The End of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 4)

by Con Template

  A sadistic smile was projected into his voice when he added his next words.

  “Given that we have such powerful Gods on stage—and because we know you will be able to withstand anything thrown your way—we decided to add a challenge to the battle. In the buildings surrounding you are some of the Underworld’s best snipers. They will join in on your fight and will be firing at both of you without prejudice. If you can figure out a way around it, you are free to utilize their involvement as another form of defense.”

  A smirk played on the edge of Yoori’s mouth. Ju Won was suggesting that they could use each other as shields against the snipers. Of course the old bastard would encourage something so callous.

  “With that said,” the eldest Advisor concluded, eager to enjoy the show with the rest of the Underworld, “good luck to both of you.” There was a brief pause before he wrapped up the call. “And please remember, if you go easy on one another, we will know. We’re not interested in being ruled over by two Gods in love. We want one ruthless Lord who will lead as a powerful example in our world. Please fight as you would anyone else and for the one who survives, we all look forward to serving you. Thank you and once again, good luck.”

  A tense silence presided over the rooftop after Ju Won disconnected the call.

  Officially alone, Yoori and Tae Hyun stood like Royals underneath the heavens while towering over the unsuspecting city beneath them.

  Once he determined that no one in the Underworld could hear their conversation, Tae Hyun finally parted his lips. “Is this the moment you’ve been waiting for?”

  His face maintained an expression of neutrality. Despite his undecipherable demeanor, it was apparent to Yoori that he hadn’t slept since their last encounter. She could not read his face, but she understood his motivations. The only reason why he was here, ready and willing to fight her, was because she wanted him to.

  “Yes,” she answered coolly. She secretly hoped the indifference in her tone would encourage him to fight with everything he had. She did not plan to go easy on him. With the Underworld watching their every move, she couldn’t go easy on him even if she wanted to. “Fighting under the heavens, amongst the Gods. This was exactly how I imagined it.”

  As a bitter smile bloomed across Tae Hyun’s lips, a male heir from the 1st layer stepped onto the rooftop of the building across from theirs. The teenager held a flare gun in his hand, a traditional Underworld tool used to commence historic battles between the Gods.

  “We’d better make your dreams come true then,” Tae Hyun whispered softly, stoically.

  “Fight me with all you have, King of Serpents,” she reminded him gravely.

  At the neighboring building, the heir raised his arm and pointed the flare gun up to the sky.

  “As you wish,” Tae Hyun conceded as fresh snow cascaded down from the heavens, “Queen of the Underworld.”

  Boom!

  The red flare shot up into the canvas of the dark sky like a shooting star and exploded in a sea of fire. The fiery blaze soared through the descending snow, signifying the start of a battle unlike any other.

  As the red flare disappeared into the night, a myriad of bittersweet, happy, and heavenly memories were placed aside as the war between the former lovers began.

  Yoori did not waste another second.

  Just as a sniper bullet flew past her ear, she gripped the hilt of her sword and charged at Tae Hyun.

  Swish!

  Her sword swung at an unstoppable velocity towards his throat, missing by a mere centimeter when he swiftly snapped his head back. Yoori wielded the sword again, intent on taking another swing at his neck. She was sidetracked when another round of bullets came at them.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  As they maneuvered their bodies around the flying bullets, Yoori took a swing for the top of Tae Hyun’s head. The sound of metal hitting metal reverberated in the air when Tae Hyun fended off her sword with his own. Undeterred, she continued to charge at Tae Hyun. Bullet after bullet chased them as Tae Hyun and Yoori jumped and ran over the roof, wielding their swords with such strength that sparks flew into the air. Although he was exchanging blows with her, she could feel him holding back. He did not want to hurt her; he did not want to kill her.

  An avalanche of rage engulfed her at the realization.

  “You can do better than this!” Yoori roared over the next set of bullets that came at them. One nearly submerged itself into her shoulder while another almost went into Tae Hyun’s neck. “You can fight better than this!”

