CHAPTER 25: The Arrival of the Sky Lord
The air was hot that afternoon.
Two government workers stood beside each other near the airport runway, both wearing black suits that were clearly too big for them. Their ties were loose, their shoes dusty, and one of them kept complaining about the heat.
"Bro, this sun isn't a joke today," the first one said, wiping sweat from his head.
The other one laughed weakly. "You're right. I don't even know why they made us stand outside for one foreigner. Can't we just wait inside the office?"
The first one looked around and leaned closer. "You didn't hear? They said the government found some kind of special data file from one of the dungeon systems."
The second worker blinked. "Data file? You mean like a report?"
"Oh, not at all" his friend whispered. "They said it's not ordinary. The file can't be opened without one special tracking card. Like, whoever created it used a high-level system encryption. They said it might even be connected to that anonymous dungeon raider."
The second worker frowned. "You mean like that online guy that keeps posting about how to clear dungeons faster?"
"Yes! That one. They think he's the same person causing trouble around the lower zones."
The man looked nervous. "Hmm. And that's why they called one S-Rank from Asia?"
"Exactly," his friend said, smirking. "But I heard that man doesn't like our people much. He said our country is too weak. Can you Imagine!"
The two men laughed awkwardly, pretending to know more than they did. They both stood straight again when they saw a group of soldiers lining up by the runway. Black jeeps and armored trucks were parked in a line. Cameras were hidden everywhere. Even the minister in charge of security had come out in person to welcome the guest.
Then the sound came - wooooooosh.
A private jet appeared in the sky, white and gold, shining bright under the sun. The logo on its side was shaped like wings crossed with a crown.
The plane touched down gently, and the noise around the airport stopped completely.
Everyone became quiet.
When the door opened, a man stepped out.
Tall. Sharp face. Long hair that brushed against his back. His eyes glowed faintly golden, and behind his neck was a strange mark like a burning halo.
This was Darius, the S-Rank from Asia.
Known by his title.
"The Lord Of The Sky."
"Eyes Of The Dragons."
"The Conqueror Of Mysteries "
He looked down at the people waiting for him and gave a small smirk.
"So… this is the welcoming team?" he said in a calm but mocking voice.
The minister quickly bowed slightly. "Welcome, Lord Darius. We have prepared cars and a full escort to....."
Darius raised a hand to stop him.
"No need," he said. "You people should focus on your little jobs. I'll take myself there."
The soldiers looked at each other in confusion. The drivers were ready to take his luggage, but Darius's expression turned cold.
"I actually thought you people would welcome me in ..." he paused and gave a disappointed sigh. "Guess I expected too much from a weak country."
Then, without warning, a bright golden light glowed from his back.
Everyone gasped.
Fwoosh!
From his back, wings burst out large, glowing, divine wings with feathers made of light and energy. The heat around the area rose instantly, and the dust on the ground swirled into the air.
One soldier dropped his gun. "He… he's using the divine-type wings?!"
Before anyone could recover, Darius flew to the sky, turned his head slightly, and said,
"I'll go ahead. Don't waste my time trying to catch up."
Then he vanished into the sky, flying at a speed that made holes in the clouds.
Inside the main government building, several top officials were gathered in a secret room underground. The room was filled with screens and devices showing dungeon readings and strange codes.
"Is the Sky Lord still on his way?" the general asked one of the guards.
"Yes, sir. The plane just landed about ten minutes ago."
The general sighed. "Good. Let's just hope he won't cause too much...."
Before he could finish his sentence, the air pressure in the room dropped.
All the lights flickered. A golden shadow appeared right in front of them.
Thud.
Darius phased and landed in the middle of the room, his wings folding behind him like light being sucked in.
Every soldier pointed their guns in shock.
"Relax," Darius said lazily, dropping his waving his hands. "If I wanted to kill anyone, you'd already be dead."
The general swallowed hard. "L–Lord Darius, how did you.... how did you get in here? We didn't even open the..."
Darius smirked. "Walls mean nothing to me. I don't use doors when I can bend space."
Everyone stayed quiet. The arrogance in his tone made some of them angry, but no one dared speak.
He looked around and noticed the computers and holograms. "So this is your main control room? Cute. Like an 18 year old game room."
The minister entered the room, panting from running. "Lord Darius! You could have waited for your escort...."
Darius turned to him sharply. "Escort? For what? To waste my time in traffic? I came here to solve a problem, not play with the government."
The minister forced a nervous smile. "Y...yes, of course, sir."
Darius walked slowly toward the biggest screen showing strange numbers and maps of dungeon readings. "So this is what's causing all your panic? A data file?"
"Yes," one of the tech officers said quickly. "It's a high-level dungeon file. Someone uploaded it using a system channel we can't trace. It keeps updating itself every few hours with dungeon codes and shortcuts."
Darius bent down and studied the screen. "Hmm. And you think the person who created this is here in your country?"
The officer nodded. "That's what our analysts believe."
Darius smiled slightly. "Interesting. Maybe your country isn't as boring as I thought."
He straightened up and looked at the general. "Give me full access to the system."
The general hesitated. "We'll need permission from... "
Darius's eyes glowed golden. The entire room started shaking. The temperature rose.
"Permission?" he said quietly. "You invited me, didn't you?"
The general's voice cracked. "Y–yes, of course, sir. You'll have full access."
Darius relaxed again, smirking. "Good boy."
He turned to his assistant. The tall woman with glasses who had just entered the room, holding a tablet.
She looked annoyed but calm.
"Sir," she said, "we could've done this quietly from the sky, but you wanted to make a grand entrance."
Darius laughed. "Of course. What's the point of power if no one sees it?"
The assistant sighed. "Sometimes I wonder how long it'll take before someone tries to kill you."
He looked at her and grinned. "They can try."
Then he focused on the main screen again.
His eyes scanned the code, and a smirk spread across his face.
"Whoever made this," he said slowly, "they're not ordinary. The system encryption… it's layered in Alien like code."
Everyone in the room looked confused. "Alien code, like the Alien Admins?" one asked.
"Yes," Darius said. "Something that shouldn't exist in your human programming. It's like a language meant for those higher beings. But it's not from them"
The general frowned. "So what does that mean?"
"It means," Darius said, "you're not just dealing with some hacker. You're dealing with someone who might have touched the root of the system."
The minister's face went pale. "Root?system? You mean the Admins Language?"
Darius nodded. "Exactly."
He leaned back against a table. "So, you called me here because you're scared. But the truth is, you're already too late. This person has already begun editing the core of your Gadgets."
The officers looked at each other nervously.
Darius's assistant spoke up. "So what's your plan, sir?"
He looked at her with a smirk. "Simple. I'll find them… and if they're worth my time, maybe I'll let them live. With me of course"
The general tried to speak again. "Sir, this person might be dangerous. We need to..."
"Dangerous?" Darius interrupted, laughing quietly. "Dangerous is when I get really angry . Everything else is just noise."
He opened his suitcase and pulled out a long, curved metal rod, glowing faintly with divine patterns. It wasn't a weapon, but a tracking staff linked to the dungeon systems.
"I'll use this to scan the country's mana network," he said. "If the data trail leads to your anonymous raider, I'll know soon."
The general nodded quickly. "Understood, sir."
Darius gave one last glance at the glowing screen. "Let's see what kind of fool dares to play Lord of the Mysteries."