Chapter 100 — Absolute Authority
An endless wasteland stretched as far as the eye could see.
Golden fragments of code drifted through the sky like stars.
No wind.
No life.
Only silence.
The group stood together, staring at the lone figure hundreds of meters away.
Administrator Orion.
Volt was the first to break the silence.
"...I've got a plan."
Ryze looked at him hopefully.
"What is it?"
Volt pointed at Blaze.
"We run."
"And Blaze fights the Administrator."
A long silence followed.
Ryze stared at him in disbelief.
"...Volt."
"That's not a plan!"
"It's survival!"
SK shook her head.
"I'm not abandoning sir Blaze."
Volt sighed.
"I wasn't serious..."
"...Mostly."
Blaze slowly rested his sword on his shoulder, his eyes fixed on Orion.
"So..."
"This is the power of an Administrator."
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"...Sounds fun."
Before anyone could react—
Orion vanished.
No flash.
No sound.
Nothing.
He simply...
Wasn't there anymore.
Ryze's instincts screamed.
"Blaze—!"
Before she could finish warning him—
BOOM!!
Orion appeared directly behind Blaze.
His fist drove forward with terrifying force.
Blaze barely had enough time to turn his head.
CRACK!!
The punch connected squarely with his side.
The shockwave shattered the ground beneath them.
Blaze was launched through the air like a cannonball, disappearing beyond the horizon in an instant.
A deafening explosion echoed several seconds later.
Then another.
And another.
Each impact marked where Blaze skipped across the wasteland before finally vanishing from sight.
"..."
The three remaining fighters froze.
Even Volt couldn't joke anymore.
Orion calmly lowered his fist.
He smiled.
"...Still having fun?"
Volt immediately aims both pistols.
"We're not letting him fight alone!"
He squeezed the triggers.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
A storm of enchanted bullets raced toward Orion.
Then...
They stopped.
Every bullet froze less than a meter from Orion's body.
Suspended in midair.
As though reality itself refused to let them move another inch.
"...What?!"
Volt's eyes widened.
Orion casually looked at the floating bullets.
"My Authority."
He smiled almost proudly.
"Projectile Denial."
"In this Domain..."
"No bullet..."
"No arrow..."
"No thrown weapon..."
"...may ever strike me."
With a flick of his finger—
The bullets turned into particles of light before disappearing.
"Guns are... rather ineffective."
Volt slowly lowered one pistol.
"...That's cheating."
"I prefer the term..."
"Administrative privilege."
Behind Orion—
SK moved.
Without making the slightest sound, she slipped through his blind spot.
Her black scythe gleamed as she swung toward his neck.
"You talk too much."
The blade passed through empty air.
"...!"
Orion was gone.
SK's eyes widened.
A hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
She froze.
"Good attempt."
Orion's voice whispered behind her.
"But stealth doesn't exist..."
"...unless I allow it."
SK instantly jumped backward, creating distance.
The three of them regrouped.
Ryze aimed her rifle.
Volt reloaded both pistols.
SK spun her scythe into a defensive stance.
Their expressions had completely changed.
This wasn't merely a stronger opponent.
This was a monster that ignored the rules of combat itself.
Volt looked toward Ryze.
"...Ideas?"
Ryze never lowered her rifle.
"...None."
SK kept her eyes locked on Orion.
"We can't beat him by fighting normally."
"No..."
Volt muttered.
"We need to figure out how his Authority works."
At that very moment—
Everything stopped.
Volt suddenly froze in place.
"...What...?"
His body refused to move.
Beside him, SK struggled just as hard.
"...I-I can't move!"
The invisible pressure returned.
Administrator Orion calmly stepped past the two of them as though they didn't exist.
Every step echoed across the shattered wasteland.
Ryze tightened her grip on her sniper rifle.
Even though she knew...
Bullets wouldn't work.
She still raised the rifle.
"...Stay away."
Orion smiled.
"You still intend to fight?"
"Interesting."
Before Ryze could react—
Whoosh!
Orion appeared directly before her.
His hand shot forward.
Grip!
He grabbed Ryze by the throat, effortlessly lifting her off the ground.
"Ghk...!"
Her feet left the earth as she desperately clawed at his hand.
Then...
The world tilted.
Gravity itself shifted.
The ground suddenly became the wall beside them.
Ryze's body was violently slammed sideways into the floating terrain.
BOOM!!
A spiderweb of cracks spread through the stone.
"Cough...!"
Fresh blood spilled from her lips.
Volt gritted his teeth.
"Damn it!"
"I can't move!"
SK struggled against the invisible restraint.
"Ryze!!"
Orion watched silently.
His golden eyes examined every detail.
"Hm..."
"Curious."
He leaned closer.
"I always believed Starborn turned into stardust the moment they died."
"And yet..."
"You've survived far longer than expected."
His expression became thoughtful.
"The time you've spent inside SkyRealm..."
"...has made you rather interesting."
Snap.
His fingers echoed across the Domain.
Gravity instantly returned to normal.
Ryze collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently as Orion released his grip.
"Cough!"
"Cough!"
She struggled to breathe while holding her bruised neck.
SK immediately rushed to her side.
"Ryze!"
She carefully helped her sit upright.
Volt finally regained control of his body as the Authority faded.
Orion floated several meters above the battlefield.
Looking down at them as though they were laboratory specimens.
Ryze forced herself to look up despite the pain.
Her breathing remained uneven.
But she never let go of her rifle.
Then...
Orion noticed something.
Far across the wasteland...
A blue light slowly emerged from the dust cloud.
Blaze.
He was standing once again.
His blue sword rested over one shoulder.
His eyes remained locked on Orion.
The Administrator narrowed his eyes.
"...Still standing?"
Blaze lowered himself into a fighting stance.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
A smile slowly appeared across his face.
"...Round two."
BOOM!!
The earth exploded beneath him as Blaze launched himself toward Orion once more.