Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 272: Doom Slayer

The stats of the sword rolled down Alex's vision like a tidal wave.

Name: Doom Slayer

Type: Sword

Bonus: +500 to all Attributes

Special Effects:— Elemental Slash (Fire, Lightning, Ice, Decay)— Energy Beam Projection— Vitality Drain (Restores health equal to 50% of inflicted damage)— Doom Creature Suppression (Damage multiplier x3 against Doom-class enemies)

Status: Bonded to Alex Knight

Activation: Pending

[The presence of a doom activates the sword]

Alex tightened his grip around the hilt as the information seared itself into his mind.

"Holy shit!"

+500 across the board.

Elemental attacks.

Energy beams.

A sword that not only killed but devoured, feeding strength back into its wielder.

And then the final kicker:

It was bonded. To him.

Meaning no other user could wield it, even if he lost it.

Alex stared at the blade, the soft pulsing light running through its veins.

For half a second, he almost expected it to laugh.

To vanish in a flash of light and leave him standing there like an idiot.

But it didn't.

He hadn't done anything to earn it, and yet it had claimed him as its owner.

Alex shifted his grip, feeling the subtle weight of the blade settle in his hand. Slowly, he raised it, moving it through the air with a clean, effortless arc.

Fine veins of blue-white energy pulsed under the metal's surface, lighting up the runes along the fuller like breathing stars.

"Doom Slayer," Alex whispered, almost reverently.

He couldn't use it yet as the activation was pending.

He had to run into a doom beast to activate the powers of the sword but what exactly were those. Better question:

Why did the dwarf give it to me?

He drew a slow breath, grounding himself, and finally tore his eyes away to look at Grugrim.

The dwarf stood calmly, arms folded, watching him with a gaze like molten iron—steady, unblinking.

Alex's voice came low with curiosity.

"Why give this to me?"

Grugrim's mouth twitched under the braids of his beard—something close to a smile, but not quite.

"The sword chooses," he said simply. "Not me."

Alex frowned, the answer sparking more questions than it answered.

"What do you mean by that?"

Grugrim turned slightly, facing the crowd below.

His voice, when it came, was low and steady, carrying the weight of old memories.

"Doom Slayer's...the sword had been searching for its wielder. That's what the chief said when he gave it to me. It would find someone... not from this world. Someone with the power to deflect."

Alex's eyes narrowed.

"Deflect?"

The dwarf nodded once, slow and certain.

"I saw you," Grugrim said. "When you raised that magic barrier. Against the Vorakan and the Kruckle."

"I knew then. The sword would recognize you. My instincts told me—and dwarves don't question their instincts."

Alex looked back at the sword, now resting quietly in his hand.

A sword seeking a master from another world.

It was to be given to someone with the power of deflection.

It sounded insane.

Beyond anything he thought himself part of.

But the bond was real.

He could feel it humming in his bones, like a wolf sensing its pack for the first time.

Alex glanced down at the glowing runes again, the weight of the weapon growing heavier in his grip. Then he said slowly, "I can't use it yet, something about meeting doom?"

Grugrim chuckled—a dry, knowing sound.

"The sword sleeps until it smells the blood of its enemy."

Alex narrowed his brow in confusion.

"And its enemy is...?"

Grugrim's gaze hardened.

"Doom beasts."

There was no drama in the way he said it.

Just grim certainty.

"Doom beast...What are they?" Alex asked in curiosity.

The dwarf exhaled heavily, a sound like the last puff of a dying forge.

"No one knows where they came from," Grugrim said. "Not the oldest dwarf. All we know is what they do....Destroy."

"They swept into our world like a flood. Twisted things. Hulking, mindless beasts... and worse. Creatures with too many mouths. Too many eyes. The smell of rot. The sound of death in every step."

He shook his head slowly.

"All the races fought. Humans. Elves. Beasts. Spirits. All fell. Only the dwarves remained. We buried ourselves in stone and steel. Forged weapons that could defeat them. Doom Slayer was the reference. It was a weapon whose origin was unknown and couldn't be wielded by anyone, but studying it, we found it possessed traits that could enable us to fight back. So we took all the knowledge we could from it and integrated it weapons."

The dwarf's fists clenched at his sides, his voice raw.

"But even with all that... we're losing. The doom beasts are just too overwhelming. We hold the last lines. The last cities. And every day, our numbers grow smaller."

"And soon...there won't be anything left to save."

A long silence stretched between them, thick with shared understanding.

Alex knew the feeling of something bigger than himself looming on the horizon.

He'd felt it every day since awakening in this strange world.

Since figuring out his anomalous trait would make him a target. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Though not as intensely personal as Grugrim, who seemed to have lost alot.

And this made Alex wonder what his role was in all this and why he was given a weapon that was specifically made for him.

Was he like...the chosen one?

Was he going to be asked to march into another world to become a hero?

All of this was so sudden.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, shifting his stance.

Then asked carefully.

"So, what do you want from me? I doubt you'd just hand over such a powerful sword without wanting anything in return."

Alex braced himself for the words.

If he was going to ask to be a hero, he wasn't sure he'd be able to do that.

But the moment the question left his mouth, Grugrim's face lit up, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"In exchange for Doomslayer, I...