  Frustrated that the sword fight did not offer her the results she wanted, Yoori let out a loud grunt and kicked him across the jaw. She followed that attack by jumping with both legs in the air and sinking her boots into his stomach. The wind was knocked out of Tae Hyun, causing him to tumble backwards with a string of bullets chasing after his body.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  “Get up!” Yoori shouted, reflexively fending off the bullets with her sword. “If you love me like you say you do, then you’ll fight back!” She glared at him with a mixture of hatred and disgust. Her next stream of words thundered over the ice-cold wind. “If you really love me, you’ll give me this battle!”

  Her angry words acted as a splash of cold water on Tae Hyun. Struck by the fury in her voice, something snapped within him. Despite his preference to go easy on her, he also knew that he could show her no mercy tonight. The conflicted look faded from his eyes. In its place came stern resolution. If Yoori and the rest of his society wanted a battle of the Gods, then he would give it to them.

  “Ugh!”

  Yoori was in the process of kneeing Tae Hyun across the face when he suddenly swept his leg on the snow-covered roof. As a flurry of snow flew upward, he stole the ground from under her feet and proceeded to kick her hard in the stomach. Akin to being hit by a semi-truck, Yoori shot across the roof, soaring directly into the door that led to the stairwell.

  Bam!

  A pained gasp tore from her chest when she slammed against the door, jarring it open with a loud crash.

  “That’s more like it,” she approved with an agonized pant.

  Her entire body went on full alert once she saw him advance towards the stairwell landing. Satisfied that he was finally playing his part, she gripped her sword. Now that the King of Serpents had joined the battle, it was time for the Queen to play her part as well.

  At the same moment Tae Hyun ran towards her, she swung the sword at full force and sliced the blade through his left arm.

  “Auugh!”

  The razor sharp blade cut through his shirt, grazed his flesh, and claimed his blood.

  Tae Hyun clutched his wounded arm and fell back against the wall. Warm blood oozed from his arm, profusely dripping onto the quiet stairwell. He took in a sharp breath and peered up. When he sighted a security camera in the stairwell, a hardened mask encased his face. Pushing himself off the wall, he executed a spin kick on Yoori just as she moved closer to him.

  Blindsided from the attack, Yoori staggered back, slamming against the railing before she fell down the flight of stairs. Dark stars exploded in her field of vision as she crashed hard onto the next landing.

  “Ugh.”

  Blood poured from Yoori’s moaning mouth as she tried to move. She scarcely moved an inch before an inundation of pain coursed through her, nearly knocking her unconscious with its manifestation. Determined to fight through this, Yoori used all her might to lift herself up. While doing so, it felt like every nerve within her was etched with knives. It was excruciating to breathe, let alone move.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Yoori barely had time to take another painful breath when the large windows to the stairwell shattered one after another, paving way for an avalanche of bullets. The once quiet stairwell vibrated with the thunderous entrance of the sniper bullets. The bullets stampeded into the stairwell, striking against the railings, puncturing walls, and hammering into the ground.

  Yoori and Tae Hyun were not
spared from the destruction.

  “Ahh!”

  “Ahh!

  Simultaneous screams emitted from them after the bullets grazed over the top of his shoulder and skimmed over her left leg.

  “You’ve dreamed of this moment?” he asked, looking down at her from the upper landing in disbelief.

  The barrage of bullets slowed for a moment before ceasing completely. The only sounds that could be heard in the stairwell were Tae Hyun and Yoori’s labored breathing.

  Yoori could hardly keep her eyes open. The throbbing within her body was killing her and her ears were ringing from the deluge of bullets. She only regained her bearings when she eyed the security camera. A constant red blink came from the camera hanging over the stairwell, indicating that the Underworld was still watching them. She pushed back the last of her pain and rallied together all the strength she had left. She refused to be viewed as a weak human in front of the Underworld. She was raised to be better than this, to be stronger than all of this.

