Too Stubborn to Die

Book 3: Epilogue 2

Somewhere in a distant universe, a peculiar god, shimmering and hard to make sense of, sat in its shadowy room. His sharp gaze was intently fixed on a myriad of viewing screens, and an amused smile played on his lips.

“This is getting interesting. What a lively bunch this new universe has produced. I must say, I cannot wait for the show to get started.”

He eyed his own disciple for a long moment. They were more than he could have hoped for, and their victory would taste so sweet.

“Ohohoh. Those old gods, so high and mighty. Think themselves untouchable. Claiming authority over broad domains. Leaving nothing but scraps for the rest of us. Not very nice. Not at all. But as they say, the higher one is, the further the fall.”

The young god had been looking forward to this for some time. And as they enjoyed the moment, they reminisced on the journey. Thin, dark fingers dipped into a jar at their side and toyed with ancient coins within. They were a reminder of a world the being had left behind so long ago. But compared to true ancients, it wasn’t so long ago.

The god was known as Dolipo the Deceptive, and he was somewhat irritated for having been forced to claim a divine domain he saw as beneath him.

“I won’t just show you up, master. I’ll show all of you up.”

Dolipo’s smile grew wider, thinking of his former patron god. It wasn’t just Widow he wanted to upstage, though. All those arrogant ancient gods. And while his path was not related, the likes of gods like Yendal annoyed him to such great degrees.

It was bad enough that his old master, Widow, had claimed to be the god of both stealth and seduction. How selfish of her. Gods like her left him with few options when he had ascended.

Even the shadows themselves were claimed, as was deceit, and night. All domains he would have been satisfied with. And the relatively young god had found themselves in a predicament, forced to move further and further into obscurity to find a domain to claim.

Of course, there was always the option of challenging an old god and just taking what he wanted. But that’s no easy task.

“I wonder, what shall they think when my disciple wins? A young, lowly god like me? Oh, it shall be so entertaining. And a perfect prelude for the Universal Tournament.”

The tournament was the true prize. When he got to see his disciple beat down those of the great, ancient gods. But it would be that much sweeter when they knew what was coming and were unable to prevent it.

Chuckling to himself, he stared at the screens. Spread across them were the greatest champions of the hundred and first universe. Each screen followed one person as they entered their respective dungeons.

Of course, the dungeon was primarily designed for teamwork. Forcing worlds and even sectors to work together for mutual gain. But that was only the half of it, and he knew patron gods from across the multiverse would be watching.

And it was oh so very rare that anybody besides the disciple of one of the ancients ever won. Especially when there were participants with True Blessings.

That was the true prize. To have his follower beat someone with a True Blessing. It would be undeniable proof of how far he had come and that he deserved a seat among the ancients.

“Ohohoh!”

It truly was hilarious. Already, so many had fallen, and their patron gods had been shocked. Irate that their chosen disciples were slain by a beast. It was truly embarrassing. Heck, most gods wouldn’t even bestow their blessings upon beasts, seeing themselves above such things.

It was unorthodox, but Dolipo would show them the error of their arrogance.

His shadowy gaze drifted across the viewing screens, landing on the champions of the greatest gods.

“Oh, this is going to be entertaining. I will have to thank Yendal for coming out of her seclusion.”

***Mo’Han***

Heavy, chamber doors burst open, and a group of four fell to their knees, foreheads pressed against the stone floor.

“Lord Mo’han!”

Color returned to the huge asura’s eyes as he broke the link with his patron god, and he turned to his guests.

He sat in an opulent chair, in an ornate room decorated in gold and jewels, though the truth of it was that Mo’han didn’t care for any of it. But it seemed to make his people happy. They enjoyed showering him in treasures and building this palace, and who was he to turn it down?

Palace or training field, it was all the same to him.

“Rise!”

The four bowing figures rose to their feet. There were two asuras, an elf, and a twitchy, insectoid humanoid with long antennae.

“So, it’s time then, is it?” Mo’han asked.

He had been waiting for this, and the bored expression on his face spoke a million words.

“It is, my lord. The dungeon has activated, and we are here to serve you. The council has picked us to serve by your side as your party members, if you’ll have us.”

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“IT’S OPEN?! WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO SOONER! ABOUT TIME!” Mo’han thudded his chest and leaped to his feet with a wide grin. “I cannot believe it! Finally! This world has grown far too dull since conquering it.”

Mo’han rubbed his six hands together eagerly. He had been excited when he first finished the trials and burst into his new world with sparkling eyes.

But after slaying a bunch of D-grade beasts, it all started to go downhill. Just like with his Tutorial, it wasn’t long before he was obliterating anything and everything that stood in his way.

Even the other races and top rankers barely challenged him. A couple at first, and then, they all just bowed. And just like that, after barely a fight, he found himself crowned emperor of this world, without a true challenge in sight.

As boredom grew, he looked for new avenues of excitement. And then he remembered the dungeon token. It had been expensive to purchase information on the dungeon, forced to use the overpriced System store because of the barriers that blocked him from communicating with other worlds.

But then again, he was collecting taxes from hundreds of millions of people now.

And when he had discovered that champions from across their entire universe would be participating in the dungeon, his excitement grew to new levels.

