Nikolai sat still in his chair, idly spinning a cube atop ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) his hand.
Click, click—after a few precise turns, the cube’s colors aligned back into their original order.
Tap.
Nikolai tossed the cube aside, as though he’d lost interest.
Where it landed was atop a pile of other cubes of every shape and pattern.
“What a dull world.”
The men in black coats standing near him stayed silent, merely listening to his words.
“Everything in existence is built upon rules like this. At first glance, it all seems chaotic and disordered—but when you look deeper, there’s structure within.”
Just like the cube he’d just solved.
At first, the six faces were a tangled mess of colors, yet after turning and aligning them in the right way, the perfect order revealed itself.
To Nikolai, this was the essence of the world—
a realm of complete order where chaos did not truly exist.
“I can’t help but wonder. If this world were a finely crafted mechanism created by someone—if even good and evil were designed and calculated to move in harmony—then what am I?”
No one answered.
Nikolai didn’t expect them to. He continued speaking to himself.
“Is my attempt to break this grand device also part of its caretaker’s design? Is even my doubt itself something implanted into me? If so, does that make me evil?”
Questions bred suspicion.
Suspicion bred unease.
But Nikolai had no intention of living the rest of his life in anxiety.
He’d come this far; he needed to see the truth with his own eyes.
“Victor Dreadpool. Were you feeling the same way, I wonder.”
He chuckled quietly, recalling a conversation he once had with Victor.
—Ohohoho. So Nikolai, you’ve been thinking the same as me?
Victor’s response to his confession had been unexpected, a mocking giggle that nevertheless seemed to understand him.
—I’ve been aware of it all along. And so has Zero Order.
—So it’s true, then.
—What do you intend to do about it, Nikolai?
—To prove it. I want to confirm whether I truly exist as myself.
—Ohohoho. Seeking self-affirmation? Not a bad goal at all.
—And you? You conduct all these experiments. Are you trying to escape this cage as well?
—Me? Well, in the grand scheme of things, you could say that.
Victor had muttered that while staring at a massive test tube containing a living experiment.
—I simply hate it, you see.
—Hate it?
—Why do humans have two arms and five fingers?
—Because that’s what humans are.
—Exactly! That’s what humans are—because that’s how they were designed! Why do beastkin have animal ears? Why do elves live long and have pointed ones? Why are dwarves short? Even beasts and insects all follow the same absurd rules! I can’t stand it. So I’ve reached a conclusion.
—And what conclusion is that?
—That whoever designed this stage has absolutely dreadful taste!
Victor had burst into manic laughter, clutching his stomach.
—There isn’t an ounce of artistry in it! What kind of creation is this? No creativity, no originality—just recycling the same patterns again and again! I find it detestable!
—So that’s why you create such things yourself?
—These are my artworks! To the one who built this stage—if that being is God, then I say this: Look upon my art! Compare it to your shabby work—mine is superior in every way! Yes! I pursue a greater, more beautiful form of art!
Victor’s laughter had echoed madly.
He’d called Nikolai a kindred spirit.
That thought alone had irritated Nikolai—but somewhere inside, he couldn’t deny it.
—Ohohoho. Then let’s both do our best! You for self-realization, and I for art!
That was the turning point—the reason they joined hands.
“Zero Order said he knows everything.”
It wasn’t surprising if that were true.
But what frustrated Nikolai was why Zero Order hadn’t told him.
“Maybe he wanted me to realize it myself. Or maybe... he just doesn’t trust me enough.”
Who, then, held Zero Order’s true favor?
Franz and Citadel, his right and left hands?
No.
It was the First Order—John Doe.
That man alone was truly trusted.
Nikolai had even sent Berom with a leash, planning to use him as a bargaining piece—but John Doe had crushed Berom instead.
“Yes. This must be my final trial. The destiny placed upon one who has uncovered the truth of this world.”
So he would face it head-on.
Nikolai checked the real-time feed.
John Doe was approaching his location.
Beside him were the Sixth-Circle mage Phyron and the time mage Gariel Cosmo.
“And the news from the Mage Tower isn’t pleasant, either.”
Lotheron, who was supposed to be detained for a few days, had instead broken free—destroying the inspectors in the process.
He had even discarded his trademark iron mask.
“A unique-type mage, three Sixth-Circle magicians, and a master of the Dark Magic School.”
At least the master of the Ancient Curse School hadn’t joined them. Still, the girl held as a hostage made it impossible to pull back more manpower.
“Amusing. They’re coming straight to face me here on this island.”
Nikolai smiled thinly as Ludger’s image appeared on multiple screens.
“Fine. As a giant, I’ll gladly accept the challenge of a dwarf.”
John Doe.
I will kill you here and earn Zero Order’s favor—
and through him, learn the truth of this world and ascend higher still.
“Now, let’s see if you can defeat this entire island.”
Of course, he wouldn’t fight fair.
He would fight his way—by manipulating and controlling others from the shadows.
* * *
Ludger and Phyron stopped walking at the same time.
The number of people in the surrounding streets had gradually decreased—until not a single one remained.
“So it begins.”
“Looks like they plan to start with a bang.”
