The Boundless Expanse(An Epic System Apocalypse LitRPG)

Fire, blood and force defined the world for the next few minutes. A clash of titans, let loose upon Garexolan's dimensional plane. The altar behind the demon was covered in dust, and broken in places, the body parts covering it turned into pulp. The demon itself wasn't much better off. Its right arm was gone, and most of the leering faces lining the monster were smashed apart by Sam's hammer. Only Hugo Mar's remained, mainly because of its placement right next to Garexolan's arm, making it hard to strike at.

Sam was doing surprisingly well, far better than he had expected. The speed boost from his Dao upgrades helped him keep up with his foe, even with the demon's own increase in speed. Sam was used to fighting both with and against enhancement abilities, and the key was keeping calm. Most of the time, a warrior wasn't used to the new scope of their powers, and they made the same mistakes that they would normally, only magnified to a greater extent. Garexolan had clearly never used his Dao based buff skill, meaning that his mind was lagging slightly behind his movements. This created gaps in his defenses, ones that Sam, who was used to using Dao Juggernaut, could exploit.

Sam was still injured, of course. An E Ranker did not simply fight a D Ranker and expect to come out unscathed. Sam had long ago accepted that the Inferno Gauntlet would bring him close to death if it did not outright kill him. He was running out of health and stamina, mainly from keeping his obscene levels of power in check. Dao Juggernaut was a very resource hungry skill. Most of the time, it simply took Dao energy to use, but for this fight, Sam was fighting at the very edge of his physical capabilities. Doing so took a lot out of him.

"You will not escape your judgement!" Garexolan hissed, both its mouth and that of Hugo Mar's face speaking in unison. "The universe cries for your blood!"

"I've been to other Multiverses," Sam spat. "What do I care about the whims of a single universe? Your threats are just as pathetic as you."

Garexolan grinned. "You haven't seen all of my abilities yet. When a sinner is especially hard to deal with, demons can draw upon greater power to ensure their punishment."

The altar behind Garexolan started to burn, pitch black flames hungrily devouring the wood and flesh that made it up. The swirling ash condensed around the demon like a suit of armor. It was covered in inky faces, barely recognizable as the ash twisted and turned, the armor shifting every moment. It was not just incredibly unsettling, but a good defensive strategy. Sam couldn't simply target one part over and over, trying to break through.

Sam laughed bitterly as he looked at his own armor, tattered and broken. It was barely worth anything at this point, more of a way to cover himself than anything else. The E Rank metals were like paper to a D Ranker. In any case, the armor he could summon for himself was much more effective at repelling attacks.

Before Garexolan could complete his transformation, Sam came charging in, hammer growing until it was the size of a wagon, affixed to a hilt almost ten times longer than Sam was tall. Then, with a thunderous buzzing, it turned into golden lightning. Sam thrust the bolt into the center of Garexolan's chest, right before the armor finished forming. It slammed through the weakened ash, and into the monster's flesh.

The sickening smell of cooking flesh rose up from the demon lord, and Garexolan howled. Sam pressed his advantage, knowing that he couldn't win otherwise.

Garexolan slashed him with his claws, rending flesh, all the way through limbs in some cases. Sam didn't, couldn't stop. He poured his will and power into his hammer, the lightning bolt expanding in both size and heat. The demon started to melt away before the light as Sam used Manifestation of Vengeance, channeling it through the lightning bolt. Just as a claw came hissing for his neck, Sam slammed his palm into the back of the hammer, blasting the transfigured weapon through Garexolan's back. A screeching hum tore through the air, and the lightning spear detonated, blasting Garexolan apart. Sam let it turn back into metal, as the burning altar vanished, leaving the world a dark void.

The System stepped in a moment later, taking Sam to the next floor. He gritted his teeth as he saw his next challenger already waiting for him. As he threw himself into battle, Sam knew that whatever was to come, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

***

"No…" Sam muttered as he crawled away from the looming demon, her sword poised above his neck.

"You were so confident at the beginning of the fight," Eladran, Demon Lord of Gluttony and ruler of the ninth layer of the Inferno gauntlet, said. Her voice was filled with pleasure at the sight of Sam cowering at her feet.

Sam's world was one of pain. He only had a single arm remaining, which was what he used to crawl. However, he had a plan. His Superior Weak Point skill was charged to a level beyond anything he had ever seen before. Sam could feel the power waiting for him, waiting to be called upon. He was only going to get one shot at this, hence the stalling.

