Hitman with a Badass System

The battle within the golden house raged on. Gaya, with her bow drawn, was a whirlwind of lethal grace. She maneuvered through the adventurers, her arrows finding their marks with deadly accuracy.

"Come on, you slowpokes! Is that all you've got?" she taunted, dodging an axe swing from a burly dwarf. "I thought you lot were supposed to be tough!"

Her opponents, fueled by rage and desperation, responded with a barrage of attacks and a stream of curses.

"We're gonna tear you apart, you arrogant bitch!" shouted a human warrior, swinging his sword with fury.

"Get her! She can't take us all!" an elf yelled, firing arrows in rapid succession.

Meanwhile, Michael and Elrion's duel had escalated. Michael, displaying exceptional combat skills, parried and countered Elrion's strikes with a fluidity that seemed almost supernatural.

"Nice try, but you're going to have to do better than that!" Michael taunted as he sidestepped a powerful thrust and retaliated with a series of fast punches.

Elrion, undeterred by Michael's prowess, responded with a blend of disciplined swordplay and tactical strikes. "I will not falter in the face of arrogance," he declared, his blade moving in swift, calculated arcs.

Despite Elrion's skill and determination, Michael's agility and combat expertise gave him the upper hand. Each exchange between them was a testament to their abilities, a dance of blades and fists that left the onlookers in awe.

Observing the chaos, Lysandra remained stoic, her eyes tracking every movement. She was ready to intervene if necessary but for now, she chose to watch, her expression unreadable amidst the battle.

The longer Michael fought and played with Elrion, the more badass points he received. On the other hand, the adventures who failed to even make Gaya and Michael shed even a drop of blood began to shout in frustration.

A tall, muscular human with a scarred face and heavy armor swung his sword in a wide arc, missing Gaya by inches. "Damn it! Stand still, you slippery bitch!" he bellowed, frustration clear in his voice.

An elf with sleek, dark hair and light leather armor loosed arrow after arrow, each missing its target. "Son of a... How can she dodge everything?" he cursed, his fingers moving swiftly to nock another arrow.

"By the stones, I'll chop you into pieces! Just let me land one good hit!" growled a stout dwarf, his beard braided and his face red with anger, swung his axe furiously.

But suddenly, Michael's casual smile on his face froze. Then, before Michael could even react, the rooftop of the golden house crashed down with a massive explosion that sent everyone flying away. The force of the explosion was big enough for even Michael to go flying like a kite without the anchor in the storm. At that moment, the smoke and debris shrouded the house, blocking the view of everything. Through the smoke, gaya growled and tried to stand up. However, a large chunk of debrief pinned her down. Despite her raw strength, she couldn't lift it up to escape. "Argh... get off..." she growled, exerting all her might to move the debris, but it wouldn't budge.

Around her, the aftermath of the explosion was grim and devastating. Gaya's eyes scanned the area, revealing a harrowing scene. Several adventurers lay motionless, their bodies twisted in unnatural angles, a testament to the explosion's brutal force. Some were barely recognizable, covered in dust and blood, their armor shattered and torn.

One adventurer, a young elf who had been swift and agile, now lay still, his limbs splayed at odd angles, a look of surprise forever etched on his face. Nearby, a dwarf, previously robust and fierce, was crushed under a fallen beam, his once vibrant eyes now lifeless and dull.

"Human, where are you?" Gaya asked through the earpiece, but then realized it had been thrown away due to the explosion.

Desperately, she searched for Michael as she vaguely saw two figures descending from the exploded roof. To Gaya's surprise, vines and flora began to cover the ground, and the vines constricted around everyone, including the dead bodies.

"Shit," Gaya growled, watching a thick vine coil around her.

Meanwhile, Michael got back to his feet and spat the blood in his mouth. Before he could move, the vines coiled around his legs, arms, and neck, constricting him.

"Game over, God of Darkness," came the familiar voice of Raphael. Then, several golden swords, powered by Celestial energy and possessing the power of a level 6 Elden God, flew out of nowhere and struck Michael in several places.

The swords glowed as if forged from the essence of the sun itself, preventing Michael from tapping into his powers.

As Raphael emerged from the smoke, his armor radiating with golden energy, Michael realized Raphael had absorbed the grace of a high-level god, significantly enhancing his power. It was clear Raphael was not playing around anymore.

