Countdown to The Zenith Games: 1 Month and 12 Days
Vidarath's Point of View
I stood in the elevator, watching the floors tick by as I ascended toward Zalthorion's office. The faint hum of the machinery filled the silence, but my mind was already shifting. By the time the elevator doors slid open, my demeanor had changed the chaotic, happy-go-lucky trickster pushed aside, replaced by the cold, calculating tactician.
Stepping inside, I pushed the door open without hesitation.
"Called for me, sir."
Zalthorion barely looked up as he slid a thick dossier across the desk. "Yes, Vidarath."
I picked up the file and scanned its contents. My analytical side took over immediately.
Mission Briefing:
Objective: Recruitment and Extermination
Duration: 2 Days
Universe: Kingdom of Ruin
Recruitment Targets: Chloe Morgan, Adonis
Extermination Target: The Entire Universe
Method: No stealth. Announce the extermination. Eradicate everything Leave nothing behind make it slow and painful.
My grip on the folder tightened slightly as I processed the order. The Kingdom of Ruin universe was already a broken world, drowning in bloodshed and suffering. This would be no mercy killing it was an execution.
"Are all items permitted?" I asked.
"Yes," Zalthorion replied.
"What about Nyxia?"
Zalthorion's gaze darkened. "No. Nyxia is not ready. His morals would interfere with the extermination."
I gave a slow nod. Morality had no place in this mission. I turned on my heel and left, making my way toward Dr. Wagner's laboratory to collect the necessary tools.
In Wagner's lab, the familiar scent of chemicals and advanced machinery filled the air. I didn't waste time with pleasantries. "I need the usual, Dr. Wagner."
Dr. Wagner raised an eyebrow but didn't ask questions. He understood that when I asked for something, it was for a purpose.
First, I received the Regeneris Vial-a cutting-edge healing device that could repair and regenerate tissues at a molecular level, capable of healing any injury, even those that should have been fatal. It was a tool I would need.
Next, I requested BioX-13-a biological weapon that could accelerate the death of an entire ecosystem, turning once-thriving environments into barren wastelands. It was perfect for the kind of extermination Zalthorion had in mind.
Lastly, I took possession of the Entropy Beacon a device that would attract the attention of Consumers.
Once I had everything I needed, I made my way to the Universal Archive to gather intelligence on the Kingdom of Ruin universe.
In a world where witches once guided humanity with their magical wisdom, the rise of advanced science led to the Redia Empire deeming witches obsolete. Driven by fear and resentment, the empire initiated a brutal campaign to eradicate all witches. Adonis, a human apprentice to the Ice Witch Chloe, witnessed the execution of his mentor. Consumed by vengeance, he embarks on a path of destruction against humanity. However, ten years after the witch hunts, Adonis discovers that some witches survived in hiding and may hold the key to Chloe's resurrection, challenging his quest for revenge.
Adonis: A cursed survivor of the witch hunts, bound by vengeance.
Chloe Morgan: A witch and a mentor to Adonis
Two souls trapped in a dying world, yet they had potential.
The rest? Collateral damage.
Once my research was complete, I activated my MTD.
Unlike any normal, mine is an exceptional creation. Crafted by Zalthorion himself, it is designed for only his most trusted agents. My MTD is sleek, metallic, and far more advanced than any other model a compact, angular shape, with flickering energy lines running across its surface, glowing faintly with an eerie light. It's not just a tool for crossing realities; it is a weapon, a thing of beauty and destruction, forged to adapt to the most hostile universes.
The device is as much a part of me as my own will, with its dark chrome exterior and glowing blue accents. It pulses with the subtle hum of infinite potential, ready to tear open the fabric of the multiverse with a simple press of a button.
As my colder, more calculated persona took full control, the thoughts of the mission, the destruction, and the eradication of an entire universe began to settle comfortably into my mind. Every detail was already planned, every move was calculated. The happy-go-lucky personality that I sometimes embodied would not be needed for this.
This would be a slaughter, an absolute eradication. And I would enjoy it.
The air felt different here thick with the remnants of battles long past and the decay of forgotten gods. The Kingdom of Ruin was a place on the brink of annihilation, a world on the verge of collapse, and I had come to push it over the edge.
I checked my MTD, ensuring it was still locked onto the coordinates of this shattered world. Twenty minutes before the execution of Chloe Morgan a key moment in the universe's cycle. A moment I planned to twist into my advantage.
I stepped forward into the dense forest, the trees towering above me like forgotten sentinels. The stench of rot permeated the air, the foliage eerily silent as if even nature itself had surrendered to the ruin.
In my hand, I gripped the canister of BioX-13-a a lethal biological weapon, a slow-acting agent designed to spread and destroy life on a molecular level. It would spread like wildfire, eating away at the very fabric of this universe's ecosystem. The canister had already been calibrated for the environment, ready to unleash a decay that would make the world's natural defenses crumble in a matter of moments.
