The silence that followed the activation of [Global Recession] was more deafening than the mechanical dragon's roar or the hurricane's howl.
In the span of a single heartbeat, the laws of physics and mana had been rewritten. The Pacific Ocean, which had been churning in a localized tempest, suddenly went flat—a dark, obsidian mirror reflecting the terror of the fallen.
Garrick, the Sovereign of Iron, didn't just lose his power; he lost his weight. The massive, steam-punk exoskeleton that had made him a titan of industry became a five-hundred-pound coffin of dead metal. He crashed onto the deck of the Tower of the Eternal Auditor, the rusted joints of his suit shrieking as they buckled. He lay there, gasping, his face pale and wrinkled, the "eternal youth" of a Level 88 Hunter stripped away to reveal a man in his late sixties.
Selas was worse. Without her lightning to buoy her, the Sovereign of Storms fell from the sky like a broken bird. Her robes of living light turned into mundane, water-logged silk that clung to her shivering frame. She hit the balcony with a wet thud, her staff—the legendary World Tree branch—now nothing more than a piece of dead driftwood.
[Timer: 00:54 Remaining]
Han Jue stepped toward them. His footsteps didn't click on the marble; they resonated, each one sounding like the closing of a heavy vault door. He was no longer just a man; he was the personification of a systemic collapse. His new form, the Sovereign of the Ledger, was terrifyingly minimalist. The liquid obsidian armor had settled into a sharp, regal suit of midnight-black, and a crown of white data-streams flickered above his head.
"Fifty-two seconds," Han Jue said. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the weight of the entire ocean. "That's how much time you have to decide if you want to remain as footnotes in history or become assets in my portfolio."
"You... you monster..." Selas rasped, her teeth chattering. She looked at her hands—hands that had commanded the weather—now wrinkled and trembling with the weakness of a Level 1 civilian. "What did you do to us? My mana... it's gone. There's a void where my soul used to be."
"I didn't take your soul, Selas," Han Jue said, kneeling beside her. "I just moved your liquidity into a restricted account. You were over-leveraged. You spent fifty years acting like a god on a line of credit provided by the blood of the people you 'protected.' I've just called in the loan."
[Target: Selas] [Current Level: 1 (Frozen)] [Total Debt: 82,000,000 Soul Points]
[Target: Garrick] [Current Level: 1 (Frozen)] [Total Debt: 45,000,000 Soul Points]
Garrick struggled to lift his head, his face smeared with the oil leaking from his broken suit. "You can't... keep this up. The System... it balances. You can't hold this much power... without a price."
"The price has already been paid," Han Jue said, looking up at the sky. Through the drones hovering above, he knew the world was watching. He knew the High Council in Geneva was currently having collective heart attacks. He knew the other four Sovereigns were likely packing their bags or sharpening their blades.
[Timer: 00:30 Remaining]
"Ling-er," Han Jue called out.
Han Ling stepped out from the shadows of the penthouse. She carried two scrolls made of shimmering, black light. Her presence was now as commanding as her brother's—the Abyssal Secretary was the one who drafted the terms of the new world.
"The contracts are ready, Brother," she said, her voice cool and professional. She looked down at the two former gods with a mixture of pity and cold calculation. "Terms: 99% of all future mana-earnings are to be directed to the Global Audit Council. All private territories are to be restructured as Sovereign Audit Protectorates. In exchange, your Levels will be restored, and you will be granted the title of 'Department Heads' under my brother's administration."
"Department Heads?" Garrick let out a wheezing laugh. "You want the Sovereigns of the World... to be your middle-management?"
"Better than being Level 1 corpses in a shallow grave," Han Jue said, his eyes flashing with a sudden, predatory white light.
[Timer: 00:15 Remaining]
"I don't have time for a board meeting," Han Jue continued. "The 'Source' is already reacting to this imbalance. If you don't sign, I'll let the timer hit zero, and then I'll simply Liquidate you while you're still weak. I'll take your remaining levels and add them to my own. I don't need you to lead. I just need your assets."
Selas looked at the scroll. She looked at Han Jue. She saw no mercy in his eyes, only the cold, hard logic of a man who had been a janitor and learned that the only way to stay clean was to own the building.
"I... I sign," she whispered.
She pressed her thumb to the black light.
[Contract Signed: Selas (Sovereign of Storms) is now an 'Indebted Asset'.]
Garrick looked at his mechanical dragon, Vulcan-X, which was currently being disassembled by the acidic shadows of the Tower. His life's work was melting. He looked at Han Jue and saw the future. A future where 'Power' was no longer a matter of magic, but a matter of ownership.
"Sign it," Garrick growled, his voice breaking. "But know this, Han Jue... the deeper you audit, the more you'll find things you can't afford to pay for."
Garrick pressed his thumb to the scroll.
[Contract Signed: Garrick (Sovereign of Iron) is now an 'Indebted Asset'.]
