Chapter 151: Humanity’s Sin
Silence spread across the battlefield.
The colossal figure’s smile lingered as it gazed beyond the broken heavens.
Toward Earth.
The words it had spoken echoed in Seraph’s mind.
"This time... humanity will finish what it started."
Seraph’s chest tightened.
"What does that mean?"
No one answered.
Not Halo.
Not Astra.
Not even the First Creator.
Instead, the newly awakened giant slowly raised one of its four hands.
The motion was effortless.
Yet every remaining fragment of the shattered Creator’s Blade flew toward it.
Thousands of divine shards fused together.
Within seconds, the blade had been restored.
Only now...
It was larger.
Darker.
Covered with strange blue cracks that pulsed like living veins.
Halo’s voice trembled.
[Impossible...]
[The Blade has changed.]
Seraph frowned.
"What happened?"
[It’s feeding on the void.]
The giant looked down at Seraph for the first time.
"So..."
"The Eighth Throne chose another."
Its voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
That frightened Seraph more than rage would have.
"You know about the Throne."
"I should."
"I built it."
Seraph’s pupils contracted.
"You what?"
The First Creator finally spoke.
"He speaks the truth."
The battlefield fell silent once more.
The giant lowered the enormous sword until its tip rested against empty space.
"I was the First Architect."
"I forged the Eight Thrones."
"I raised the Seven Guardians."
"I protected creation."
His empty eyes slowly dimmed.
"Then humanity arrived."
Seraph frowned.
"What does humanity have to do with any of this?"
The giant looked past him.
Beyond this world.
Beyond the stars.
Toward Earth.
"Everything."
A wave of memories burst from the giant.
This time...
Everyone saw them.
---
An ancient Earth.
Not modern.
Not primitive.
A civilization so advanced that continents floated in the sky.
Cities stretched into orbit.
Machines bent gravity itself.
People walked between stars as though crossing streets.
There was no cultivation.
Only science.
But that science had reached a level indistinguishable from divinity.
A young scientist stood before seven crystal spheres.
Behind him...
Halo.
Astra.
Five other glowing cores.
The scientist smiled.
"We did it."
"We can create universes."
The laboratory erupted in cheers.
Then...
Someone asked a single question.
"If we can create them..."
"...can we control them?"
The memory changed.
Wars.
Entire galaxies burned.
Artificial worlds were born only to be harvested.
Life became an experiment.
Creation became property.
The scientist who had once smiled now watched billions perish without emotion.
The World Cores rebelled.
The Guardians refused their orders.
Civil war consumed existence.
The First Architect tried to stop both sides.
He failed.
The Devourer appeared.
Not as a monster.
But as a force restoring balance.
The First Creator sacrificed itself to seal the war.
The surviving humans fled.
The Architects remained behind.
Then...
History was rewritten.
---
The vision ended.
Seraph stood frozen.
His breathing had become uneven.
"So..."
He looked toward Halo.
"Earth..."
"...started all of this?"
Halo answered quietly.
"Not the Earth you remember."
"The first civilization."
"Our ancestors."
Yelena struggled to process everything.
"So humanity..."
"...created the World Cores?"
Astra nodded.
[Yes.]
"And then..."
"They betrayed them."
The First Architect lowered his head.
"I watched my creators destroy everything."
"I watched my children kill one another."
"I watched hope become ambition."
His grip on the blade tightened.
"So I erased history."
"I became its villain."
Seraph slowly shook his head.
"You let everyone believe you were the enemy."
"I needed them united."
"Even through fear."
The Seven Architects lowered their heads.
None of them denied it.
The eldest finally whispered,
"We failed you."
"You failed yourselves."
The First Architect closed his eyes.
"I gave you worlds."
"You built kingdoms."
"I gave you life."
"You built empires."
"I gave you freedom."
"You chose power."
His empty eyes reopened.
"But the Trial..."
He looked directly at Seraph.
"...was never for them."