With a swift motion, I planted the canister into the earth, its metallic surface sinking into the soft soil. I activated the device, the whir of machinery quieting as a faint hiss filled the air. I quickly donned my gas mask, the straps securing it to my face, ensuring I would not fall victim to the same fate I intended for the Kingdom.
Then, the canister released the air. A thick, noxious gas billowed out, swirling around me. At first, there was nothing no change to the forest, no immediate sign of the agent's work. But then, the trees began to react. Their bark seemed to twitch and writhe, as though the life within them was being drawn out. The leaves curled at the edges, turning to a dark, sickly shade of brown. And the most disturbing part? The trees began to rust like iron left out in the rain, slowly but surely corroding under the influence of the virus.
It was working faster than I had anticipated. The decay spread quickly, as though this world itself was already on the edge of collapse, and the BioX-13-a was simply the catalyst needed to set it all in motion. I observed with satisfaction as the once-strong forest began to wither, life draining from it like water from a ruptured dam.
This was only the first phase of my plan the beginning of the end. The universe would know that it had been marked for destruction. The very land would suffer as I laid the groundwork for the carnage to come.
I turned my attention to the execution of Chloe Morgan. But first, I had to ensure the forest was properly infected. The decay needed to spread, consume the very land beneath my feet, and send a message to this broken kingdom: Nothing would survive.
As the gas continued to swirl around me, I couldn't help but smile beneath my mask. The countdown had begun, and the game had started.
I moved swiftly through the forest, my steps deliberate and calculated. The BioX-13-a virus was spreading faster than I anticipated, but I couldn't afford to leave any part of the kingdom untouched. Each step I took in the dense woods was another mark on my list of preparations. The virus wasn't just meant to infect it was meant to cripple everything this world relied on, starting with its food supply.
The farms, dotted across the planet like fragile threads in the grand tapestry of existence, were the next key target. Any crop, any livestock, any source of sustenance it would all be contaminated, tainted, and rendered useless. A planet starved of food was a planet on the brink of collapse, and I was the one to ensure its demise.
As I arrived at the first farm, a secluded plot on the outskirts of a small settlement, I could already see the lush crops swaying under the dimming sky. The workers were unaware, as they always were, going about their routine tasks. They had no idea that their hard work, their livelihood, was about to become fodder for my plan.
I moved quickly, releasing the BioX-13-a into the soil beneath the crops, careful to ensure that the virus would infect every inch of the land. The canisters hissed and released their deadly payload, seeping into the earth, invisible but deadly. Within moments, I could see the faintest change. The leaves on the plants curled, the bright green turning an unhealthy yellow, as if the very life force was being drained away.
I didn't linger to watch the full effect; there was no time to waste. My next stop was another farm, further into the continent, where grain fields stretched for miles. I repeated the process placing more canisters deep into the soil, allowing the virus to spread faster than it could be contained. Each field would soon be a barren wasteland, the crops unable to grow or nourish anything.
The BioX-13-a was designed to act quickly but quietly, to ensure that the planet wouldn't even know it was dying until it was too late. The virus was a slow suffocation, a relentless wave of destruction that wouldn't allow anything to survive. And as the food supply withered and died, so too would the will of this world.
I moved from farm to farm, leaving a trail of death behind me. Each new place I visited was another mark on my list of completed objectives. The virus had already infected thousands of acres of farmland, and I could feel the planet's heartbeat slowing, as if it, too, was realizing that something had shifted.
The air was thick with the stench of decay, and though the trees rustled with the faintest breeze, there was an eerie quiet about the place. The life that had once thrived here was slowly being choked out, a process I would not interrupt until my work was done.
Once I was certain the virus had spread far and wide, I stood back, watching the effects slowly begin to take hold. The crops began to wither, the animals grew weak, and the once-fertile ground was now a wasteland. The Kingdom of Ruin was beginning to crumble under my hand. The inhabitants had no idea what was coming, and soon, they would feel the hunger that would force them to their knees.
This was just the beginning. The next phase of my plan would be the execution of Chloe Morgan, but for now, I could afford to watch the devastation unfold. Every moment, every passing second, the kingdom was one step closer to total ruin. And it was all because of the BioX-13-a virus.
The execution of Chloe was drawing near. I moved through the Redia kingdom like a shadow, planting bombs and dispersing canisters throughout the entire area to ensure maximum destruction. Each step was deliberate, each placement calculated to bring the kingdom to its knees. I prepared the vial of Regeneris, a serum capable of reviving even the dead, fully aware of the hesitation Chloe and Adonis would feel after such a harrowing experience. But if I revived Chloe, both she and Adonis would owe me their trust, and that would grant me the leverage I needed.
