"It is all happening for your own sake. You might not see it but the abyss is corruption you as well. We are just trying to save you from a fate worse than death."
Subaru sounded too confident in his claim but Aurora knew that he was only speaking words someone else had fed into his brain.
His eyes did not look at Aurora as he stared in her general direction. Nor did it show the genuine fear he had shown at the start.
It almost felt like she was talking with a different person and that was a big distinction.
"You say all these big words but you cannot even keep me from figuring everything out. The reason you were able to trap us all this easily and the reason you needed to separate us all was so that we are not able to communicate and tell each other that this is an illusionary world."
Aurora was taking a shot in the dark but the more she spoke, the more she was certain about that fact.
This was the highest level of illusion that could be created. It could be said to be a reality in itself since it followed all the rules of life.
But the only difference was that this world had a god. And it was the administrator who had made this world possible. All the laws here abided by their will.
"Ho! So you managed to figure it out? Can you tell me what made you so certain that this was an illusion? I don't think I gave anything away."
Subaru, no, the illusion of Subaru asked her. His head was twisted in an unnaturally scary way. It all but confirmed that Aurora had hit the bull's eye.
"Does it matter how I figured it out? You should let me go now before you anger me. I am not amused by your tricks."
Aurora was angry and her whole body showed her anger visibility. Even her aura was radiating anger and uncomfortableness.
But the administrator who was watching from Subaru's eyes just remained calm. She seemed to have no fear of being caught by Aurora.
"And, what would happen next now that you caught me? Let me remind you that I am the main power here and you have no way of resisting me. Even an overlooker is unless against me, much less human like you."
The administrator was not only cocky but arrogant as well. She seemed full of herself and her words were smug as well.
Everything she was made Aurora hate her a little. She did not like the administrator's attitude.
"If you keep underestimating humans then you will suffer one day. You should be more careful about what you say if you do not want to lose your throne."
Now the administrator scoffed at her words. She no longer found Aurora's words amusing but insulting.
The mere fact that Aurora had dared suggest that she would lose to a human was insulting to her.
"Forget a human, even a goddess or a dragon cannot defeat me. I won the authority of this floor so I am the supreme ruler here. Even the abyss cannot go against my wishes."
The administrator cried out as she held Aurora's face in her hands. She seemed to find Aurora as repulsive as Aurora found her to be.
Truly, two swords could not exist in one sheath without damaging each other. And these two alpha females were having a similar problem.
"It doesn't seem like we will see eye-to-eye on this matter. Then, let's settle it the only way we can - be a bet."
Aurora purposed, putting her entire life in her friend's hands. He was sure that Rita and Quince will be able to come up with something.
She did not need to be rescued but just was provided with enough of an opportunity to get out of there. The resistance against the administrator would do the rest.
"Hoh? You sound confident there for a second. I also like the sound of a bet. But if I bet your freedom, what will you bet?"
The administrator asked with a curious tone. She wanted to see what kind of precious thing a strong human captor held in her grasp.
Aurora thought over this matter for a few minutes before she was finally deceived on a core. More specifically, she was going to bet Mei's core right now.
"Oh, I have the perfect thing for myself. How about, a goddess's core? You can check it yourself."
A goddess's core had enough energy emission to be felt from afar. Someone like the administrator should be able to tell that this core was authentic.
Subaru's eyes widened until they looked like only the white of her eyes remained. The occurrence of the core had surprised him enough to knock the administrator speechless.
Even if the administrator had complete authority over a floor, she still longed for a core. Having a core would mean that you could control more territory.
She would also be able to escape the abyss's eyes and finally be able to travel outside of her cursed territory.
"I cannot believe what I am seeing. Are you going to bet it? I will not let you take this bet back once it is made."
The administrator asked Aurora once again to make sure. But Aurora had no intention of thinking twice.
She would win this bet since she knew her companions and also knew the future. All she had to do was to negotiate the terms right and things would happen.
"I am sure I want to bet this core. I bet that your downfall will happen within the next two weeks and you will become an ordinary human again."
The administrator's good mood evaporated at hearing those words. Her lips were pulled back into a snarl as she stared Aurora down.
"Well then, you are going to be a rotten prisoner until the next two months. And not only you, but all your companions will also accompany you to your death in two weeks. Mark my words."
The administrator looked to be on fire now. She was burning with the flames of vengeance and to prove herself.
Aurora knew that she should not have triggered the administrator like this but it had been fun. Besides, it did not matter how much Aurora opened her mouth.
As long as she had the core to bet, the administrator would not be able to kill her off. Not until the core doesn't take root inside the administrator.
And the only way to ensure that it did was to have an expert on hand who could assist her.
The only one who fit the criterion right now was Aurora.
"Remember, you need to capture my companions alive or our deal is void. But if you are too chicken to follow through, then I understand…"
"Who is too chicken? I will bring your companions in front of you right in a matter of days. You just wait and watch that happen. Also, I will allow you to send a short message to your companions and then the game will begin."
Aurora grinned a harmless smile back at the administrator and she was sure that it was pissing her off even more.
But in a show of merciful temperament, the administrator decided to forgive Aurora and not say a word.
For someone with such high pride as an administrator, it was a huge step. And it also showed that she had her gains as a top priority.
Aurora watched her leave with lazy eyes. She needed to think about what to write to her companions to make them aware of this situation and not panic.
"Let's see. I should address it to Quince since he's the most level-headed out of those three. I also need to give them instructions about what to do next and what to expect."
It was lucky that Aurora had her system to send her message across. She was going to send a non-sense letter by the administrator's hand while writing instructions for Rita to check the system files.
It had so smart of her to hide this information in her system ahead of time so that she could reveal it in case of an emergency.
"Enjoy your last few days of being in power, administrator. Your fall shall be hard and glorious."
Aurora generally did not wish harm to befall anyone but even she could not help but curse the administrator out.
Her reasons might be personal but that did not mean they were non-sensical. Revenge would taste sweet and Aurora could not wait for that time to come.
"Until then, I should try and break through the administrator's main wall and make sure it is kept in check. I knew making my system interactable would come in handy."
The system had been a fruit of Aurora's labor so it was her pride and joy as well. And now that it was really coming in clutch, no one could be prouder than Aurora herself.
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