  She gripped the railing of the stairs and pulled herself up. She saw Tae Hyun stagger down the stairs, getting closer to her with every step. He was not paying attention to her, but tending to both the wound from her sword and his new bullet wound. Using his moment of distraction as her opportunity, she jumped in the air and swung across the open space of the stairwell. She used the momentum of her jump to kick Tae Hyun right across the face. Coagulated blood flew from his mouth at the attack.

  “Yes,” she answered, jumping back onto the stairs, “this entire moment is all that I’ve dreamed of—all that I’ve lived for.”

  Tae Hyun fell forward, his entire body smashing over the concrete stairs several times with bone crushing echoes. He was barely moving when he crashed onto the next landing. Tae Hyun slowly opened his eyes and looked at the second camera in the bloodstained stairwell. A flood of energy poured into him after catching sight of it. As Yoori jumped down to complete her assault, he rocketed up and kicked her in the chest. A loud thud poured into the stairwell when his foot connected with her chest. The force of the impact was so strong that it sent Yoori crashing through the door by the landing. At the same instant, another stampede of bullets entered the stairwell, missing Yoori as she flew into an empty office floor and nipped off pieces of Tae Hyun’s shirt as he ran in after her.

  Unlike the anarchy in the stairwell, the dark office floor they stumbled into was utterly peaceful. The change in environment was such a breath of relief that for a suspended moment, Tae Hyun and Yoori put fighting one another on the backburner. While Yoori laid on the floor, chest rising and falling in agony, Tae Hyun took a seat against the wall, shaking while clutching his wounded arm.

  Their moment of peace was short-lived when a flood of bullets pierced through the enormous windows of the office floor.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Tae Hyun let out a curse of fury, leapt away from the wall, and dove behind a desk in the center of the room. At the same second, Yoori propelled from the floor and lunged behind the same table as Tae Hyun. They sat close to one another, catching their breaths as a mass of bullets flew over them like a stream of arrows. When they strategically peered over the table to assess where the shots were coming from, they saw two sniper rifles sitting on the office table, illuming under the moonlight like an offering to the Gods. It did not take Yoori long to deduce that these rifles were a gift from Ju Won—they were to either use the rifles to combat with the snipers, or with one another.

  “Motherfuckers,” Tae Hyun seethed, pissed that he was being shot at while he was trying to concentrate on fighting.

  “Pieces of shit,” Yoori muttered, furious that her leg hurt like hell from the bullet that had grazed it.

  She signed up to fight with a fellow God, not to have faceless snipers shoot at her like it was target practice. The rage inside Yoori mounted. She was not going to allow them to fuck up this historic battle. She would not allow them to fuck with her plans.

  “Should we show them who they’re fucking with?” Tae Hyun asked, reading her thoughts. He shared her fury. He, too, wanted to kill these faceless assholes for screwing with his battle.

  Yoori gave a stiff incline of the head, wordlessly agreeing to a momentary ceasefire in order to teach these bastards a lesson. She would return to fighting him soon enough, but for now, they had a lesson to teach.

  They each grabbed a rifle and propped them on the desk. They strategically aimed past the windows and began to fire their rifles with accuracy, successfully shooting through the glass windows and killing several snipers within their vantage point.

  Their offense worked in their favor. The instant they shot back, the barrage of bullets ceased. For the time being, it was just Yoori and Tae Hyun.

  Now that she was done with the snipers, she had a King to return to.

  Fully aware that Ju Won would send in replacements for the dead snipers soon, Yoori did not waste time. She had to end this fight before the next set of snipers joined this battle.

  Without warning, she jammed the back of the rifle against Tae Hyun’s neck.

  Soon, her heart assured as her body ached in torment. It will all be over soon.

  Tae Hyun staggered back, but not before he used the rifle to perform an uppercut on Yoori. The back of the rifle slammed into her jaw. The impact caused her teeth to clack together. Fresh pain surfaced over her. Yoori doubled over and smashed into a metal computer chair in the process. While unbearable aches engulfed her wounded body, she bit back a scream of agony, grabbed the office chair, and slammed it against Tae Hyun’s back.

