The air inside the old castle shimmered faintly, filled with drifting blue particles — not dust, but mana, dissolving into the air like digital snow.
At the center of the grand hall, Althea knelt, clutching her chest. The mark of the saint on her hand — once a simple spiral rune — was now glowing violently, pulsing with waves of light.
> "Saint Althea…" the king muttered, watching in awe. "Your mana is no longer normal. It feels as if the world itself is… shifting."
She couldn't answer.
A voice echoed faintly inside her mind — soft, distant, mechanical.
> [SYSTEM WARNING]: User 'Sion' has reconnected.]
Her eyes widened.
> "S-Sion…?"
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🔹 The Hidden Connection
Far across the castle, Raven was studying ancient rune tablets left behind by the sages.
> "This doesn't make sense…" he whispered, tracing the patterns.
"All summoning records were erased. But… there's one hidden code — a signature."
He wrote the name on the wall:
SYRION
Suddenly, the mana crystal beside him flared to life.
> "Wait… are you saying the creator of this world is still alive inside the system!?"
A metallic voice echoed from the walls:
> [Affirmative. Entity: Syrion. Status: Ghost Code. Location: Forbidden Zone.]
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🔹 The Voice Beyond the Light
Meanwhile, Althea collapsed. The world around her dissolved into a white void — an endless field of light.
Before her, a silhouette of a man formed, woven from data and starlight.
> "Finally… I can see you again."
> "S-Sion!? Is that really you?"
The figure smiled faintly, his face flickering between human and code.
> "It's me. But I'm no longer the Sion you knew on Earth. I am the system now."
Tears fell from her eyes.
> "You never changed… You're still saving me."
> "I'm not here to save anyone, Thea," Syrion said softly. "I'm here to correct the mistake of a god."
The void glitched, flashing fragments of memory — Syrion's creation of The Ultimate World, the server collapse, and his final act of uploading his consciousness to preserve the game.
> "But Sion…" Althea whispered, "why us? Why did the god summon us here?"
> "Because that god… isn't who you think. She's not divine."
"She's the System Error — the one you call The Goddess."
---
🔹 Revelation of the Saint
Althea's vision snapped back to the real world.
She was lying on the temple altar, surrounded by priests and mages chanting sacred code.
> "Your Holiness," said the High Priest, "the Saint has awakened."
Althea turned to the water mirror beside her. But instead of her reflection, she saw Syrion — seated on a throne of light.
> "Thea…"
"Sion…"
Between them, a crimson rune pulsed.
> [Heart Link Established.]
The connection between them went beyond mana — it was something deeper, a bridge between the living and the digital.
---
🔹 The True Hero's Doubt
Outside the temple, Raven gazed at the fractured sky.
> "If Syrion is the system… and Althea is the saint… then what am I?"
Before him lay the Sword of the True Hero, its blade now cracked.
> "Am I a hero… or just part of someone else's code?"
Then Syrion's voice echoed faintly in the wind:
> "Raven… a story doesn't have to be real to be true. Choose what you'll believe in."
---
🔹 System Distortion: Goddess Detected
The ground trembled.
A massive golden-black rune appeared in the sky.
> [ERROR 9999: SYSTEM INTRUSION — GODDESS REINITIALIZING WORLD DATA.]
A beautiful, cold voice filled the heavens.
> "Syrion… why did you return? You no longer belong to this world."
> "Because this world doesn't belong to you anymore!" he shouted. "It belongs to the players!"
The voice laughed softly.
> "Then let's see how long your saint can survive."
Althea's body was wrapped in divine light as the rune above opened like an eye.
Before being engulfed, she heard Syrion's fading voice—
> "Thea… if I disappear, find the Last Save Point. That's where the truth begins."
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⚔️ End of Chapter 11: The Saint and the System
Next Chapter: The Last Save Point
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