Josh Malum

On an ocean of bodies stood one man...

His boots were digging into the bloody mush sullying the entire Floor. The victims had been cut into millions of pieces splattering all over.

He was wearing transcendent-looking equipment. It gleamed with a purple-darkish light that gave him an unfathomable aura. Not only did it glow in the dark, but it also revealed that he was the main character.

He was in fact fully geared with S!!!-tier artifacts that would have rendered any being in the multiverse envious. Not only did it give him incredible stat boosts, but it also came with Unique skills.

Any single artifact of his was worth more than the wealth of the top worlds combined, yes even the ones of the greedy Dragons or the proud Celestials.

He had killed so much that the very air was filled with a blood mist. The foul iron odor was ever-present, a heavy one. One that was trying to permeate his whole being.

Of course, he resisted being tainted with a thin layer of mana. Not because of fashion, but simply because it was convenient.

The fetid scent of death was everywhere. It was something that he was accustomed to, that he welcomed even. He had killed so much during his ascension of the Dimensional Tower. Reaching the top was his goal and he was so very close at that moment.

In the distance, he could see countless Arch-Demons. If one were to ask anyone what an Arch-Demon was, this would be the expected answer:

-Towering beings of close to infinite power.

-Born of sin, violence, and baleful mana.

-Able to annihilate entire worlds on their own.

-Close to immortal. Killing one required to destroy all 12 of their hearts at once. Shattering a single heart was almost impossible with their near-infinite vitality.

Well, he had a different opinion. He simply considered them critters.

These Arch-Demons were the overlords of this Floor, the last one of the Dimensional Tower. One that was believed impossible to clear.

They were the lackeys of the ultimate evil that controlled the Dimensional Tower, one he was about to fight.

He had left a deep impression on them. They were all shivering in fright just by looking at him. They had dubbed him a complete madman for he would massacre all without remorse.

He had in fact just massacred his own kind. Systematically, without it bothering him too much. He had almost committed omnicide, for he was the only human left. He had slaughtered friends and foes alike, reducing them to bloody particles in a mere instant.

He had killed all the veterans that had miraculously survived till here, even the brothers that had accompanied him from the very beginning. They had in fact all sacrificed themselves for they knew he was humanity's last hope. Well, not that they had the strength to resist him in the first place. At least they died with a smile.

He did not care, for it would not matter. None of it would. He would gladly destroy the world if it meant accomplishing his goal. He did it all for them. No, he did it for himself. He was the one that wanted them back.

Funny how the humans were one of the weakest races. One that had been introduced to the Tower on a whim at the very last minute. They were supposed to be nothing more than cannon fodder.

Yet, there he was.

He had the appearance of one for sure. But was he still human? Countless ancient bloodlines did not count, right?

Any of the Arch-Demons would have answered that he was a true monster. Any of them, even the weak level 500 ones, were able to murder any human with a snap of their fingers.

But not this freak! Impossible!

The demons knew clearly that they would cease to exist should they confront him. That they would die both in body and soul. That they would disappear forever.

That is when he scoffed lightly "A shame I can't gain XP anymore eh…"

That was the last thing the hundreds of thousands of Arch-Demons heard before perishing. All of them. Killed by sword attacks so fast that they themselves did not perceive their own demise.

He then turned his attention to the humongous black doors by his side. These were engraved with complex red-glowing mana patterns. He could read words written in an ancient language :

<Here lies god.>

Appeared a system prompt too.

[Ready to Face a God? Doom Included! ^_^v !]

"Hehe, I pity it. I will be facing a god, but it will be facing Josh Malum!" he chuckled.

Josh pushed the double doors confidently, doors big enough to encompass the entire earth he had come from. Yet he did this act as easily as one would push any normal door.

Ever since coming into this world, Josh had been preparing for this moment. Soon, everything would be over. He would finally see them again.

Josh knew that no matter the outcome, the pain would cease. Both the old pain and the new one too.

The void in his heart would be filled, or he himself would return to the void.

Thus, Josh stepped up, fully prepared to commit deicide.

~Iteration 333 859 END~ 

****

Shaking guards brought him to the holding cell, letting him in while warily eyeing him. They were worried for their life, even with the white straitjacket that he was wearing.

The guards knew what he had done. They had heard about it on the news. He had killed all of the Dragon Triad, all 50 of its core members. Them who completely dominated the underground scene.

Killing 50 people was revolting in itself, but the way the man had done it was even more so. He had impaled all of them.

He had managed to prolong their suffering. For some, it was three days but for the unlucky ones a week. All the while torturing them.

