Player

What remained of the being who had created the system was now just an empty vessel before me.

"Poor guy, thought he had a chance at immortality, kinda reminds me of Orochimaru."

His body was lying there. The amount of mana he possessed was enormous, considering how many statues he had created. 

Moreover, his ability of creation was pretty cool.

"Let's not waste a good resource," I murmured, placing my palm flat against the Architect's exposed blue chest.

I activated my second cheat: Devouring.

The effect was immediate. 

The connection formed—a bridge between his essence and mine. 

Information began to flow, a torrent of knowledge and power transferring directly into my consciousness.

The headless body began to disintegrate beneath my touch, breaking down into particles of pure energy that flowed into me like a river finding its path to the ocean. 

The remaining stone shell fell away completely, leaving nothing to hinder the absorption process.

This wasn't just destruction—this was assimilation. 

Not just ending what remained of his existence, but claiming it as part of my own.

A true Souvenir of my victory against this creep.

The sensation was indescribable. 

Centuries—no, millennia—of knowledge poured into my mind. The fundamental structures of magic and its various types flowed inside me.

I got the knowledge of many worlds and also a beirf history of the worlds that Monarchs ruled and their locations.

Most importantly, I gained his signature ability: Creation.

I understood it instantly. 

The power to shape reality from raw energy, to manifest thought into physical form. 

The more mana one could provide, the more complex and enduring the creation would be.

The Architect had been limited by his own reserves—significant by most standards, but still finite. I, on the other hand...

As the last of his form dissolved into me, I assessed the energy I'd acquired. 

His reserves added perhaps three percent to my own—a drop in the ocean of my power, but not insignificant. 

The knowledge, however, was priceless.

I flexed my fingers experimentally, feeling the new ability settling into my being. "Time for a test drive."

Soo-Yeon remained frozen in her trance-like state nearby, her consciousness still captured by the System's history lesson. 

She would be occupied for a while longer.

Perfect.

I needed a moment to experiment.

I focused on a simple object first—something familiar, something meaningful. 

An image formed in my mind: a blindfold, black and elegant, inscribed with intricate patterns that mirrored the ones Gojo Satoru had worn in another life.

I channeled a fraction of my energy through the newly acquired ability, feeling it take shape in response to my will. 

The air before me shimmered, molecules rearranging themselves according to my design.

And there it was—floating before me, a perfect recreation of Gojo's blindfold.

I plucked it from the air, examining it closely. 

The fabric was exactly as I'd envisioned—light yet durable, the patterns precisely as they should be. 

Not just a visual copy but functionally identical to the original.

"Not bad for a first attempt," I murmured, turning it over in my hands.

The creation had barely dented my energy reserves. I could have made thousands of these without breaking a sweat.

I tied it around my eyes, feeling a rush of nostalgia as the world transformed through the blindfold's effect.

I could still see everything pretty clearly.

"Oh, this is nice," I said, adjusting it slightly. "Very nice indeed."

I couldn't help but smile, remembering Gojo's flair for the dramatic. 

The blindfold had been as much a fashion statement as a tool for him—and now it was mine, created by my hand.

With the Architect's ability, the possibilities were nearly endless. 

Weapons, tools,—all within my power to create. 

Combined with my existing abilities, I had reached a new level of potential.

I leaned back against a broken pillar, crossing my legs casually as I waited for Soo-Yeon to emerge from her trance. 

The blindfold remained over my eyes, a new toy to play with while I contemplated my next steps.

The Architect was gone. The Shadow Monarch's plans would need adjustment. 

And the broader conflict between Rulers and Monarchs... well, that was about to get much more interesting.

I lifted the blindfold momentarily, checking on Soo-Yeon. 

She remained still, her face occasionally shifting with micro-expressions as she processed whatever revelations the System was feeding her.

"Take your time, Shadow Princess," I said softly, lowering the blindfold again. 

"We've got all the time in the world now."

I idly created small objects in my palm—a miniature castle with working drawbridges, a perfect replica of Earth the size of a marble—dissolving each one before making the next.

Practice made perfect, after all.

And I had a feeling I'd need this ability perfected very soon.

The dimensions around us continued to stabilize, thanks to me. 

Without the Architect to maintain it, the pocket dimension would eventually collapse entirely. 

But I had absorbed enough of his knowledge to keep it intact for now—at least until Soo-Yeon finished her journey through the Shadow Monarch's history.

I smiled behind the blindfold, feeling the weight of my new power settling comfortably around me.

"The game just got much more interesting," I whispered to myself, creating a perfect chess set where every piece resembled a player in this cosmic drama.

A black king for the Shadow Monarch. A white queen for Soo-Yeon. Various pieces for the Rulers and Monarchs.

And for myself? No piece on the board.

I was always the Player.