Unrivaled in another world

[: 3rd POV :]

The chamber now lay in total ruin.

Once a sanctified domain of cosmic dread and divine command, the sanctum of the Seven Overlords had become a mausoleum, scattered with splintered pillars, shattered obsidian thrones, and smouldering debris.

Cracks ran through the marble floor like fractures in time itself, and the remnants of eldritch sigils still flickered faintly across the scorched stone, slowly fading.

Amid the devastation stood one man.

Daniel.

Unmoved, untouched, and unbothered.

The faint golden aura behind his back still flickered with divine regality, its sword-shaped silhouette gleaming with subdued authority.

His armour—elegant and sovereign—reflected no blood, no damage.

As if even war dared not lay its hand upon him.

His gaze drifted across the battlefield, and his expression remained unreadable—stoic, but deep with reflection.

The final cries of the Overlords still echoed somewhere in the chambers of memory: Dread, fury, terror… and finally, Zar'Kael's plea before his very concept was unmade.

Then came the familiar voice.

[: Congratulations. You have killed 7 Overlords, a feat which has never been done before. :]

Daniel blinked once.

A pause.

"…Oh really? Never?" he asked aloud, his voice dry. "Not even once?"

[: Not even once. You're officially one of one. :]

A slow, amused smirk played across Daniel's lips.

"Guess that makes me special."

[: More like terrifying. :]

Daniel chuckled under his breath, brushing a thin layer of ash off his shoulder. Golden fragments drifted lazily in the air like the remains of something divine—something ancient.

[: Congratulations. You have received a total of 10 Gift Bags. :]

His brow lifted.

"…Wait. Ten?" he muttered, glancing at the prompt. "I only killed seven. Did I kill the room too?"

[: Bonus rewards granted for style, flair, and… psychological destruction. Also, one of them cried. Even I felt bad. :]

Daniel snorted, half-laughing.

"Oh gods, don't tell me it was the Sleep Overlord. That one had a weird whimper."

[: Can neither confirm nor deny. But yes, it was him. :]

"I'm starting to think you enjoy this more than I do."

[: Only when you do. :]

A short silence passed between them as Daniel scanned the room again.

Where once seven divine entities ruled unchallenged, now there were only ruins and silence.

A quiet so heavy, so final, it almost felt sacred.

He took a slow breath in… and released it.

There was something beautiful in this silence—earned, not given.

[: You really didn't have to go that hard, by the way. :]

"…Too late," Daniel muttered, grinning faintly.

[: Current Mission Updated. Progress: 67% Completed. :]

Daniel narrowed his eyes slightly. "Hm. Still more to go."

[: You've cleared all seven Overlords, survived several anti-existence strikes, rewrote the laws of causality twice, and made an entity beg :]

[: You have completed 67% of the mission :]

''Nice" 

Somewhere far beyond this ruined sanctum, in a place detached from time and meaning, they stirred.

In a realm beyond the stars—beyond galaxies, beyond dimensions even the Daniel had yet to see, a great presence stirred.

A being cloaked in fractured starlight frowned, its thousand eyes narrowing as it gazed into the abyss where the Overlords had once ruled.

"They're… dead? All of them?" the voice boomed, like the scream of supernovae.

Crack.

Across a neighbouring sector of stars, constellations shattered.

Another being, smaller but no less terrifying, leaned forward.

"You mean your toys on that decaying world? Don't look so shocked." There was amusement in its tone, dark and cruel.

"Hmm… granted, they weren't great, but even then, they should've been enough to conquer that dirtball planet. What happened?"

Another voice hissed from the void, distorted like broken code.

"What do you expect? It took them thousands of years to make any progress. Even then… they failed. Spectacularly."

"They underestimated that world."

"No. They underestimated them."

The chamber trembled.

A circle of ancient beings—cosmic lords, perhaps even greater than the Overlords themselves—sat in silent consideration.

"What do we do now?"

"That world is already… annoying. Weak, but defiant. If we keep pushing, 'they' might notice."

"And if they notice, it'll be even harder."

One of them leaned closer, its shape shifting between forms too complex for any mortal to comprehend.

"We have no choice. Then we use everything. Every asset. Every forgotten project. We unseal the next wave."

"Are you insane?"

"Insane is letting this drag on when it should have ended thousands of years ago."

A brief silence.

Then one spoke with finality.

"So be it."

And the stars trembled once more.

Back in the ruined Overlord sanctum, Daniel cracked his neck as he was teleported out from the gate with his transformation undone. 

As Daniel emerged, his transformation fading like the last golden embers of a dying flame, he found himself back in the outer field, a vast, barren expanse where blackened grass met an ever-clouded sky.

The air felt thinner here. Quieter.

He exhaled slowly.

The silence didn't last long.

[: You have cleared Gate #601. Remaining Gates: 399 :]

[: Total Hostile Lifeforms Remaining on the Continent: 458,785,558,000 :]

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"…Four hundred and fifty-eight billion?" he repeated, tilting his head. "You couldn't round that down?"

[: You want me to lie to you? I can lie if it makes you feel better. :]

"No, no. I like honesty," Daniel muttered, stretching his arms with a quiet sigh. "Keeps the job depressing."

[: Estimated Time Remaining: 2 years, 5 months, 17 days, 9 hours. :]

Daniel blinked at the floating screen. "That's awfully specific."

[: I crunched the numbers. Factored in your sleep schedule, energy restoration cycles, and your occasional existential pacing. :]

"…I do not pace."

[: You do when you think about home. Or when you're mad. Or after fights. There's a pattern. I have graphs. :]

Daniel rolled his eyes, chuckling faintly.

"Okay, system. Here's a thought. What if I say I'll clear it all faster?"

[: ...Define "faster." :]

"Like... in two years. Maybe less."

[: Less than two years to clear 499 Gates and wipe out nearly half a trillion monsters? That's bold, even for you. :]

"Bold is better than bored," Daniel said, casually stepping onto a nearby boulder.

He looked out over the distant wastelands where the next Gate loomed like a scar on the horizon.

"And honestly? After fighting seven Overlords, the rest kinda feel like warm-ups."

[: That's the most horrifying motivational speech I've ever heard. :]

"You love it."

[: …I do. Carry on, monster. :]

Daniel smirked, the wind tousling his hair as golden traces of energy flickered faintly from his frame.

Two years?

No.

He'd need less.

Much less.

He cracked his knuckles and began walking toward the next Gate.

No rest.

Not yet.

The end was still far… but he was closer than ever.