> Location: World-Shard 117 – The Forgotten Ring
A realm suspended between deletion and rebirth.
The world was broken.
Literally.
Chunks of land floated like cracked porcelain, orbiting a hollow void where gravity didn't quite work right. Trees grew upside-down. Rivers flowed in the air like serpents. The stars above blinked… backwards.
Aric landed on the fragment marked "Shard Sigma."
> [WARNING: You are now in a 'Dead Reality Zone'. Standard Laws: Disabled]
[Enhanced Danger: Code-Devourers Present]
[Origin Sigil proximity: 3.2 km | Weak Code Distortion Detected]
"Code-Devourers? Sounds like something I don't wanna cuddle."
He summoned a clone. This one wore a wide-brimmed hat and carried a sniper rifle made from crystallized mana.
> [Clone 12: "Watcher Type" Summoned]
Specialty: Recon + Long-range disruption
"Spotter on overwatch," the clone said, vanishing to higher ground.
---
[Meanwhile – Deep in the Core of Shard Sigma]
He watched.
The Code-Eater, also known as "The Mask of Deletion."
A being draped in corrupted system UI elements, his face constantly changing between masks: Laughing, Screaming, Silent.
Each mask represented a lost world.
Each step he took rewrote the terrain under him.
> "The Origin Sigil… rewrite key fragment 01… must be consumed…"
Beside him, three beings knelt—glitched protectors made from broken system rules. One lacked a concept of "left." Another reversed your health and mana every second. The third constantly forgot who it was mid-fight and created new abilities every time.
They were the result of failed Architect Candidates.
---
[Back to Aric – First Contact]
Aric stood at the shattered temple's entrance. The sigil pulsed inside—an ancient symbol etched in floating code, hovering above a pedestal.
> "Let's go slow," he whispered.
But then—
> [ALERT: SPACE-TEMPORAL DISTORTION INCOMING]
Time froze.
A mask dropped in front of him—The Laughing One.
Aric instinctively dodged backward. The ground behind him ceased to exist.
> "Okay… so that's what deletion looks like."
Clone 12 fired from a ledge. The bullet hit the mask—and paused in mid-air, then exploded in reverse.
> "That's illegal!" Aric yelled.
The Code-Eater spoke for the first time.
> "You are Aric. The one who holds free slots."
> "You are broken."
> "You will feed me well."
> "I will remove your code from the system."
Aric clenched his fists.
> "You can try."
---
[Combat Protocol Engaged: Code vs. Creation]
Aric tapped into [Infinite Creation]. A new skill window unfolded:
> Skill Created: [Reality Stitch]
Temporarily repairs space around target location, sealing small deletion rifts.
Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Another window opened.
> Ability Created: [Maskbreaker Shot] – Tier B+
Targets system anomalies. Critical damage vs mask-type entities.
Consumes: 1x Crystal Bullet (generated on creation).
> "Let's see if your masks can eat this—"
BANG!
The bullet slammed into the Laughing Mask. It cracked—black code leaking from it.
> "A mask… lost…" the Code-Eater whispered.
Then all three of his glitched protectors charged at once.
---
[Multi-Phase Battle Begins]
Phase 1:
The "Leftless" charged from Aric's right, warping space so left turns looped endlessly. Aric reversed his perception using a cheat skill:
> [Perception Flip – Reality Mirror Mode] Activated
> "Thanks for the weird training, Clone 8."
Phase 2:
The Reverse Health-Mana twin switched his stats, but Aric summoned a clone built to bait and reflect.
> [Clone 14 – Mana Tanker] Engaged
"I hope I explode for you," the clone said with a grin.
He did. The area pulsed with inverted damage—crashing into the enemy instead.
Phase 3:
The final enemy forgot its identity halfway through attacking, inventing new skills mid-fight:
> [NEW SKILL: Sword of Sadness?]
Aric head-butted it before it could finish the animation.
---
[Final Confrontation – Sigil Rewrite Attempt]
The Code-Eater roared.
> "Consume system. Override keys. Purge candidate—"
Aric fired Maskbreaker Shot again.
And with a final punch enhanced by [Rule Override: Personal Gravity x12], he shattered the Code-Eater's core.
The entity dissolved into corrupted light.
---
[Origin Sigil Acquired: 1/7]
> You have gained access to: Rewrite Fragment – Reality Ruleset 01
Partial Authority Gained: Environmental Editing – Localized [Lv. 1]
Allows minor manipulation of world physics and terrain in your territory.
> New System Branch Unlocked: Architect Seed Protocol – 1% Progress
---
[Back at The Lobby]
The sigil pulsed faintly in his palm as Aric returned. But something else now hovered above his head for all to see:
> [Architect Candidate: Aric Valen – Sigil Holder: 1]
People began to whisper.
Organizations took note.
The other six candidates stirred.
And high above the Nexus Lobby, the Architect Protocol keyhole shifted one degree closer to unlocking.
---
End of Chapter 9
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