Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

The Sage hovered in pitch-black darkness. He’d been here for several months, preparing the ritual to free Enas—his sole equipment being twelve columns, each twelve-sided and inscribed with runic symbols. Despite their simplicity, their every rune had been carved by past Archons, containing enough total power to contest the laws around a real black hole.

They didn’t need to destroy it, anyway.

Having placed the columns and connected them with green Dao tethers, the Sage stood in space, inspecting his work. “Just a little bit more…” he muttered, voice hoarse with desire. “A little bit more, and I’ll be free…”

***

Jack slowly floated upward. Brock was beside him as they left the New Cathedral, rising into the space beyond. They were welcomed by a sea of cultivators—thousands of them, the weakest being B-Grades. The antithesis to Jack’s earlier days was striking.

All eyes were on him and Brock as they ascended—their entrance had been delayed on purpose. The other four Archons waited above the army, four dots emitting intense power. They were all releasing parts of their aura in preparation for war. Amongst them, the Arch Priestess shone like a brilliant sun, her aura easily eclipsing the others’. Jack still wasn’t sure of his current level, but he knew she overpowered him as well.

As he rose, he also took in their army. Excluding himself and Brock, there were four Archons, thirty-something A-Grades, and then around a thousand B-Grades. It was much too small a force to contest the end of the world, but every single participant was a powerhouse, someone able to dominate their corner of a galaxy.

Jack’s friends were also there. Fiend Prince waved excitedly—he hadn’t received any benefits as Jack’s disciple yet, but Jack had explained to him and the others how he’d achieved the Universe of the Body. Further instruction would come after the battle, provided they survived.

“Welcome, Jack Rust and Brock,” the Arch Priestess said. “Welcome, our champions!” She’d ditched her robes for white armor, hugging her body and accentuating her curves—the last thing anyone cared about right now. A veil still covered her tiger-featured face, while gloves and boots hid her hands and feet. She’d no doubt remove them before the battle.

The army cheered at her words, Great Silver’s roar echoing through the void.

“Jack and Brock are more than just today’s stars,” the Arch Priestess continued. “In the Church’s time of need, they rushed into the Space Monster World and secured an important alliance for us. Monsters, you made the right decision. Thank you for being here.”

“How could we not?” Great Silver replied. “This concerns our future as well. If there is a chance, we fight!”

The monsters in the army—over a third of it—cheered. The Arch Priestess smiled under her veil.

“However, that is not the end of good news,” she said. “Jack Rust has managed to achieve a realm no one has seen before. While not above Archons, he’s set the foundation to getting there. After we win this battle, he will spread his knowledge across the universe, heralding a new era for everyone. All of you, whether at the B or A-Grade, will have a chance to pursue the realms beyond!”

At this, every single cultivator present cheered with passion. They’d devoted their lives to pursuing the peak. There could be nothing more exciting than new frontiers. The void shook by their roars.

“To do that, we need to win the war today,” the Arch Priestess continued, her voice dropping an octave. “The Immortals have ruled the universe for a billion years. They are tyrants, slave-drivers, sick, soulless automatons who pit us against each other to raise soldiers. Today is the day we end them. Our people will suffer no more. I know you all left your disciples and descendants behind to be here. We are the cream of the crop, the masters, the elites of the universe. We shall face an equal force and prevail, because they fight for conquest, but we fight for our lives.”

The people were enlivened, masters growing emotional. Many were elders. There was something primal about their spirited eyes, something which tugged at Jack’s soul. Today, they would win, no matter what.

“We are a force for good!” the Arch Priestess shouted. “I believe I speak for everyone when I say that, even if we are slaughtered on the battlefield, none of us will think about retreat. This is where we make our final stand. The world will rise or fall according to our powers, so everyone, please… Give it your all!”

The cheers kept rising until they reached a crescendo. This entire part of the universe shook by their sheer power. Finally, the sounds abated, replaced by a pregnant silence.

