Sayler was unceremoniously ejected from the Fate Sphere's dimension, his consciousness slamming into the harsh reality of the VR WORLD. A biting wind whipped through a snowy forest, the darkness of night clinging to the frost-laden trees. Every inch of Sayler's body screamed in protest, a symphony of agony from countless wounds. His right arm hung limp, a useless appendage, and the impact of his fall into the frigid snow had only intensified the pain.
With a groan that tore through the silent forest, Sayler pushed himself to his feet. His movements were sluggish, each action a testament to his battered state. In his left hand, his fingers tightened around the hilt of his last remaining sword, a cold comfort in the desolate landscape. He began to trudge through the snow-covered ground, his gaze sweeping across the endless rows of trees, their canopies heavy with white.
Sayler, his mind still reeling from the sudden displacement, continued his weary march. Then, a prickling sensation on the back of his neck sent a shiver down his spine, far colder than the winter air. Behind him, an oppressive presence began to coalesce, accompanied by a wave of intense heat that seemed to melt the very snowflakes around it.
Sayler whirled around, his remaining strength surging with adrenaline. Standing before him was Rabajen. Crimson vapor billowed from every pore of his skin, which glowed with an angry red hue. Rabajen was bare-chested, his colossal muscles rippling in the dim light. His eyes were like chips of hellfire – white sclera, burning red irises, and pupils as black as the void. Even his bald head radiated a malevolent red aura, mirroring the fiery glow of his long, obsidian beard.
"It's been a long time, Sayler," Rabajen's voice rumbled, a low growl that echoed through the trees.
Fear, sharp and cold, pierced through Sayler's pain. "I can sense an enormous power in you," he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "How did you do it?!"
Rabajen's lips curled into a contemptuous sneer. "You could never understand. Your path was paved with the sacrifices of others, their lives mere tools to reach your pathetic ambition. That, Sayler, is your sin!"
With a desperate surge of defiance, Sayler adopted a shaky fighting stance, his grip tightening on his lone sword. But before he could even think of making a move, Rabajen blurred, a crimson streak tearing through the night. He appeared directly in front of Sayler, who instinctively swung his sword in a desperate, rapid slash. Yet, Rabajen was gone again in the blink of an eye, another supersonic burst of speed carrying him behind Sayler.
A devastating impact slammed into the back of Sayler's head. A powerful spinning kick, delivered with inhuman force, sent him hurtling through the air like a ragdoll. He didn't even register the attack, his world exploding in a flash of agonizing pain. He crashed into the snow with a heavy thud, the wind knocked from his lungs.
Gasping for air, Sayler dragged himself back to his feet, his vision swimming. "Impossible!" he choked out, blood trickling from his nose. "I... I am the supreme admin!!"
Rabajen stood over him, his gaze unwavering. "You may cling to your title and your stolen abilities, but true power is forged in the heart, something you have long since abandoned."
A primal fear gripped Sayler. He turned his back on the monstrous figure and fled, his legs pumping with desperate urgency. "I should have become the god of the new world!" he screamed internally, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "The Fate Sphere was supposed to choose me! Not them!"
He ran until his lungs burned and his muscles screamed, finally putting some distance between himself and the terrifying Rabajen. Collapsing against a snow-laden tree, Sayler fought to catch his breath. But the first rays of dawn were beginning to paint the sky, casting long, ominous shadows across the snow.
Suddenly, a glint of steel flashed in the periphery of his vision. Sting, silent as a viper, lunged from behind the tree, his blade aimed for Sayler's throat. Reacting on pure instinct, Sayler managed to raise his sword, the parry sending a jarring shock through his already weakened arm. He was thrown backward by the force, but somehow managed to land on his feet.
Before he could even register the reprieve, another figure emerged from the shadows. Ken, his face a mask of grim determination, brought his own blade down in a powerful slash. Sayler barely managed to roll away, the cold snow offering a momentary cushion.
Then, a shadow fell over him. Rick descended from the branches above, his fist a descending hammer. Sayler threw up his arm, the impact sending a jolt of pain through his body. With a desperate heave, fueled by adrenaline, he shoved Ken away and scrambled to his feet, fleeing once more into the snowy wilderness.
His escape was short-lived. As he darted past another tree, a figure materialized from behind its trunk. Sylene, her eyes glowing with the power of her "admin mode instal," had her crossbow raised. Before Sayler could react, a massive, explosive arrow hurtled towards him, detonating in a blinding flash and engulfing him in a shower of snow.
