CHAPTER :14 AUTHORITY— EXODUS
Darkness.
Endless, suffocating, and absolute.
Lucius stood in the center of the cave, his heart a steady drum in the silence. The moment his voice cut through the gloom, the world fractured.
"Proceed."
At first, there was nothing. Then, a flicker. A distortion so sharp it felt like a needle pressed against his retina. Reality itself seemed to… glitch.
[System Error...]
[Critical Conflict Detected...]
The blue panel in front of him trembled. Then, with a sound like a cathedral window shattering, it cracked.
[Error... Error ...Error]
The cave groaned. Dust rained from the ceiling as a localized mana storm erupted around Lucius. The air twisted into a physical weight, pressing against his lungs.
"...What the—"
Before he could finish, a blinding supernova of cerulean light swallowed the cave. Lucius felt his feet leave the ground. He was floating, weightless, his senses stripped away one by one until he was nothing but a consciousness drifting in a sea of static.
Then—Silence.
[Fusion complete]
The voice was different. It wasn't the mechanical chime of the System. It was deeper, vibrating in his very marrow. It sounded like grinding stones and ancient wind.
[The fusion of Talent and Skills has been successful]
Lucius's vision cleared. The cave was the same, yet fundamentally different. Colors were more vivid; the ley lines of mana flowing through the rocks were visible to his naked eye.
[The fusion of Teleportation (God-Tier), Advanced Sword Mastery, Instinct Flow, and 'All Things Being Equal' has resulted in a Transcendent Evolution.]
[An 'Authority' has been born.]
Lucius froze. The word felt heavy. Dangerous. Real.
[A new tab has been unlocked : Authority]
[Please assign a name]
[Warning : The name may influence the conceptual output of the Authority]
A faint, predatory smirk appeared on Lucius's face. Naming mattered. It wasn't just a label; it was a command to the universe.
"…God Slayer?"
The system remained silent. He laughed softly, the sound echoing off the damp walls.
"…Too much. I'm not looking to get hunted down just yet."
He closed his eyes, thinking of the "Fallen" status of his house. The decline. The need to leave behind the weak version of himself. The need for a mass departure from the old laws.
"…Exodus."
[Name Accepted]
[Authority 'Exodus' has been structured.]
[Exodus: 7 Chapters / Conceptual laws]
[Current User Level : Insufficient]
[ Accessible chapters: 2 | Remaining Chapters: Sealed]
"…What is this 'Authority' thing exactly…?"
Silence.
No response.
"…So you won't answer."
"…Fine."
Lucius exhaled slowly. He checked his new status, and his breath hitched.
The interface manifested again.
[Status window]
Name: Lucius van Venus
Title: Overlord of the Abyss
Level: 16
Talents: Law of One [God Tier]
Strength: 19
Agility: 20
Mana: 26
Sensitivity: 15
Endurance: 13
Available Stat Points: 0
Skills: Poison Immunity [max]
Authorites
1. Exodus [??]
Chapter 1: All Things Being Equal
Chapter 2: White Void
Chapter 2: White Void
Chapter 3: Sealed
Chapter 4: Sealed
Chapter 5: Sealed
Chapter 6: Sealed
2. Void Displacement [??]
→ A spatial Authority derived from Teleportation. → Allows instantaneous displacement without delay. → Ignores conventional activation time. → Limited to 3 uses per day due to strain on space stability.
His skills were gone. His teleportation was gone. Everything had been melted down and reforged into something... other.
A pause.
Then—
He sat down.
Slowly.
"…Wow…"
A low laugh escaped him.
"…This is crazy."
His gaze deepened.
"…Law of One…"
"…You're really broken."
[Exodus: Conceptual Sword Art]
[Nature]:A law-bound scripture. The user acts as both Author and Executor.
[Mechanics]:Techniques are created through pure imagination and intent.
Example: "Chapter 1, Verse 2: Ten Thousand Swords."
"…So it's not a fixed skill anymore," Lucius whispered. "I'm writing my own laws in real-time."