Eladran's shadow covered Sam completely. Her form was that of a morbidly obese woman, her face nothing more than a rippling mass of flesh and grease. Her circle was built in the shape of a table, with tiny people running around on plates and in bowls. When Sam had arrived, she had been in the middle of a meal, scooping up the people with a spoon and eating them like cereal.

Sam had almost vomited, only his lack of a digestive system stopping him. It was vile. It was grotesque. It was utterly and completely evil. But that was what he expected from the Inferno Gauntlet at this point. At least he could make a difference.

"I'm still confident now, you disgusting wretch," Sam muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Eladran crooned, leaning in. Beneath a mask of blood, Sam grinned. He had his chance.

Surging up on the wings of his will, Sam struck, every last iota of his power entering his hammer. His singular arm swept around, the hammer shrinking to give him room to move. Before Eladran could do anything, he struck, straight in the center of the monster's bulging gut. His Superior Weak Point skill triggered, and his hammer blasted through Eladran, and out the other side. Her vast form rippled, before tearing itself apart from the force of Sam's strike. With one final gurgle, Eladran died, viscera splattering everywhere.

Sam grinned, before realizing what was about to happen. He was going to die as soon as he stepped, or rather, crawled, into the hundredth floor. It would not be a swift death, or a painless one. The guardian of the final floor knew Sam's butchery of its family, and would take revenge. As the System started to teleport him, Sam threw himself against it, using the tripartite nature of his E Rank being to contest it.

"Just… one… more minute…" Sam ground out, clenching his teeth. "This is supposed to be possible, isn't it? I haven't reached the end of my potential yet. You have to give me a chance."

Sam felt the System's gaze press down upon him. It was the barest fraction, as after all, despite all his potential, he was still a mere E Ranker. Still, it was more than he had ever felt before. He almost died, there and then, as the sheer power manifesting before him coalesced into a System avatar.

"No," it said simply. "The System might not care about your potential, but we, the executors of its will, do. Enjoy the rewards of your arrogance, Sam Atlas. I hope they can keep your soul warm as it is dragged down to Hell."

Then, with a single snap of its fingers, the Avatar vanished, and the pressure on Sam doubled, removing the last grip he had on resistance. With a brilliant flash of light, he vanished, appearing a moment later in a throne room.

The room was empty, save for a single occupant. A man, closer in appearance to a red skinned human than a demon, sat on the throne. He was clothed in the raiments of a king, shining, elaborate robes, and a massive golden crown. In one hand he held a sword, and the other, a scepter. A towering, indomitable aura spilled out from the man, consuming the entire throne room, and Sam with it. Sam's Authority was crushed down to the limits of his body by a rival Authority two stages above his own. Sam glared at the demon, but there was little he could do, save for scan him.

Zeradran, Demon Lord of Pride

Level 300

Sam's spirits sank, lower than ever before. Zeredran was not just a D Ranker, as the last challenge of the Tower was supposed to be. He was fifty levels beyond that, and the strongest being Sam had seen so far in the Inferno Gauntlet. He was stronger than Granthar, stronger than Ramiel, stronger than every single being in the Tower, save for the Voidrot, the Dreamer, and the mysterious ruler of the Forbidden Heavens. Those had all been beings Sam hadn't fought head on, without allies, and without a way to even the odds. They hardly counted as a comparison.

"It has been quite some time since anyone has approached my throne," Zeredran said, his voice rich and mellow. "Normally, my siblings weed out the damned, choosing those most suited to their realms." He got to his feet. "But you aren't one of the damned, are you? You're something else. A threat."

"Do I look like a threat?" Sam said bitterly, trying to stall for time as he desperately allocated all of his free stat points between Resilience and Constitution.

"Do I?" Zeredran asked. "Power is not in appearance, Sam Atlas. It comes from action. Your actions have shown your true strength."
"Then why don't you attack?" Sam asked, trying to bait his foe. "Don't you want to put me down before I regain my strength and kill you?"

Zeredran smiled grimly. "Clever. You recognize that as the Demon Lord of Pride, I am limited in some ways by my nature. I cannot attack you in a weakened state."

Sam drew in an audible breath, his relief palpable.

"But I do not need to." Zeredran's aura pressed down on Sam like the finger of a god, the floor cratering beneath him. "You are an ant. One with a powerful bite, but an ant nonetheless. It is impossible to defeat me in your current state."

"So what? I should just give up?" Sam asked, as his legs grew back fully.

"Not on my account, no. You should at least recognize the situation you are in, though. Accept your death, and then meet it." Zeredran removed his cloak, revealing glittering armor beneath. "I am that death."

