Chapter 97: [] (1)

“So that’s what happened… I think I understand now.”

After hearing from Albus about the memories of the [Guide] and her previous attempts, Carthesia nodded.

A system that surpasses even gods and brings about destruction.

It was a story that even she, a mighty dragon, found hard to accept.

“So, that means this system or whatever will soon come to destroy the continent, right?”

Carthesia crossed her arms and leaned her back against the wall.

“Can it be stopped?”

“According to what you’ve seen in the memories, the [System] was a formidable foe that not even you, who had grown into a powerful GM by the first cycle, could defeat. It’s only been ten years since you created Rudera. Do you think you can win?”

Carthesia had once suspected that Albus might actually be a real god, thanks to the miracles performed by the great GM, but she quickly dismissed that thought.

She had known Albus for ten years.

It was clear to her that this urgent story he had told was not a lie.

“…I have no idea.”

“You don’t know?”

“I’ve never fought a god, let alone stopped a system that surpasses the gods of the universe. Honestly, I have no confidence.”

Albus looked down at his trembling hands.

“But I have to try.”

The apocalypses he had witnessed in the memories of the [Guide] from previous cycles were harsh and merciless.

The ultimate, most catastrophic disaster that would reduce the world, already ravaged by countless calamities, to nothingness.

In every cycle before the [Guide]’s regression, the continent was always annihilated.

“If we don’t stop it, this world will be erased.”

The world I live in, the world I love.

Albus clenched his fists tightly, his face set with determination.

Beep

• Master. Everything’s ready.

At the sound of the [Guide]’s voice in his ear, Albus raised his hand to his right ear.

“You’ve separated the server?”

• Yes. I split it into the exact sizes you mentioned.

“Good. I’m heading there right now.”

Beep

After ending the communication with the [Guide], Albus turned to face Carthesia.

“I’m going to stop the disaster now. I’ve prepared every move I can to prevent the destruction. Even if it’s nowhere near enough, I’ll keep fighting until the very end.”

“Albus…”

Carthesia could see that Albus had changed significantly compared to before.

The childish demeanor was almost gone, replaced by someone far more reliable.

“I have a favor to ask of you, Carthesia.”

“A favor? For you, I, Carthesia, can do anything. What do you need?”

“…Could you deliver this for me?”

“…What?”

“Is this the way you wanted it made?”

“Yes, that’s perfect. Thank you, Guide.”

With the help of Dua and the Guide, Albus began the task at hand.

A war to stop a transcendent existence, one that stood above even the gods.

One mistake could lead to the end of the world.

He had to mobilize every resource available to him as a GM.

[Server Creation]

[Separation]

[Configuration]

[Deletion]

Many worlds were created and destroyed.

Endless trial and error.

“It’s done.”

At the end of it all, Albus finally found the answer.

The countless calamities that covered both reality and Rudera.

As time passed, Albus’ power held the disasters at bay.

When would the [System] arrive?

While Albus was lost in thought—

Rumble…

A crushing, overwhelming presence pressed down on the surroundings.

“…It’s here.”

Without doing anything, merely by existing, the cosmic entity distorted the space around it.

[A child of man has twisted the order of the universe by creating a world in reckless abandon.]

[The order of the universe is sacred and absolute.]

Even Albus, who could wield absolute authority within this world, felt chills down his spine just by hearing that voice.

Could he really defeat this?

The immense gathering of power made him doubt again and again.

[Here, I will bring an end to the chaos caused by a mortal.]

Roar

The [System] had descended.

“This… is the system…”

Its size was so vast that even with the GM’s exclusive top-down view, it was impossible to grasp it all at once.

Despite having steeled himself countless times, Albus felt his body freeze with primal fear.

At that moment, Albus felt a soft sensation on his back.

Someone had wrapped their arms around him from behind.

“…Dua?”

When he turned around, Albus found Dua clinging to him.

“This place is dangerous, Dua. Didn’t I tell you that you shouldn’t be here?”

“No! Dua wants to fight with Papa!”

“Tsk!”

[Player Expulsion]

Buzz

With a flick of his finger, Albus enveloped Dua in light and sent her flying out.

“Just wait a little longer, Dua. I’ll finish this quickly and come back.”

Albus slowly ascended into the air.

His body was now wrapped in a golden aura of divinity.

“Nice to meet you, System.”

Of course, it wasn’t really a pleasure.

There was no way he could be glad to meet a monster bent on destroying the world he lived in.

But after spending so long preparing to stop this thing, he had sometimes wished it would just come sooner.

Each day was agony, waiting for the inevitable destruction.

After enduring those painful days, he was finally facing it now.

“A human created a world out of recklessness. And that is wrong, you say?”

Albus ascended to the height of the System’s massive form, meeting its gaze at what seemed to be its head.

“And what exactly is so wrong about that?”

“Who decides the laws and order of the universe, anyway?”

[These laws have existed since the birth of the universe.]

“What nonsense.”

Albus furrowed his brow in disbelief.

Boom.

The space around him seemed to collapse.

[Initiating destruction protocol.]

Rumble…

A massive wave of energy surged from the System’s enormous body.

Swoosh.

The wave expanded, spreading out to cover the entire world.

Albus recognized this wave from the memories of the [Guide].

It was the power of annihilation that disintegrated all intelligent life forms within its range, breaking them down into particles.

In previous cycles, when this wave covered Rudera and the continent, humans, dwarves, demons, dragons, elves, and beastkin were all erased from existence.

Even the Demon King and the Dragon Lord couldn’t withstand this, the worst of all calamities.

Whoosh.

The wave passed through Albus’ body.

Crackle.

Albus’ body flickered as if it were distorted by static.

‘But I was expecting this.’

This was the catastrophe that had annihilated the continent in the first cycle, driving the original Albus to decide to reset everything.

That’s why he had put all his focus into countering this very attack.

The System checked the process of the destruction through the wave.

There had never been a failure before.

There was no reason to expect this destruction wouldn’t work, so it was merely following standard procedure.

[Number of purified intelligent beings… 0]

Something was wrong.

“Have you finally noticed?”

Albus smiled slyly at the perplexed System.

“That’s right. This isn’t the real continent or Rudera.”

Crackle.

Albus’ projection flickered as it continued to be broadcast from outside the world.

After sending Dua out, Albus had also left and was projecting his image back inside.

Not only that, there was no trace of any intelligent life in the world where the System had descended.

[What is this…]

Only then did the System realize.

It had reached a world with the irregularities of human recklessness, but it was not the original world.

The humans had created another world.

“That’s right. This is a new world, made as a replica of Rudera and the continent. A world where no one else exists, a server created to trap you.”

According to the memories of the [Guide], the [System] sometimes arrived in Rudera, other times in the real continent.

But there was always one constant: it went to wherever Albus was.

Using this, Albus hypothesized that if he stayed in a world that wasn’t Rudera or the continent, the System would come there.

So, he created a server far away, isolated from both Rudera and the real continent, designed to imprison the [System].

It was called the Reboot Server.

It was modeled after reality and Rudera but was a closed world where no one except Albus could enter.

A world created solely to confront the [System].

Buzz…

Albus’ hologram raised one hand.

With the power of a command.

[Server shutdown.]