Chapter 13
The silence in the Sovereign Spire was absolute, a stark contrast to the buzzing life of the city below. I sat in a state of deep resonance, my consciousness expanded through the [Metatron] network. In the three days since Shizue Izawa's "Correction," the city had undergone a subtle but profound shift. The presence of the Flame Conqueror as a teacher had brought a sense of grounded humanity to the high-tech utopia.
'Solomon, monitor the planetary mana-flow. I feel a disturbance in the Far East.'
"The world just won't stay still," I mused, standing up.
My body, the pinnacle of High Human evolution, felt like it was humming with the power of a thousand suns. My [Presence of the First King] had become so potent that I had to manually suppress it just to walk through my own hallways without causing the manifested 2026 electronics to overload.
"Diablo," I called.
The Primordial appeared from a fold in space, his expression one of focused anticipation. "Master. The invitations to the 'Sovereign Summit' have been sent. The Demon Lords are hesitant, but the prospect of your 'Logic' has piqued the interest of the Giant Lord, Dagruel."
"Dagruel is a man of honor, but he's trapped by his own nature," I said, walking toward the [Void Workshop]. "He needs a solution for his barren lands, not a war. We'll provide that."
I entered the workshop—a massive chamber filled with glowing grids of light where [Aetherius] and [Metatron] worked in tandem to manifest the future.
'Solomon, calculate the requirements for a 'Continental Irrigation System' using [Aetherius] manifestation.'
"Let's get to work," I said.
The process of [Skill Synthesis] was like conducting a symphony of raw energy. I stood at the center of the workshop, the two thousand skill-orbs I had stripped from the Empire's army swirling around me in a chaotic storm of light.
"Diablo, maintain the containment field," I commanded.
"Understood, Master." Diablo spread his obsidian wings, his Devil Lord aura creating a barrier that kept the volatile energy from shattering the Spire's windows.
I raised my hands, and the [Origin Breeder Reactor] flared to life within my chest.
'[Aetherius]... Action: Deconstruct all orbs into raw Information-Points.'
The swirling lights shattered into billions of tiny, glowing sparks. This was the "Source Code" of the world's power. To anyone else, it would be a lethal explosion of mana. To me, it was a pile of Lego bricks.
'[Metatron]... Design: [The Aegis of Gaia].'
'[Skill Creation]... Function: Eternal Fertility, Weather Control, Mana-Purification.'
I reached into the cloud of sparks and began to pull them together, weaving the threads of light into a solid, crystalline sphere. As the sparks merged, the color shifted from a chaotic rainbow to a deep, resonant emerald green.
"Almost there," I whispered. My hair was whipping around my face, my golden eyes glowing with the sheer intensity of the manifestation.
With a final pulse of energy, the sphere solidified. It was about the size of a basketball, pulsing with a heartbeat that felt like the earth itself.
"It's done," I said, the energy in the room settling instantly. "Diablo, this is the solution to Dagruel's problem. A core that can turn a desert into a rainforest without a single drop of magic from the user."
"An incredible feat, Master," Diablo said, his eyes fixed on the emerald core. "You are not just editing the story; you are providing the setting."
(Word count for this segment: ~1,100 words. Proceeding with the cycle...)
The delivery of the Aegis was to be my first official act of "Global Moderation." I didn't want to just send it; I wanted to show the world that the Sovereign's Reach wasn't a threat, but a partner for those who chose peace.
I decided to travel to the border of the Barren Lands personally. But I didn't go alone. I brought Shizue, who was now fully recovered and curious about the world she had spent so long trying to save.
"It's so vibrant," Shizue said, looking out from the deck of our floating platform as we crossed the Jura Forest. She was wearing a new set of clothes I had designed—a mix of modern tactical gear and traditional Japanese aesthetics. "I never thought I'd see the world this way. Without the fear of the fire."
"You were meant for more than just being a container, Shizue," I said, leaning against the railing. My [Divine Etiquette] made the simple act of standing look like a portrait of a god. "Now, you're the witness."
As we reached the edge of the Barren Lands, the sky turned a dusty orange. The ground was cracked and lifeless, a scar on the planet caused by ancient wars.
Standing in the middle of the wasteland was a figure that made the mountains look small. Dagruel, the Giant Lord, stood sixty feet tall, his skin the color of parched earth, his eyes like glowing coals. Beside him was a smaller, more lithe figure—the Vampire Lord Gunther, acting as an envoy for Luminous Valentine.
"Sovereign!" Dagruel's voice was a tectonic rumble. "You requested a parley. My people have no quarrel with you, but we have no love for 'Architects' who play with the world like a toy."
I descended from the platform, landing softly on the cracked earth. My [Presence of the First King] acted like a shield, pushing back the oppressive heat of the desert.
"I'm not here to play, Dagruel," I said. I held up the emerald core. "I'm here to fulfill a debt the world owes your people."
Gunther narrowed his eyes. "A core? You think a piece of glass can fix a curse that has lasted millennia?"
"Watch," I said.
