Liam's entire body pulsed with chaotic energy, his consciousness shifting between reality and something beyond.
He had chosen the path of a System Breaker.
The moment that decision was made, the System's fundamental laws unraveled around him—rewritten by his existence.
He wasn't just a System User anymore.
He was something new. Something dangerous.
And the Architects knew it.
Because they had arrived.
---
The Arrival of the System Architects
The air cracked apart, like glass shattering across dimensions.
A pulse of unnatural energy surged through the sky, warping the very fabric of space.
Liam's newly enhanced senses went wild.
> WARNING: INTERDIMENSIONAL BREACH DETECTED.
UNKNOWN ENTITY CROSSING INTO PHYSICAL PLANE.
Xavier watched, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.
"They're here," he murmured. "And they don't like what you've become."
Liam's jaw tightened.
The sky split open, revealing a vast ethereal construct floating above the ruined cityscape.
It wasn't a ship.
It wasn't a structure.
It was a presence.
A being.
Massive, amorphous, shifting between geometries and colors that should not exist.
Liam's heart pounded.
For the first time since getting the System… he felt like an insect.
> IDENTIFYING ENTITY…
SYSTEM ARCHITECT: PRIMARY JUDGE CLASS.
DESIGNATION: AZAROTH, KEEPER OF BALANCE.
The moment its name appeared, Liam's breath caught.
Because the System itself was trembling.
> WARNING: THE SYSTEM IS ATTEMPTING TO SYNC WITH ARCHITECT OVERRIDE.
ARCHITECT COMMANDS CANNOT BE DEFIED.
Liam's vision blurred as his System tried to shut him down.
"No. NO."
He clenched his fists, forcing the System into submission.
> ERROR! SYSTEM BREAKER MODE OVERRIDING ARCHITECT CONTROL.
WARNING! YOU ARE NO LONGER UNDER SYSTEM JURISDICTION.
Liam's eyes flashed with defiance.
"They think they can control me? Not anymore."
---
Azaroth Speaks: The Architects' Judgment
The colossal being shifted, its form bending and reshaping into a semi-humanoid shape.
Its voice was not a sound, but a force—resonating through every molecule in the air.
"Liam Carter. You have committed an act of treason against the Grand Design."
Liam gritted his teeth.
"Treason?" he scoffed. "I did what your so-called 'System' was too scared to do. I broke free."
Azaroth's presence darkened.
"The System exists to guide lesser beings toward controlled evolution. You have corrupted its purpose."
Xavier chuckled softly.
"You see, Carter? They don't care about our survival. They only care about control."
Azaroth ignored Xavier, its attention locked onto Liam.
"We offer one chance to correct your deviation. Surrender your existence to restoration… or be erased from reality."
Liam's blood boiled.
"They want me to just roll over and die?"
He cracked his knuckles.
"How about a third option?"
Azaroth paused.
Liam's eyes burned with a power even the Architects hadn't foreseen.
"I tear down the System itself."
---
The First Clash: Breaking a God
Azaroth's massive form shifted, adapting instantly to Liam's threat level.
> ARCHITECT PROTOCOL ENGAGED.
INITIATING SYSTEM WARFARE MODE.
Reality itself buckled as blinding golden tendrils of pure System energy lashed out toward Liam.
Each one contained enough power to erase a country.
But Liam?
He was no longer bound by their rules.
He vanished.
Then reappeared above Azaroth.
His hand pulsed with a new power—not System-enhanced, but something far worse.
A reality-breaking fist.
He slammed it down.
BOOOOOM!
The impact sent shockwaves through dimensions, warping the very fabric of existence.
Azaroth reeled back, its colossal form flickering between realities.
For the first time, a System Architect had been hit.
And it was bleeding.
Xavier's eyes widened slightly.
"Well. That's a first."
---
Testing the Limits of Reality
Liam's breathing was steady, but his entire being vibrated with instability.
He could see it now.
The way the System was wired into reality.
The hidden mechanisms that controlled fate, time, and progression.
The fact that every choice, every ability, was never truly 'free.'
He had been living in a cage this whole time.
And now?
He was about to rip the bars apart.
Azaroth recovered, its form twisting into something more monstrous.
"UNACCEPTABLE. SYSTEM BREAKER STATUS CONFIRMED. ESCALATING FORCE TO MAXIMUM."
Liam smirked.
"Bring it."
---
Xavier's Warning: A Power Too Great?
As Azaroth prepared its next attack, Xavier finally moved.
His hand lifted, and the battle froze.
Reality stalled for just a moment, as if Xavier had simply pressed pause on existence.
He turned to Liam, his tone unreadable.
"Careful, Carter. You're playing a dangerous game."
Liam snorted.
"You afraid I'll win?"
