The echoes of the war against the Glitch had faded, yet a new, unsettling unrest stirred within the VR WORLD. Ordinary players, once peaceful, now rose in arms, sowing chaos and disorder everywhere. The High Administrator had tasked his subordinates with an arduous mission: quell the insurrection. The reasons for this rebellion remained obscure, but the fury of the insurgents was all too tangible.
Most administrators had been deployed to subdue the rioters, leaving only Andrew, the High Administrator, to oversee the situation from the highest tower of the administrative base. His observatory was a vast, circular chamber with a vaulted ceiling that soared upwards and a floor of cold, grey tiles. Immaculate walls served as a backdrop to the white throne that dominated the far end. Andrew, with his neat black hair, a rebellious strand framing his forehead, and electric blue eyes, seemed lost in heavy thought. His elegant white suit, adorned with insignia and honors, contrasted with his black trousers and polished shoes. Facing his throne, a monumental arched entrance, also white, was guarded by two administrative guards with drawn swords. A deathly silence enveloped the room, broken only by the echo of approaching footsteps. The High Administrator raised his right eyebrow, his gaze fixed on the source of the sound, as the two guards braced for combat.
Suddenly, the footsteps ceased. In the gap between the two guards materialized a hooded figure, dressed in black from head to toe, clutching two black pistols. Without hesitation, the stranger pointed both weapons at the guards' heads and fired. Two brief beams of energy streaked forth, piercing the skulls of the unfortunate pair, who had no time to react. Immediately after, the masked figure turned one of the pistols towards Andrew and fired a dart. The High Administrator remained still. The dart struck him in the right shoulder, injecting an unknown substance. He fell to the ground, but Andrew's gaze remained impassive. "You've got guts to come in here," he said with a steady voice. "I don't know who you are, but you won't get away with this. Here, I am the most effective defense."
The hooded figure pulled back their hood, revealing an unexpected face. Long, unruly hair fell down their back, framing a pale face topped with a pointed black hat, similar to that of Robin Hood. Their eyes, with white sclera, violet irises, and black pupils, lit up with a confident smile. They wore a heavy black jacket with six silver buttons, a high collar framing their neck, and long black trousers. A belt with two holsters cinched their waist.
The High Administrator exclaimed, recognizing the individual: "You're Sayler, aren't you? I expelled you from the administrators' group for killing two of your colleagues on a mission using illegal game weapons. I also heard you were defeated in the past by Saland and Haytham... I don't know what you want here, but don't think I'll be lenient with you."
Sayler replied in a honeyed tone: "After those two defeated me, I decided to start over from scratch, that's why you find me different. But while you administrators were busy eliminating the Glitch in the war, I created a group of allies who believe in me and my goals. I hacked the game system to regain my administrative powers that you took away when you banned me, and I've also become stronger. I deliberately incited groups of players to rebel so that you administrators would be distracted, allowing me to get in here. Now, the only thing separating the beginning of the realization of my dream and the start of the revolution is you. Once I kill you, I can become the new ruler of this game and set my plans in motion."
Andrew stared at him seriously. "As long as I live, the secrets of this game will remain with me. If you think you can beat me, then prove it!"
With a sudden gesture, Sayler pointed the left pistol towards the floor and fired an enormous beam of blue energy, causing an explosion that devastated the entire room. The tower on which the administrative hall had been built began to plummet into the void, and countless debris rained downwards.
As the fragments fell into the abyss, Sayler and Andrew used them as footholds, launching themselves in incredibly fast bursts, using the rubble as steps. Andrew materialized a black pistol in his right hand, and Sayler pointed his left pistol at him. Both began to exchange volleys of energy at a dizzying speed, making rapid dashes between the debris. A beam of energy struck Andrew's shoulder, opening a deep wound. The High Administrator noted with concern that his regeneration, guaranteed by his innate ability "mental materialization," had been slowed. But Andrew continued to return Sayler's fire, and the two exchanged rapid energy attacks with their pistols until the debris crashed to the ground, raising a huge cloud of white dust.
Andrew positioned himself in a fighting stance, scanning the surroundings to anticipate his opponent's attack. Suddenly, Sayler burst from the curtain of dust right in front of the High Administrator and lunged at him with lightning speed. From beneath the grips of Sayler's pistols emerged two sharp iron blades, and the rogue attempted to strike Andrew with two crossed slashes aimed at his neck. But Andrew materialized a sword in his left hand and parried the two attacks, then counterattacked with a flurry of blows. Sayler, exploiting the blades beneath the pistols, managed to hold his own against the High Administrator's swordsmanship. In the midst of the furious exchange, Andrew materialized a blue grenade between them, which exploded with such violence that it swept away the debris that had accumulated after the tower's collapse.
