Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 168: Fallen Archfiend
The Grim Lord took note of the flicker of unease on Alex’s face.
A deep, guttural chuckle rumbled from its skeletal throat before it finally spoke:
"Recognize them?"
Its voice was like a death rattle—slow, deliberate, filled with dark amusement.
"These are the players whose lives you’ve stolen."
Alex’s expression remained cold, but his fingers tightened slightly around his sword.
His eyes flicked over the undead players crawling free from the lava-cracked earth—their empty gazes locked onto him, their once-living bodies twisted into grotesque imitations of their former selves.
But then—
He frowned.
"So?" he asked, voice unwavering. "You think this makes a difference?"
The Grim Lord tilted its head, chains clinking as it shifted.
"We’ll see, won’t we... human?"
A test, then.
Alex’s thoughts moved fast.
Did the Grim Lord think he’d hesitate?
That he’d feel guilt?
That the sight of these former enemies—now puppets of undeath—would make him falter?
A slow grin spread across Alex’s face.
Not quite.
He felt nothing for them.
Not regret. Not sorrow. Not even remorse.
And even if he did feel these things, the monstrous, hollow look in their undead faces was enough to snuff out any chance of guilt.
Then...
RUMBLE.
Another undead clawed its way out of the ground.
But this one was different.
As it fully emerged, the air around it crackled with energy.
Alex’s eyes sharpened.
It was massive.
Its humanoid form was covered in thick, bulging armor-like scales.
Two gigantic horns curved backward from its skull.
Electricity danced across its body, crackling between its shoulders and fingers like a living storm.
A true powerhouse.
And from the sheer pressure it radiated—
Alex knew.
This one wasn’t like the others.
This was a real threat.
[Varkos, the Fallen Archfiend]
Alex’s eyes narrowed.
The new undead before him wasn’t like the others.
It towered over the battlefield—its massive, hulking frame covered in blackened, armor-like flesh. Its jagged horns curved menacingly, crackling with unholy lightning that danced across its body.
This thing didn’t just look like a demon.
It felt like one.
Alex’s grip tightened on his sword.
Out of all the undead he had faced since coming here, this was by far the strongest.
Only one other presence felt heavier.
The Grim Lord.
Alex’s expression darkened.
"If those two team up... this could be bad."
Then...
SHING!
With a slow, deliberate motion, Varkos unsheathed its weapon.
A massive blade, nearly as long as its own body, pulsed with violent arcs of electricity.
Then it grinned.
A creepy, twisted grin—its sharp teeth glinting beneath the glow of blue lightning.
And then—It moved.
Bolted.
Not towards Alex.
His eyes widened.
It was rushing past him.
Straight toward—His clones.
Freya.
Ezekiel.
Dorion.
"Shit—!"
Without hesitation, Alex thrust his sword forward.
An ethereal explosion disk he had set on his blade shot out, spinning like a deadly saw blade as it raced toward the charging archfiend.
The disk landed on the demon. Enjoy exclusive adventures from novelbuddy
But...
Whoosh
The attack was dismissed the instant it stuck.
Alex clicked his teeth.
"Not good."
That thing had the same defense skills as the Grim Lord.
Alex grip on his sword tightened.
There was no time to hesitate.
He activated [Fast and Furious]—!
BOOM!
He launched forward like a bullet, his body blurring from sheer speed as he shot toward Varkos.
But...
THUD!
Something massive crashed in front of him, blocking his path.
Alex’s eyes flicked up and saw rhe Grim Lord.
A towering shadow of death.
It tilted its head slightly, its eerie, glowing eyes locked onto him.
"Where do you think you’re going, human?"
Then...
WHOOSH!
Its chain blade lashed out—fast, precise, and deadly.
The air screamed as the attack cut through it, a razor-thin wave of destruction trailing behind the blade.
BOOM!
The strike was so powerful that it didn’t just carve through the ground—
It kept going.
Tearing through stone.
Shattering everything in its path.
A wall far in the distance exploded from the impact, debris raining down like a meteor storm.
But Alex wasn’t there.
He had already dodged, flipping backward just before the blade could reach him.
He landed in a crouch, skidding slightly as dust kicked up around him.
Then he hissed.
"Damn it—"
The Grim Lord wouldn’t let him pass.
And Varkos was still charging straight toward the others.
Alex’s mind raced.
"I can’t reach them in time."
His only option was too use his clones.
But—
"They’re too weak."
Each one only had 20% of his strength.
Would that be enough?
Would they survive against something that powerful?
His grip tightened.
Alex was lost in thought for only a second—
But that was enough.
SHAAA!
From the ground, multiple vines suddenly shot out, twisting and lunging toward him like living snakes.
A trap.
Alex’s instincts kicked in immediately.
His hand snapped up, and with a thought—
FWOOSH!
A black flame erupted from his palm, spreading like wildfire.
The vines screeched and curled, instantly scorched to ash.
Alex glance at the attacker and saw who it was...
Ella.
She raised her staff, her eyes cold and filled with undead malice.
Then...
BOOM!
A fireball dropped from the sky.
Followed by another.
And another.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Alex sucked his teeth, twisting his body, dodging as the blazing projectiles rained down like meteors.
Each impact was brutal, the sheer force shattering the ground and leaving behind smoldering craters.
The heat licked at his skin, but he stayed sharp.
Then he frowned.
"I know this attack."
His eyes flickered as he processed the fiery assault.
This wasn’t Ella’s magic.
This was Isla’s.
A sorcerer who had attacked along with Kato.
A woman with a twisted sense of justice—Justice that had gotten her killed.
Alex exhaled sharply.
When he had dismissed his clone, he had absorbed all of its memories and experiences.
He remembered the power behind Isla’s fireballs.
But...
"They weren’t this strong."
The flames burning before him were hotter, brighter, more destructive than anything his clone had experienced.
And that could only mean one thing.
The undead were stronger.
Their Grim Lord hadn’t just revived them, they had been enhanced.
Alex’s eyes narrowed as multiple undead players let out eerie growls, their once-human faces now twisted with malice.
They rushed at him.
He gritted his teeth, setting explosion disk on the ground.
"Fine."
Then he snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
A shockwave of explosions tore through the battlefield, flames erupting in a perfect chain reaction.
The ground shook violently.
Smoke and debris filled the air.
He should have taken them all out.
But then—
Through the smoke—
They were still in one piece.
Unscathed by the attack.
Still charging at him.
Alex’s eyebrows shot up.
"No way."
A dark chuckle then came from the Grim Lord.
Raising its massive chain blade, the undead ruler grinned.
"I told you your puny trick is futile. As long as my minions are within my range…"
Its voice was mocking, filled with cruel amusement.
"I can extend my defense to all of them."
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The reveal hit Alex like a punch.
Grim Lord’s magic barrier extended to the undead.
"That’s why they weren’t affected."
Grim Lord’s glowing red eyes locked onto him as it lifted its chain blade—
"Despair, human…And die."
