Nova spun toward the window, feeling his heart beating like a war drum. His eyes only caught a faint shimmer in the distance—the last traces of the barrier vanishing into the sky.

He rushed to the window and stared into the sky, hoping whatever met him wouldn't be too horrible.

'Don't let it be another rift, please!'

The barrier was broken. Torn apart, just as he feared. But what froze his blood wasn't the broken barrier.

It was the man.

A figure in brilliant golden armor descended slowly from the sky. The metal gleamed so bright it hurt to look at directly. Massive angel-like wings stretched from his back, each feather seeming to burn with inner light. A golden aura trailed behind him, leaving streaks of light that hung in the air for seconds after he passed.

The man didn't fly. He simply commanded gravity to release him. Each movement radiated absolute authority, like the air itself wished to bow before him.

'Who is this?! King Galled?!'

Below, all the children stopped playing, instead turning their sights to the golden man. Some stood with mouths open, while others whispered to each other. Even from this distance, Nova could see the awe in their expressions.

Millie and Anny rushed to Nova's side, pressing their hands against the window and staring up with him. Larena stood behind them, looking over their heads. Her hands gripped the windowsill tight enough to whiten her knuckles.

"What is this?" she asked quietly, looking down at the children. Her face was pale, clearly understanding the potential severity of the situation.

"...We might be in troub–" Nova started to say.

A pulse of raw power exploded outward from the figure. It swept across the academy like a physical wave, rattling windows and bending grass. And with it came hopelessness.

Nova felt it slam into his soul. A sudden, terrible understanding. The gap between them was like comparing a pebble to a mountain. Every drop of soul sense in his body screamed it; this being existed on a level beyond anything he could comprehend.

'Fuck, this isn't the king! Even the Signus would bow before this guy!'

The golden man brought his hands together. His voice carried across the distance with perfect clarity, as if he spoke directly into their minds.

"Domain of Order," he announced.

His hands formed a sphere of golden light. From it came a second pulse, stronger than the first. The air rippled visibly as a bubble of distorted reality expanded outward from his hands. It engulfed the academy in seconds. Then it kept growing, swallowing the entire city of Collport.

The world changed. Colors twisted and shifted. Blues became almost green. Reds deepened to near-black. Everything took on a pearlescent quality, reminding Nova of opal stones from Earth. The effect was beautiful and terrifying at once.

But the visual change was nothing compared to the true effect.

The air solidified. Moving became almost impossible. Nova tried to lift his arm and found it trapped, as if encased in invisible cement. His lungs struggled to expand, and each heartbeat took immense effort. Even blinking seemed to require too much strength.

'...We have no choice but to accept whatever is happening here. This man is too far beyond me, beyond any of us. But it sounded like… is he part of the Church of Order?'

A terrifying thought suddenly struck Nova as he connected the pieces together—everything he knew, everything he had experienced in this world pointed toward a single, overwhelming conclusion.

'...Could this man be the God of Order? The man behind the system?'

The golden figure moved through the air with grace. His wings barely moved as he positioned himself directly in front of the main building, fixing his gaze on Larena through the window.

Without any visible action from him, the window suddenly flew open with explosive force, shattering into countless glass shards that hung suspended in the air like a frozen waterfall, caught by the same paralyzing effect that held everyone else immobile.

"You seem to be the head of this place," the man stated, but then he quickly furrowed his brows in contemplation. "No, that's not right—you're too weak. Where is your leader?"

Larena suddenly gasped as invisible bonds released her, allowing her to draw a deep breath that made her shoulders rise and fall dramatically. "I… I cannot tell you without dying, sir. But if you undo that effect on the others in this room, you might get your answer."

"...The three children?" The golden man's gaze swept across the three small figures by the window, lingering on Nova with particular interest. His eyes narrowed as understanding seemed to dawn on him. "Ahh, I see. So that's why I'm not allowed to kill you all…"

Another rush of chills ran down Nova's spine as he processed the man's words. It seemed they had managed to narrowly escape death, thought the reason was unknown.

'Not allowed to… At least that means he's not the boss. A direct underling of the God?'

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A moment later, the paralyzing force released him as well, allowing his lungs to fill with precious air, though he quickly mastered his breathing to avoid showing weakness.

The golden man floated closer, staring at Nova with unconcealed curiosity. "You're the 'Little Angel' of Damascus, aren't you?"

"Little Angel?" Nova's brows furrowed in confusion, but then realization dawned on him—given everything that had happened in the holy city, it couldn't possibly refer to anyone else. "Probably. I am the one who helped close the void rift, if that's what you're asking."

"Just so…" The golden man nodded in satisfaction, then his expression hardened again. "Well, you see, you have committed a grave sin."

Nova maintained his composure despite the accusation, keeping his voice steady as he asked, "A sin? Of what kind?"

The air between them seemed to grow heavier as the golden man's aura intensified. His next words fell with the weight of judgment. "You have stolen power from the system. Many times."

"Stolen power?"

Nova's mind rushed through the possible explanations. 'Is it the Inner Blossoming Invocation? Or the Meridian Cleanse? No, it has to be the invocation. All other power I've gained has been from souls or items.'