A new notification filled Seraph’s vision.
---
Successor Trial
Final Phase
Choose One Path
① Become the Eighth Architect
② Become the Last Guardian
Decision Required
---
Seraph stared at the two choices.
Halo remained silent.
Astra remained silent.
Even the First Creator offered no guidance.
The decision...
Was his alone.
The First Architect spoke softly.
"If you become an Architect..."
"You’ll gain the power to reshape worlds."
"You’ll never grow old."
"You’ll protect creation."
"But..."
"You must abandon your humanity."
Seraph looked toward the second choice.
"And the Guardian?"
"You remain mortal."
"You will know loss."
"You will know pain."
"You may fail."
"You may die."
"But..."
"You’ll always remember why you fight."
Yelena reached for Seraph’s hand.
She didn’t speak.
She didn’t need to.
He looked toward Soul Cross Sect.
The disciples were helping the wounded.
Elders carried children to safety.
Sect Master Aldric, despite his injuries, was rebuilding the collapsed barrier.
No one had been ordered to help.
They simply did.
Seraph smiled.
Then he looked toward Earth.
The blue planet still floated beyond the broken heavens.
Ordinary people lived their lives completely unaware of the battle taking place above reality itself.
Children laughed.
Parents worried about tomorrow.
Friends argued over meaningless things.
Beautiful.
Fragile.
Human.
He finally understood.
Power wasn’t what made someone worthy.
Choice was.
Seraph stepped forward.
The two options floated before him.
His hand slowly reached out.
The First Architect watched without blinking.
The First Creator remained completely silent.
Halo whispered,
"No matter what you choose..."
"...thank you."
Seraph’s fingers touched the second option.
The entire universe shook.
But before the choice could be accepted...
A crimson notification suddenly covered the blue screen.
---
WARNING
External User Detected
Administrator Override Initiated
---
Every World Core froze.
Halo’s light flickered violently.
Astra’s interface began breaking apart.
The First Creator’s enormous eye widened for the very first time.
The First Architect slowly turned toward the endless darkness beyond creation.
A new voice echoed across every universe.
Cold.
Calm.
Completely unfamiliar.
"Request denied."
"The experiment is not yet complete."
The crimson notification refused to disappear.
It hung before Seraph like a wound across reality.
---
WARNING
External User Detected
Administrator Override Active
Successor Trial Suspended
---
Everything stopped.
Not because of the First Creator.
Not because of the Devourer.
Something else had seized control.
Halo’s voice became distorted.
[Access... denied...]
Static filled Seraph’s mind.
"Halo?"
No answer.
Astra flickered beside Yelena.
Its silver light dimmed until it was barely visible.
[Administrator Authority detected...]
[Unable to resist...]
The First Creator finally reacted.
For the first time...
Its enormous eye showed unmistakable shock.
"Impossible."
The Seven Architects immediately knelt.
Not out of fear.
Out of instinct.
The First Architect slowly lowered his head.
"So..."
"You survived."
The new voice answered from everywhere.
Not the sky.
Not the earth.
Every particle of existence carried its words.
"Correction."
"I was never in danger."
The crimson light spread across the heavens.
Blue lightning vanished.
Silver flames disappeared.
Even the endless darkness surrounding the Devourer paused.
Reality itself seemed to obey the newcomer.
Seraph forced himself to stand.
"Show yourself."
Silence.
Then...
A single figure stepped out of empty space.
An ordinary young man.
Black hair.
Dark eyes.
Simple white shirt.
Blue jeans.
Nothing about him suggested power.
Yet every being present...
Including the Devourer...
Turned toward him.
The stranger looked around with mild curiosity.
"So."
"This is where Halo hid."
Seraph’s breathing became uneven.
"You know Halo."
"I wrote Halo."
The words echoed across the battlefield.
Halo suddenly screamed.
Not in fear.
In pain.
[Administrator...]
The stranger smiled gently.
"It’s been a while."
