Chapter 99 - Against an Administrator
Orion slowly rose from the shattered remains of the dining table.
A thin trail of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
He wiped it away with his thumb before quietly staring at the crimson stain.
"...I was..."
"...hit?"
For the first time in many years...
The Administrator looked genuinely confused.
His golden eyes remained fixed on Blaze.
Impossible.
How did he move?
My Authority is absolute.
Within my vicinity, time itself obeyed his command.
No ordinary player could resist it.
Not even another Administrator.
Unless...
His eyes narrowed.
An Authority-Negation Artifact...?
or some sort of exploit..?
Ancient relics from before the Great Collapse.
Items capable of resisting an Administrator's power.
They were among the rarest treasures ever created.
Only a handful of legendary players had ever possessed one.
No...
That can't be it.
Such artifacts had vanished years ago.
Most had been destroyed.
or been patched up by the Devs
The few that remained were locked away under the protection of the world's strongest powers.
There was no logical way a nameless veteran could possess one.
His gaze sharpened.
Then...
Is it something else?
A unique skill?
A hidden title?
Or...
For the first time in decades...
A possibility crossed Orion's mind that he did not like.
A variable beyond the System.
Before he could think further—
"Administrator Orion!"
The restaurant doors burst open.
Imperial Elite Guards flooded inside.
More soldiers quickly surrounded the building, forming layers of defensive formations.
Every civilian had already fled.
Weapons were raised.
Magic circles illuminated the room.
"Sir!"
"Your orders!"
Across the ruined restaurant...
Ryze slowly raised her sniper rifle.
Volt spun both pistols into his hands.
SK calmly drew an ordinary stick.
With a single twist—
Click.
The wooden cane unfolded into her signature scythe.
Blaze quietly stepped forward.
The glowing blue sword finally left its sheath.
Its brilliant azure light illuminated the destroyed restaurant.
The atmosphere instantly became suffocating.
Orion suddenly smiled.
Then...
He laughed.
"So..."
"You truly intend to challenge an Administrator?"
His eyes moved from one person to the next before stopping on Blaze.
"...Interesting."
Without taking his eyes off the group, Orion casually raised one hand toward the surrounding soldiers.
"Stand down."
The guards hesitated.
"But, Administrator—"
"I said..."
"Stand down."
Instantly every weapon lowered.
"I'll handle this myself."
The soldiers immediately stepped back.
No one questioned an Administrator.
Orion slowly removed one of his white gloves.
Golden lines of code began flowing across his hand.
The very air distorted around him.
"Since you've managed to surprise me..."
"I suppose it's only fair..."
"...that I stop holding back."
His golden eyes glowed brilliantly.
Snap.
The sound echoed unnaturally.
The restaurant vanished.
The bustling city disappeared.
The soldiers...
The merchants...
The buildings...
Everything dissolved into countless fragments of golden light.
The world itself broke apart.
...
When the light faded—
Ryze opened her eyes.
"...Where..."
Endless wasteland stretched to every horizon.
The cracked earth was dry and lifeless.
No mountains.
No forests.
No cities.
Only an endless sky filled with floating fragments of golden code.
The laws of reality themselves seemed unstable.
Volt slowly looked around.
"...This isn't Helios Reach."
SK tightened his grip on his scythe.
"...No."
"I've heard stories..."
"But I never thought I'd see it."
Blaze remained silent.
His eyes calmly scanned the empty world.
Orion now stood several hundred meters away.
His long coat fluttered despite the complete absence of wind.
His voice echoed across the endless wasteland.
"Welcome..."
"...to my Domain."
The floating fragments of code multiplied.
The empty sky transformed into an ocean of glowing commands.
Every grain of sand.
Every breath of air.
Every law of reality.
Everything answered to a single will.
Orion slowly spread his arms.
"Within this place..."
"My Authority is absolute."
The ground trembled.
The sky itself bent around him.
Even the System acknowledged him as the ruler of this world.
Then Orion smiled.
"Now..."
"Show me."
He pointed directly at Blaze.
"...how you managed to defy an Administrator."
Far away, the wind finally began to howl.
The battle between a forgotten veteran...
And an Administrator...
Was about to begin.