapped to the latest notification, brows knitting together in concern. At that exact moment, radiant points of light ignited across the smog-laden sky like eerie stars. Instinctively, Scott’s grip on the War Hammer tightened.
One of the lights unleashed a brilliant beam, piercing the fissured ground below, sending tremors through the scorched earth. Scott watched warily, the Chains of the Abyss rustling like a restless predator sensing prey.
The nature of the timeline has adjusted to the will of the Council!
Before he could fully process the implications, a deafening wave of sound erupted around him—heavy, electrified guitar riffs, relentless drumbeats, and the raw, guttural roars of hidden vocalists. It wasn’t just noise; it was an anthem of defiance, an audacious challenge.
Scott’s grip loosened ever so slightly. This music… I know this. His mind drifted back to the Ranking Games, to his time Orion and Asura.
Fight: You Stop, You Die!
A slow grin curled his lips as realization struck. So that’s how they want to play it, huh? He let out a breath, steadying himself. Fine by me. Bring it on.
The next notification scrolled before his eyes.
Prisoners from Godsfall Island, Blight Domain, The Keep, Hallow’s Reach, The Deep within the Abyss… are descending!
The list kept growing. Scott tore his gaze from the system messages and eyed the pillars of light encircling him.
A chuckle rumbled from his chest. They pulled every last fucker they could get their grimy hands on. His grip tightened once more, the infectious music still thundering in the background.
One of the pillars shattered. From within the light, a hulking figure emerged—a titan of a man clad only in furred trousers, his upper body covered in intricate tribal markings and beastly tattoos. Obscenely large piercings adorned his elongated ears, nose, and lower lip. His braided goatee swayed in the toxic wind as his keen brown eyes took in the desolate landscape with a momentary flicker of confusion.
Then a system notification flashed before the warrior, and recognition dawned in his gaze. A wickedly massive battle-ax, streaked with ominous tribal patterns, materialized in his grip.
Scott watched as the man took a single step forward, eyes locked onto him.
“They told us we had to kill some troublemakers,” the man began, his thick accent laced with derision. “So, you’re the one I need to kill for clemency?” He scoffed, his bloodthirsty grin widening. “No offense, but you’re going to have to die for my sake.”
Scott met his gaze, lips curving into a similar smile. “It’s too early for you to be this excited. You have no idea what you’ve stepped into.”
The ax man barked a laugh. “Your head will soon be getting acquainted with my ax!” With a roar, he lunged, leaping high into the air like a wild beast before bringing his weapon down in a brutal arc.
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Scott tilted his head, watching the descent of man and steel. At the last moment, he let his weapon slip from his grasp, the dull thud of metal hitting earth lost in the chaos. The ax man arrived, eyes glinting with savage delight, arms tensed to unleash devastation.
The blow landed. A thunderous explosion followed, a wave of debris and ash distorting the battlefield. The ax man’s triumphant cackle rang through the air.
“Easy!” he crowed, raising his arms in victory. “Wardens! I have defeated the enemy of the—” His words cut short as he suddenly shifted, rolling to the side, his body twisting instinctively on the scorched ground.
A frown creased his forehead. His eyes darted wildly before settling on the impact site.
“You’re alive?” he spat. “Stop hiding like a coward and fight me like a—”
“Who said I was hiding?” Scott’s voice drifted from the side.
The ax man whirled, swinging his weapon toward the sound—but chains shot forward, coiling around the steel. In an instant, the ax corroded, rust consuming the blade before it crumbled into dust. Before the ax man could react, Scott materialized in front of him, a phantom in the haze.
“Even without my ax, there’s nothing you can do against—”
Scott’s fist slammed into his gut, sending him hurtling backward. Blood and bile spewed from his lips as he crashed into the ground, rolling until jagged rocks and molten earth shredded his flesh. His upper body, now raw and torn, bled profusely.
Scott strode forward, grin widening. “I told you, it’s too early to get excited.”
The prisoner spat blood, summoning a new pair of axes from his inventory. In the same breath, two bronze gauntlets and a silver helmet materialized around him. As he rose, his burning gaze never left Scott.
“You’ll pay for that!” he roared.
He surged forward, faster than before. The hidden orchestra swelled, a mesmerizing guitar riff slicing through the air. The temperature spiked. Above, crimson meteors blazed through the sky, promising annihilation.
Neither combatant faltered. They hurtled toward each other, a clash of steel and fury imminent. The ax man attacked first, a whirlwind of slashes and chops meant to reduce Scott to nothing but mincemeat. Yet Scott weaved through the onslaught with eerie ease, his grin stretching wider with every failed strike. The Chains of the Abyss had detached from his side, while the War Hammer of The Mad God remained untouched where he had left it.
“Die, you wretched maniac!” the ax man bellowed, his swings growing faster, more precise. But Scott remained untouchable, his laughter morphing into something deranged.
