Chapter 141: The Limit of Control

I warped into the hub.

Everyone froze when I appeared.

"Hello, Frall. I need to speak with Vitilio."

"Is it true?"

"No."

"The system said you… you killed an admin."

"It was not the system we know. Luma was as shocked as the rest of us by the announcement."

"Then who-"

"I don't know who, but I do know that this person is powerful."

"Frall, if you don't stop socializing with that filth, then we will brand you a violator and kill you."

I got annoyed.

"Silence angel. No one asked for your opinion."

"Bold, it almost sounded like you wanted peace for a moment."

"I do want peace, but until the same person that killed Raphael is brought to justice, peace isn't possible."

"You're right, so die already."

"If I did kill Raphael then Luma would have taken me out."

"All archangels told exactly what happened."

"No, they told what he made them believe."

"Who's he, your ex or something?"

"Funny, but no, he's someone far stronger than anyone in the supreme faction with the possible exception of the Ruler."

His humoring face turned to a grimace.

"Are you claiming that a being that surpassed God did this?"

"Once again, I don't know if he has, but he can make things simply cease to exist, snap an archangel's neck without even being there then change everyone's mind, including the ruler, to blame me."

"That's a horrible excuse."

"Trust me, if I hadn't experienced it, I wouldn't have believed it. I understand your doubts."

"You killed a-"

"Do you really doubt your faction's commanders that much?"

"What?"

"Supposedly, I, a level 399, simply walked up and snapped an archangel's neck. What's more believable, that your leaders are that weak, or that someone other than me and the Ruler has very high-level reality magic, and hypnosis."

The angel and his partner considered that and realized that they couldn't come up with an answer.

Then a sudden shift that most noticed.

"It doesn't matter, you killed him, and you will pay for that."

I sighed.

"Now he's just getting sloppy."

Frall looked at the angels in confusion. Most of everyone did. The sudden shift from genuinely considering my point like angels did to not listening was so sudden that it caught them off guard.

"We'll kill you!!!"

Surprisingly, not only were the angels of comparable power to me, but they also were wild from the sloppy mind change, so I beat them easily and knocked them out.

"Now, that's handled."

I turned to Frall who was still in shock.

"That was sloppier than what he usually does, but I'm sure you all saw that, right?"

Everyone nodded, after that, suddenly my crazy story didn't seem so crazy.

"Though I was right. He must have a limit."

"I'll take you to meet Vitilio."

"Thank you."

_

I went with Raphael to ask with him. When we got there, I noticed desolate land, hundreds of both Angel and Demon corpses.

"Welcome to the battleground. Also known as the most dangerous world out there."

"What?"

"It's a higher level than Heaven."

"Oh…"

"Lucifer, I know you're here."

Silence, deeper than anything I had heard before. This world was dead.

"Raphael?"

A disembodied voice sounded from every direction. A powerful presence followed it.

"Yep."

"I thought you died,"

"I did."

"Then, did he bring you back?"

"No, Rose and her brother did."

"Wasn't it Rose that did you in?"

"No, that was his fault."

"What's with the elf?"

"That's Dallel, a brave man that decided to come on behalf of Garden."

"I see, and why couldn't Rose come herself."

"She went to Tortura to gain support."

"That's a foolish move."

"I agree, but since she's doing it, I decided to come here and get your help."

"I see."

"Can you aid us?"

"No."

"What?"

"I apologize, but if that man is resorting to killing an archangel to cover his tracks, then I'm not getting involved."

"But-"

"No buts, you can officially join us, hide with us, but I am not confronting him at this point. Not until she awakens."

"She won't have the chance to awaken if the supreme faction wipes her and the rest of Garden off the map."

"Have faith that she won't die."

Then the voice faded along with the overwhelming presence.

"Well crap. That didn't work."

"So, what now?"

"We meet up with Rose in Selethon, because I was made independent, I don't know if that man can still see me. If he can't, then his falsities will be caught off guard, but I think that it would be far more efficient to reveal against the angels."

_

"He does not have a limit. Why would he act as though he had one? To trick me. Well, that went horribly wrong."

Halfway through the walk, everyone, including Frall, dashed to kill me. I barely evaded all of them and hid in an alley.

"He is annoying, and I can only affect people who swear loyalty to me."

That was an unfortunate drawback of System Owner. While I had high permissions, I could only affect what I ruled.

"Rose, this way."

I looked and saw Vitilio.

"What? You aren't like… that?"

"Not yet, but I assume we don't have long before whoever did that does it to me too?"

"I'd assume so."

"Hm. Is there any way to avoid it."

"If you swear loyalty, I would be able to make you fully independent."

"I see."

"Yeah, I know that you-"

[Vitilio has sworn loyalty to you.]

"Oh, uh thanks."

I did the procedure and he sighed.

"I could feel him reaching for me when you did that."

"He's powerful, but now that you're safe I can break off the con-"

"Nah, keep it. I don't mind working under you. You are a good person."

He looked down.

"The moment I heard that you supposedly killed Raphael, I knew it had to either be a lie, or you had to have a darn good reason."

"I didn't kill him, the same one who did that to your people did."

"I see… Rose, I'm going to ask you to do something, if you do, then we will have a much bigger chance, but… Haven will ascend."

"You want me to unstagnate your growth."

He nodded.

"Are you sure, there is no going back."

"Yes. This is a time when it is needed."