Sam got to his feet, cradling his still regenerating left arm. Terra's Will dangled from his hand, swaying slightly as if in an invisible wind. Then he realized that it was Zeredran's aura pressure, manifesting as a physical force.

Sam marshaled his Dao, using Dao Juggernaut in conjunction with I Am My Vengeance. His power surged, but it still felt like nothing before the foe he had to face. His arm completed its regeneration, and he gripped the hilt of his hammer. Whatever was to come, it had to be enough.

Sam found himself lying on the ground a moment later, Zeredran not having moved a muscle. The demon's Authority danced around him in waves of barely visible power, an ethereal fist crushing Sam into the ground. He growled, and pushed back, shattering it. With a sonic boom, he took off, racing at his enemy. Portals opened, some simply decoys made from condensed Dao energy, and others the real deal. Sam shot off rays of concentrated power, raining strikes down upon Zeredran from a distance. The demon's sword flashed around him, deflecting them all.

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A frustratingly familiar Dao presence expanded outwards from Zeredran. It was the concept of arrogance, of ego, of supremacy unchained. It was the same power that Sam's own father used. The more Zeredran proved his superiority over Sam, the stronger he grew. As Sam attacked, finally reached the man with his hammer, Zeredran parried his strike with so much power that the hammer was ripped from his hand. Sam reeled, just before a fist struck him in the sternum. His chest exploded, and he flew backwards, skidding for what felt like miles. The realm began to change, turning from a throne room into a titanic temple, dedicated to a singular god. Zeredran himself. A statue of the demon, almost a mile tall, looked down on Sam, its eyes moving to follow him. It grimaced, showing Zeredran's disdain for Sam. A weight, like that of the heavens descending on a blasphemer, fell on Sam's shoulders, trying to crush him.

Sam grunted in frustration as he got to his feet. His hope in himself was rapidly diminishing. Nothing he could think of at this point could do anything. Even if he could force another upgrade to his Dao Seed of the Avenger, the stat boost wouldn't bring him close to Zeredran. Additionally, he would need to be at the brink of death to manifest that sort of desire for vengeance. Even if it worked, he would simply die a few moments later. What Sam needed was something different. Something beyond the scope of his current power.

He threw himself back at Zeredran, hammer flashing through the air as he summoned it back to his hand. The same thing happened, Zeredran casually rebuffing Sam with a simple punch. Sam's Daos started to churn, both his Daos of the Avenger and Reaction uniting into one common purpose. Sam could feel the promise of something greater than both, forged from the ashes of the old. Once, he had forced two Daos together to gain power beyond what both had separately. Still, he wouldn't be able to bridge the gap between Seed and Sapling that easily, or even at all, Even if this worked, all he could really hope for was a Dao two steps beyond his current highest. However, he had to try.

Sam continued to attack, without any concern for the pain it brought. The more helpless his situation, the more pain Zeredran inflicted, the greater his chances of success.

Zeredran seemed happy to showboat, continuing to pummel Sam into submission. Eventually, though, the demon lord grew bored.

"What are you trying to accomplish here?" Zeredran asked. "Are you hoping that I will leave you be out of pity? I have not seen you use a single one of your greater powers, those that you unleashed to defeat my siblings."

Sam didn't answer, speaking with steel instead of his mouth. Terra's Will came whipping through the air, straight towards Zeredran's head. With a single, blistering slash, Zeredran sliced his sword across both Sam and his weapon. Sam's body and Terra's Will split in half, falling to the ground in four pieces. Sam blinked, unable to move. His weapon started to glow, a whining hum screeching through the air. It exploded, shards of metal embedding themselves into Sam's flesh. His trusty hammer, which had served him ever since the union of the Seven Seals all those months ago, had finally found a foe it could not face.

"This was never meant to be possible, was it?" Sam said more to the System than Zeredran. "It was a trap, meant to catch me. And I fell for it. Fell for it fully. My own ego, making me think that I could do what nobody had ever done before."

"Who are you talking to?" Zeredran asked, leaning on the hilt of his sword. He was completely at ease now, not seeing Sam as a threat now, if indeed he ever had. "Your gods? They cannot reach you here. In this world, I am God."

Sam spat bitterly, blood marring his spittle with red. A searing, towering rage started to build within him, the likes of which he had not felt since the tournament, back when things were so much simpler. When Rodney Kane tortured Lao, Sam had nearly killed the man with the raw strength of his aura, his Dao, for one moment, coming into perfect alignment with his will. Now he felt that same alignment again. Only, he now understood what it meant. It was him, tapping into the barest fraction of his true potential. Sam, for a single instant, had even resisted the System, manifesting power so much greater than he should have been able to.

