Chapter 49: God Slayer - The Final Strike

Elias' world seemed to slow down as he watched Althea's body weaken in the grasp of the shadows. The black tendrils squeezed tighter around her chest, draining her of life, her breaths shallow and pained. Every passing second felt like an eternity.

"No..." Elias gasped, his chest tightening as he felt the weight of his own helplessness pressing down on him. He had fought through countless

trials, faced godlike beings, and conquered unimaginable dangers-but this, this was different. This wasn't just another challenge to overcome. This was Althea, the one person who had stood by him through it all, the one person he couldn't afford to lose.

He turned to face Veyros, the Shadow Reaper, whose laughter echoed like a death toll around them. The god stood tall, nearly invisible in the shadows, but his eyes-those blood-red eyes-glowed with sadistic delight.

"You thought you could save her?" Veyros taunted, his voice like the cold wind before a storm. "You're nothing but a child in the face of true power. You cannot defeat me."

Elias' hands trembled as he gripped his sword, his mind racing. His every instinct screamed at him to act, to do something. But the more he struggled, the more Veyros seemed to mock him.

"What are you waiting for?" the god jeered. "Do you not see? You're too weak. She is already mine."

Elias' heart was in pieces. His fury, his

desperation, the overwhelming need to protect the one person he cared about-it all boiled to a single point, a pulse of raw emotion that tore through his soul. He couldn't let this happen. Not after everything they'd been through. Not after all the pain, the sacrifices... this couldn't be the end.

Then, without warning, the power inside him erupted. A surge of energy so pure, so intense, that it felt like it could tear the very fabric of reality apart. The God Slayer awakened.

The world around him seemed to pause. The shadows that enveloped Althea faltered for a brief moment, as though they, too, recognized the presence of something godlike. His eyes burned with golden light, and his body radiated an aura of power so overwhelming that it forced the very air to ripple.

Elias' breath quickened as his senses sharpened. His mind raced, every thought crystal clear, every movement planned in an

instant. His body felt lighter than air, yet stronger than steel. His heart pounded with an impossible speed as adrenaline surged through his veins. In that moment, time itself seemed to bend, and Elias understood that he had transcended his limits.

"This... this is it..." Elias whispered to himself, his voice a mix of awe and rage. He felt the power of the gods coursing through him-the strength he had absorbed from Aros, Kaelis, and Nythra, now combining into a singular force of destruction. The essence of divine retribution itself.

"God Slayer..."

With a single step, Elias vanished from his spot, His speed was beyond comprehension. His form became a blur, too fast for the eye to track. The shadows that had once been his enemies now dissolved before him like mist under the sun.

Veyros, the Shadow Reaper, moved to intercept, his dark form warping as he struck from every angle. But Elias was faster too fast. He tore through the shadowy tendrils with ease, his

sword slicing through the darkness like it was nothing but paper.

"No... impossible..." Veyros hissed, his form flickering as he tried to react, but Elias was already there every strike landing with the force

of a thousand storms.

In mere seconds, Elias had closed the distance between them, and the Shadow Reaper was forced back, unable to keep up with the speed and power that Elias now wielded. Veyros' eyes widened in disbelief as Elias materialized before

him in a flash, his sword crackling with energy.

"You thought you were a god?" Elias snarled. "You're nothing more than a shadow. A shadow that I will erase."

With a single, effortless swing, Elias cleaved through the air, cutting Veyros in half. The

Shadow Reaper's body seemed to disintegrate, his form dissolving into smoke and darkness as

Elias' blade passed through him. The god of darkness let out a final, horrifying scream as his body shattered into nothingness.

But Elias wasn't done. His rage, his desperation, his grief-all of it fueled him as he pressed forward. With every strike, every slash, he carved through the void, destroying everything in his

path. His speed was so fast that even the shadows couldn't keep up, and Veyros-once an

unstoppable god-was utterly helpless against the overwhelming force that Elias had become.

The world around them shook as the very foundations of the labyrinth trembled under the weight of the battle. The ground cracked, the sky

split, and the shadows began to vanish, consumed by the divine fury that Elias.

unleashed. His sword glowed brighter with each strike, a beacon of light in the suffocating darkness.

"This ends now."

With one final, earth-shattering blow, Elias unleashed the full force of his power. The God Slayer power flared as he struck, and Veyros-

who had been invincible only moments before-was obliterated. The very essence of the Shadow Reaper was torn apart, reduced to nothingness in an instant.

The darkness that had once consumed the

labyrinth began to fade. The oppressive weight that had hung over Elias and Althea lifted, and the labyrinth itself seemed to collapse, its twisted structure unraveling in the wake of

Veyros' defeat.

Elias fell to his knees, exhaustion flooding his

body as the power he had unleashed began to fade. He looked over at Althea, her body still weak, but her eyes now open and filled with

relief.

"Althea..." he whispered, his voice hoarse.

Althea smiled weakly, her hand reaching out to him. "You did it... Elias..."

Elias' heart swelled with emotion as he gently took her hand, his mind still reeling from the power he had just unleashed. He had done it. He had defeated the god of shadows. But more than that, he had saved Althea.

And though he could still feel the lingering power within him, he knew that it would come at a cost. The God Slayer was a power born of rage and desperation, a force that could destroy everything in its path.

He glanced down at his hands, now trembling from the sheer intensity of what he had just experienced. He had uncovered a new power, yes -but at what cost? Only time would tell.

For now, however, he was content. They had made it through the trial together.