The Billionaire's Last Game

Chapter 10: That Was “His” Plan All Along?

> “Before the system summoned the Captains to the Valley of the Broken Gods…”

The Billionaire lifted his glass of crimson wine, letting the reflection of the holographic screen dance upon its surface. His expression was calm, too calm. Before him hovered a massive virtual meeting, each window flickering with the faces of the Guild Masters.

“The Valley of the Broken Gods isn’t just a battlefield,” he said, his voice smooth yet heavy with intent. “It’s a level, a dungeon beyond the Broken Zone itself.”

He swirled the wine in his hand as the silence deepened.

“Once Project Genesis activates,” he continued, his tone darkening, “you’ll all be gone. And then... I’ll use the System to send every last one of them into that valley.”

The room fell into unease. Static flickered through the guild masters’ screens as one finally spoke, his voice trembling.

“But, with all due respect, Mr. Billionaire… they’re not ready.”

The Billionaire’s eyes narrowed, his reflection flashing like a predator’s behind the glass.

“No,” he said softly, setting down his wine. “It’s not that they’re not ready, it’s that they need to be.”

He leaned forward, the edges of his face fading into the holographic static.

“That valley isn’t just a place. It’s a gateway.”

> Fast forward in time, to where Frost, Veil, Leif, and Violet were…

The air was heavy with the stench of death. The three of them were drenched in sweat, every breath ragged as they searched for an escape, any escape that could save them all.

“Veil... Leif... leave me,” Frost said, his voice low but firm. “I’ll hold them off.”

Veil’s eyes widened, fury and fear clashing within them. “Don’t be ridiculous, Frost!”

“We don’t trade lives,” Leif snapped sharply, his tone calm but his eyes trembling as he glanced at Violet in Veil’s arms, unconscious, pale, barely breathing.

Frost exhaled, a faint mist forming as his mana surged. “Then... JUMP!” he roared.

In an instant, Veil launched himself toward a massive branch in the distance, clutching Violet tightly. Leif grabbed him midair from behind, pushing him further ahead with every ounce of strength left in his body. Behind them, Frost slammed his hands to the ground, ice erupted outward, freezing the battlefield in a blinding white flash.

For a heartbeat, it seemed to work. Then their hope shattered.

Dozens of zombies leapt into the air, defying gravity, defying reason, as if they’d anticipated Frost’s move. Leif, suspended midair after throwing Veil clear, caught sight of one rising toward him.

The creature grinned, a broken smile splitting its decayed face, eyes glowing red.

Before Leif could react, the zombie’s dagger gleamed, coming down straight toward him.

A burst of light exploded out of nowhere, burning through the air like a divine strike. The zombie disintegrated into ash before it could touch Leif.

He landed hard, breath ragged, and turned toward the source. Violet stood beneath the shattered tree assisted by Veil, one hand outstretched, faint light still flickering at her fingertips. Her eyes were half-open, barely conscious.

“Thank you… Violet,” Leif whispered, his voice trembling with relief.

Light began to pulse from his hand. In the next instant, a massive sword of blue radiance materialized, its edge humming with power. He swung it once, and in a blinding arc, every zombie around them was cleaved apart, their bodies turning to dust.

“I’m a Captain,” Leif said, voice deep and shaking with fury. “And no corpse will ever make me waver!”

He leapt forward, striking the earth with such force that the ground quaked, shattering through the battlefield like a living tremor.

“Fascinating…” the Queen of the Undead muttered. But there was something in her voice, fear. And for the first time, it wasn’t directed at them… it was directed inward.

Her eyes widened as a wand of bone and black flame materialized in her hand. A crimson pentagram formed before her, humming with deathly power.

“Die.”

A beam of necrotic light erupted toward Leif. He barely had time to react, summoning a shield from his palm. The blast split in two, ripping through the air as the ground beneath him cracked from the force.

“Her magic... it's this strong!?” he thought, gritting his teeth as his shield began to fracture, light scattering under the relentless onslaught. Then, blood sprayed.

The Queen screamed as half her arm vanished in an instant. Her wand fell, clattering to the ground. Half her face dissolved away in the same moment.

She turned in rage, and froze.

Violet stood in Veil’s arms, eyes burning with a dim violet glow. Her lips were trembling, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth as light coiled violently around her.

“That girl…” the Queen thought, fear creeping through her skull. “No presence… fading life force. She shouldn’t even be standing. Casting magic at that level, it’ll kill her.”

She raised her remaining hand as dozens of armored undead stepped in front of her, blocking her view. Her body began to heal, bones snapping and flesh twisting back into place.

“But underestimating her,” the Queen whispered, voice trembling, “would be the death of me.”

As they came to a halt, a shiver swept through the air, sharp, unnatural. Everyone froze. Not even the undead dared to move. The silence carried weight; the kind that made even monsters remember fear.

The zombies began shifting uneasily, their hollow eyes scanning the ruins. Then, one by one, they dropped to their knees. The ground trembled beneath them, cracking open like a living thing gasping in pain. A shadow blotted out the sky.

From above descended a meteor, an obsidian mass wrapped in fire and smoke, that slammed into the earth with a force that shattered the horizon. The shockwave tore through the land, hurling dust and screams into the wind.

Veil sensed it a heartbeat before impact. Acting on instinct, he pulled Violet close, conjuring a barrier as the world around them exploded. The branch beneath them shattered, flinging them into the air before crashing into the shadows below.

There, hidden under the debris and the flickering light of the meteor’s aftermath, Veil moved quickly, hands trembling as he tried to heal Violet’s wounds, his breath heavy with both fear and fury.

"Veil... I'm sorry, I'm hopeless," Violet whispered weakly, clutching his arm as he worked desperately to patch her wound.

"No, shut up. You're not hopeless—you're just overwhelmed!" Veil shot back, his voice trembling as he met her glassy eyes reflecting the dim sky.

A faint smile touched her lips. “Steve… he hasn’t released that technique in ages. That meteor—one of his obsidian runes. That armor came from a relic once owned by the Billionaire.” She coughed, breath shaking.

Veil’s hands froze. “And? What of it?” he demanded, tightening the bandage until the bleeding slowed.

“The Billionaire…” she whispered. “This land was his home—millennia ago. He wanted to free this place… to end its curse. He wanted it to be peaceful again—like it once was.”

Veil’s eyes widened, rage and confusion clashing in his chest. “Is that why we’re here!? Is the System… is that him? Is he the reason we’re trapped in this damned valley?!”

Violet shook her head slowly. “No… we were brought here by the System—because of his desire. His longing to set this land free was so strong that the System itself heard him…”

Her voice faltered as her eyes dimmed. “…and answered.”