Sam laughed. It was the laugh of a madman, who had finally realized the bitter truth that had eluded him until he left his sanity far behind. Sam, in that moment, realized something. He was not the man he had been building himself up to be. The man that his faction thought him to be. The man that his faction was named after. Sam had left his idealism behind long ago, replacing it with something more realistic. The mantle of an Avenger, one who did not take the burdens of the world on his back, but realized that evil would always exist. And when that evil came, something had to wait for it. Something darker, who could do what the light could not. It went beyond a simple Dao insight. It was what Sam had become, and would always be, at least in some part. The Boundless Expanse did not need a foolish idealist, hoping that things could be better. It needed a warrior who could make things better.

He had killed so many people since the arrival of the System. Their deaths had been necessary, but it was a task that the Sam before the System would never have undertaken. Despite this, Sam was more than just a brute. He had a purpose beyond simple ascension through the ranks, beyond his own survival and that of his people. His purpose was a cosmic one. He was the Dao Incarnation of Existence, but it was up to him to determine what that made him. That revelation resonated with every part of his being, and with his Dao Heritage. To accomplish his task, he could not die here. He had to become stronger. Sam drew upon the Dao of Existence, the mythical concept of everything that ever had, was, and ever would be, and forced it into himself. It only allowed this because of his breakthrough, and only at a limited level. Despite this, it would have to be enough.

Sam's Daos of the Avenger and Reaction crumbled, spinning around each other in a tide of cosmic dust. Then they fused into one, power flowing in from beyond Sam's body as the universe blessed the inception of something greater. Sam's shattered body glowed, brilliant white light shining out like a beacon.

"What are you doing?" Zeredran asked, a note of uncertainty in his voice. "What is this?" Somewhere deep within the demon, a place long eroded by arrogance, fear began to burn, a sickly flame that threatened to consume him from the inside out. He recognized the power flowing from Sam. It was one that shouldn't have been present in a mere E Ranker. Somehow, impossibly, Sam was trying to ascend to D Rank, while being fifty levels too low.

"You wanted to break me with an impossible task?" Sam ground out between clenched teeth. "I am the Dao Incarnation of Existence! My entire life is impossible. If you're listening, and you always are, you can go fuck yourself!"

A terrifying scream of pure rage rippled through reality, but it dissipated before it could do anything more than that.

Zeredran took a step backwards, nearly tripping.

Within Sam's threefold being, one of the greatest battles he had ever fought was taking place. To reach D Rank, one needed a Dao Sapling, Authority, and to be level 250. Sam had two of those things now, but lacked the third. However, he had an advantage that nobody else did. Before the ascension of the System to its current state, the Dao had served as an alternate method of progression. No cultivator had ever taken advantage of it, given that the cosmic war that established the supremacy of the System had taken place long before the first living being evolved. Sam could feel the latent power through his Dao Heritage, and in recognizing that, he could take advantage.

The System underpinned leveling, and all of the various add-ons that came from a stat sheet like titles, weapon mastery and quests. However, it did not entirely rule the Dao, and more importantly, the actual mechanisms of Ranking up. Classes came from the System, but the fundamental boons of Ranks, such as E Rank ascension and whatever came from D Rank, were manifestations of the Dao. That was why nothing had changed on Sam's stat sheet after his Perfect Ascension. It was out of the purview of the System. What that meant was that he could become a partial D Ranker, without needed to have the requisite levels. He would still be stuck with his E Rank class until level 250, but that hardly mattered.

Sam could vaguely sense Zeredran retreating, but most of his attention was fixed on his corespace. In the center, a blinding sun of power blazed, orbited by a far smaller orb of light, representing his two Daos. His nascent Dao Sapling dominated the space, so powerful that just looking at it filled Sam with a sense of boundless might. Around it was the maelstrom of his Authority, reacting with his Sapling in a glorious display of fire and lightning. A cyclical exchange was taking place, his Authority falling into his Sapling, and coming out the other side, brighter than ever before.

As he watched, Sam realized that his E Rank body was reacting to the changes. He was a complete entity, without the weaknesses of a mortal. Despite this, such a union could always be improved. The Dao had walked alongside him since the very beginning of his journey. It was as much a part of him as his body, mind or soul. In many ways, far more so than for any other cultivator.

A burning pain spread through Sam's abdomen as his Daos pushed their way into the real world, manifesting as gemstone-like cores in the very center of his body. Tidal waves of might washed over his body. Veins of bright white light raced up and down his limbs, his strength reaching into an entirely new realm.

