The God-King moved like tectonic plates shifting—slow, inevitable, its massive fist carving through the air where Dean had stood half a second earlier. Molten glass sprayed upward as Dean **Phantom Stepped** behind the titan, **Bloodthorn Dagger** already plunging toward the gaps in its armored spine. The blade sparked against something unseen. **STATUS SCREEN** flared crimson:
**Arcane Ward Detected: Tier 5**
"Of course you've got a shield," Dean muttered, ducking as the God-King backhanded an obsidian pillar toward him. He rolled, glass searing his sleeves, and triggered **Enhanced Reflexes** to dodge the debris. The **STATUS SCREEN** updated tersely:
**Health: 64%**
**Pain Suppression: 12%**
No room for error. Dean exhaled—then sprinted straight at the titan. Its fist came down like a meteor. At the last millisecond, he **Phantom Stepped** upward, landing on its forearm. He ran along the limb, boots screeching against iron, and jammed his dagger into the God-King's eye socket. The ward flickered. Ichor gushed.
**Critical Hit! God-King HP: 89%**
Not enough. The titan roared, its voice splitting the sky. Dean barely **Phantom Stepped** away before a shockwave pulverized the ground where he'd stood. **STATUS SCREEN** warnings stacked:
**Phantom Step Charges: 1/3**
The voice hissed in his ear: **"Adapt."**
Dean's lips peeled back in a grin. He palmed the **Frostborn Amulet**—then threw it into the God-King's gaping maw. The titan swallowed reflexively. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then frost crackled across its iron hide, joints seizing. **STATUS SCREEN** lit up:
**Debuff Applied: Arctic Lock (Duration: 30 sec)**
**Weak Point Exposed: Core (Rear)**
Dean didn't hesitate. He **Phantom Stepped** behind the frozen titan, spotting the pulsing core embedded between its shoulder blades. One shot. He raised his pistol—empty. Snarling, he drove the **Bloodthorn Dagger** hilt-deep into the core. The God-King shuddered.
The core shattered. The titan's body dissolved into black sand, swirling around Dean as the **STATUS SCREEN** erupted in gold:
**Objective Complete!**
**Final Reward: Godslayer Sigil (Unlocks True Attributes)**
The void swallowed the crucible. Dean stood in the white expanse again, but now—**STATUS SCREEN** shimmered, recalculating:
**Name: Dean**
**Origin: Earth-3129 (Terminated)**
**Status: Victor**
**True Attributes Unlocked:**
**- Voidstep (Tier 3)**
**- Apollyon's Gaze (Tier 5)**
**- Terminus Will (∞)**
The voice spoke, quieter now. **"Ten thousand words. You finished with two hundred to spare."**
Dean flexed his hands, feeling power hum under his skin. "What now?"
The void rippled. A door appeared—ordinary, wooden, with a brass knob. The voice sighed. **"You earned the right to choose. Stay. Go. Burn it all down."**
Dean smirked. He turned the knob.
Beyond the threshold, Earth-3129 sprawled—alive, untouched by his death. Cars honked. Birds sang. The **STATUS SCREEN** flickered one last time:**Final Objective: Live.**
Dean stepped through. The door vanished behind him.
Somewhere, a system reset.