Jack could sense it. A grim determination swept over the gathered cultivators. It was as the Arch Priestess had said—these were absolute masters of their generation, who came here fully intending on giving up their lives for the universe. Each could have run away, but none did. They showed up. Ｒ

In truth, they didn’t need any encouragement. Their hearts burned hotter than the brightest fire, their minds devoted to a single purpose. The Arch Priestess’s rallying speech wasn’t meant to inspire them, but to instill meaning in their deaths.

The priestess sensed the resolve of her warriors. She knew they were ready.

“Before we go,” she said, “I want all of you who still possess System cores to remove them. We know the Immortals can use them against us.”

Cries of assent came from throughout the crowd. Jack gave a bittersweet smile as he looked inside himself, his perception landing on a tiny, isolated part of his body. A sphere of ephemeral cogs lay there—the System mini-core planted in each cultivator. It was what gave him access to the status screen, the Inspection, the Skills, the level power-ups, and various other benefits. He’d always known this day would come, as he knew that the System was an enemy, but he couldn’t help becoming emotional.

The System had been his oldest companion since the Integration, the raft on which he tightly held onto to stay afloat. The stats had been a constant relief throughout his adventures. However, everything ended. He opened his status screen a final time, knowing he’d never see it again. He was long past needing it, anyway. Once he destroyed it, all enhancements it had already given him would remain, including stats and titles.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

ERROR: PLEASE REPORT TO THE NEAREST AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY OR FACE EXTERMINATION.

Name: Jack Rust

Species: Human, Earth-387

Faction: Bare Fist Brotherhood (A)

Grade: A

Class: Paragon of Cultivation (Legendary)

Level: 550

Strength: 29,060

Dexterity: 29,060

Constitution: 29,060

Mental: 2000

Will: 2000

Dao Skills: Meteor Punch IV, Space Mastery IV, Death Mastery IV, Neutron Star Body IV, Black Hole IV, Iron Fist Style III, Brutalizing Aura III, Supernova III, Fist of Mortality III, Titan Taunt III, Immortal Commune I

Inner World size: ??? miles

Inner Cultivator Boundaries:

Highest: F-Grade

Average: F-Grade

Titles: Planetary Frontrunner (10), Planetary Torchbearer (1), Ninth Ring Conqueror, Planetary Leader (1), Grade Defier, Planet Destroyer, Challenger

Even the error message at the start, which he usually ignored, chimed pleasantly in his mind. Embracing the sentimentalism of the moment, Jack reached for the System mini-core inside him and crushed it, watching the broken cogs dissipate into energy. He felt nothing different.

Status screen, he thought. When nothing happened, he smiled sadly. Goodbye, System. I know I’m coming to kill you, but you were a damn good companion.

Maybe I’ll create a better version of you in the future.

He refocused. Silence had fallen over the army as the last people were finishing up. Loss was in many eyes.

From above them, the Arch Priestess spoke. “It’s time. Jack Rust, as the one with the highest Space laws here, would you do us the honor?”

Many of the Envoys and Elders, who didn’t comprehend Jack’s strength, were taken aback by this statement. He calmly floated upward, coming to rest on the same level as the Archons. An intricate device hovered between them. It looked similar to the teleportation cores of starships, except larger and vastly more powerful. As he connected his Dao to it, he could sense that a destination had already been set, and that its reserves were filled with an extreme amount of energy.

He willed it to activate. A blinding flash enveloped the entire army. The void sundered under them, and then they were gone, surrounded by swimming colors as they were dragged through a tunnel in the dimensional sea. They reemerged half a galaxy away, near the center of the galaxy, in a wide area devoid of stars and planets. Not devoid of people, though.

The Immortal army had arrived first. There were thousands of them, hovering through the void like almighty flies. Their B-Grades numbered in the thousands, their A-Grades and Archons almost doubling those of the Church. In addition, thirty-three A-Grade robots stood at the forefront, led by a single robot trailing void-ended wires. The Heaven Immortal, the current leader of the universe. They would have made for an unfair fight if not for the ten hulking behemoths dominating the void.

