"..."
All the gods were left speechless, unable to react to the words Alex spoke. He was actually challenging them; gods of the very first universe!
"Haha… Hahaha…"
One of the gods suddenly burst out laughing. Soon, the others joined in on the laugh, now finding the suggestion ridiculous.
"Hah… This is exactly what you'd expect from a low-level miscreant!"
"I know, right? For a moment there, I felt anger. But then I realised the kid just wants to show off!"
Alex remained silent, observing their ridiculous show with a raised brow. His senses were drawn to the edges of his domain when several senses attempted to break in.
For a moment, Alex wanted to stop those senses, but decided against it, allowing those hidden in the shadows to observe.
'I guess they're expecting a show.' Alex mused silently. 'Everyone wants to know just how interesting the 'small-time' veilwalker is.'
Alex had no issues with this arrangement. Putting some pompous gods in their place was the fastest way to tell the denizens of this universe he was no weakling they could push around.
"If you guys… Sorry, if you gods are too scared to accept my challenge, then step out of my way." Alex stated with a serious expression. "I don't have the time to feed your egos."
"Watch your tongue, brat," Pyrralon growled, his expression turning serious. "We may not be veilwalkers, but each one of us here is far stronger than you can possibly imagine."
"I doubt that," Alex replied coolly. "The concepts you're so proud of are just one of the many abilities I wield. It's not a stretch to say every veilwalker has more mastery over the concept you hold."
Once again, Alex shut them up. However, these beings were not so easily shut down.
"Maybe." Another god replied. "But you seem to forget that the power you have was given to you by the multiverse. Without it, you wouldn't even be what you are today."
"You're right." Alex nodded in acknowledgement, leaving the gods perplexed.
They had thought Alex would take some kind of offence from those words, but he was oddly chill about everything.
"It still doesn't change the facts," Alex added a second later. "So either you get out of my way or I make you."
"..."
"Tch, this kid got some balls." Tharok, the god of stone and endurance stepped forward. "But no matter; I'll be the one to teach you some manners."
The other gods stepped back, creating a combat space for the imminent clash. Drakmor had remained silent all this while because he too was interested in seeing Alex's combat skills.
Moreover, these gods were lesser gods, having a small part of a concept the main gods carried. However, as gods of Universe Prime, they were not weak.
Drakmor had seen them put many mid-level veilwalkers in their place, not to mention low-level universes. The main gods were even more impressive, capable of putting high-level universe veilwalkers in their place.
"I'll be in your care," Alex stretched his right hand forward, palm opened. "Give me your best shot." His taunt was well received.
"Hehe…" Tharok grinned, cracking his knuckles. "I'm gonna enjoy this."
Tharok suddenly disappeared, instantly appearing before Alex with a fist launching towards his face. Looking at the incoming blow, Alex was able to tell the punch had enough force to rip the fabric of a mid-level universe.
'Powerful indeed.' He thought, slightly shifting on his feet and effortlessly evading the blow. 'But if this is everything he has, then I'm afraid…'
Tharok didn't think much of Alex dodging his first strike. He charged in once more, fists swinging wildly, each strike fueled by brute strength and boundless confidence.
But Alex didn't even flinch. With the grace of a seasoned warrior, he tilted his head slightly, letting a punch whoosh past his cheek. Another strike came in low—dodged. A knee aimed at the ribs—sidestepped.
His movements were sharp, clean, and efficient. No wasted energy — just silence and precision.
Smack.
A single jab to the chest sent the god stumbling backwards, shock evident in his eyes. The strike felt like he'd been hit by a main god instead of a 'small-time' veilwalker.
"That was unexpected." Pyrralon muttered in shock. "Hey, Tharok. That endurance of yours better not fail."
A bit of frustration burned in his soul as he charged in again, this time more cautious, more calculated. But it didn't matter.
A blur of motion—a hand parried, a shoulder shifted, and a sweeping leg took the balance out from under Tharok. Before he could rise, a fist pressed lightly against his forehead, not striking, but poised.
A warning.
Alex stepped back, allowing Tharok to stand. "Satisfied?" He ridiculed.
Anger flared in the god's eyes. In his growing frustration, he lunged for Alex again. A twist. A dodge. A low pivot and a fist slammed into his side.
Tharok crumpled, gripping his side in pain, the emotion etched across his face. Never had he felt so humiliated before so many eyes!
"Pathetic." His companions were merciless, completely attributing his defeat to his weakness. "Who knew you were this weak."
Their words were very harsh, even for gods of different concepts. They had been together for many millennia, competing and fighting each other to improve their skills.
Yet, here they were, shredding what little pride the god of stone and endurance had.
The god could only lower his head in shame, unable to face his companions. They had all come to test out this newcomer to show him his place.
But who knew things would turn out this shameful? Moreover, he was sure his patron god was watching!
Ah, the shame.
Alex shook his head and straightened himself, adjusting his stance without urgency, barely out of breath. Looking at the other gods, he sneered.
"None of you could have done any better. In a contest of concept application, none of you can beat me. A god of endurance couldn't hold for even a couple of seconds. What does that say about the rest?"
"..."
The gods glared daggers at him, watching as walked past Tharok and approached them, coming to a stop a few meters away.
"You're too weak to fight me alone and too proud to attack me as a group," Alex added coldly, fully understanding their nature. "I'm not your average veilwalker." His words lingered in the void of space, every sense locked onto this location mulling over his words.
"If there's nothing else, stay out of my way."
Without a shred of regard, he walked right into the gods, forcing them to make way for him. They gritted their teeth with so much force that they could shatter galaxies.
"Let's go." He looked over his shoulder, towards the dragon who observed everything in silence. "We have a lot of exploring to do."