The shockwave hurled both Andrew and Sayler about a hundred meters away from each other, but both landed in a fighting stance. "Looks like I'll have to start getting serious," Sayler hissed, "Admin Mode Installation!" A powerful aura, orange and red in color, emanated from his body, and two wings of energy formed behind his back, an orange one on the right and a red one on the left. Sayler's left pistol turned red, while his right one turned orange. "As you can see," he smirked confidently, "I've surpassed a normal Admin Mode installation; I've created my own personal version."
"It seems you've readapted the power I gave you in the account you lost," Andrew retorted, "but that changes nothing. Admin Mode Installation!" A powerful blue aura erupted from his entire body, similar to incandescent vapor. The light in his eyes intensified. "My Admin Mode installation isn't like that of the other administrators," he declared with authority, "I am the High Administrator, and therefore my Admin Mode is special!" With a wave of his hand, Andrew materialized a myriad of futuristic cannons around Sayler, which began to fire volleys of blue energy beams from every direction.
Sayler immediately adopted a defensive position and, with his two pistols, returned fire with volleys of red and orange energy, simultaneously managing to dodge the enemy beams with surprising speed. In a short time, Sayler managed to break through Andrew's trap, destroying several cannons, and attempted to strike the High Administrator with a combined red and orange energy beam. But Andrew created a barrier of blue energy in front of himself and materialized more ray cannons, trying to hit Sayler. The latter, however, managed to evade the shots with incredible speed and approached Andrew, attempting to attack him with a series of slashes from the blades beneath his pistols. Andrew dodged the attacks and materialized a black pistol in his hand, trying to hit Sayler with two shots. But the rogue moved in time, and the bullets only grazed his clothes, tearing the fabric without injuring him.
Sayler lunged lightning-fast in front of Andrew and, with a diagonal slash, managed to wound him in the chest. Andrew immediately retreated several meters, returning to a fighting stance as blood flowed from his wound. "Having reached this point," the High Administrator declared with a firm voice, "it is time to go all out. Superior Admin Mode Installation!" An enormous multicolored aura emanated from his body, enveloping him like a shimmering mist. His eyes transformed into multicolored irises, and in his right hand materialized the rainbow katana with which he had defeated the Glitch Hyperion. Andrew assumed a resolute fighting stance.
Sayler smiled confidently. "As you can see, the wound I inflicted on you hasn't healed yet. The reason is that the dart I hit you with at the beginning of our fight injected you with a virus that has weakened your innate ability, sapping both your regeneration and your offensive power."
Andrew stared at him seriously. "Even if you've weakened me, I am still the High Administrator!"
"Then I'll show you my true power," Sayler replied with a grin. "Admin Mode Installation... Glitched Form!" A greyish, glitch-corrupted aura emanated from his body, his two energy wings also became glitched and greyish, and his pistols transformed into a dull metal of the same color. Sayler teleported back several meters and fused his two pistols, creating a sniper rifle. He took aim, loading a corrupted bullet into the barrel. "This bullet is very special," he explained in a sinister tone, "I created it with the forced fusion of thousands of Glitch. Now that the Glitch no longer exist, bullets like this are extremely rare, perhaps unique. But this bullet can truly kill a person, both in the VR WORLD and in the real world, just like a Glitch kill would."
Both Andrew and Sayler assumed their final stances, ready to end the fight. Immediately, Andrew unleashed a powerful vertical slash of multicolored energy towards Sayler, who fired the corrupted bullet. The bullet traveled at such speed that it broke the sound barrier. The bullet and the energy slash collided, creating an explosion of blinding light, but the bullet managed to penetrate the attack and struck the High Administrator in the heart. Andrew spat blood from his mouth and collapsed to the ground.
Sayler narrowly avoided the multicolored slash, then approached the dying Andrew. "You... you won," the High Administrator gasped, his mouth full of blood, "you are worthy to become the next High Administrator. For this reason, I will reveal to you the secret that every High Administrator must know: 'when in the air, on the earth, and in the sea the three portals will open, the three protectors will be born; whoever defeats all three protectors will be able to obtain the three keys that will open the final portal, a portal that will lead to the greatest of treasures, the sphere of destiny.'" After these words, Andrew breathed his last. Sayler felt an enormous wave of power surge through him. "Now that I am the High Administrator," he whispered with a triumphant smile, "I can begin my plan." He turned towards the administrative base and slowly walked towards it, ready to claim his dominion over the VR WORLD.