It was the first time Jack met the Gods in person. He’d fought a clone of Axelor and seen Enas in a vision or two, but their auras were a far cry from the real thing. Standing in the presence of Gods felt like a mortal gazing up a mountain, an ant looking at a dragon.

The ten gods were arrayed in a line, silently facing the army of the Immortals, their auras pressing down like veils of steel. Each was an extreme Archon, with Axelor rising even higher. The God of Entropy himself was a planet-sized ball of darkness covered in lashing tentacles—very different to the handsome young man Jack fought in the Hall of Trials.

The other nine gods were also titanic in size, though smaller than Axelor, and vaguely humanoid.

One was made of fire. Another, of stars. A third seemed normal, but everything around it was warped, as if it were drawing them in. The fourth creature was made of lightning, the fifth of blue and red sparks, the sixth and seventh of explosions, though the latter depicted fewer yet larger ones. Finally, there were two creatures that only appeared as bodies of water, one resembling a rippling pond and the other a steady current.

As the Black Hole Church army appeared, Jack sensed the auras of the Gods clamp tight around him. His own aura reacted instinctively, fighting back, pushing against the Gods with a divinity similar to their own. All ten of them whipped around at the same time, their gazes landing on Jack, trying to see right through him.

He smiled. “Hi,” he said, his voice crossing the endless miles. “Nice to meet you.”

The Gods didn’t respond. Unlike Axelor’s clone, they felt impassive and inhuman, impossible to converse with. They probably could, if they wanted to, but their bubbling derision towards mortals clarified that wouldn’t happen.

Jack, however, sensed something more. Their eyes had contained wariness against him, an emotion on the verge of turning into killing intent. Him, of all mortals, they acknowledged as a possible threat.

“AFTER THIS, WE TALK,” a powerful voice smashed into his mind. Axelor’s.

Jack grinned. The God hadn’t held back, but Jack endured the pressure as easily as a summer breeze. “Sure,” he replied, then turned back to the front.

Their three armies were arrayed in a triangle, with the Gods and the Church closer together. Technically, they hadn’t come here to battle, but everyone knew how it would end.

A late A-Grade man stepped out of the Immortal army, captivating everyone’s attention. The Gods shimmered with fury. Jack raised his brows—this aura was much greater than he anticipated. It also contained a hint of divinity, though it was pale, like a color which had already been washed off.

“Welcome, everyone, to the spectacle of my victory,” Elder Hero said. His golden hair flowed behind his helmetless head, while shiny plate armor covered the rest of his body. He was almost unfairly handsome, with blue eyes, broad features, and a perfectly square chin as if chiseled from marble. He could give Superman a run for his money. Or Spongebob.

Hero took out his broadsword, aiming it at the Church army. “Jack Rust!” he declared. “Come out to die, if you dare!”

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” The answer arrived easily, riding the currents of space. Jack appeared before his army, stepping into the massive empty space between the three forces. It was way too large, clearly meant for a much grander battle than this duel.

Hero laughed. “I heard you’d grown in power, and I must admit, your aura is quite impressive! However, don’t think you stand a chance. Nevermind that it’s only been sixteen years since our duel agreement. Even if you’d waited the full thirty, you still wouldn’t be able to surpass me. For every talented genius of evil, the forces of good have a better one.”

A smile tugged at the ends of Jack’s lips. “You know, I’m impressed as well,” he said. “I thought this would be a walk in the park, but you’re actually pretty strong. I still haven’t fought seriously since my last breakthrough. I look forward to exerting myself a little.”

“Exerting yourself?” Hero laughed. “Those are big words for a cultist trying to revive an evil God. I should let your ploy foster, just so I can foil it more majestically later on, but since we’re in the middle of something here, I guess killing you now will do.”

“You speak a lot, but all you say is bullshit,” Jack replied, cracking his knuckles. His aura spread out, upturning the void, shaking the world. Gasps rose from the two armies. “I heard you insulted my master,” he said, assuming a boxing stance. “This fight is for his honor.”

“Hah! Bring it, scum!”

The two greatest geniuses in the history of the universe clashed.