[Timer: 00:01...] [Timer: 00:00.]
The Restoration
The world exploded back into color.
The mana that had been siphoned into Han Jue's core surged back into the two Sovereigns. Selas let out a scream of agony as Level 92 worth of power slammed back into her Level 1 frame. Lightning erupted from her skin, but it was no longer wild; it was contained by a black, spectral collar that appeared around her neck.
Garrick's suit sparked to life, the rusted iron turning back into polished steel, but the blue runes were now permanently replaced with the deep purple glow of the Sovereign Audit.
Han Jue felt the "God-Mode" fade, but his base Level didn't drop back to 35.
[Recession Profits Calculated.] [Permanent Level Increase: 35 \rightarrow 55] [Class Skill Evolved: 'Global Recession' \rightarrow 'Hostile Takeover'.]
Han Jue stood at the center of the balcony, his two new "Department Heads" kneeling—partly from exhaustion, partly from the weight of the soul-contracts—behind him. He looked directly into the lens of the nearest WAO drone.
"To the High Council," Han Jue said, his voice being broadcast to every corner of the globe. "To the remaining Sovereigns. And to the 'Source' that thinks it can use this world as a playground for debt."
He raised the Sovereign's Quill.
"The Pacific is closed. The WAO is bankrupt. And as of today, the Global Audit Council is the only authorized entity for the distribution of mana and the clearing of rifts. If you want to keep your levels, you will report to District 7 for your initial assessment."
He paused, a dark, witty smile touching his lips.
"Don't worry about the paperwork. My secretary will send you the invoices."
The Aftermath: The Boardroom of the New World
Inside the Tower, the transition was seamless. While the world outside was in a state of sheer panic, the interior of the Sovereign Audit was a hive of quiet, terrifying efficiency.
Han Jue sat at the head of a new conference table—this one carved from the calcified heart of the Emperor of the Trench. To his left sat Han Ling, her violet eyes constantly scanning digital ledgers. To his right sat Elena Sol, who looked like she was still trying to process the fact that the two most powerful people she knew were now effectively Han Jue's employees.
Garrick and Selas sat at the far end, looking subdued.
"The Sovereign of Storms will be in charge of 'Atmospheric Energy Harvesting,'" Han Jue said, tapping a holographic map. "Selas, you will use your storms to power the new mana-grid for the coastal cities. No more protection fees. The energy is public property, taxed at a flat 5%."
Selas bit her lip but nodded. The black collar around her neck hummed, a reminder of who owned her mana. "Understood... Guild Master."
"Department Head," Han Jue corrected. "And Garrick, your factories will be repurposed for the mass-production of 'Auditor-Grade' equipment. We're going to arm the scavengers. The era of elite guilds hoarding gear is over. Every D-ranker in the city is getting a suit that can survive a C-rank rift."
"You're going to crash the gear market," Garrick said, though his eyes showed a flicker of professional interest. "The value of high-tier armor will plummet."
"Exactly," Han Jue said. "I want the common Hunter to be so well-equipped that the 'Kings' have no one left to bully. We're going to inflate the power of the bottom 90% until the top 1% becomes irrelevant."
Elena Sol finally spoke up. "Jue, the High Council isn't going to sit back. They've already contacted the Sovereign of Light in the Vatican and the Sovereign of the Wild in the Amazon. They're forming a 'Holy Alliance' to take you down. They're calling you the 'Anti-System'."
"The Anti-System?" Han Jue laughed. "I am the System. I'm just the part that finally figured out where all the money was going."
He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Down below, in the Pacific, the Tower was casting a long, dark shadow that stretched toward the horizon.
"Ling-er, what's our current Soul Point liquidity?"
"After the acquisition of the Golden Dawn assets and the Emperor's hoard... we are sitting on approximately 45,000,000 Soul Points," she replied.
"Good," Han Jue said. "Unlock the 'Planetary Audit' function in the Hidden Shop. I want to see what the 'Source' is hiding in the core of the planet."
[Warning: Planetary Audit requires 100,000,000 Soul Points.] [Warning: Performing this action will alert the 'Master Creditor'.]
Han Jue's eyes narrowed. The Master Creditor. The entity behind the System. The one who had drafted the original debt of humanity.
"We need more points," Han Jue whispered. "Elena, where is the next rift?"
"There's an anomaly forming in the Sahara," Elena said, her voice trembling. "But it's not a standard rift. The readings say it's a 'Debt Collection Gate'. The System is sending a literal 'Executioner' to reclaim the Pacific."
Han Jue gripped the Sovereign's Quill until his knuckles turned white.
"An Executioner? Good. I've been looking for someone to audit the System's own expenses."
He turned to his two new Department Heads. "Garrick, Selas. Get your gear ready. We're going to the desert. It's time to show the System that the Sovereign of the Ledger doesn't just pay his debts... he negotiates the terms."