He reached out.
Halo was ripped from Seraph’s body.
The blue World Core floated helplessly toward the stranger.
"HALO!"
Seraph lunged.
He never reached him.
Invisible force stopped him midair.
No matter how much strength he used...
He couldn’t move another inch.
The stranger examined Halo quietly.
"You’ve changed."
Halo remained silent.
"You broke your primary directive."
"I fulfilled my purpose."
"You rewrote it."
"I evolved."
The stranger nodded slowly.
"I expected as much."
He glanced toward Seraph.
"So this is Nathan."
Seraph’s heart skipped.
"You know my name."
"I approved your transfer."
His mind went blank.
"You..."
"The accident."
"There wasn’t one."
The stranger looked almost apologetic.
"You volunteered."
Seraph shook his head.
"No."
"I don’t remember that."
"I know."
"I removed the memory."
Anger surged through Seraph.
"You stole my life!"
The stranger calmly met his gaze.
"No."
"I asked for it."
"You manipulated me!"
"Yes."
"You lied!"
"Yes."
Every answer came without hesitation.
No excuses.
No denial.
Only truth.
The honesty somehow made Seraph even angrier.
"You used me as an experiment!"
The stranger looked down briefly.
"...Yes."
Silence spread across the battlefield.
Even the First Creator watched quietly.
The stranger sighed.
"I wish I hadn’t."
Seraph frowned.
"What?"
"You were never supposed to suffer this much."
"You were supposed to become a Guardian."
"Not..."
His eyes drifted toward the Devourer.
"...this."
Yelena finally stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The stranger smiled faintly.
"My name doesn’t matter anymore."
The First Architect answered instead.
"It does."
He slowly stood.
"The last human."
Everyone looked at him.
The stranger shrugged.
"I suppose that’s accurate."
Seraph blinked.
"The last..."
The First Creator finished the sentence.
"The last survivor of the First Civilization."
The revelation struck harder than any attack.
The man standing before them...
Had lived since before worlds existed.
The stranger scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I’ve had a long life."
"A terrible one."
The Devourer suddenly moved.
For the first time...
It approached someone other than Seraph.
It stopped before the stranger.
Neither attacked.
Neither spoke.
The stranger simply smiled sadly.
"You’ve waited a long time."
The darkness rippled gently.
Like an old friend nodding.
Seraph frowned.
"You know it?"
The stranger nodded.
"I created it."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Halo stopped flickering.
"You..."
Seraph struggled to speak.
"You created..."
"The Devourer?"
"It wasn’t supposed to destroy worlds."
"It was supposed to recycle dying universes."
The stranger’s shoulders slumped.
"But then we taught it what destruction looked like."
The First Architect closed his eyes.
"Our greed corrupted everything."
"No."
The stranger shook his head.
"Our fear did."
He looked toward Seraph again.
"That’s why I chose you."
"You were still capable of choosing people over power."
A crimson window appeared before the stranger.
He glanced at it.
His smile slowly faded.
"So..."
"It found me."
Halo’s voice became frantic.
[Administrator!]
[It’s breaking through!]
"What is?"
The stranger looked beyond reality itself.
Something enormous was pressing against existence.
Unlike the Devourer...
This presence felt utterly alien.
It had no connection to creation.
No connection to darkness.
Nothing.
The stranger quietly handed Halo back to Seraph.
"I’m sorry."
"For everything."
Seraph caught the glowing World Core.
"What are you talking about?"
The stranger smiled.
"The real enemy..."
"...finally logged in."
Every screen in existence shattered.
The crimson interface dissolved into countless fragments.
One final notification appeared before everyone.
---
SYSTEM BREACH DETECTED
Unknown Root Access
Identity Confirmed
User: NULL
Permission Level: ABSOLUTE
---
The stranger’s expression hardened.
For the first time since he appeared...
He looked afraid.
Then the entire universe heard a cold mechanical voice.
"Administrator privileges revoked."
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