This was what he had been waiting for. A real challenge. An opportunity to genuinely push himself. And oh, was he ready for it.

“Let’s move! This shall be one for the ballads!”

The broadest of smiles twisted the big asura’s face. He missed having a real rivalry so badly that it almost hurt.

He had spent most of his time with Aaron, but even Mandor made a decent rival. Someone to test himself against. Someone to keep him honest. And even if he had been a step above them, they were strong enough that if he relaxed too much, they might actually surpass him.

And that was just the invigorating feeling he needed.

But this was so much more than that. This dungeon pitted the entire universe against one another. And he could only imagine what else lay out there across the endless expanse that spread across many different sectors.

“I hope there is some true talent! Imagine…”

His eyes grew wild with excitement, and his mouth salivated. What if there was someone even stronger than him?

“HAHA! I CANNOT WAIT! I am coming, universe! Get ready for Mo’han Khan! I hope you’re prepared! And A-ran! If you’ve gone soft, I am going to make you hurt for it!”

***Voidrin***

Battle rang out atop the flat roof of an impressive temple that stretched on for several acres. The entire thing was covered in a thick cloud of mist that shrouded both sight and senses.

The warriors of this temple sect were decent enough. Elites by most standards. And they served under one of the world’s top rankers. A truly powerful warrior, and the person who built the temple to honor their patron god.

Now, however, it had lost some of its glory. Blood and bodies were strewn all over the place, and wailing cries sung out above the carnage.

The warriors were brave, entering the mist without fear in their hearts. But bravery wasn’t quite enough. The dense mist had turned into a killing field, and hovering blades shot back and forth throughout it, aiming at unguarded flanks, and using the disorientating mist to its fullest.

“Y’know, y’all really are quite terrible at this? Like, try something new at least. Y’know?”

“Shut up, fiend!” Roared a man as he charged.

Power swirled around the D-grade warrior, pushing back the mist, and when he swung his powerful quarterstaff, it shot out a powerful blast that opened a passage through the mist and sent out a body-shaking and immobilizing shockwave.

“Too slow!” Mocked the cyclopean warrior as he appeared, singing a sword at the man, but he was ready.

The quarterstaff swung around, catching the cyclops and bursting with power. But instead of blood and guts, more mist poured out of the cyclops, filling the air that had been cleared.

“Hahah! Almost!”

“Stand still, dammit!”

He swung again, and again, and achieved nothing for all his hard work. Against powerful shockwaves of D-grade energy, the mist cleared, but not for long.

He appeared several times, phasing in and out from the mist, and every time, the man struck with his staff, and every time, Voidrin’s cackling laugh filled the air.

“Vlaack!” The man coughed, a blade through his ribs, but even that wasn’t enough to finish him.

He swung around, but there was nothing there–

“Blaaack!”

Another blade stabbed through his back, and then pierced his ribs, and slashed at his arms and legs.

Desperate, he swung around, wildly attacking in all directions. And every time he did, another blow was landed.

And soon, he fell to his knees, and in one swift action, his head was lopped clean off.

“Ha, would you look at that? We’re just in time,” Voidrin smiled, pulling out the dungeon token from his spatial storage as it blinked. “Oh, well. This was fun, I suppose. Tell your master to meet me in the dungeon, if she still wants to finish this, that is. Otherwise, tootles.”

Voidrin gave a two-finger salute to the handful of battered monks that still managed to stand as they dripped blood and grabbed at their wounds. And then, he disappeared.

The warriors glanced back and forth at each other.

“...The empress isn’t going to like this.”

***Pentival***

“Are you sure about this, Elmira?” Pentival strummed his fingers against the table. “She didn’t even qualify for the trials. Is three months truly enough? It’s not as if we lack elites. We can form a formidable party, and she can join next time. When she has more experience.”

Standing before Pentival in his war room, filled with maps and detailed plans was Elmira, Cairon, and the rest of his elites. Plus one other.

“I know, it’s soon. But she’s impressive,” Elmira said. “When I first met her, she wasn’t much. But her progress… it has been nothing short of amazing. You know how important I think this mission is. I wouldn’t take an unnecessary risk. She may be weaker now, but she has more potential, and the Dungeon can help her grow. I want this to be the best five-way imaginable. I’m not going to lie down and just take a pounding, you know that. I want her because she’s a valuable asset to the team. Besides, we need someone with her skillset. Someone who can take on multiple guys and still be on top.”

“Hmm. You really do have a high opinion of her, don’t you?” Pentival sighed and then looked over at the newcomer.

He didn’t recognize her, but as always, he had done his homework. He had checked the ranking history and had seen for himself how impressive her rise was. Still, she hadn’t even reached the top twenty yet, putting her rank beneath the rest of his top elites, and the gap between each rank was bigger than the last.

However, he had made Elmira the captain of this squad he was sending into the dungeon, and as captain, it was her decision. Besides, he had no reason not to trust her judgment. He might have been the grand strategist, but when it came to combat, Elmira was his superior. And she had always proven herself.

“Fine, take the ogre. But don’t disappoint me, Elmira. I’m putting a lot of faith in you. You know how important this is. You know of the conversations I have had with Lenriel.”

“I do!” Elmira nodded. “I take this just as seriously as you do!”

“Good. Then come first.”