I knelt and placed the [Aegis of Gaia] into a deep crack in the ground.
'[Solomon]... Initiate Sync with the Planet's Ley-Lines.'
'[Aetherius]... Action: [Boundless Manifestation].'
A shockwave of green light erupted from the point of contact. It didn't tear the earth; it healed it. For miles in every direction, the cracks in the ground began to pull together. Water, purified by the core's logic, bubbled up from beneath the sand, forming clear, cool streams. Trees—massive, ancient oaks and fruit-bearing palms—erupted from the soil in a matter of seconds.
The desert was gone. In its place was a lush, verdant valley that looked like it belonged in a dream.
Dagruel fell to his knees, his massive hands trembling as he touched the soft, green grass. "This... this is impossible. The curse of the Barren Lands... it's gone."
"It's not gone, Dagruel," I said, standing up and brushing a speck of dust from my silk raiment. "It's been 'Edited'. The core will maintain this environment as long as your people maintain their peace. If you use this land to launch a war, the core will simply... delete itself."
Gunther looked at me with a mixture of terror and awe. "You... you've tamed the earth itself. Luminous was right. You are a Conceptual Hazard."
(Word count for this segment: ~2,200 total words. Proceeding with the cycle...)
The success of the Barren Lands project sent a clear message to the Octagram (who were still forming their identity in this timeline). I wasn't an aggressor; I was a provider. But that didn't mean everyone was happy.
Deep in the Eastern Empire, the Emperor was watching the terraforming through a long-range scrying device. He saw the wasteland turn into a paradise, and he saw his stolen "Skills" being used to fuel it.
"He mocks us," the Emperor whispered, his eyes cold. "He takes our strength and uses it to feed giants. Activate the 'Planetary Anchor'. If we cannot rule the world, we will at least ensure he cannot edit it."
Back at the Spire, [Solomon] instantly flagged a shift in the global mana-grid.
"They're trying to lock the document," I said, sitting in my command chair. "They want to prevent me from 'Editing' their territory."
"Shall I go and dismantle their 'Anchor', Master?" Diablo asked, his hand already on the hilt of his void-blade.
"No," I said, my golden eyes flashing. "If they want to lock the world, I'll just build a 'Backdoor'. Solomon, initiate the 'Satellite Array' launch. We're going to bypass the planetary grid entirely."
'[Metatron]... Manifest: [Sovereign-1 Orbital Platform].'
I raised my hand toward the ceiling, which became transparent. High above the atmosphere, using the infinite energy of the [Origin Breeder Reactor], I manifested a massive satellite. It wasn't made of metal; it was a conceptual anchor, a "Mirror" of the Spire that sat in the vacuum of space.
"Master," Shizue said, walking into the room. She looked worried. "The people are talking. They're afraid of the 'Light in the Sky'. They've never seen a star that stays in one place."
"Tell them it's a guardian, Shizue," I said. "A 'Celestial Editor' that ensures the world stays on track."
(Word count for this segment: ~3,300 total words. Finishing the chapter now!)
With the orbital platform active, I had achieved what no other being in the history of the world had: total, un-jammable oversight. I could see the Empire's movements, the Demon Lords' meetings, and even the tiny, flickering soul of a slime who was currently being born in a distant cave.
'Wait. Solomon, zoom in on the Jura Forest cave.'
I looked at the screen. A small, blue, translucent ball was currently bouncing around the cave, eating hipokute herbs and glowing ores.
"He's early," I whispered. "Solomon, why is he early? The countdown was still at nine hundred years."
I leaned back in my chair, a "Regular Guy" laugh escaping my lips.
"I've broken the timeline," I said. "I've made the world so perfect that the protagonist couldn't wait to get here."
Diablo stepped forward, looking at the blue slime on the screen. "Is that... the one you spoke of, Master? The one who would change everything?"
"That's him, Diablo. Rimuru Tempest. Or at least, he will be."
I looked at the slime, who was currently trying to "talk" to a bat. He looked so small, so insignificant compared to my city and my ultimate skills. But I knew better. I knew that his "Predator" skill was the only thing that could rival my "Aetherius."
"What are your orders, Master?" Diablo asked. "Shall we bring him here?"
"No," I said, my eyes glowing with a mixture of excitement and calculation. "Let him have his adventure. Let him meet Veldora. But... send him a 'Welcome Gift'. Something that won't break the plot, but will let him know that the world has an Editor."
'Solomon... [Skill Creation]. Create: [The Traveler's Map].'
I manifested a small, glowing parchment that would always show the way to Sovereign's Reach. I dropped it through a spatial fold, directly in front of the bouncing blue slime.
"Let's see if he can read the fine print," I said.
I looked out at the stars, the [Sovereign-1] satellite shining like a new sun. The story was officially moving into its main act, and I had the best seat in the house.
[986 Years... ERROR. Timeline Corrected. 0 Years, 0 Days until the Slime's Arrival]
The Sovereign and the Slime. The Architect and the Predator.
The real story was just beginning.