Chapter 5
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Echoes of the Inevitable
The city burned in silence.
Dust drifted through the air like gray snow, settling over shattered streets and broken lives. Sirens wailed in the distance, faint and useless. I stood at the epicenter of the destruction, energy still crackling around my body, my breath slow but heavy.
She was gone.
But her words weren't.
This isn't over. You can't stop the inevitable.
I clenched my fist.
Wang Ling (Kazuki): "Tch… running your mouth and running away. Typical."
The ground beneath me trembled—not from leftover energy, but from something deeper. Something wrong.
Then it happened.
A sharp, mechanical ding echoed inside my head.
> [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Warning: Reality Stability has dropped below 62%.
Cause: External Chaos Authority Detected.
Threat Level: SSS
My eyes narrowed.
Wang Ling (Kazuki): "Chaos Authority… so that's what you really are."
The woman hadn't been acting alone. That portal—those spells—they weren't fueled by ordinary dark magic. They were borrowed. Loaned by something far older… and far more dangerous.
I could feel it now.
Watching.
Judging.
Then the air split open.
Not a portal—no violent tearing, no screaming void. This rift was clean. Controlled. As if reality itself had stepped aside out of respect.
A figure emerged.
Tall. Draped in layered black and silver robes that shifted like liquid night. No overwhelming aura, no pressure—but that was what made it terrifying. His presence felt… absolute.
Behind him, space folded inward, forming a throne of fractured light.
He sat.
And smiled.
???: "Impressive. You survived her."
I didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Wang Ling (Kazuki): "You the one pulling her leash?"
His smile widened slightly.
???: "Leash is such a crude word. I prefer investment."
The system screamed warnings in my head, one after another.
> [ERROR] Authority Level Cannot Be Measured
[ERROR] Target Exists Outside World Parameters
[ERROR] Threat Assessment Failed
I exhaled slowly.
Wang Ling (Kazuki): "Talk fast. I'm not in the mood for cosmic lectures."
He chuckled—soft, amused.
???: "Straight to the point. I like that."
He leaned forward. "You see, Wang Ling… this world is scheduled for collapse. You weren't meant to be here—yet here you are, rewriting outcomes."
I felt it then.
A pull.
Not on my body—but on my existence. Like invisible hands testing the weight of my soul.
Wang Ling (Kazuki): "Let me guess. You're here to erase me."
He shook his head.
???: "Erase you? No."
A pause.
"I'm here to offer you a choice."
The throne behind him fractured further, revealing countless visions—worlds burning, gods falling, timelines snapping like glass.
???: "Join us. Become an Authority. Not a pawn like her… but a ruler."
Silence.
Then I laughed.
Not loud. Not crazy.
Just… amused.
Wang Ling (Kazuki): "You came all this way for that?"
I stepped forward.
The ground cracked beneath my feet.
Wang Ling (Kazuki): "I don't kneel. I don't sign contracts. And I sure as hell don't share power."
For the first time—
His smile faltered.
The pressure exploded outward as I released my aura fully. The sky darkened. Space warped. Even he was forced to rise from his throne.
Wang Ling (Kazuki): "Tell your little council something for me."
I looked him dead in the eyes.
Wang Ling (Kazuki): "If this world is scheduled to end—then I'll destroy the schedule."
The rift snapped shut instantly.
Gone.
No farewell. No threat.
Just silence.
The system chimed again.
> [SYSTEM UPDATE]
New Objective Unlocked:
— Defy the Authorities
— Prevent World Collapse
— Ascend Beyond Fate
I smirked.
Wang Ling (Kazuki): "Heh… now that sounds fun."
Far away, beyond dimensions and time—
The woman screamed.
And the game truly began.
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End of Chapter 5