The light slowly faded.
For a brief moment the endless darkness of the Void of Fallen Universe seemed calm again, as if reality itself was trying to recover from the violent surge of power that had just erupted moments ago.
Only a few seconds earlier, the entire realm had trembled violently when the Rule of Code merged with Vicky's body.
It was not simply a fusion of power.
It felt like the return of something ancient.
Something that once governed the very laws of existence.
Now the massive ancient platform beneath Vicky's feet glowed faintly, the enormous runic circle engraved on its surface pulsing like the slow heartbeat of a forgotten god.
Strange fragments of glowing symbols still floated through the air.
Tiny pieces of code-like energy drifted like golden dust across the void, illuminating the faces of the group in faint flickering light.
For several long seconds…
No one spoke.
The silence felt heavy.
Almost sacred.
Finally Luka broke it.
"…Okay."
He scratched the back of his head slowly while staring at Vicky.
"Did that giant universe-ball thing… just jump inside Master?"
Aerito folded his arms and smiled faintly.
"Pretty much."
"Straight into him."
Arna, however, remained serious.
Her mirrors had reformed around her body and slowly rotated through the air as she carefully observed Vicky.
"Master… are you feeling any changes?"
"Anything unstable?"
Vicky stood silently.
His eyes slowly closed as he looked inward.
He could feel it clearly now.
Inside his mind.
Inside his soul.
Something new had awakened.
The Rule of Code.
It did not feel like ordinary power.
It felt like an ancient intelligence.
Cold.
Logical.
Watching everything.
Judging everything.
Then suddenly—
A voice echoed inside everyone's mind.
Cold.
Ancient.
Absolute.
"System Integration Complete."
Luka froze instantly.
"…Yep."
"There it is again."
Arna whispered quietly.
"The Rule of Code…"
Aerito raised one eyebrow.
"So it can talk."
The voice continued calmly.
"The Rule of Code has returned to its Origin."
"Independent Judgment Protocol remains active."
Vicky slightly frowned.
"You mean you will act on your own?"
The response came instantly.
"Affirmative."
"Primary Function: Maintain Universal Balance."
"Law violations will trigger automatic judgment."
"Direct command from the Origin is not always required."
Luka blinked twice.
"So basically…"
"Our master now has a cosmic law system living inside him."
Aerito chuckled quietly.
"That's actually terrifying."
Arna looked at Vicky carefully.
"So even you might not fully control it."
Vicky nodded slowly.
"I can feel it."
"It's part of me… but it has its own will."
Then suddenly—
A faint glow appeared on Vicky's forehead.
A beautiful symbol slowly formed there.
It looked like countless glowing lines of ancient code weaving together into a mysterious mark.
The symbol pulsed once with quiet authority.
Arna immediately noticed it.
"Master… your forehead."
Luka leaned closer.
"Oh wow."
"That actually looks cool."
The voice of the Rule of Code spoke again.
"Judgment State Prepared."
The glowing symbol pulsed once more.
Then slowly faded.
Vicky touched his forehead.
"So this appears when you apply law?"
"Correct."
The voice answered.
"Designation: Mark of Judgment."
"It manifests when universal law is executed."
Aerito smirked slightly.
"So the universe literally puts a mark on the judge."
But the Rule of Code continued.
"Higher levels of law enforcement require greater manifestation."
Suddenly—
The air behind Vicky distorted.
For a single moment reality itself seemed to bend.
Then something appeared.
Two massive wings made of glowing energy unfolded behind him.
They were enormous.
Formed entirely from flowing code symbols and star-like light.
Inside those wings entire constellations seemed to move.
Galaxies shimmered inside their glowing structure.
They looked less like wings…
And more like pieces of the universe itself.
The moment lasted only a second.
Then the wings vanished.
Luka's eyes widened.
"Okay!"
"I definitely saw that!"
Aerito nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"Those were wings."
Arna looked amazed.
"Manifestations of law itself…"
The Rule of Code explained.
"Designation: Wings of Judgment."
"They manifest when major universal laws are executed."
"Such events include large-scale punishment or reality correction."
Luka slowly exhaled.
"So if I ever see those wings again…"
"I should probably start running."
Aerito laughed.
"That would be wise."
But the Rule of Code continued.
Its voice now sounded deeper.
More ancient.
"Additional Protocol Activated."
Vicky narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What protocol?"
The answer came immediately.
"Fragment Resonance Protocol."
Everyone looked confused.
Arna tilted her head.
"Fragments?"
The Rule began explaining.
"The Origin once existed across multiple fragments."
"Fragments of the Origin remain scattered throughout the universe."
Vicky's eyes darkened slightly.
"…My fragments."
"Correct."
The Rule continued.
"Any fragment of the Origin—no matter how small—will automatically receive a portion of the Rule of Code's power."
Luka blinked.
"…Wait."
"So if there's even a tiny piece of Master somewhere…"
"That piece also gets law power?"
"Affirmative."
Arna's expression became serious.
"That means your fragments across the universe might already possess fragments of the Rule of Code."
Aerito whistled softly.
"That's dangerous."
"Very dangerous."
Vicky remained silent.
Inside his mind the Rule of Code continued.
"Fragments do not receive full authority."
"Only limited law enforcement capability."
The voice paused briefly.
Then finished the sentence.
"…However even a small fragment of the Rule of Code is capable of affecting universal balance."
Luka raised both hands slowly.
"Yeah."
"That sounds like a massive problem waiting to happen."
Arna nodded.
"If someone finds one of your fragments…"
"They could gain a portion of that power."
Aerito looked toward the endless darkness.
"Which means powerful beings are probably already searching for them."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Because they all realized something important.
This journey was no longer just about gaining power.
It was a race.
A race to recover Vicky's fragments before someone else did.
Then suddenly—
The Rule of Code spoke again.
But this time its tone changed.
Sharper.
More alert.
"Alert."
The floating code fragments in the air suddenly froze.
"Unknown Presence Detected."
The void trembled.
Not violently.
But deeply.
Like something enormous had begun moving far away.
Luka groaned loudly.
"Oh come on."
"Can we have ONE peaceful moment?"
Arna's mirrors began spinning rapidly.
Her eyes widened.
"This presence…"
"…it's extremely powerful."
Aerito's flames erupted around his body again.
"Well then."
"Looks like the universe didn't wait long."
Vicky slowly lifted his head.
The Mark of Judgment appeared again on his forehead.
This time it glowed brighter.
Inside his mind the Rule of Code spoke once more.
Cold.
Absolute.
"Law Distortion Detected."
"Judgment Protocol Preparing."
Far away in the endless darkness of the Void…
Something massive began moving.
A terrifying presence.
Its aura twisted space itself as it approached.
Drawn by the awakening of the Rule of Code.
Drawn by the return of its Origin.
And this time…
The laws of the universe themselves were ready to act.