The sound of the explosion still echoed in the distance…
Dust rose into the air.
Asad and Leon stood at the edge of a broken battlefield.
"…That wasn't magic," Leon said, eyes sharp.
Asad nodded slightly.
"…No."
He looked ahead.
"…That was something else."
A strange feeling lingered in the air.
Not mana.
Not light.
Not darkness.
Something… wrong.
Asad took a step forward.
The ground beneath his feet flickered for a split second.
Like reality itself had… skipped.
"…Did you see that?" Leon asked, narrowing his eyes.
Asad didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
He looked down at the ground.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
Then—
Another explosion.
This time closer.
BOOM!
A shockwave pushed both of them slightly back.
From the dust…
A figure appeared.
Tall.
Unknown.
Its body wasn't stable…
It flickered—like a broken image.
"…What is that…" Leon whispered.
Asad's eyes narrowed.
"…Not a human."
The figure tilted its head.
And then—
It spoke.
"…ERROR."
Its voice was distorted.
"…TARGET DETECTED."
Leon raised his sword immediately.
"…Stay behind me!"
Asad didn't move.
Instead—
He stared at the entity.
"…You're not from this world."
The figure's head twitched.
"…ILLEGAL PRESENCE."
Asad's eyes sharpened.
"…Illegal…?"
The entity raised its hand.
Suddenly—
The space around Asad began to distort.
Like the world itself was trying to reject him.
Leon's eyes widened.
"…Asad!"
But Asad didn't panic.
Instead—
He smiled slightly.
"…So this is how it is."
He raised his hand slowly.
"…A system… outside my control."
The entity froze.
"…AUTHORITY… UNKNOWN."
Asad stepped forward.
And for the first time—
His presence changed.
The air grew heavier.
Darkness spread slowly around him.
"…Listen carefully."
His voice turned deeper.
"…I am not a bug."
"…I am the one who created this world."
The entity trembled.
"…CONFLICT DETECTED."
"…REBOOT…"
Its body flickered violently.
Leon stood frozen.
"…What is happening…?"
Asad kept walking forward.
Step by step.
Calm.
Controlled.
"…You're trying to erase me…"
"…But you forgot one thing."
He stopped right in front of the entity.
And looked it directly in the eyes.
"…I'm the author."
For a split second—
Everything went silent.
Then—
The entity's body shattered.
Like broken glass.
And disappeared into nothing.
Silence returned.
Leon stared at the empty space.
"…What… just happened…"
Asad lowered his hand slowly.
"…We just saw the truth."
He turned back toward Leon.
"…There's something controlling this world."
Leon frowned.
"…You're saying… something stronger than the Demon Lord…?"
Asad nodded.
"…Something that shouldn't exist."
He looked up at the sky.
"…And now it knows I'm here."
A cold wind passed.
Somewhere…
Far away…
Something watched.
And for the first time—
The world itself… reacted.
Leon tightened his grip on his sword.
"…Then we're in trouble."
Asad gave a small, calm smile.
"…No."
He stepped forward.
"…We're just getting started."
And together—
They walked deeper into the unknown.
[Chapter 6 End]