Seventy-one hours and forty-two minutes until the raid.
Ethan—or Azrael, as he supposed he should start thinking of himself—had spent the past eighteen minutes doing what any self-respecting game developer would do in his situation: testing the system for exploits.
So far, the results were not encouraging.
"Open menu," he commanded. Nothing happened.
"System interface." Nothing.
"Debug console. Admin panel. Developer tools. Cheat codes. God mode. Please, for the love of everything, give me something to work with!"
Silence answered him.
The throne room remained stubbornly unresponsive to his commands. It seemed that being a boss meant losing access to the administrative tools he'd used while developing the game. He was no longer the architect—he was part of the architecture.
"Okay. Different approach."
He closed his eyes and focused inward, trying to feel the systems running through this body. If he was truly Azrael now, he should have access to the boss's abilities and information.
A moment later, a status screen materialized in his mind:
═══════════════════════════════════════════ AZRAEL - THE ETERNAL EMPEROR ═══════════════════════════════════════════ Level: 999 (MAXIMUM) Class: Raid Boss (Legendary) HP: 50,000,000 / 50,000,000 MP: 10,000,000 / 10,000,000 STR: 45,000 AGI: 38,000 VIT: 52,000 INT: 41,000 WIS: 47,000 CHA: ERROR (Value exceeds display parameters) ═══════════════════════════════════════════ COMBAT PHASES: 4 ═══════════════════════════════════════════ Phase 1: The Opening Gambit (100% - 75% HP) Phase 2: Symphony of Destruction (75% - 50% HP) Phase 3: Twilight Judgment (50% - 25% HP) Phase 4: Emperor's Last Stand (25% - 0% HP) ═══════════════════════════════════════════ ACTIVE MECHANICS: 23 ═══════════════════════════════════════════ [Expand for details] ═══════════════════════════════════════════ WEAKNESS: [LOCKED] Unlock Condition: Reach Phase 4 ═══════════════════════════════════════════
Ethan stared at the numbers. He had designed these stats himself, carefully calibrated to require a full raid team of Level 95+ players to have any chance of victory. Seeing them from this side of the equation was surreal.
He was, statistically speaking, one of the most powerful entities in existence.
He was also completely alone, trapped in a single room, unable to even open a door.
"Great power, terrible responsibility, terrible accommodations," he muttered.
A voice interrupted his self-pity.
"My Emperor. You seem... troubled."
Ethan spun around, instinctively raising his clawed hands in defense. A woman stood at the far end of the throne room, emerging from shadows that hadn't been there a moment ago.
She was breathtaking in the way that a naked blade is breathtaking—beautiful and dangerous in equal measure. Silver armor encased her slender form, designed with angelic motifs that contrasted sharply with the corruption creeping up one side. Six wings sprouted from her back, three pristine white and three charred black. Her face was aristocratic, cold, with eyes that burned with pale blue fire.
Seraph. The Fallen Arbiter. First of the Four Calamity Generals.
Ethan had designed her as a tragic figure—an angel who fell from grace when she chose to serve the Eternal Emperor over the gods who created her. In the raid, she guarded the first wing of the castle, a DPS check boss that separated casual players from serious raiders.
She was also, according to his design notes, absolutely loyal to Azrael.
"Seraph," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. He'd programmed Azrael to speak in a deep, resonant baritone, and apparently that carried over to him. "I was merely... contemplating."
She approached the throne, each step graceful despite her heavy armor. "You have not summoned us in three cycles. Kragus is restless. Vex is... Vex. And Orianna has been having visions again."
Ethan processed this information rapidly. The Four Calamity Generals were the mini-bosses players had to defeat before reaching him:
Seraph, the Fallen Arbiter—Phase 1 checkpoint
Kragus, the Bloodbound Berserker—Phase 2 checkpoint
Vex, the Hollow Whisper—Phase 3 checkpoint
Orianna, the Oracle of Endings—Phase 4 checkpoint
Together with Azrael, they formed the final raid encounter of Elysium Terminal.
"Summon them," Ethan said, surprising himself with the authority in his voice. "I would speak with all of you."
Seraph's eyes widened slightly—the first hint of emotion he'd seen from her. "All of us? Together? My Emperor, you haven't called a full council since the Founding War."
Ethan had no idea what the Founding War was. He'd written it into the lore but never detailed it fully.
"There are matters to discuss," he said vaguely. "Bring them."
Seraph bowed, her corrupted wings folding against her back. "As you command."
She dissolved into shadows, leaving Ethan alone with his racing thoughts.
Minutes later, the throne room's doors opened—apparently they responded to NPCs, just not to him—and four figures entered.
Seraph led the procession, followed by the others.
Kragus was exactly as Ethan had designed him: twelve feet of muscle and fury wrapped in chains that he'd supposedly broken free from in his backstory. His skin was crimson, his eyes were furnaces, and every step he took left smoldering footprints. Two massive axes hung from his back.
"EMPEROR!" he bellowed, his voice shaking the chandeliers. "Finally! I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about the SLAUGHTER!"
Behind him came Vex, a stark contrast. The assassin was almost impossible to see directly—looking at him was like trying to focus on a word you'd forgotten. His form was humanoid but indistinct, wrapped in shadows that moved independently of light. When he spoke, his voice came from everywhere and nowhere.
"Something is different about you," Vex whispered, and Ethan felt ice crawl down his spine. "You smell... new."
Finally, Orianna glided in, her feet not quite touching the ground. She was an ethereal beauty, her body composed of crystalline structures that refracted light into rainbow patterns. Three eyes blinked at him—two where eyes should be, and one in the center of her forehead.
"I have seen this moment," she said, her voice chiming like bells. "For three hundred years, I have seen you sitting there, wearing your own face like a stranger. The Eternal Emperor is dead. Long live the Eternal Emperor."
Every head snapped toward Orianna, then toward Ethan.
Kragus's axes were in his hands in an instant. Vex's form solidified slightly, daggers materializing from shadow. Even Seraph's hand drifted toward her sword.
"Explain," Seraph commanded, her voice cold as winter. "Now."
Ethan realized he had seconds to make a choice. He could try to maintain the charade, pretending to be the original Azrael. But Orianna was an oracle—if she said something, it was true. And Vex had already sensed something wrong.
Lying would only delay the inevitable.
So he told them the truth.
"My name is Ethan Cross. In another world—the world that created this one—I was the man who designed everything you see. Your castle. Your powers. Your entire existence. Three hours ago, by my reckoning, I died. I woke up here, in this body, with no explanation and no way out."
Silence.
Kragus looked confused, which was fair. Vex looked suspicious, which was expected. Seraph looked angry, which was dangerous.
But Orianna simply smiled.
"And so," she said, "the prophecy of the Creator's Return begins. The one who made us will save us—or doom us all."
[END OF CHAPTER 2]