"How are you doing this?" Zeredran shrieked, shielding his eyes, despite the fact that he shouldn't have had to. Sam ignored the demon. He had something far more important to attend to. As he did so, Zeredran finally broke through his transfixion, and slashed his sword. A cutting wave almost a mile high, made from pure energy, streaked out, heading for Sam.

A pulse of light rent the world as Sam's newborn Dao Cores reacted to the incoming attack. The silhouette of a man, ghostly and ethereal, stepped out of the ether. He held out one palm, catching the technique. With a single clench of his fist, the towering wedge of light broke apart.

System messages spooled across Sam's vision, but he ignored every last one of them. He had to maintain utmost focus here. As his Dao Cores developed, Sam found them trying to take over his body, spreading conceptual corruption. His Dao Seed of Travel tried to discorporate him, sending his limbs in different directions, and to different places. His new Dao Sapling was even worse. Every motion that he made incurred a blowback that was dozens of times stronger than his previous motion. Simply waggling his fingers nearly tore them off. His body glowed brighter and brighter, until he barely looked like a person.

Zeredran gibbered in fear, mumbling under his breath as he fired off devastating beams of radiant power that could have torn apart entire civilizations. None of them reached Sam, stopped by various creations of his Daos, ranging from shields to equal and opposite reactions, mirroring Zeredran's techniques.

Sam could feel himself losing grip on his power. Doubt began to spread. There was a reason that the System imposed limits on Ranking up. His body wasn't ready for what he was putting it through. The cushion of stats that another fifty levels would have provided would have made this process much easier. What Sam was attempting flew in the face of the cultivation advancement practiced since the beginning of life itself.

Seconds passed like years as Sam tapped into his Daos, drawing their power into himself rather than letting it rampage across his body. He was dying, burning up like a candle doused in propane. His skin was flaking away, revealing his Dao Cores beneath. The pain was unearthly, lancing into every aspect of his being with equal fury. Then, suddenly, it all clicked into place. Sam stopped fighting. If his Daos were truly a part of him, then they would know how to integrate into his multilayered existence without his prompting. In fact, his desperate attempts to control things were making them worse. It was a connection that few cultivators would make, layered in arrogance as they were. Sam surrendered to the process. With a supernova of transcendent light, he was remade. It could have been milliseconds. It could have been centuries. But as he opened his eyes, Zeredran still stood before him, desperately trying to stall the process.

"How did I ever fear you?" Sam boomed, the energies of his ascension still present in his voice. He sounded like an angry god, bellowing at the unbelievers.

"You... How?" Zeredran sputtered, a world away from the arrogant, supremely confident demon that he had been.

Sam appeared in front of him. A whoosh of wind from the place he had stood signaled that he hadn't teleported. He had simply leaped, moving faster than Zeredran could see. A fist, shining like a thousand suns, broke through Zeredran's guard, and punctured his chest. Sam snapped his fingers inside the demon lord's body, and a pillar of immolating flame burned Zeredran to ash. A single scream lingered on the air, and then it was done.

Sam fell backwards, his strength leaving him. He simply sat there, reeling from what he had just done.

A System message, the likes of which Sam had never seen, forced its way into his vision. It was made out of glittering gold letters, surrounded by white flames.

You have gained a new title! (Replaces Ninety-Ninth Floor Obliterator: Godly)

S Rank Potential: Divine

Legends tell of a realm beyond A Rank, a level of power beyond the wildest dreams of almost every cultivator, from wretch to king. In the entire history of the Boundless Expanse, only three beings have ever walked through the final door and touched the pinnacle. Out of so many beings that it might as well be infinite, only three. Now, perhaps, there will be a fourth.

Bonuses: +250 percent to all stats (additional 50 percent bonus for every unique achievement on a Divine level)

Additional Unique Achievements: Primordial Cultivator

This title may be altered to display any prior Tower clearance title to any analysis abilities.

Sam felt a being flicker into existence before him. Felt it on a level that transcended anything he had ever experienced. It was beyond a god. It was something functionally omnipotent, at least compared to Sam. It was the System itself, not in the form of an Avatar, or one of the Incarnations that Sam had never seen, but as a concrete entity. Its body was like that of a person but made up of recursive toruses of recycled power. Every color of the rainbow contributed to its being, tracing out the outlines of a face. Other than that, it was completely featureless.

"I SEE YOU!" it said, the words like the edicts of God Himself as they wrote themselves into the very structure of the cosmos, as if they had always existed. Then the figure vanished, leaving Sam feeling very small, and very afraid.