The GOD-SLAYER'S INFINITE REGRESSION

The Merchant’s Warning

"You actually did it, Vaxen," Jace stammered. "You killed the Butcher. Look at the guards. They're terrified."

"They should be," I said.

I ignored the blood on my hands and stared at the air. The red interface was vibrating, glowing brighter than the arena sun.

[SYSTEM OVERRIDE SUCCESSFUL.] [DIVINE SLAYER STORE: VERSION 2.0 ACTIVATED.] [NEW CATEGORY UNLOCKED: GOD-TIER AUTHORITIES.]

"Vaxen? Are you listening?" Jace asked. "Malek is calling for the heavy infantry! We have to move!"

"Shut up, Jace. I'm looking at something."

"Looking at what?" Lyra asked, stepping over a fallen pike. "There is nothing there but smoke and death."

"The price list," I whispered.

I scrolled through the new section. My breath hitched.

[AUTHORITY OF THE SUN SOVEREIGN: 10,000,000 KARMA.] [AUTHORITY OF THE VOID REAPER: 25,000,000 KARMA.] [AUTHORITY OF THE ETERNAL CHRONOS: 99,000,000 KARMA.]

"Ten million?" I hissed. "I just killed their favorite champion and I only got a thousand."

"Who are you talking to?" Lyra grabbed my shoulder. "The guards are closing the gates! We are trapped!"

"I need more," I said. "A lot more."

"More what?" Jace cried. "More blood? You've turned the sand into a lake!"

"Karma. I need to break the world."

"You're talking like a madman!" Lyra yelled. "Malek is laughing at us!"

I looked up at the balcony. Malek wasn't shaking anymore. He held a golden orb in his hand, and his smile was the smile of a man holding a leash connected to something much larger than me.

"Enjoy your little victory, slave!" Malek shouted. "You killed a man. But you cannot kill a Constellation!"

"Watch me, Malek!"

"The God of Greed has seen enough!" Malek screamed. "He demands your head! He has authorized the Divine Purge!"

"Vaxen, what is a Divine Purge?" Jace asked, his voice thin and high.

"It's a wipe," I said. "They kill everyone to reset the narrative."

"Everyone?" Lyra gasped. "Even the spectators?"

"The Gods don't care about the audience. They just want a clean script."

"We have to stop them!" Jace yelled. "Do something!"

"I am," I said.

I turned to the cages. Thousands of slaves were watching me, waiting for a spark.

"Listen!" I roared, my voice carrying across the entire stadium. "The Gods are going to kill you all! They don't care about your bets or your loyalty!"

"Lies!" a man in the stands shouted. "The Gods protect us!"

"Then why is Malek charging that orb?" I pointed at the balcony. "That's not a blessing. That's a bomb!"

The crowd looked up. The golden orb was turning a violent purple.

"Malek? What are you doing?" a noblewoman called from the front row.

"Sit down!" Malek barked. "The God of Greed demands a sacrifice!"

"He's going to kill the nobles too?" Jace whispered.

"He's just a puppet following orders," I said. "Jace, Lyra — get the slaves out of the cages. Now!"

"The locks are magic!" Lyra said.

"Buy the key," I whispered.

[PURCHASE: UNIVERSAL SKELETON CODE - 500 KARMA?] [YES / NO]

I hit yes. A pulse of white light burst from my chest and rippled across the arena. Every cage door in the Vorax Pit hissed open at once.

"The doors!" a slave yelled. "They're open!"

"Run!" I commanded. "Kill the guards! Take their weapons! If you want to live, fight the Heavens!"

[ALERT: MASS DEVIATION DETECTED.] [FATE ALTERED: 5,000 SLAVES GIVEN CHANCE OF FREEDOM.] [EARNED: 5,000 KARMA.]

"It's working," I muttered. "But it's still too slow."

"Vaxen, look out!" Jace screamed.

A bolt of purple lightning shot from Malek's orb and hit the center of the arena, throwing sand and stone into the air. I rolled to the side, pulling Lyra with me.

"You missed, Malek!"

"I don't need to hit you!" Malek laughed, tears of blood running down his cheeks. "The God says you are a glitch! He says you must be erased!"

"Tell your God to come down here and do it himself!"

Then a massive screen appeared in the sky. Not my interface. A System broadcast. A golden eye stared down at the arena.

"The God of Greed," Lyra whispered, falling to her knees. "We are doomed."

"Get up, Lyra! He's just a parasite with a fancy title!"

"You can't talk about a Constellation like that!" Jace wailed.

The eye narrowed. The air grew so heavy I could hear my bones creak.

[ALERT: A HIGHER BEING IS INTERVENING.] [MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM: THE MERCHANT.]

A small black screen appeared in front of my face.

[THE MERCHANT: Be careful, little slayer. You're making too much noise. Greed is a petty king. He won't just kill you. He will torture your soul for an eternity.]

"I've been to hell already," I whispered. "Tell him to bring it on."

[THE MERCHANT: He is sending his personal guard. The Golden Sentinels. You have ten minutes to clear the pit. If you are still here when they arrive, even I cannot help you.]

"Vaxen, what does it say?" Jace asked.

"It says we have ten minutes to win this war," I said.

"Ten minutes?" Lyra stared at the thousands of guards flooding the arena. "That's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible with the right gear."

I opened the Store. Six thousand Karma — a pittance against the Authorities, but enough for a mid-tier slaughter.

[PURCHASE: BLADE OF THE RAVENOUS GHOST - 4,500 KARMA?] [YES / NO]

I hit yes. A sword of pure shadows materialized in my hand. Cold. It felt like holding a piece of the grave.

"That weapon!" Malek shook the orb, fumbling for another bolt. "That's not in the System database!"

"That's because I didn't get it from your System," I said.

I faced the wall of guards. They were hesitating, eyes moving between me and the orb crackling with purple overflow.

"Malek is going to kill you with us!" I shouted to them. "Look at that orb! It's charging for a full blast!"

"He's right!" a guard captain yelled. "Malek, stop! You'll hit us all!"

"The God demands blood!" Malek screamed. "Your blood! His blood! All of it!"

"He's lost it!" the captain roared. "To the exits! Run!"

"No one is leaving!" I pointed the shadow blade at the main gate. "Jace! Lyra! Follow me — we're going to the balcony!"

"That's where the fight is!" Jace said.

"That's where the orb is," I said. "And where Malek dies."

I started running. I could feel the God of Greed's gaze burning into my spine.

[ALERT: THE GOD OF GREED IS WATCHING YOUR STREAM.] [CURRENT STATUS: DISPLEASED.] [THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL.]

"I don't care if he's displeased," I growled. "I'm just getting started."

I jumped onto a pile of rubble and leaped for the VIP railing.