Sayler clawed his way out of the icy tomb, gasping for breath, his body screaming in protest. He was utterly spent, teetering on the brink of collapse. But then, he felt it – an aura of immense power, so vast it felt almost incomprehensible, radiating from behind him. Every hair on Sayler's body stood on end, a wave of pure terror washing over him.
He turned slowly, his eyes widening in disbelief. Standing there was a man cloaked in a black toga that flowed from his broad shoulders to the snow-covered ground. Long, black hair cascaded down his back, and in his hand, he held a long, black sword that seemed to absorb the very light around it. His eyes were like pools of darkness, the sclera black, the irises a piercing gold, and the pupils an endless abyss.
"You... you who are you?!" Sayler stammered, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
The man's voice was a low, resonant drawl. "I am Vector," he declared, "the glitch of the end."
"Impossible!" Sayler cried out. "All glitches should have been eliminated!!"
A faint smile played on Vector's lips. "I am the exception."
In a blur of motion, faster than anything Sayler had witnessed before, Vector launched forward. His black sword was a mere extension of his will, poised to deliver a devastating blow. Sayler reacted on instinct, raising his damaged sword just in time to meet the attack. The impact was cataclysmic, a shockwave of force that ripped through Sayler's body, sending him crashing against a nearby tree. His sword, though still intact, groaned under the strain.
Coughing up blood, Sayler pushed himself to his feet, his vision blurring. He knew he couldn't face this being head-on. Turning, he sprinted towards the edge of the forest, his only thought to escape. But just as he thought he was in the clear, a chain, attached to a wicked-looking dagger, snaked through the air and embedded itself in the tree beside him.
With a powerful yank, Atlatia used the chain to propel herself towards Sayler, her own "admin mode instal" flaring to life. A barrage of chains, each tipped with a razor-sharp dagger, lashed out at him. Sayler desperately parried, his movements clumsy and weak. Though he managed to deflect most of the attacks, several daggers found their mark, slicing into his leg and right side.
Before he could even process the new wounds, another figure materialized before him. Kairasu, his eyes blazing with an inner fire, activated his "admin mode instal." The air around them shimmered with an unbearable heat, the snow instantly melting into steaming puddles. With a roar, Kairasu swung his hand in a horizontal arc, the invisible blade of heat slicing through the surrounding trees like butter. Sayler threw himself into the remaining snow, narrowly avoiding the scorching attack.
With his last reserves of strength, Sayler made a desperate dash towards the forest's edge, his legs burning with exertion. He ran like a man possessed, his heart pounding in his chest. But from above, a spatial rift tore open, and a slash of pure energy ripped through the air, obliterating a line of snow directly in front of him. It was Hyldia, her body radiating an immense spatial aura.
Sayler froze for a moment, stunned by the sheer power of the attack. But before he could even formulate a plan, Hyldia teleported directly in front of him, her nodachi already in motion. With a powerful upward swing, she aimed to cleave him in two. Sayler managed to raise his battered sword in a desperate parry, but the force of the blow sent him flying backward, finally ejecting him from the confines of the snowy forest.
He landed hard on the ground, the impact jarring his already injured body. Scrambling to his feet, he tried to flee, but his escape was cut short. Four figures materialized before him, blocking his path. Standing at the edge of the forest were Saland, Haytham, Christy, and Shimmon, their forms radiating an otherworldly power – their divine forms.
Saland glowed with a vibrant, multicolored aura. He was clad in an elegant white jacket with shimmering multicolored accents, mirroring the hues of his trousers. His ears were pointed, his eyes possessing white sclera, multicolored irises, and white pupils. Long, blond hair flowed down his back, and he held a long gray sword, its hilt crafted from an unknown gray material. The blade itself was etched with glowing multicolored runes, and Saland's expression was one of serene seriousness.
Haytham exuded a dark and potent aura. He wore a black jacket with violet trim and ripped black jeans. His hair was short and black, his eyes burning with black sclera, violet irises, and black pupils. In his hand, he held a katana with an exceptionally long blade that pulsed with a dark violet energy.
Christy's black hair flowed longer now, tinged with subtle violet highlights. She wore a long, elegant black dress with violet undertones, and in her hands, her two fans were now black, adorned with intricate designs of violet cherry blossom petals. Her eyes shone with white sclera, fluorescent fuchsia irises, and black pupils. A colossal violet aura enveloped her, and around her, petals of pink energy danced in the air.