The golden man looked at Nova with unwavering intensity. "Just so. But it seems that your kind deeds in the holy city has saved you." His voice carried no emotion despite the reprieve he offered. "Usually, to prevent the spread of whatever technique you're using, we would just erase this city from the map and see if it reappears."

Nova swallowed hard. The implication of such casual destruction made his blood run cold. "...I'll do whatever you want me to."

"Does anyone but you know the technique?" The golden man's eyes narrowed. Light seemed to bend around him as he waited for an answer.

Nova took a deep breath, looking at the children spread out on the courtyard below. Lying to a being of such power seemed foolish. "...I have taught the technique to two others so far." He paused, silently begging for his mercy. "Please, let them live as well."

The golden man's face remained impassive. "You're really not in a position to make demands." His wings shifted slightly, catching the light in mesmerizing patterns. "But fine, if those two are in the city, I shall collect them and put them under the system contract. Just like I'll do with you."

Nova hesitated. He had no way of knowing the man spoke the truth. All Nova knew was that this being had the power and willingness to erase an entire city just to hide this technique. Yet history suggested the servants of Order typically kept their word.

"...They're both right next to me."

The golden man's stern expression brightened. "Ahh, excellent! Then we can get this over with quickly."

Millie and Anny both gasped loudly as the paralyzing effect released them. Air rushed into their lungs. Anny recovered quickly, but Millie began to tremble. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she started crying.

Nova put a hand over her shoulder. "Millie, don't worry. This will be over soon. We just need to agree to a contract."

She nodded weakly in his arms, covering her face with shaking hands.

The golden man raised his arms. His voice took on a formal tone. "Alright, all three of you, do you swear never to use or teach the techniques you've used to gain Soul Power outside of the usual means?"

Nova held his hand up. "Just to be clear, it is the technique that spends essence to gain a small bit of Soul Power, right?"

"Correct. There is a stronger version as well that only you have used, so that will be included. As well as any other similar skills that work on the same principle." A hint of annoyance flickered across his perfect face. "I don't feel like coming down here whenever you come up with a new version of it."

"Alright, then." Nova took a deep breath. The weight of the moment pressed down on him. "I swear," he said with finality. His hands rested supportively on the two girls beside him.

Anny straightened her back. Her voice came out clear and firm. "I swear."

Millie still cried into her hands. Her voice emerged small and broken between sobs. "I s-swear!"

The air around them shifted. An invisible weight seemed to settle on their shoulders as the contract took effect. The golden man watched with satisfaction as glowing symbols briefly appeared around each of them before fading into their skin.

[You have sworn to never use or distribute knowledge of any skills that use only essence to gain Soul Power.]

[Breaking this oath will force you to atone for your crimes against the God of Order.]

'Okay… If that is all we have to give up, this is fine. Not ideal, but fine.'

The golden man spread his magnificent wings. Light scattered from each feather as he prepared to depart. "Good! Then I'll leave you to it."

"Uh, just one thing!" Nova called out quickly. He stepped forward with unexpected boldness. The powerful being paused mid-motion, wings still extended. "Millie here is still very young. And she's a prodigy of magic, meaning she might discover a new method like this on her own just by experimenting. Can you leave her some room to make mistakes?"

The golden man turned his full attention to Millie. His gaze softened slightly at the sight of the tearful child. "Using or creating a skill like that won't carry a heavy punishment, but spreading it to others will."

His voice remained firm despite the small concession. The golden being lowered himself slightly to address Millie directly. "I would advise you not to try and recreate this skill, child. Power should be earned through combat, not stolen from the system that keeps this world in order."

A muscle twitched in Nova's jaw at those words. His thoughts remained carefully hidden behind a neutral expression.

'Hmpf, we'll see about that. The contract is solid, so it seems like I can't spread the skill to every corner of the world to break the system… But if this can weaken it, there should be other ways.'

Millie wiped her face with her sleeve before bowing to the man. "I-I'll be careful, golden angel!" Fresh tears streaked down her reddened cheeks as she maintained her bow.

Nova stepped forward again. "What of everyone else affected by this domain of yours? Will they be alright?"

The golden man waved a dismissive hand. The gesture seemed almost casual after such a world-altering display of power.

"Ah, yes, no one with less than a thousand Soul Power will even know I was here." A hint of amusement crept into his voice. "I hope I don't see you again, Little Angel. I don't want to lose my job to a new guy, after all."

Just as quickly as he appeared, the golden angel was gone, vanishing into thin air.

The Domain of Order collapsed instantly. Colors snapped back to normal. The suspended glass shards crashed to the floor in a musical cascade, and the air became breathable again. Everything returned to how it should be with jarring suddenness.

Down in the courtyard, the children who had been frozen mid-point at the sky suddenly blinked and looked around in confusion. Within moments, they returned to their games. Their laughter drifted up through the broken window as if nothing unusual had happened.

Nova stared at the empty sky, filled with thoughts of the road ahead. "...That makes our future plans a bit harder to achieve."

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