The Shadow That Slipped Through
Within the grand throne room of Astralis, the air grew cold and unnatural, as if the very essence of the palace was being devoured by darkness. The golden chandeliers flickered, their light struggling against an unseen force.
Leon's system pulsed with warnings, but before he could react, a whisper of shadow slithered through reality itself—and then she was there.
Duchess Sylvaine, Mistress of Shadows.
She materialized from nothingness, her form half-real, half-nightmare, her crimson eyes locked onto Leon with eerie amusement.
"You are quite fascinating, Administrator," she purred, her voice layered with echoes, as though multiple versions of her were speaking at once.
Leon's hands instinctively moved, activating defensive protocols.
[System Alert: Danger Level - Lethal]
Opponent Strength: Tier 7 Abyssal Sorceress
Known Abilities: Void Manipulation, Phase Distortion, Reality Unraveling
Recommendation: Extreme Caution
His body tensed. This wasn't an ordinary enemy. Sylvaine was an assassin-class abyssal lord, specialized in eliminating high-value targets. And now, she had set her sights on him.
"You should not exist," she murmured, stepping forward without making a sound. "The Abyss has no record of an Administrator like you. It disturbs the balance of destruction."
Leon smirked, despite the tension. "Maybe the Abyss needs an update."
Without warning, she attacked.
The Battle for Survival
Shadows erupted from her hands, tendrils of abyssal energy twisting through the air, reaching for Leon's throat.
But he was ready.
[System Command: Activate Divine Barrier – Sanctuary of the Administrator]
A radiant golden shield snapped into place around him, deflecting the first assault. The throne room shook as Sylvaine's shadows clashed against the divine energy, her smile widening in delight.
"Oh? You're not just a powerless overseer."
She vanished.
Leon's system flared.
[Warning: Opponent Has Shifted to an Alternate Plane!]
He had no time to react before she reappeared behind him, a dagger of pure void aimed straight for his heart.
Leon forced his system to act on instinct.
[System Command: Reverse Space-Time in a 5-meter Radius]
Reality bent backward—and suddenly, she was in front of him again, caught off guard.
Leon retaliated instantly.
[System Command: Divine Chains – Bind the Shadow!]
Golden chains erupted from the air, snaring Sylvaine before she could phase out again.
For the first time, her expression twisted into annoyance.
"You are… irritating."
She dissolved into mist, breaking free, but not before Leon's system scanned her weaknesses.
─── [Abyssal Duchess Sylvaine – Weaknesses Detected] ───
Phase Shifting Requires a 3-second Cooldown
Abyssal Energy Reacts Negatively to Pure Light Magic
Her True Form is Anchored to a Core Hidden in the Abyss
Leon's eyes flashed.
"So you're not invincible after all."
Sylvaine's gaze darkened.
"You talk too much."
She lunged again.
Outside the Walls: The Abyssal War Rages
While Leon battled inside the palace, the war outside reached a critical point.
Lord Vhaelor and the First King's duel had shattered part of the battlefield, the sheer force of their blows sending shockwaves that leveled buildings.
Astralis' defenses held strong, but General Skarnoth had begun spreading his plague across the ranks of human soldiers, and entire sections of the city were falling into corruption.
Leon's commanders fought valiantly—
Grand Magus Elara unleashed holy flames, incinerating abyssal creatures.
Knight-Commander Garrik led a charge through the plague-infested zones, cutting down Skarnoth's abominations.
The Royal Guardians activated new Tier-3 System Enhancements, pushing their combat power to levels never seen before.
But even with these advantages…
The Abyssal Army kept coming.
They had one goal: Kill the Administrator.
And inside the throne room—
Sylvaine was about to make sure of it.
Leon's Last Gamble
Leon's breathing was ragged. Even with all his system abilities, Sylvaine was still overpowering him.
He needed something stronger—something to break the cycle of her relentless attacks.
And then, an idea struck him.
His system had revealed that her true form was anchored to a core hidden in the Abyss.
That meant—
He didn't have to fight her here.
He had to erase her existence from the source.
Leon smirked. "Alright, Duchess. Let's see how you like losing control."
[System Command: Absolute Erasure – Locate & Sever the Abyssal Core]
A shockwave of golden energy radiated from Leon, reaching beyond the physical plane—beyond even the battlefield.
And for the first time…
Sylvaine's expression changed.
From amusement—
To horror.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" she shrieked, her body convulsing violently.
Her form flickered, distorting as her connection to the Abyss was severed.
Leon had targeted her existence itself.
With one last, agonized scream, Sylvaine vanished into nothingness, her body unraveling like mist in the wind.
The Abyss had lost one of its strongest generals.
And as the shock of her death spread across the battlefield…
The tide of war began to shift.
Turning the Tide
The Abyss Trembles
For the first time since the invasion began, the Abyss wavered.
The moment Duchess Sylvaine was erased, a ripple of instability tore through the battlefield. Abyssal creatures froze mid-charge, their forms flickering unnaturally. The sky, once choked with ominous black clouds, lightened ever so slightly.
In the heart of the Abyss itself, Zar'akh, the Abyssal Overlord, snarled. His monstrous claws tightened around his throne, cracks forming beneath his grip.
"Impossible." His voice was a guttural growl, shaking the void itself.
One of his strongest generals—gone.
Not defeated.
Not banished.
Erased.
Zar'akh's abyssal eyes gleamed with fury. "This so-called Administrator must die."
With a wave of his hand, he unleashed something new.
A colossal rift split open above the battlefield, vomiting forth a second wave of abyssal horrors—stronger, deadlier, more terrifying than before.
Leon Stands Victorious—For Now
Back in the throne room, Leon steadied himself. His vision blurred, his body trembling from system overuse.
[Warning: Overexertion Detected!]
System Authority Level: Critical Stress
Energy Reserves: 45% Remaining
Administrator Stability: Unstable
He exhaled. He had pushed the system to its absolute limit to erase Sylvaine. And yet—
It was worth it.
Leon had done the impossible.
The Abyss could be beaten.
His system interface flickered, notifying him of new developments.
─── [System Notification] ───
Abyssal General Sylvaine has been permanently erased.
Astralis Morale: +65%
Abyssal Army Stability: -40%
"Good," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
But before he could even take a breath, his system issued a new emergency warning.
─── [URGENT SYSTEM ALERT] ───
Abyssal Rift Detected!
Second Wave Approaching – Danger Level: Catastrophic
Overseer-Level Entities Sighted
Leon's blood ran cold.
"Overseers…"
The Battlefield Erupts in Chaos
Outside Astralis, the soldiers and defenders barely had time to recover from the first battle before the next nightmare began.
Abyssal rifts tore through the sky, disgorging eldritch horrors unseen before.
These weren't just soldiers.
They were Abyssal Overseers—entities that stood above even the generals.
Massive creatures, each the size of a castle, descended upon the battlefield. Some had hundreds of shifting eyes, others had tendril-like limbs that devoured reality itself.
The city trembled under their presence.
And leading them was a new figure—
A being clad in armor of pure darkness, wielding a staff forged from the bones of fallen gods.
His voice rang out across the battlefield like a death knell.
"I am Vaelthor, Abyssal Lord of Devastation."
His hollow gaze turned toward Astralis.
"Bring me the Administrator."
The war was far from over.