A crack splits the heavens above Seo Yun. he stands small under its fractured light.
A circle of twelve winged figures stood around him. Outward stretched their feathers, glowing faintly as if dawn bled through ice. Weight filled the space, thick enough to bend breath. At the start, stillness held each one. Watching came first - calm faces, steady gazes, quiet readiness to destroy.
A hush broke when a single angel opened its mouth, words bouncing off the clouds above.
"You, mortal… You have already defeated all the demon kings. Worlds fell because of you. And now you aim for us, the righteous angels?"
A faint tremor ran through Seo Yun's fingers, though the sword didn't waver. Chipped along its edge, darkened by old blood, it stayed upright without effort. Rips ran across his sleeves, cuts marked his arms - yet his face showed nothing at all. Not pain, not fear, just a stillness that comes after too much running.
"I am not going to say it again," he said.
Quiet came his voice. Not a trace of anger inside it. Nor any hint of pride.
Then he moved.
Out came the flash of steel. So fast it scared even the air. Mid-leap, the huge angel stopped - then a faint cut traced itself clean across. Split open, just like that. Down poured golden blood, catching light while dropping slowly. Sky glittered with every drop.
Frozen in place, the rest of the angels watched drops fall slowly as if from storm clouds. Their eyes locked on red trails snaking downward.
"We will kill you!" they shouted.
One moment they were scattered, then all twelve charged together. Brightness burst overhead without warning. Radiant weapons flashed - holy strikes tearing air - as wings sliced open the distance between them.
Her lips lifted just a bit. Not happy, more like worn out.
Still going, the fight wore into hours.
Again and again, light met steel in sharp bursts. Trembling filled the air above. Far beneath, shockwaves split peaks open, ripping through cloud cover. Meaning slipped away from time. Just motion now, then a hit, then quiet - then back to motion.
Stillness moved through Seo Yun's arms as blades cut air. Each strike arrived - precise, unhurried. Energy stayed coiled, never spilt. Motion followed only where it needed to go.
Falling came first to each angel, alone. Then silence followed after them.
Fading light carried broken wings away, vanishing without a sound. Quiet settled in last, where the sky had once stirred.
Alone, Seo Yun let each breath stretch out. The sword stayed close by - quiet beside him.
"So… this is the novel's ending," he said quietly.
His voice carried nothing like happiness.
Suddenly, space cracked.
A tiny stir began, just a whisper across stillness. It burst wider - sudden, uncontrolled. From within came immense pressure, splitting open what held it. Out pushed a vast being shaped like an octopus, arms coiling wildly, warping everything they brushed against.
It caught Seo Yun's eye.
"…Annoying."
Forward he moved, ready to leap. Fought similar threats in past times. Not unfamiliar territory.
A shape formed inside his head.
Why even bother? That thought comes first sometimes
Falling into shadow, all light vanished.
-
Suddenly, another view came into sight.
Voices. Crying.
Out of nowhere, Seo Yun spotted a servant pressed low against the floor. Distance warped everything - edges smeared, voices hollow. Pleading echoed, but it landed flat, like noise behind glass. Sounds refused to mean anything at all.
A flash of agony ripped through his skull before thoughts had time to form.
Something struck him.
A rock.
A tremor ran through everything. Pain cut deep, impossible to ignore. Sounds from people nearby sharpened suddenly - yells mixed with stomping boots, then bursts of joy cracking through. Quiet gave way to noise.
-
Faint light crept into his gaze as Lin Bai Xuan lifted his eyelids. Then stillness settled around him like dust after a fall.
The ceiling of wood stayed right there above his eyes. A deep ache pounded through his skull. Not even a breath shifted in those quiet moments.
After that, pieces of the past rushed back.
Not his.
Far away from before. Another shape now. Few people are close by. Open space surrounded by walls. Helpers moving through the day. Cups filled again and again. Teased when walking past. Coins spent without care. The one born to lead - resisted at every turn.
Falling into silence, Lin Bai Xuan shut his eyes. His breath came soft and low. Memories drifted down like dust. Stillness held him there.
"…So this is my fifteenth life," he murmured.
His eyes blinked open once more, scanning the strange walls around him. A light trace of antiseptic hung in the air. Voices murmured beyond the window, low and steady.
Floating came back to him - those winged shapes above. A web of splits stretched across the heavens. Something ripped through the air like torn cloth.
After that, his eyes dropped to his palm - softer now, less firm than before.
"If I'm not wrong… this is a cultivation world," he said quietly. "A novel-like world."
Fear never touched him when he considered it.
"…Looks like my wish was granted."
Floating in stillness, he took stock of the frame around him. Not much power is held within its channels. The base felt thin, barely holding shape. Strength had never been this form's companion.
Troublesome.
Later, he rose slowly, settling onto the edge of the mattress. Pain lingered inside his skull. Reaching behind, fingers met a lump beneath the skin.
Then he remembered.
A rock flew through the air, tossed by an unseen hand.
Up he got, heading for the window. Beyond the glass lay the clan's yard. Plain stuff. Servants here and there, skirting the building.
"…If I'm guessing right," he muttered, "that should be that side character… the male servant."
Fragments of memory told him everything. That earlier version of Lin Bai Xuan was cruel to servants without reason. Throwing stones came as easily as harsh words. Mistreatment wasn't rare; it was routine.
Stillness held his frame, yet no fury lit his eyes.
Wrongness showed up then.
A memory surfaced.
He froze.
It wasn't just a stone.
Something shifted just behind his shoulder. Not silence - worse than that. A shape without sound. Then pain split the base of his skull. What came after stayed fogged, yet the weight of it pressed sharply against his skin.
Strange thing," he whispered under his breath.
A shove came without warning. Deliberate, not an accident.
"And it's going to leave me in trouble later."
Against the wall he stood, lost in thought.
A shape came into view right before him.
A quiet hum beneath the pale glow. Light drifts like dust in still air. Not bright, just there - soft at the edges. A hint of gold, almost tired.
Chaos Emperor System Installed Successfully
[Host bound completely.]
Frozen still, Lin Bai Xuan stared without blinking.
"…Good," he said.
Fine. Expected. Nothing new here.
"My ninth system."
A faint grin showed itself.
"Wonderful."
Back on the bed he slumped, gaze somewhere far off. Not his world - this one bent on growing stronger. Strength missing where it mattered most. Threats lurking just out of sight. Then came the voice inside, cold and clear.
Troublesome.
But not boring.
Far from the noise, silence hung thick among the Lin family - no one saw it coming.
A fresh start unfolded once more.
So there it was, the close of Chapter One. Not with a bang, just a step into silence.