Five minutes until the execution, I checked my Multiversal Transition Device (MTD), keeping track of every second. The citizens gathered, phones in hand, eager to record the barbarity they were about to witness. In that moment, Chloe and Adonis were teleported to the execution site. Adonis was already attempting to create a distraction, but it was futile. I watched as the king grabbed Chloe, tearing her top open and slapping her in front of the jeering crowd. It was a moment of humiliation, an attempt to break her spirit before the final act. Then, they put a gun to Adonis's head.
Chloe begged, her voice shaking, pleading for Adonis's life in exchange for her own. I couldn't let that happen. I reached for my weapon, a sniper rifle something far more powerful than an anti-material rifle, designed not just to kill, but to inflict unspeakable pain. The Hellfire Requiem was its name, and it was a weapon of retribution. I aimed at the king, fingers wrapped around the trigger, waiting for the right moment.
Then, the king gave the order. His soldiers began to desecrate Chloe's body, firing on her lifeless form. The moment the king turned away, I squeezed the trigger. The shot rang out, tearing through his body and sending him into a spiraling agony. He screamed in pain, the intensity of the rifle's effects taking hold, before he fell to the ground, lifeless. The crowd, once laughing and jeering, fell into stunned silence, the only sound now the king's agonized cries as he succumbed to the pain.
With the king dead and the crowd in shock, I took my chance. I teleported directly behind the soldiers, my movements swift and lethal. One clean motion, and their heads fell to the ground, blood spraying in a crimson arc. The soldiers froze, eyes wide with terror, unable to react as I walked toward Chloe's corpse.
Adonis shouted, demanding that I stay away from her. His voice was filled with fury, but the soldiers, still stunned, made no move to stop me. With ruthless precision, I stabbed the vial of Regeneris into her lifeless body. A wave of horror swept through the onlookers as the bullet holes in her body began to close, flesh regrowing, her severed finger reattaching. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, though her body was weak from the trauma. I lifted her up, ignoring the stunned silence from the crowd.
I turned to face them, my voice cold and commanding as I addressed the masses. "By the decree of Zalthorion Veilstryx, this universe is sentenced to death. You have been judged, and your punishment is swift and final."
Before anyone could react, I teleported behind Adonis, grabbing him with ease and dragging him away, not before pressing the button that activated the bombs scattered throughout the kingdom. The explosion was catastrophic, releasing BioX-13-a into the air. The destruction was precise, tearing apart the kingdom's infrastructure and wiping out their food supplies, ensuring that they would be crippled in ways they couldn't recover from.
Once back in the forest the same place I had arrived I threw Adonis to the ground. He lay there, unconscious from the sudden teleportation and shock. I dragged both of them to the medical facility, ordering the staff to restrain them and ensure they received proper care, though I knew it wouldn't be enough to erase the impact of what had just transpired.
Leaving them behind, I spoke to myself, the words echoing in the empty space of the forest. "Recruit targets have been obtained. Recruitment in progress. Extermination mission complete."
I returned to the kingdom, where the ruins now smoldered in the aftermath of the bombs. The BioX-13-a had done its work, wiping out what remained of the kingdom's supplies. The Redia kingdom, once a symbol of power, was now nothing more than a shattered memory.
I wasn't done with the destruction. Grabbing a different canister from my side, I opened it, revealing its contents tiny nanomachines, each no larger than a speck of dust. These machines, slow in their consumption, multiplied at an alarming rate, devouring anything in their path. With a calm flick of my wrist, I released them.
The once proud kingdom began to crumble under their touch, slowly at first, but with relentless precision. By nightfall, there was nothing left just the faint traces of what once was, reduced to dust. I stood there, watching with cold, calculating eyes, as the city met its inevitable end.
As the last remnants faded away, the nanomachines began retreating into the canister, their work done. I watched them return, satisfied.
Without a word, I teleported again, this time to the moon, where Lunamilia, the city of the moon, awaited. I stood at the edge, observing it from afar, its silver glow shimmering in the vast emptiness.
Approaching it, I walked with purpose, feeling the weight of the silence that followed me. As I entered the city, the witches emerged from the shadows, surrounding me. Their presence was palpable, but I had no intention of turning back.
I observed the witches as they watched me with caution, their eyes filled with suspicion and a hint of fear. For a brief moment, I considered recruiting them perhaps their power could be useful. But then I recalled Zalthorion's command: Leave nothing behind. His words echoed in my mind, cold and unwavering.
Without a second thought, I made my decision. I teleported away from Lunamilia, leaving the witches behind. I returned to the ruins of what was once the Redia Kingdom, the remnants of its grandeur now reduced to ashes. Standing amidst the desolation, I activated the Entropy Beacon, watching as its pulse rippled outward.
With the mission complete, I reached for , its cold surface familiar beneath my fingers. I activated it and, in a flash of light, teleported back to Zalthorion.
I arrived before him, my presence unwavering as I prepared to report the completion of my task. The time for words was fleeting, but I knew Zalthorion would require a full account, and I would give it without hesitation.