Shimmon's transformation was the most drastic. An enormous multicolored aura radiated from his body, which had taken on a distinctly draconic appearance. His skin was a shimmering gold and yellow, his arms, torso, and legs now heavily muscled and covered in golden scales. Jagged lines across his body pulsed with multicolored energy, and powerful claws tipped both his hands and feet. Behind him, two magnificent golden draconic wings, crackling with multicolored energy, unfurled. His eyes mirrored the others, with white sclera and multicolored irises, but his pupils were black. His long, black hair was wild and untamed, and his teeth had become sharp and pointed like those of a dragon.
The sheer power emanating from the four figures was staggering. Sayler could feel their auras, vast and immense, spreading throughout the entire VR WORLD, though even their combined might seemed to pale slightly in comparison to the oppressive power of Vector. Desperation clawed at Sayler's throat, but he forced himself into a fighting stance.
"Damn you all to hell!" he roared, his voice cracking with fury and fear. "You don't deserve this power! I should have become the god of this new world!"
Saland's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable weight of authority. "Your sin was arrogance, Sayler. Did you truly believe the Fate Sphere would choose someone like you? It chose us because of our pure souls. You are nothing but a malevolent being."
"Then bring it on!" Sayler screamed, his grip tightening on the hilt of his broken sword.
Saland moved with impossible speed, appearing before Sayler in a flash. His gray sword arced through the air, unleashing an enormous explosion of light that blinded Sayler. He couldn't even raise his broken weapon in defense before the force of the blow sent him hurtling backward, his sword finally shattering into pieces.
Haytham stepped forward, his katana crackling with dark energy. He too moved with supersonic speed, his dark slash leaving a trail of violet electricity in its wake. With no weapon left, Sayler was forced to meet the attack with his bare hands, the impact sending shards of pain through his body as he was thrown back once more.
Shimmon teleported directly in front of Sayler, his draconic features contorted in a snarl. A devastating uppercut slammed into Sayler's jaw, sending him flying into the air. Before he could recover, Shimmon delivered a brutal two-fisted blow to Sayler's chest, the force of the impact slamming him back down to the ground.
Christy moved with a graceful, yet terrifying swiftness. Her black fans blurred as she delivered a powerful oblique violet slash, the energy of the attack not just physical, but something more. Sayler felt his very power being drained, sealed away, leaving him utterly helpless. He crumpled to his knees, unable to even twitch a muscle.
Saland, Haytham, Shimmon, and Christy stood over him, their divine forms radiating an overwhelming presence. Together, they roared, "SEAL!!!!"
A cube of pure, transparent energy materialized around Sayler, trapping him within its indestructible confines. He pounded on the walls, but they remained impervious to his desperate attacks. Defeated and broken, Sayler slumped to his knees.
"You have completely lost," Saland declared, his voice echoing with finality.
A manic grin spread across Sayler's face. He tilted his head back and let out a chilling laugh. "Haha... HAHAHAHAHAHA! You think you've won?!?!?! You haven't won! I have won!" His laughter intensified, bordering on hysteria. "When I merged with the Fate Sphere, I made my wish! To create a new world, a universe of its own! Now, none of us can ever return to our old world! Because this... this is now real life! HAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Saland, his face grim, shot into the sky with incredible speed, ascending to the highest reaches of the heavens. From his vantage point, he could see the truth in Sayler's words. Beyond the familiar landscape of the VR WORLD, four new continents stretched out across the horizon: one to the southeast, one to the southwest, one to the northwest, and one to the northeast. The world had irrevocably changed.
He descended back to the ground, landing heavily beside Shimmon, Christy, and Haytham. "What he just said is true," Saland stated, his voice heavy with the weight of this revelation. "Four new continents have been born, in addition to this one, which is now the central continent."
Sylene arrived, her expression a mixture of shock and understanding. "Sayler has twisted the very fabric of existence, turning what was once a virtual game into a real universe. This is no longer a game, this is reality. I never anticipated such a scenario."
"Does this mean we're gods now?" Shimmon asked, his draconic features still slightly bewildered.
"Yes," Sylene confirmed. "You are the four supreme deities chosen by the Fate Sphere."
Vector materialized beside them, his presence as silent and sudden as always. "You are gods now," he stated, his golden eyes gleaming with an ancient power. "But my power surpasses even yours. Yet, I have no need for worship. I will remain in the shadows, alongside Sylene. I imagine the others will age and fade, but the four of us are beyond mortality."
"Vector is right," Christy said, her voice thoughtful. "The remaining people will be confused. We need to explain the situation before panic sets in."
