Colin stood over Levi. He grabbed at the pieces, lost. “Levi. Levi!”

  The familiar sensation of blood and life leaking out of him came over Levi. He tried to smile, but couldn’t. It’s alright. I’ve done it before, he tried to say, but his lips wouldn’t move.

  Darkness descended. A wave of relief washed over Levi. This time was final. He’d never have to do it again. The world might not end, though he wouldn’t put money on that. Either way, Vox had no more reason to kill Colin or Isa. Maybe even Kai would get out alright, though he didn’t really care one way or another.

  For a while, he hung in blissful nothing. And then the goddess appeared before him. Her half-alive, half-skull face stared at him. Something flickered in her remaining eye. Desire. The beginnings of an order.

  “What? I’m tired. No, I’m retired. I’m eighty-some years old and I’m done. I’ve lived a good life. Let me die.”

  If you wish for death, then…

  “I don’t wish for death. But I’m already dead. Just… let me go.”

  That isn’t what you really want, is it?

  Levi pursed his lips. He crossed his arms. “Yes.”

  She smiled, silently.

  He stared at her, daring her to say something. She remained silent. Silent as the dead. Waiting. Patient.

  “No. No, I don’t want to die! Dammit, I just got here! I haven’t even got to do anything fun yet! I’m levelling up for the first time in ages. I’m fighting fun new monsters and making fun new friends. I mean, better me than Colin, but damn. I just want to have fun for a little while. Is that too much to ask for?”

  The goddess laughed, just once. It was a haunting sound, one that echoed from somewhere cold. No.

  Gold light descended from above. A warm hand offered to help Levi up. He stood, staring for a second, then took it.

  Light. Pain. Some kind of light rain. The strange rhyming made Levi smile, and then he opened his eyes.

  Colin crouched over him, holding him tight. The rain he felt was tears, falling on his face. He lifted his hand and patted Colin’s cheek. “Hey. I’m back.”

  “You’re back?” Colin asked. He stared. “Then… then…”

  Behind them, Vox howled. “No!”

  Levi squinted. “Is it just me, or do you…” He gestured at Colin’s shoulders and head. “Have a gold halo? Like a halo of light?”

  “Er, no. I, um. I think I got chosen as a Champion. Of Life, somehow.”

  Levi sat up. He looked around.

  Isa still lowered the dagger toward Vox’s face. Vox struggled, fighting both her and the slombie’s hold. Kai stood nearby, unable to find an opening with his greatsword. Vox’s eyes were locked on Colin, despair written across his face, but Kai hadn’t noticed yet.

  Levi grabbed Colin’s shoulder and pulled him close. “Say nothing. Don’t tell anyone you’re a Champion. Kai will instantly turn on us.”

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  Colin closed his mouth. He nodded, eyes wide.

  Standing, Levi reached behind him. He sauntered over to Vox. “A few little cuts like those? My healer can take care of them in moments.”

  “You—you—”

  The Spinal Cord and the Armalgam both lashed out. Vox’s eyes widened. Tentacles of shadow barely caught their blades before they slammed into the weak points the slombie had cut.

  Levi giggled. He leaned in. “But can you take care of this?” Ever so gently, he slid the poisoned dagger he’d taken from Vox through the slombie and into one of the man’s weak points.

  Vox instantly tensed. He stared at Levi, eyes wide.

  “Like I thought. If you’re too distracted by obvious attacks, you’ll miss a slow stab. No—hasn’t that been your weakness all along? You get distracted. Use all your mana on the wrong attack, and lack the ability to land the finishing blow. Pay too much attention to me that you haven’t even realized that Kai turned on you. It’s all the same to me, but you know, I do like a poetic death. Killed by your own poison.” Levi stepped back. He raised his hands.

  “No. I refuse. I refuse to die!” Vox shouted.

  “I don’t think the Goddess of Death is on your side. But she’s on mine,” Levi commented.

  Black veins tore through Vox. His shadows shriveled. He grimaced. “No. No! I won’t let you!”

  “You don’t really have a say in it, bud. But hey! There’s still a chance we prevented the Apocalypse!”

  “No. You don’t understand. Life was the final piece, and now—”

  “Ah. Well, you know, mice and men, and gods and all. If the gods want to end this world, all we can do is play our parts. And for you, that means dying!”

  Vox struggled to breathe. He stared upward, at the dungeon’s ceiling, and beyond, at something none of them could see. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I failed you.”

  “Yep. Okay. Bye-bye!” Levi slashed Vox’s throat. The man slumped.

  Kai stepped forward. “He’s dead?”

  “Yeah, think so. So… should we address the elephant in the room?”

  They both turned.

  Not far away from them, two portals opened in the air. One of them showed the world outside the dungeon. The other showed a fiery, hellish landscape, so hot that the heat baked Levi’s skin from where he stood.

  Isa stepped away from Vox, pocketing the dagger. She nodded. “The fire is the next level of this dungeon. I’ve tried to enter, but even at my level, entering means to instantly crisp under the sheer heat of the floor beyond. The other portal leads out.”

  Levi considered. He turned, then went through Vox’s pockets, stole all his money and valuables, then lifted Vox by the ankles. Between him and the Armalgam, he spun around, then hurtled Vox into the fiery realm.

  The second Vox passed through the barrier, his body lit alight. In a matter of seconds, nothing but ash remained. It rained down into the fires and vanished.

  “Yep. Back to the surface it is,” Levi said, dusting his hands off.

  “A wise choice,” Isa deadpanned.

  Kai stared at the fiery realm. “I’m going to try it.”

  Levi thumped his shoulder. “If it’s you, I know you can do it. Good luck!”

  Turning over his shoulder, he winked at Colin and gestured his head toward the exit portal.

  Colin nodded. He stepped forward.

  Levi led the way. Isa, Colin, and the slombie fell in behind him. They stepped through the portal to the exit, while Kai stared deeply into the fiery realm.

  Something warm and wet rained down on them. Levi lifted his hand to his cheek, and it came away smeared with red. Blood rain. Overhead, the moon beamed down in crimson. The sky was black as night.

  The Apocalypse was upon them.

  Colin swallowed. “Is this my fault?”

  “Nah, nah. Like I’ve been saying this whole time. The gods want the world to end. We’re nothing but ants.”

  Isa licked her lips, then spat. “Ugh. It doesn’t taste right.”

  Levi clapped. He grinned. “So… how’d you bring me back, Colin?”

  “Er… I wanted to heal you. I tried, with every bit of mana I had. My body started to crumble away, but I kept healing. It wasn’t working, but I tried anyways. And then… and then… I was suddenly standing in this place full of gold light, and I saw a goddess. She told me that she had chosen me as her Champion, offered me a class—but I said all I wanted was to bring you back. And so she smiled and said that was why she’d chosen me, and brought you back.”

  “Do you have a Champion class?” Levi asked, concerned.

  “Huh? Uh…” Colin paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah! Yeah. I’m, uh. The Saint.”

  Levi offered him a high-five. “Hell yeah.”

  Colin laughed. “It’s crazy, isn’t it? Two of the three of us are Champions, now.”

  “Makes me feel left out,” Isa commented.

  Levi chuckled. He patted her on the shoulder. “You’re still stronger than the rest of us. C’mon. Let’s go have some dinner. And then…” His eyes glittered. “We do what we came here to do, and crush the Death Cult.”

  END.

  Nobody's Hero, the prequel, give it a shot! Or if you'd rather try something else, I also write xianxia/cultivation novels like and .