Once he had been done with this sickening act, he had called the police to turn himself in. When they arrived, they were confronted with a scene straight out of a nightmare.

Yet, there he was nonchalantly sitting, reading a web novel on his cellphone and from time to time opening an idle game too.

When the police pointed their guns at him, he didn't bat an eye. He did not either when he was sentenced to a life sentence with a minimum of 75 years. That ended his free man's life.

When reporters asked him why he had done it, he simply answered that he had nothing to lose anymore. That the Dragon Triad had taken it all already. That he was simply cleaning trash.

The reporters kept asking for details but were not told any. Because of it, the world went crazy about the story. Some called him a madman. Some called him a hero.

No matter what the world thought it didn't change his fate, nor did he care either.

Thus, the man was brought to a damp prison cell. It was a dark room with a two-bunk bed and a toilet. Both items were metallic grey and bolted solidly to the floor. There was nothing else.

In there was a thief, one that had a lot of experience in prisons. As soon as the man came, the thief tried asserting dominance over the newcomer.

"Hey there, newbie. From now on, I'm the big boss! Anything you do, you need to ask for my permission beforehand. May it be eating, sleeping, or even shitting. Is that understood?!"

To which the man didn't even bother replying.

Thus, the thief kept going. "Hey, fucker! Can you hear me?! I'm talking to you! I don't care what your name is, from now on you will be called fucker and nothing else!"

The man slowly answered, "My name is Josh Malum" while lowering himself on the bottom bunk.

At first, the inmate was about to scream at him for taking his bed, but then he realized. The name sounded familiar; he had heard it before. Everyone had in fact.

Josh had been everywhere on the news.

The color left the thief's face as he unconsciously retreated toward the cell wall. It was then that he understood why the newcomer was still tied up even here, a fact he had disregarded earlier.

The thief couldn't believe how unlucky he was for that madman had to land in HIS cell! Yet all Josh did was stare at the wall. He did so completely unguarded, completely defenseless.

Josh's cellmate was nonetheless terrified. So much that he had trouble breathing. He couldn't help but ask in a high-pitched tone "Y-you won't kill me, right?!"

To which Josh answered. "No. I only bring retribution. Nothing more. I kill with a purpose."

The thief dropped on the ground kneeling "T-thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, I guess. How long do you have left?" Josh inquired.

"T-that. Two years!"

"Then let's get along these two next years, shall we?"

Then Josh simply laid there thinking. Thinking about how spending an eternity in prison was worth it. At least their souls would rest in peace knowing they had been avenged.

The previous 2 years had been truly hectic for Josh. There was all the training, the hardships, and the preparation that went into a plan anyone else would have considered insane.

Well, Josh himself did realize that it was in fact truly crazy. What were the chances of a normal broke salaryman toppling a crime syndicate alone?

Yet Josh had pulled it off. He had succeeded exactly because no one believed he could have done it.

What came after Josh had achieved his goal? He never thought that far. He had simply kept going, fueled by anger and sorrow.

Now Josh truly felt empty. This vengeance had brought him no joy whatsoever.

But he truly believed that it had made the world a tiny bit less dark. Of course, there would soon be another evil to replace the old one. That was an eternal aspect of life itself. Still, he had done his part.

He then simply closed his eyes and rested, for the first time in two years, wishing for a lucid dream. He wished to see a mirage of them both alive, if only for a moment.

Josh slept soundly.

At some point, a guard came for roll call, an extremely loud event.

Yet Josh kept slumbering.

The guard quickly realized that one of the prisoners was missing and angrily headed to the cell. But when he saw who it was, he calmed down instantly. He even acted like he hadn't seen anything.

The guard whispered a soft "Let me be magnanimous since it's his first day." before exiting hurriedly. If anything, that only served to protect his bruised ego.

The day kept progressing as usual, yet Josh simply slept.

Later, the warden himself came to observe the situation. He didn't dare disturb Josh either.

Quickly the entire prison heard of Josh's arrival.

Some started betting on how long the thief would survive.

Some decisively decided not to mess with him in case he became Josh's friend.

Thus, the day ended, an uneventful yet significant one.

The whole prison was expecting the future with bated breaths. They were awaiting Josh's next move.

A rumor even started that the warden had instructed his guards to never mess with Josh. It had started because it was in fact true.

The other inmates decided at that point that they would rather mess with God himself than Josh Malum.

A man that had done nothing since his arrival but sleeping had somehow terrified into submission some of the toughest criminals of the country. After all, this was a maximum-security prison.

The very next day, Josh Malum escaped.

He did so without even trying.

He did so while sleeping.

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That day humanity transmigrated to the Dimensional Tower.