The sky burned gold.
Kaizen stood in the air.
Unmoving.
Untouched.
Below him—
Three S-Rank Guild Masters hovered weakly.
Breathing heavy.
Bodies broken.
"…Monster…" one whispered.
Kaizen exhaled softly.
"…I told you."
"…You're too loud."
The light around him began to grow.
Not violently.
Not explosively.
But steadily.
Like a rising sun.
The air trembled.
Space warped.
Inside the guild base—
Every member felt it.
"…I can't breathe…"
"…What is that pressure…?"
The windows vibrated.
Cracks forming along the glass.
Above—
Kaizen lifted his hand.
"…Let's end this."
The light condensed.
Gathering at his fingertips.
The sky darkened—
Despite the sun still being there.
Something was about to fall.
Then—
ERROR
The world froze.
Everything.
Stopped.
Wind.
Light.
Sound.
Even time itself—
Paused.
Kaizen's hand remained raised.
But the energy—
Stopped moving.
"…Oh?"
The sky—
Glitched.
Like broken data.
Fragments of reality flickered.
Lines of light split the air.
Then—
They appeared.
Three figures.
Floating.
Distorted.
Humanoid—
But wrong.
Their bodies were made of shifting symbols.
System code.
Golden-white.
Unreadable.
Their voices spoke—
At once.
Layered.
Echoing.
"INTERFERENCE DETECTED."
"UNREGISTERED ENTITY."
"VIOLATION OF SYSTEM LAW."
The entire world trembled.
Inside the base—
The guild members dropped to their knees.
"…What… are those things…?"
No one answered.
Above—
The three S-Rank Guild Masters stared in horror.
"…System… Administrators…?"
Fear replaced everything else.
The entities turned—
Not toward the guild masters.
Toward Kaizen.
"TARGET IDENTIFIED."
"ANOMALY CONFIRMED."
"LEVEL: UNDEFINED."
The air cracked.
"INITIATING SUPPRESSION."
Chains—
Made of pure light—
Exploded into existence.
They shot toward Kaizen.
Faster than anything before.
They wrapped around his arms.
His torso.
His legs.
The sky shook violently.
The chains tightened—
Attempting to bind him.
Erase him.
Silence.
Then—
"…You're late."
The chains stopped.
The Administrators froze.
For the first time—
Something unexpected happened.
They hesitated.
Kaizen slowly lowered his hand.
Still bound.
Still surrounded.
But completely calm.
"…I thought you'd show up sooner."
The air distorted.
"ERROR."
"RESPONSE NOT VALID."
"SUBMIT TO SYSTEM CONTROL."
Kaizen tilted his head slightly.
"…No."
CRACK
The chains shattered.
Not strained.
Not broken.
Erased.
The sound echoed like glass collapsing across the sky.
The Administrators flickered violently.
"ERROR."
"ERROR."
"CONTROL FAILURE."
Kaizen stepped forward.
In the air.
Walking.
"…You built the system, right?"
Silence.
"…Then you should've known."
His eyes—
Glowed.
Bright gold.
"…It doesn't apply to me."
The sky split.
The pressure multiplied instantly.
Inside the base—
Everyone collapsed.
"…I can't… move…"
Even the S-Rank Guild Masters—
Froze.
Unable to breathe.
The Administrators reacted.
"THREAT LEVEL ESCALATING."
"INITIATING ERASURE PROTOCOL."
The sky opened—
Not like before.
This time—
It tore apart.
A massive construct formed above.
A weapon.
Not physical.
Not magical.
System-made.
A beam began charging.
Larger than the entire battlefield.
Kaizen looked up.
Unimpressed.
"…You're still trying."
He raised his hand again.
Slowly.
The light around him changed.
Warmer.
Brighter.
Heavier.
The beginning of something…
Far worse.
"…Fine."
For the first time—
His voice carried weight.
"…I'll answer properly."
The sky turned gold.
The Administrators paused.
Something—
Felt wrong.
Deeply wrong.
Kaizen spoke.
"…Don't interfere."
Silence.
Then—
The light exploded.