And then there was Void Displacement.He tested it instantly. He didn't think about a destination; he simply intended to be elsewhere.
Zip.
There was no buildup. No five-second delay. No visual mana trail. He simply was at the back of the cave, and then he was at the front. It was instantaneous, ignoring the conventional laws of space.
"Clean," he muttered. "But only three times a day. A trump card, then."
The Final 10 Days
The cave became a laboratory of slaughter. Lucius didn't just train; he experimented.
"…Chapter 1…"
The air would tremble, the temperature dropping until his breath came out in thick white plumes.
"…Verse 1: All Things Being Equal."
A flash of gray, neutral energy would flicker into existence, trying to force the physical world around his blade into a state of absolute balance—a law where defense and offense meant nothing.
Each failure resulted in a spatial backlash that left him coughing blood. Each success felt like he was touching the hem of a god's robe.
He refined his visualization. He understood that Exodus wasn't about raw strength—it was about Authority. If he decreed that all things were equal, then even a dragon's scale would become as fragile as a piece of parchment before his strike.
D-Day
The massive stone slab blocking the entrance groaned as it was hauled aside.
Blinding, golden sunlight poured into the damp darkness. Lucius stepped forward, his boots crunching on the gravel.
He had entered the cave as a talented boy.
He stepped out as something the world didn't have a name for yet.
Waiting in the clearing were the pillars of his life:
Demitri, Alfredo,Devox and Elara.
Demitri's eyes, usually so hard and unreadable, widened. Devox, the old master, actually took a half-step back, his hand instinctively dropping to the hilt of his sword.
They didn't see a Level 16 boy.
They saw a distortion in reality. Lucius's presence didn't just command respect; it pushed against their very souls.
"I'm back," Lucius said.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the weight of the month he had spent transcending his own humanity.
---
Silence filled the air.
Lucius stopped.
Their eyes met.
And in that moment—
They all knew.
He was no longer the same.
---
Demitri moved first.
Without hesitation—
He walked straight toward Lucius.
Then—
He pulled him into a firm embrace.
---
"…How was it?"
---
Lucius froze for a brief moment.
Then—
He relaxed slightly.
---
"…It wasn't easy…"
---
A pause.
---
"…But I made it through."
---
Demitri's grip tightened slightly—
Before he stepped back.
A faint smile on his face.
---
"…Good."
---
Lucius turned.
His gaze landing on Butler Alfredo.
---
"…How are you doing?"
---
Alfredo bowed slightly.
---
"…I am doing great, Young Master."
---
Lucius smirked faintly.
---
"…I hope this old man didn't give you headaches…"
---
"…or dump all his work on you."
---
A sudden pause.
---
"…What did you say?"
---
Demitri's voice cut in.
---
Lucius glanced at him.
---
Then—
---
Laughter.
---
Low at first—
Then spreading.
---
Even Alfredo allowed a faint smile.
---
The tension—
Gone.
---
Then—
Lucius turned again.
---
Toward Devox.
---
He stepped forward.
---
"…Master."
---
A pause.
---
"…I've made the sword art you taught me…"
---
His eyes sharpened.
---
"…completely mine."
---
Devox's gaze shifted slightly.
---
A hint of surprise.
---
"…Oh?"
---
A pause.
---
"…That's good to hear."
His grip tightened slightly on his sword.
---
"…We should spar."
---
Then—
A small shake of his head.
---
"…But time is limited."
---
A pause.
---
"…You only have three days left before the Academy."
Silence.
---
Then—
Soft footsteps.
---
Elara approached.
---
Her eyes—
Bright.
---
Relieved.
---
"…Welcome back, Young Master."
---
Her voice—
Light.
---
Cheerful.
---
"…You need to go wash yourself."
---
A faint smile on her lips—
Clearly happy to see him again.
Lucius glanced at her—
Then exhaled softly.
"…Yeah…"
"…I guess I do."
The Overlord had finished his prologue. Now, the story truly began.
---
To Be Continued.....