With a feral roar, the ax man’s muscles bulged. His helmet pulsed with radiant energy, and in an instant, his head morphed into that of a wolf. His body remained human, but his weapons howled, their steel drenched in an eerie azure mist. The axes shuddered violently before launching forward, independent of their master, shrieking with hunger.
Scott arched a brow. “Oh? This is different.” He sidestepped effortlessly.
The wolfman let his axes fly, their movements erratic yet terrifyingly precise. At the same time, his gauntlet-ed fists blazed with the same azure glow as he launched a relentless barrage of punches. But despite the furious assault, neither man nor weapon could graze Scott.
“Try harder!” Scott taunted, his laughter echoing. “Don’t you want freedom? It’s right in front of you, yet you can’t grab it. How useless are you?”
“Don’t you dare taunt me!” the wolfman howled. A searing azure blast erupted from his maw, tearing through the battlefield.
The blast barely missed Scott, colliding and bouncing off one of the luminous pillars surrounding them. In a flash, a massive crevice split the ground, spanning over five hundred meters, the fissure burning with raging azure flames.
Then came a series of deafening explosions. Meteors crashed indiscriminately across the barren land, shaking the earth to its core. Gigantic pillars of toxic gas erupted from fissures, and lava gushed forth in torrents, transforming the wasteland into an apocalyptic inferno. Yet, the high-octane music continued, reveling in the destruction.
“I’m going to kill you, you insane bastard!” the wolfman cursed, relentlessly attacking Scott with all his might.
“That’s the spirit! Show me everything you’ve got!” Scott cackled, effortlessly dodging each attack.
They weaved between the towering light pillars, narrowly avoiding the onslaught of debris and meteor blasts. With every passing moment, the wolfman’s strikes grew more frantic, more powerful—yet still, they failed to touch Scott.
“I’m getting bored,” Scott taunted, his delirious gaze locked onto his opponent. “You’re going to die at this rate. Is this really all you have?”
“No man can kill me!” the prisoner snarled defiantly.
Scott’s arms moved like striking serpents, seizing both axes by their handles. The wolfman’s eyes widened in shock, but his disbelief quickly twisted into a grin. “Fool!” he bellowed. “Only I can wield them! Your arms will be blown to smithereens—”
A sharp crack split the air. Without warning, both axes exploded. Before the wolfman could process what had happened, Scott appeared before him, driving a brutal fist into his midsection.
The wolfman instinctively lowered his arms to block—but the impact landed squarely on his nose instead. Blood trickled from the fracture as he staggered backward, dazed.
“I want to see your face,” Scott murmured, then delivered a vicious kick to the champion’s shin.
With a strangled howl, the wolfman collapsed to his knees, teeth clenched in pain. “I’m Nemo of the Winds! No man can—”
Scott punched him again, cutting him off. “I don’t need to know the name of a dead man.” He raised his right hand, making a grasping motion. Instantly, the War Hammer of the Mad God answered his call, nestling into his grip.
“Enjoy your freedom!” Scott declared, swinging the ominous weapon in a ruthless arc.
A sickening crack split the air. Blood erupted like a crimson geyser, painting the battlefield as a symphony of war-drums thundered in the background. The headless corpse slumped to the ground, Scott towering over it.
Then, another crack. And another. One by one, dazed and confused prisoners emerged from the towering pillars, blinking in shock as glowing system notifications manifested before them.
All your delayed Experience Points have been calculated! You will now be rewarded!
Scott’s grin stretched further as he scanned the notifications. He lifted his head toward the turbulent skies. “This was your plan all along, huh?” he roared, laughter peeling from his throat.
Congratulations! You have leveled up! Congratulations! You have leveled up! Congratulations! You have leveled up!
The relentless notifications rang like an unending alarm. Then, a new message appeared.
Physical Stats: Strength, Agility, Endurance, Dexterity, and Toughness have reached the upper limits permitted by mortality. Congratulations! You have leveled up! Congratulations! You have crossed the threshold of mortality! Congratulations! You have attained demi-godhood! You have earned—Error! An anomaly has been detected! The Administrator’s law will take effect!
The heavens trembled. Time itself halted. The music, the explosions, the chaos—all vanished.
In the sky, space shredded apart. An unfathomable being emerged, its form imperceptible, yet its eyes bore the weight of countless burning stars. From one of these celestial infernos, a sigil depicting a tower descended, streaking toward Scott. It struck, embedding itself deep into his skull.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the phenomenon ceased. Time resumed its flow.
The seal of **** has been placed on you! Your physical stats have been restricted to meet the limitations of mortality! **** timer has been activated! You will be unable to access transcendent abilities until you have crossed the Point of No Return! Your existence—which has exceeded mortality—will be challenged by the natural order the longer you remain in the mortal world! The Council of Gods is amused! Several lesser gods are elated! Several Calamities, Apostles, Sponsored Candidates, and Devotees are requesting permission from the council to descend! The council has given their approval!