  Bam!

  Tae Hyun arched his spine, violently gasping for air. It took Yoori everything she had not to reach out and help him. She empathized with his pain, for she was going through the same thing. Anyone else would’ve died by this point, but not him and definitely not her. She curbed her impulse to help him. She could not show that she cared for him. Not while the Underworld was watching.

  Tae Hyun spit out blood from his mouth and eyed another camera on the floor. Once he drew in a preparatory breath, he speedily jumped on the desk and flew in the air, delivering an air kick so powerful that Yoori went airborne across the room. She crashed on another set of tables with a loud bang. To add insult to injury, her head collided with the corner of a computer monitor that nearly knocked her unconscious.

  “Augh . . .”

  Refusing to allow the pain to deter her, Yoori jumped back onto her feet. When she stood upright on the desk, she found that Tae Hyun was already standing on an office table that was about five desks away from hers. Like alpha dogs fighting for territory, Yoori and Tae Hyun sped towards each other. Years upon years of training came out in her battle with Tae Hyun after they collided on the center table.

  Punch after punch was thrown, block after block held up, kick after kick bestowed, and blood after blood was spat out as they fought across the room like warring tornadoes.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The snipers reappeared with a vengeance, and no expense was spared. Countless bullets thundered into the room, destroying everything in sight. As this scene of pure pandemonium took place, Yoori and Tae Hyun continued beating the living hell out of each other while simultaneously avoiding all the bullets.

  Fuck you, Ju Won, Yoori screamed out in her mind, knowing that he and the rest of the Underworld were enjoying this too much. By now, ninety-nine percent of the people in the world would have died in this situation. Their King and Queen were making them proud.

  In spite of the bullets that were increasing with every progressing minute, Yoori and Tae Hyun continued to forge on with their fight.

  Yoori glanced over at the security camera just as another bullet missed her head. She executed a flying knee kick and elbow punch combo that knocked Tae Hyun against the wall. Using this moment before he regained his strength, she grabbed the side of his neck and slammed his head against a cubicle wall. She could feel the pain multiply in his body. He was in complete agony—not just physicall
y, but also emotionally—just like her.

  Now, her subconscious commanded. This is the moment. Enough is enough.

  It was time to end the fight.

  It was time to crown the Lord of the Underworld.

  Yoori took in a preparatory breath to curb her emotions and to prepare her body for what was to come. Then, she punched him. Repeatedly. Mercilessly. She punched him again and again and again, until she realized he wasn’t fighting back.

  The bullets stopped coming and Tae Hyun stopped fighting.

  He merely sat there, motionless as his head rested against the wall. His quiet and tired eyes gazed up at her with soft hope. It was as if he was taking a mental picture of her in his mind before he prepared himself for death.

  Torture inundated her at the sight of this. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and fought through her tears.

  “Fight me!” she shouted, falling to her knees. She pushed against his chest, urging him to take action. “Fight me back!”

  She was ready.

  She was ready for him, so why wasn’t he fighting back?

  “Why aren’t you fighting me back?” she cried, hurting more from seeing him in this state than from the pain in her own body.

  “I think . . .” he began faintly, hardly moving as he locked eyes with her. “I think by now, they know what a powerful God you are.” He swallowed softly, eyeing the camera in the room as he had been doing the entire time. “They know you deserve this throne.”

  Her stomach coiled in misery when she realized what his plan was all along.

  He purposely fought her the way he did because he wanted the Underworld to witness how gruesome this battle was. He wanted them to see how powerful she was; he wanted them to fear her so that they would think twice about betraying her once she sat on the throne. This was why he fought back so mercilessly. It was because he wanted to give her the throne. He wanted to give it to her in such a manner that no one would dare challenge her for it. He wanted to ensure her safety, even after his death.