What surprised Michael even more was the person walking beside Raphael, Marli.

"Marli," Michael growled, blood trickling from his lips. He vividly remembered how she betrayed him, cutting his neck and sending him to Hades as well as his encounter with Dagon.

"How are you, God of Darkness?" Marli asked with an amused smile.

"Remove these, and I'll show you," Michael calmly answered, only to see Marli chuckle.

"Oh, honey, you don't have to rush this. Thanks to the deal I made with Andohr, I am now a Greater God, not a Demi-God anymore," Marli said with triumphant laughter. Her ascension from level 2 Godhood as a Demi-God to level 3 Godhood as a Greater God had significantly boosted her power. Since Michael was still at the Demi-God level, Marli now outranked him in terms of Godhood level. This put Michael at a temporary disadvantage.

Despite his current situation, bound by the constricting vines and impaled by celestial swords, Michael's demeanor remained composed. But a cold, calculated killing intent briefly flickered in his eyes, betraying his thoughts.

"You are coming with us to the pantheon to answer for your crimes, rogue god," Raphael stated, his tone icy and unforgiving.

"What crimes?" Michael asked, a hint of mockery in his voice, even as blood continued to trickle down from his wounds.

"The crime of killing a god, honey," Marli interjected, her smile both sweet and sinister.

Just the mention of killing a god from Marli showed Michael the extent of the panic in the pantheon.. To his surprise, this earned Michael the whooping fifty thousand badass points at once. However, he was not in the situation to enjoy the rain of badass points. Instead, Michael wanted to find a way out of this quickly.

"You can't kill a god, Marli. Don't try to play games with me," Michael lied, trying to sow a seed of doubt in Raphael's heart.

"Is that so?" Marli replied, her smile turning seductive as she ran her hands down his chest provocatively.

"Then you have nothing to fear, darling. You could even strike a deal with the pantheon. It might be your only way out of Andohr's wrath," she suggested.

"We are not here to waste time, Goddess Marli," Raphael interjected, his patience wearing thin. However, Marli seemed more interested in toying with Michael.

"We both know there's no deal that can bring peace between me and Andohr," Michael replied calmly, his gaze locked with Marli's.

Marli sighed, a hint of disappointment in her demeanor. "Well, it was worth a try. You're as clever as always," she conceded.

"But the same can't be said for you, Marli. You played a dangerous game crossing me," Michael countered, his voice steady.

"A game I won, God of Darkness. Despite being trapped in your clever prison, Andohr still has some tricks up his sleeve. Siding with him allowed me to ascend to Level 3 Godhood, a feat many gods dream of achieving," Marli boasted, once again emphasizing her newfound power.

Raphael, meanwhile, remained silent, his expression unreadable.

[The quest "God Killer II" has commenced... Seek vengeance against Marli and avenge Marli's worshippers...]

[Upon completing the quest, the host will be able to instantly reach level 3 Godhood level - The Greater God.]

The sudden notifications and the quest from the system caught Michael offguard. At the same time, it also showed him the significance of killing Marli. Even the system seemed to hate Marli more than anything. However, to kill Marli, he needed to escape Raphael and Marli.

Fortunately for Michael, Marli and Raphael were unaware of Gaya's presence in the hall. While Marli enjoyed teasing Michael, Gaya was trying to find a way out and found the portal was still glowing in the corner.

"Cut the shit, Marli. Why are you really here? Something tells me you are here for more than gloating," Michael snickered.

"Perceptive as always. I am here for the remains of Vedora, honey. You see, Andohr has taken a special interest in your hydra," Marli exclaimed as she was confident that Raphael wouldn't let Michael escape. This confidence of her made her blurt out some crucial information to Michael.

Of course, Michael's special friend informed him about Andohr's little project of reanimating Vedora, who lived and died five thousand years ago. But Michael was glad to know Marli was here to reach the dungeon's center to retrieve the remains. "Believe me when I say this, honey, Andohr has plans that will make you shudder… He has plans for you, your family, and everything you care and love,"

"Enough of this," Finally, Raphael lost his patience and raised his voice. "It is time I finish my duty and bring him to the pantheon. You can have your little chat over there," Raphael said, preparing to teleport Michael to the pantheon.