The GOD-SLAYER'S INFINITE REGRESSION

Breaking the Champion

The gates of the Zenith Ring groaned open. I stepped into the blinding light. Thousands of spectators roared in the stands. In the center of the pit stood a mountain of flesh.

"Is that him?" a voice yelled from the front row. "The slave who killed the wolf?"

"He looks like a twig!" another laughed. "He’s dead meat!"

The giant across from me was Karox the Butcher. He held a massive cleaver that dripped with old blood. He was the System’s favorite executioner. In my past life, he had slaughtered a hundred men in this arena.

"So, you’re the one," Karox rumbled. His voice sounded like grinding stones. "The little bug Malek is so afraid of."

"Malek is a coward," I said. "And you’re just a puppet."

"A puppet?" Karox laughed. "I’ll use your intestines as a necklace, boy!"

"You talk too much, Karox," I said. "Are we fighting or having a conversation?"

"Die!" Karox roared.

He lunged forward. The ground shook under his weight. He swung the massive cleaver in a horizontal arc. To the crowd, it was a blur of steel. To me, it was pathetic. I didn't even draw my blade. I stepped back two inches. The cleaver hissed past my chest, missing by a hair.

"Missed," I said.

"Stand still!" Karox screamed. He swung again, a vertical chop meant to split me in half.

I tilted my head. The blade buried itself deep into the sand.

"You're slow, Karox," I said. "Your left knee is stiff. You’re overcompensating on the right. It’s embarrassing."

"How do you know that?" Karox gasped, pulling his weapon free.

"I know everything about you," I said. "I know that in three seconds, you’re going to try a shield bash. Then you’re going to swing low."

Karox roared and slammed his shield forward. I was already gone. I appeared behind him. He swung low, just as I predicted, cutting nothing but air.

"What is this?" Malek shouted from the VIP balcony. "Karox! Kill him already! Stop playing around!"

"I’m not playing!" Karox yelled back. He was sweating now.

"The Butcher is struggling?" a spectator shouted. "Look at the slave! He hasn't even broken a sweat!"

"You’re making the System look bad, Karox," I mocked. "The Gods are watching. They don't like losers."

"I’ll crush you!" Karox screamed. He activated a skill. His skin turned a deep, metallic red.

[ALERT: CHAMPION USES 'IRON BLOOD RAGE'.] [STRENGTH INCREASED BY 40%.]

"Better," I said. "But still not enough."

Karox charged again. He was faster now, but his movements were predictable. Every strike followed a pattern I had memorized a lifetime ago. I moved through his attacks like a ghost. I slapped his face as I passed.

"Did you just slap me?" Karox roared.

"I’m bored, Karox," I said. "Show me something new."

"I’ll tear your heart out!" he screamed.

He threw his cleaver at me. It spun through the air like a deadly fan. I reached out and caught the handle mid-air. The crowd went silent.

"My turn," I said.

I threw the cleaver back. It didn't hit his chest. It sliced through the straps of his leg armor. The heavy plates fell to the sand. Karox stumbled, his stiff knee buckling.

"My leg!" he yelled.

"Look at the great Champion," I said, walking toward him. "Kneeling before a slave. Is this what the Gods call a hero?"

"Kill him!" Malek screamed. "Guards! Someone kill that slave!"

"Stay back!" I shouted at the guards. "This is a duel! Or does the System lack honor?"

The guards hesitated. The crowd was starting to boo Malek. They wanted to see the upset.

"You... you cheated!" Karox wheezed. He tried to stand, but I kicked his wounded knee. He crashed back down.

"I didn't cheat," I said. "I just grew up."

I took the rusted sword from my belt. I didn't use a skill. I didn't need one. I carved a shallow line across Karox’s forehead. Blood ran into his eyes, blinding him.

"I can't see!" Karox panicked. He swung his fists wildly.

"The Butcher is crying!" a man in the stands laughed. "He’s a coward!"

"Please!" Karox begged. "Don't kill me! I’ll do anything!"

"A Champion begging for his life," I said. "How humiliating."

I turned to the balcony. "Hey, Malek! Is this your best? Is this the monster you used to scare us?"

Malek was shaking. "You... you’re supposed to be F-Rank! The System doesn't lie!"

"The System is a cage," I said. "And I just broke the lock."

I turned back to Karox. He was shivering on the ground. I leaned down and grabbed him by the throat. I lifted him just enough so only he could hear me.

"You remember the Golden Throne?" I whispered.

"What?" Karox gasped.

"Of course you don't," I said. "Not yet. But you’ll see it soon."

"Who are you?" Karox whimpered.

"I am the man who is going to burn your masters," I said.

I drove my blade through his chest. It went straight through his heart. Karox’s eyes bulged. He coughed up a spray of dark blood.

"Tell the Gods I'm coming for their seats," I whispered into his ear.

I pulled the blade out. Karox slumped over, dead. The silence in the arena was absolute. No one cheered. No one moved. They were too terrified to breathe.

[UNIQUE ACHIEVEMENT: SLAYER OF THE FAVORED.] [FATE ALTERED: THE SYSTEM’S NARRATIVE IS SHATTERED.] [EARNED: 1,000 KARMA.]

I stood over the body and looked up at the sky. I knew the Constellations were watching. I knew they were angry.

"Vaxen!" Jace yelled from the cages. "You did it! You actually did it!"

"He killed the Butcher!" a slave shouted.

Suddenly, the cheering started. It wasn't the cheering of fans. It was the roar of a riot. The slaves were slamming their fists against the bars.

"Silence!" Malek screamed. "Guards! Execute him! Execute everyone in the pits!"

"You heard the man," I said, looking at the guards entering the arena. "They want a massacre."

"Vaxen, what do we do?" Jace cried out.

I opened the Store. My balance was glowing.

"We give them a revolution," I said.

"You’re going to fight them all?" Lyra asked, appearing at the infirmary gate.

"I’m not just going to fight them," I said. "I’m going to end them."

The guards leveled their spears. Malek was screaming orders. The air began to hum with magical energy.

"Last chance to run, Malek!" I shouted.

"Kill him!" Malek yelled.

I pressed the Store button. A dark aura began to leak from my skin. The ground beneath my feet turned to ash.

"My turn," I whispered.

The first guard lunged. Before his spear could touch me, the world turned red.