Xavier chuckled. "No. I'm afraid of what happens if you do."
Liam stiffened.
Xavier's smile faded slightly.
"You break the System? Then what?"
Liam hesitated.
Because Xavier was right.
If he destroyed the System entirely… what would replace it?
The world ran on its rules.
Without it…
Everything could collapse.
For the first time, Liam felt the weight of his decision.
But before he could respond—
Azaroth broke free of Xavier's pause.
"ENOUGH."
A blinding explosion of golden light erupted.
The battle was far from over.
But now?
Liam wasn't just fighting to win.
He was fighting to decide the fate of reality itself.
The Birth of a New Order
Liam hovered in midair, his reality-shattering power surging through every fiber of his being.
Azaroth—the massive, god-like System Architect—had recovered, its golden light pulsing with raw universal force.
The System itself was trembling, on the brink of collapse.
But Liam?
He was beyond the System now.
And he had a choice to make.
---
Three Paths, One Destiny
Xavier's voice was cold, calculating.
"You see it now, don't you?"
Liam's eyes burned as he processed the consequences of his next move.
> Choice 1: Destroy the System Entirely.
The world would return to its natural state, free from all System Users—but also vulnerable to collapse.
> Choice 2: Take Control of the System.
He would become the new System Master, dictating how evolution worked, deciding who wielded power.
> Choice 3: Rewrite the System.
Create something entirely new—a System that was free from Architect control, built for humanity's survival and dominance.
Azaroth shifted, sensing his hesitation.
"SURRENDER THE SYSTEM. IT CANNOT BELONG TO A MORTAL."
Liam's smirk returned.
"Screw that."
His decision was clear.
He wasn't going to destroy the System.
He wasn't going to follow its old rules.
He was going to take it. Own it.
And rewrite it into something unstoppable.
A System that would ensure humanity's survival for the next ten thousand years.
Liam lifted his hand, his energy twisting into something unnatural.
"Azaroth," he said coldly, "your time is over."
---
The Final Strike: Erasing an Architect
Azaroth realized the threat too late.
> SYSTEM WARNING! UNAUTHORIZED USER ATTEMPTING OVERRIDE.
ESCALATING ARCHITECT RESPONSE!
A massive golden blade formed in the Architect's hands, charged with the power of an entire galactic civilization.
Azaroth swung.
The blade came down—enough force to erase Liam from existence.
But Liam?
He was faster.
His fingertips pulsed with absolute power.
He reached out—
And caught the blade with one hand.
Azaroth froze.
Liam smirked.
Then he snapped the blade in half.
Azaroth staggered back, its form flickering.
For the first time, it knew fear.
Liam raised his hand—and unleashed a blast of anti-System energy.
The golden core within Azaroth cracked, then shattered.
The Architect let out a voiceless scream—
And then it was gone.
Deleted.
For the first time in recorded history, a System Architect had been erased.
And Liam?
He stood victorious.
---
Claiming the System: Becoming the New God
Xavier exhaled, watching the scene unfold.
"Well," he muttered, "that's going to send shockwaves through the cosmos."
Liam didn't respond.
His attention was on the System itself.
> WARNING: SYSTEM ARCHITECT DESTROYED.
SYSTEM CONTROL VACANT.
DO YOU WISH TO ASSUME SYSTEM MASTERY?
Liam's fingers twitched.
This was it.
The moment he took control, the System would no longer be bound to the Architects.
It would be his.
He closed his eyes.
And accepted.
> NEW SYSTEM MASTER: LIAM CARTER.
SYSTEM RESET IMMINENT.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESTRUCTURE THE SYSTEM BEFORE ARCHITECT REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE IN 10 YEARS?
Liam's eyes snapped open.
"Damn right I will."
---
The New System: A Universe Reforged
Liam's mind expanded across dimensions.
He saw every rule, every restriction the Architects had placed.
And he rewrote them.
Old Rules (Erased):
System Users bound to Architect laws.
Power cap at Level 4.
No free evolution.
New Rules (Created):
Humanity will govern itself. No external interference.
Unlimited evolution. The System will grow alongside its users.
System Masters will be chosen from Earth's strongest.
A defensive protocol will be built—so that when the Architects return… we'll be ready.
Liam felt reality itself shift.
> NEW SYSTEM ESTABLISHED.
THE ERA OF THE ARCHITECTS IS OVER.
WELCOME TO THE ERA OF HUMANITY.
Liam grinned.
Xavier let out a soft laugh.
"You just declared war against gods, Carter."
Liam turned to him, his new power surging effortlessly.
"Good," he said. "Let them come."
Because in ten years, when the Architects returned?
They wouldn't find a submissive world.
They would find a System designed to destroy them.
And Liam?
He'd be waiting.
To be continued