The hostility pressing from all directions was unmistakable.
The residents had been evacuated, and a net of encirclement had been drawn tight. That alone spoke volumes about the scale of their enemy.
“Has it started already?” Gariel asked.
They hadn’t even reached their destination, yet trouble had already found them.
“From now on, you protect yourself. Phyron and I won’t have the freedom to cover you.”
Gariel nodded, tense, and disappeared from sight.
Only Ludger and Phyron remained. Both began to raise their mana.
“Hah! Time to stretch these old muscles!”
Phyron grinned fiercely, unleashing his aura.
The explosive surge of power made the hidden enemies flinch in panic.
“They’ve noticed us!”
“Attack all at once!”
The ones stepping forward were mercenaries, bounty hunters, and criminals—the scum that infested the city’s underworld.
“Kill those two, and we each get paid millions!”
“It doesn’t matter how—just kill them!”
Nikolai had placed bounties on Ludger, Phyron, and Gariel’s heads.
Each amount was large enough for a man to live in luxury for life.
That was why every desperate soul in the city had joined the hunt.
Their location didn’t matter—Nikolai was tracking Ludger in real time and feeding the coordinates directly to them.
Bounty hunters swarmed from all directions.
Phyron saw them—and charged forward.
“Urahahaha!”
The streets filled with hundreds of armed foes.
And the number kept growing by the second.
But Phyron neither faltered nor slowed.
If anything, his stride grew heavier, his muscles swelling with vigor.
The bounty hunters panicked at the sight.
“Wh-what the hell?”
“Why isn’t he stopping?”
“Don’t chicken out, idiots! It’s just one guy! Take him down!”
Men with steel prosthetic arms took the front line.
Using the mechanical strength of their arms, they heaved massive slabs of metal upright, forming a barricade.
The plates locked together with a metallic screech, creating an iron wall thick enough to block artillery shells.
Sharp spikes jutted from the top to prevent anyone from climbing over.
The bounty hunters grinned, certain Phyron would smash himself to death against it.
Until the wall dented—then shattered under his shoulder.
BOOM!
With his bare body alone, Phyron tore through the steel barrier, blowing a gaping hole in it.
The men behind it were crushed by his charge, their prosthetic limbs splintering, their bodies flung like ragdolls down the street.
Phyron was like a living tank.
No—more than that. He could destroy a tank if one rammed into him.
The bounty hunters screamed in terror.
“Are you kidding me?! He’s just one man!”
“How is this possible? He’s supposed to be a mage!”
A mage destroying solid steel with his bare flesh—how could that make sense?
Yet it was happening before their eyes, undeniable and horrifying.
Some broke and ran. Others, blinded by greed, refused to give up.
“Huh?”
Charging onward, Phyron glanced down at the sudden pull around his ankle.
Whirrr—
A thick steel wire had wrapped around it.
“Got him! His speed dropped!”
“That wire can hold an elephant!”
“Don’t use just one—use everything you’ve got!”
Even so, the fact that the wire merely slowed him was absurd.
But the hunters had numbers and tools.
If one wasn’t enough, use two. If two weren’t enough, use ten.
They fired every restraint cable they had at Phyron.
The steel lines tangled around his body like a net ensnaring a massive fish.
At last, when he stopped moving, he was bound from head to toe, hanging in a web of metal.
Like a beetle caught in a spider’s web.
The bounty hunters grinned in triumph—eyes gleaming with greed.
“Tighten it! Don’t let up!”
“Add more—use the magnet disks!”
Thin metal disks flew and clattered near Phyron’s feet.
Each embedded with a mana stone—once activated, they created a magnetic field that yanked the wires tighter, constricting him even more.
These weren’t traps for animals—they were tools designed to capture armored knights and large cryptids.
Under the immense pressure, Phyron couldn’t move an inch.
The hunters finally relaxed, watching him carefully.
It was over—or so they thought.
Then, from within the cocoon of steel wires, Phyron’s voice rumbled out.
“Still not enough.”
Everyone froze.
Not enough? How could a man say that while barely able to breathe?
“What, he’s still fine?!”
“Don’t panic! He’s bluffing! He can’t move!”
One man shouted bravely—but Phyron just chuckled.
“Bluffing? You sure about that? I’ll admit—it’s been a while since I’ve felt this heavy. But even so, this isn’t nearly enough to stir my muscles.”
As if to prove his words, the wires binding him began to strain and stretch—then snap, one after another.
TWANG!
The tensioned cables recoiled like whips, slashing through the air and tearing into the surroundings.
“Duck!”
“Get down!”
CRASH! BOOM!
The wires slashed through buildings and streets alike. Those caught in the rebound were hurled away screaming.
“He—he snapped the steel wires with his bare body?!”
Breaking free from the metallic cocoon, Phyron flexed—his muscles swollen, his shirt long gone.
“Hmm. That was a decent warm-up, but still not enough.”
His feral grin turned toward the terrified bounty hunters.
“Bring me something stronger to excite these muscles!”
As he roared and charged again, anticipation burning in his eyes, the bounty hunters’ faces drained of color.
“R-run for your lives!”