Chapter 17: The Nameless Sovereign and The System War begins

The tower shook.

A deep rumbling spread through the structure as the name Rheon had chosen—his true name—burned into existence. The System had tried to erase him, but now it was forced to recognize something that had never existed before.

The golden-masked figure stepped forward, their voice carrying reverence and caution.

"You have become an anomaly beyond the System's grasp. Your name is now written in a place where even the gods do not tread."

The weight of those words settled over the room.

Hadric shifted uncomfortably, gripping his war hammer. "Does that mean… he's not part of the System anymore?"

Elara, still staring at the flickering notifications, whispered, "No. It means… he's something outside of it."

Lorien turned to Rheon, his voice careful. "What does it feel like?"

Rheon exhaled, his breath misting in the air. Power coursed through his veins, unlike anything he had ever felt before. His body no longer felt bound by the same limitations. His very existence warped the world around him.

He clenched his fists.

"…It feels like I can finally breathe."

---

The System's Reaction

The world wasn't taking this change lightly.

The moment Rheon's name was rewritten, something shifted in the fabric of reality.

The floating notifications flickered, warping, struggling to process what had happened.

And then, for the first time, the System sent a message directly to him.

[WARNING: Unauthorized Entity Detected]

[Emergency Correction Protocol Engaged]

[Reclassification: Nemesis of the System]

A pulse of energy shot through the tower.

The bookshelves collapsed, and the monolith shattered, sending shards of black stone spiraling into the void. The golden-masked figure stepped back, raising a hand.

"Something is coming."

The others turned, weapons ready.

A hole was forming in the air, a rip in space itself.

Through it, figures began to emerge.

---

The System's Enforcers: The Archons

Elara gasped.

Lorien cursed.

Hadric's grip tightened on his hammer. "Oh, this is bad."

From the rip in space, six figures descended. They were clad in armor that gleamed with divine radiance, their bodies partially mechanical, partially ethereal. Their faces were hidden beneath featureless silver masks, and glowing runes covered their bodies, pulsing with System-given authority.

The lead figure spoke, its voice layered with thousands of voices.

"An unauthorized existence has manifested."

It raised a hand, and chains of pure law materialized in the air.

"Correction must be executed immediately."

The golden-masked figure whispered under their breath. "The Archons…"

Rheon narrowed his eyes. "Who?"

Elara's voice trembled. "The System's enforcers. Beings that only appear when an entity threatens the world's balance."

Hadric gritted his teeth. "They're the reason anomalies don't last long."

The lead Archon stepped forward, its gaze locking onto Rheon. It did not see him as a person. It saw him as a mistake to be erased.

"Submit, Nameless One. Your existence is in violation of the System's decree."

Silence hung in the air.

Rheon slowly lifted his gaze. His new power burned within him, a force unlike anything the System had ever accounted for.

He took a step forward.

A slow, deliberate step.

The tower groaned under the weight of the moment.

Then—Rheon grinned.

And he spoke one word.

"No."

The Archons reacted instantly—six beams of divine judgment erupted toward him, fast as lightning, each one capable of obliterating entire armies.

But Rheon didn't move.

He simply raised his hand.

And with a flick of his wrist—

The beams shattered.

The world froze.

The Archons hesitated—something they had never done before. They recalibrated, scanning him again.

[Error: Subject is Outside System's Jurisdiction]

[Threat Level: Incalculable]

For the first time in history—

The System did not know how to deal with what stood before it.

And Rheon?

He smiled.

And he attacked.

The System's War Begins

The world exploded into motion.

The moment Rheon's attack landed, the lead Archon reeled back, its pristine armor fracturing for the first time in history. Sparks of divine energy scattered like shattered glass, and the air warped as reality itself struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

The Nameless One had struck a System Archon.

Hadric's eyes widened. "Did he just—"

Elara whispered, "…Wound an Archon?"

Lorien couldn't even speak. He had read of countless warriors, gods, and kings who had challenged the System. None had ever laid a scratch on its enforcers.

And yet—Rheon stood before them, his aura burning, his newfound power defying all logic.

The lead Archon's golden energy flickered, its mask cracking as it processed the impossible.

[Error: Nemesis Entity Cannot Be Purged]

[Recalculating—]

The Archon raised a hand, its form distorting. The other five descended, their weapons drawn—swords forged from the very laws of existence, shields woven from the concept of inevitability.

They attacked in unison.

A thousand slashes, each one meant to erase an entity from existence.

But Rheon—

He moved differently.

It wasn't speed. It wasn't power. It was something beyond both.

He stepped between their strikes, rewriting reality with every movement. The air bent around him, time stuttered, the System lagged as it struggled to comprehend what was happening.

Then, he struck back.

A single palm thrust—collapsing space itself.

One of the Archons shattered, its body breaking into pieces of golden light, dissolving into nothingness.

The world held its breath.

The remaining Archons hesitated.

They had never known fear. Never known doubt. They were absolute.

Yet in this moment—facing him—

They felt it.

---

The System's Rage

The sky split open.

Lightning that carried the weight of divine judgment cracked across the heavens. The ground trembled as the System itself seemed to recognize the gravity of this battle.

More rifts tore open across the battlefield.

More Archons emerged.

Dozens. No—hundreds.

They descended like divine executioners, surrounding the ruined tower. A golden tide of enforcers, each one an extension of the System's will.

Elara clenched her fists. "There's too many…"

Hadric gritted his teeth. "Damn it—this is a war we can't win."

Lorien unsheathed his blade, stepping beside Rheon. "Then we make them bleed first."

Rheon, standing at the center of it all, simply breathed.

His body pulsed with power—power that wasn't given by the System, wasn't dictated by fate.

It was his.

And as the Archons raised their weapons to strike—

Rheon spoke.

His voice carried across the battlefield, reaching into the very core of the world.

"I refuse to be erased."

Then—he unleashed his power.

The sky shattered.

And the war truly began.