"Perhaps we should deal with Sayler first," Haytham suggested, his gaze fixed on the energy cube.
"We will not kill him," Saland declared. "I have an idea."
"Which is?" Haytham asked.
"Now that the four of us are gods," Saland explained, "we can create a kind of hell to seal him within."
"It would be wise to create entities to act as living seals," Vector added. "It would be troublesome if he were to escape so quickly."
"I see you have your plans," Sylene said. "I will gather the remaining survivors, and you can explain the situation to them."
Saland, Haytham, Shimmon, and Christy turned their attention back to the energy cube containing Sayler. They channeled their divine power into the ground beneath it, and the cube began to sink, slowly at first, then with increasing speed.
"What are you doing, you cursed fools?!" Sayler shrieked from within the descending cube.
"For your sins," Saland proclaimed, his voice resonating with divine judgment, "you are hereby condemned to be sealed in the deepest abyss of hell, where no one will ever see you again, and you will never again wreak destruction and chaos!"
"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Sayler's desperate cry echoed as the cube vanished beneath the surface.
As Sayler plummeted towards the planet's core, an enormous dimension began to form around him – a realm of fire and shadow, filled with lava flows, jagged dark rocks, and a labyrinth of shadowy caves and mountains. Sayler was sealed beneath this demonic domain, and the four supreme deities conjured two powerful entities to serve as his eternal jailers. One was the king of demons, Riaxchiang, and the other was the queen of demons, Shatlary, who, in her creation, cunningly siphoned a significant portion of her husband's power, leaving him weaker than her. And so, the first two demons were born.
With the demonic realm established, Saland, Haytham, Shimmon, and Christy went to Sylene, who had gathered the roughly fifty survivors – the former players of the VR WORLD. "These are the four supreme deities," Sylene announced. "They will explain what has happened."
Saland stepped forward. "The tyrant, the supreme admin Sayler, used his power to seize the Fate Sphere, an artifact that chose us as gods. With it, Sayler has rewritten reality, transforming the virtual world known as VR WORLD into the real world."
A woman in the crowd spoke up, her voice laced with fear and uncertainty. "And what are we supposed to do now? We can't even go back to our own world."
Haytham addressed the crowd, his dark aura radiating a sense of grim resolve. "Now, this world consists of five continents, including this one. You will need to colonize them and build new lives for yourselves."
Shimmon added, his voice surprisingly gentle despite his draconic appearance, "The continents will be named: the one to the southeast will be Dhiphin, the one to the southwest will be the Dark Continent (I think it's a cool name), the one to the northwest will be called Astarfell, the one to the northeast will be Essorth, and this central continent, where we currently stand, will be Laphir."
Saland then spoke, his gaze sweeping over the diverse group of survivors. "I see among you humans, monsters, elves, and many other races. As the elven god of light, I wish to impart a gift to my elven brethren – my transformation, the 'Elf Dive.' May it serve you well."
A man in the crowd asked, "And what will you do?"
Christy replied, her voice soft but firm, "We have chosen to protect this world and watch it grow. We will only intervene if a threat arises that endangers the entire world."
With a final pronouncement, Saland declared, "Now, you are free to explore this new world and colonize its continents, including this one."
And with those words, the survivors began to disperse, their faces a mixture of fear, uncertainty, and a flicker of hope as they ventured out to forge new destinies on the five continents. The central continent of Laphir was primarily settled by humans, who, with their ingenuity, built a sprawling modern city with a distinct steampunk aesthetic. In the northwest continent of Astarfell, humans established a single, unified modern city. To the southeast, on the continent of Dhiphin, humans attempted to create a medieval society but soon found themselves under the dominion of a powerful race of serpentine beings. The southwest continent was initially colonized by humans, but a single, ruthless woman betrayed and murdered her companions, establishing a solitary kingdom where she reigned supreme, using her strange powers to create legions of dust-like humanoids to serve her. In the northeast continent of Essorth, the human colonists faced fierce resistance from monstrous, demon-like creatures, forcing them to adapt and even merge with their very weapons to survive.
And so, a new universe was born from chaos and chance. Saland, Haytham, Shimmon, Christy, Sylene, Vector, Atlatia, Kairasu, Halvia, Hyldia, Sting, Rick, and Ken exchanged their farewells, their paths now diverging in this newly formed reality.
"This," Sylene said, a hint of awe in her voice, "is the beginning of a new era."
And with that, they all went their separate ways, their roles in this nascent universe yet to be fully written.