[System command: Undo Stagnation on individual, Vitilio.]

[Your subordinate, Vitilio has resumed level growth, applying gathered XP.]

[Vitilio has ascended into The Highest Class. Applying all built up XP.]

[Vitilio has reached level 804]

"You gained… 4 levels."

"Saying how much it takes to level at this stage, I'd say we were lucky it's that many."

"Yeah, it's… just kind of underwhelming. I mean I became a 399 the moment I first ascended."

"You also had to hunt 700s."

"… good point."

"Yeah, but as you probably learnt, an ascension will bring your power up, so now I am quite powerful."

[The Middle-Class Faction, Haven, has ascended to a Higher Faction.]

"Um…"

"Could have done without her announcing that."

"Yeah, because now…"

[Sorry, I got excited. Higher factions are rare.]

[Any archangels on their way here?]

[Yep…]

[All of them?]

[Yep…]

"Well, crap."

"What?"

"All of the archangels are coming here."

"Why?"

"Because they know you're stagnated."

"And only an administrator can undo that."

"Yep."

"So…"

"They're coming to kill me."

"How can we stop them?"

"If you were to merge I could ban them from this world and all others currently under your control, but there's a problem."

"What is that?"

"Your people need to agree with it…"

"And they are all controlled."

"I'm beginning to think that this was planned out."

"This enemy of yours is annoyingly intelligent."

"Yes, yes he is."

"Is there a way to stop them?"

"… Domination."

"Hm?"

"I used to have a skill that joined into the nation skill, it was called Domination, I may be able to call on its dredges and stop them, then you can convince them of joining."

"That's a wonderful idea."

I stepped into the main road, then I spoke in a deep voice that was not befitting of my stature.

{[Stop]}

Using the system made it even more powerful and everyone who charged me froze.

"What's happening?!"

"Vitilio, hurry. I can't hold it for long."

The Wolfkin ran forward and shouted using his own skill, King's Voice.

"People of mine, you see Rose as an enemy, but there is someone who forces you to see that way. His hypnosis makes you forget and lash out. You all saw that we ascended into a higher faction, and you all know what that means. My stagnation is over because of the threat that made you violent."

Everyone was shocked by what the king was saying.

"Now the archangels, who are controlled by the same being which influences you, are coming to kill her, and if they succeed, then our only weapon against such a monster goes with her."

The people cried out in fear, so he continued.

"There is a solution, if she rules a world, then she can ban any beings that she doesn't want to enter from entering."

Frall was the first to grasp his meaning.

"Sire, you don-"

"I do. If we are to protect our people and the future factions that appear, then we must merge with Garden."

[The individual Frall has sworn loyalty to you.]

More and more, even those who weren't in the faction, even the angels swore loyalty to me.

Then another announcement sounded.

[The Supreme Faction has declared war on… Faction not found.]

[The Higher-Class Faction, Haven, has merged with Garden.]

Then, numerous lower factions also merged.

[Requirements have been met, the Administrator, Rose Hood is ascending to a Middle-Class higher being.]

[Rose Hood has reached level 538]

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Heh?"

"THAT WAS YOUR ASCENSION REQUIREMENTS?!!"

"I never actually checked it, so I guess?"

[Specifically, it was merge with a higher-level faction.]

"Luma, why does your leveler keep giving impossible tasks!"

[You keep doing them.]

"…"

[…]

"That's fair."

I remembered why we merged in the first place.

[System command, Ban-]

My head was cut off before I could finish, but my body leapt out of the way before the string could be cut.

"Close one, now, you all aligned with a murderer. We will kill you for that."

Cassiel looked at the duo that aligned with me in disgust.

"I have no clue why you still have those halos. No matter. You'll die all the same."

"I don't think so."

Everyone turned to the opening gate which Raphael walked through.

"I-impossible. You died!"

"Yep, luckily, Rose's brother can resurrect the dead if they aren't smited."

"But-"

"She didn't kill me. That man did."

"Who?"

"He goes only by a title, of course, I don't know his real name, but he is very strong."

"What does he call himself?!"

Raphael sighed.

"If I could tell you, I would, but he already killed me for knowing, and he's trying to kill Rose for likely getting close."

"No, it's because I'm immune to his mind manipulation."

"That too."

Cassiel was starting to break, and I could tell that she didn't want to fight anymore. We were winning.

Of course, he planned for that, as the other 5 came in while everyone was distracted.

Everyone but me.

"FEAR!"

I enabled my ultimate and shielded Raphael, who didn't even notice Michael's strike.

"Cassiel, focus, it's obviously a fake. He isn't even an administrator."

"Yes, death does do that."

My arm was broken, but I could still move. I repaired it and got into a combative stance.

"Everyone, I'll make a gate to Pandora by the entrance, get there as fast as you can. You too Raphael."

"But-"

"You lost both your administration and your blessing; you won't last long."

"And you will?!"

"Longer than you."

Then Dallel shouted.

"Gosh dang it Rose, Stop sacrificing yourself and expecting us to be okay with it. I agree that you all should run, but me myself…"

He walked to my side and smiled, looking at my face.

"If you're going down, then I'm going down with ya."

"Dallel."

"Listen, a year ago, me, Jalad, and Royce made a promise."

I looked at him and he gave a sad smile.

"We would defend you, and I've failed at that, again and again."

Then he leveled his sword at the Archangels. His hand was shaking with fear.

"I'm not failing again."