The sky had already been torn apart once tonight.
But this time…
It wasn't the Overseers.
It wasn't the system.
It was something older.
Something that made even the Overseers freeze.
The glowing crack above the world widened slowly, like reality itself was opening an eye.
Then the voice spoke again.
Deep.
Ancient.
And filled with quiet authority.
"Children…"
"Why are you fighting over my creation?"
Silence spread across the battlefield.
Even the remaining Overseers stopped moving.
For the first time since the war began, none of them attacked.
Steni stared at the sky.
"…the Creator?"
Beside her, Adrian Vale's relaxed expression had completely disappeared.
His usual playful smile was gone.
And that alone terrified her more than the Overseers.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Steni said slowly.
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
His eyes were locked onto the crack in the sky.
"…that voice," he whispered.
"It can't be."
The S-Class Administrator staggered to his feet.
His golden armor flickered violently.
"System verification requested," he said urgently.
Immediately the system responded.
[Analyzing signal source…]
The sky continued opening.
Inside the crack, something massive moved.
Not a body.
Not a shape.
More like an entire universe shifting.
The system finished its scan.
Then displayed the result.
[SIGNAL AUTHENTICATED.]
[IDENTITY: SYSTEM CREATOR.]
The Administrator's face turned completely pale.
"…confirmed."
Across the sky, the remaining Overseers immediately dropped to one knee.
Thousands of divine figures bowing at once.
"Creator."
Their voices echoed together.
"Forgive the disturbance."
Steni blinked.
"They're… kneeling."
Adrian let out a slow breath.
"Of course they are."
Then he looked at her.
"You just attracted the attention of the only being even they fear."
The Creator's voice echoed again.
This time… closer.
"Overseers."
"Explain."
The lead Overseer lifted his head slightly.
"An anomaly appeared in the system network."
His glowing eyes shifted toward Steni.
"A host designated Bug Sovereign."
The Creator was silent for a moment.
Then asked a simple question.
"…Bug?"
Steni suddenly felt every cosmic eye turn toward her.
Her heart began racing.
"Well… that sounds bad."
Adrian muttered.
"Very bad."
The Overseer continued.
"This host corrupted system protocols, killed multiple Overseers, and created a rebellion across the network."
The sky grew darker.
The Creator spoke again.
"Bring the anomaly forward."
Before Steni could react—
Space twisted.
Her body lifted off the ground.
"HEY—!"
Reality folded like paper.
In a blink, she was no longer standing in the city.
Instead…
She floated inside a vast white void.
Adrian appeared beside her a second later.
"…figures," he sighed.
Steni looked around.
There was no sky.
No ground.
Just endless white space stretching forever.
And in the center…
A figure slowly formed.
Not a giant god.
Not a monster.
Just a person.
A woman.
She looked… ordinary.
Black hair.
Simple clothes.
Calm eyes.
Steni frowned.
"…that's the Creator?"
The woman studied her quietly.
Then smiled slightly.
"Interesting."
Adrian immediately bowed his head.
"Creator."
The woman looked at him.
"Adrian Vale."
Her voice held mild amusement.
"The first host who refused to obey the system."
Adrian shrugged.
"I had my reasons."
She nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Then her gaze returned to Steni.
"And you."
Steni pointed at herself.
"Hi?"
The Creator circled around her like a scientist examining an experiment.
Her eyes glowed faintly.
"You used Reality Bug twice."
"Destroyed Administrator authority."
"Created a global rebellion."
Steni scratched her head awkwardly.
"…when you list it like that, it sounds worse."
The Creator stopped walking.
Then asked the question that made everything freeze.
"Where did you get the Bug?"
Steni blinked.
"…the system gave it to me."
Adrian immediately spoke.
"That's impossible."
The Creator nodded.
"Correct."
Her calm eyes sharpened.
"I never created such a function."
Silence fell.
Steni slowly realized what that meant.
"Wait…"
"You're saying the Bug… didn't come from the system?"
The Creator answered softly.
"No."
Adrian's expression darkened.
"…then someone modified the code."
The Creator looked up.
For the first time, her expression became serious.
"Yes."
Across the white void, countless glowing code fragments appeared.
Billions of lines of system commands.
Then one section lit up red.
[UNKNOWN INSERTION DETECTED.]
Steni's heart skipped.
"Someone hacked the system?"
The Creator nodded.
"Not just hacked."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"Someone is rewriting my creation."
Adrian looked shocked.
"…who could even do that?"
The Creator was silent.
Then slowly turned toward Steni again.
Her gaze intense.
"Tell me something."
"Before you received the Reality Bug…"
She stepped closer.
"…did you hear a voice?"
Steni froze.
Because she remembered something.
Back when she first activated the bug.
A whisper.
Soft.
Barely audible.
She had thought it was just the system glitching.
"…yes."
The Creator's eyes narrowed.
"What did it say?"
Steni swallowed.
Then repeated the words she heard.
"Break the system."
The white void suddenly trembled.
For the first time…
The Creator looked shocked.
"…that's impossible."
Adrian frowned.
"You know that voice?"
The Creator didn't answer immediately.
Instead she looked up into the empty void.
As if searching for something hidden.
Then she whispered something that made Steni's blood run cold.
"That voice…"
"…belongs to someone who should be dead."
Steni felt a chill crawl down her spine.
"Who?"
The Creator finally answered.
"The original host."
Adrian blinked.
"The first system user?"
The Creator shook her head slowly.
"No."
Her voice became almost a whisper.
"The one who created me."
Steni's mind went blank.
"…what?"
The Creator looked back at her.
Fear flickered in her eyes for the first time.
"The true creator of the system."
"He disappeared thousands of years ago."
Adrian's voice dropped.
"You're saying the real creator…"
"…might still be alive?"
The Creator didn't answer.
Because at that exact moment—
The entire system network glitched.
Across the white void, red error messages exploded everywhere.
[SYSTEM BREACH DETECTED]
[UNKNOWN ENTITY ENTERING CORE REALITY]
The Creator turned sharply.
"…too late."
A new voice echoed across the void.
Cold.
Amused.
And terrifying.
"Hello."
The space behind them slowly tore open.
A silhouette stepped through the crack.
Hands in pockets.
Smiling casually.
Steni's eyes widened.
Because she recognized the voice instantly.
The same whisper she heard before.
"Break the system."
The mysterious man looked directly at her.
"Well done."
Then he turned toward the Creator.
"Miss me?"
The Creator whispered his name in disbelief.
"…Zero."
The system exploded with warnings.
[FINAL ALERT]
Original System Creator Detected.
Threat Level:
UNKNOWN.
And Zero smiled.
"Let's see if my system…"
"…can survive its own bug." 🚨