The both of us were at a loss for words. Sephera took a moment to stand up, setting aside the bag of chips as she approached me. She looked around, clearly just as bewildered as I was.

"How did you... I thought that Players couldn't return to Last Stand- at least, not in an Admin's tower...?"

"I-I don't know. I guess my achievement bypasses that," I stuttered, still in awe of standing before my Admin. It had been so long since we last saw each other in person, I had nearly forgotten what Sephera looked like.

"Yeah, but I thought it would take you to an isolated part of Last Stand, not here, where all the Admins and Towers are... Earth's floors and dungeons aren't the same as the constructs here." Sephera's eyes searched my face, as if looking for an explanation I didn't have.

"I guess maybe Last Stand's acting as a medium? That's the best I can come with, anyway," I shrugged, turning my attention to the system message. "Now... for what I should simulate..."

"Damn, if only I wasn't a Rank 2 Admin, maybe I'd have more information..." Sephera mused, stroking her chin.

"Maybe if you weren't lazy and brought in more Players to clear your hard as fuck tower, you'd rise in rank," I instinctively retorted out of habit.

Blue message screens quickly filled my vision and I angrily stumbled over to where I last saw Sephera. "Hey, I'm literally in your tower now, stop spamming my eyes!"

"No." My 'all-powerful' Admin childishly replied.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" I stared at the blue screens, the messages now in a frenzy around me. "Let me do what I need to do!"

[I'm sorry, Luquier. As a Rank 2 Admin, my powers are limited. You must understand the hierarchy.]

I turned away from her floating message to stare directly at Sephera, who was typing up another message. "Are you seriously using messages now instead of talking to me in person?"

Sephera hung her head before she turned to face me. "I liked you better when you were a bullying, bum, no-life masochist..." she pouted.

"I'm not-!" I took a deep breath, calming myself down. Dealing with Sephera was like dealing with... my sister. In fact, even after not actually seeing Sephera in person since the first time we met, it felt like nothing had changed. "Look, let me go through with whatever this achievement can do. Maybe it'll answer any questions you might have."

"Fine," the Admin huffed, lounging back down onto her couch. I noticed her throne had dust collected on every inch of it. "Good luck or whatever, Player."

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, feeling the tension in my head. "Thanks," I murmured, not bothering to hide the sarcasm. I had no idea what kind of challenge this would be, but if it meant getting some answers, I'd deal with it. "Let's get this over with."

I faced the system prompt, clearing my throat. "Simulate floor 40 of the tower."

[Parameters accepted. Now transporting Player Luquier Vaunt to floor 40...]

The same blue light enveloped me once again, and I glanced over at Sephera. "See you soon."

She grunted, giving me a small wave before my world shifted.

----------------------------------------

Blinking my eyes to clear my vision, I found myself on the heavenly themed floors of the tower once again. Similar to the floor that Tommy and I were last on, the walls were made of clouds and the ground was a sea of pure white. The atmosphere was serene, but the ominous feeling remained. In the distance, a castle loomed, and I could sense a powerful presence even from where I was at.

I grinned, taking out the Soultaker and activating my Grim Mantle, feeling the wings protrude from my back. I blasted off, zooming straight for the boss. There was no need to farm the angelic mobs, since I assumed they wouldn't give me anything beyond stat padding.

[Why'd you choose the 40th floor?]

"Because, any floor that doesn't end in a 5 or 0 doesn't have a boss fight worth farming," I replied as I landed in front of the castle's entrance. Hordes of flying creatures came pouring out towards me. "I'd go floor 45, but I want to take my time with this; experience the theme change upon hitting floor 41."

I waited until the last second to zip through the fodder mobs, expertly maneuvering through towards the doors to the boss chamber. The hulking doors were already open, inviting me in. The grandeur of the chamber was not lost on me, even though I had seen similar sights in my past runs. Each floor had its own theme, and the heavenly motif was definitely one of the more breathtaking ones.

I walked through the doors, hearing it groan shut behind me. I surveyed the room, taking in the sight of the four flying creatures that awaited me. It seemed as though this was a four-part boss fight, which was quite rare. The center stage was occupied by a massive angelic being, flanked by three lesser angels.

[Name: Michael | Level: 40]

[Name: Raphael | Level: 40]

[Name: Gabriel | Level: 40]

[Name: Uriel | Level: 40]

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Interesting..." I muttered, noting the lack of other stats from the bosses. Typically, bosses had their own Health and damage output displayed, but these angels were showing only their names and levels. It was either a glitch or a deliberate design choice by the game creators.

"Player... we've been expecting you," a deep, resonating voice echoed through the chamber, causing the air to vibrate. The angelic being in the center, Michael, had spoken. His eyes, which had been closed, snapped open to reveal a piercing gaze.

The four angels turned to face me, their expressions unreadable. Despite their lack of visible stats, the aura of power emanating from them was nothing to scoff at. But I was confident that I was strong enough to take all of them on at the same time.

"We can tell you have been bestowed a few gifts from above," Michael spoke, his voice as smooth as silk. "But do not let them deceive you. You are still a mere mortal in the eyes of the Almighty."

I smirked, raising the Soultaker. "Well, I've never been one to back down from a challenge," I said, walking closer to the quartet. "Let's see if you guys can really back up that talk."

Granted, my arrogance stemmed from the fact that my Divinity passive made me immune to all Holy attributes, so I expected to at least get out of this boss fight unharmed unless they started using different attributes to attack me.

Uriel raised a hand. "Stay your sword, Player. It is not we who will face you."

The other three angels nodded in unison, stepping aside to reveal a fifth figure, shrouded in shadow. The air grew thick with tension, and the castle walls themselves seemed to hold their breath.

I paused, my confidence wavering. Even against four of the most famous angels in religious texts, I had been certain of my victory. But the sudden appearance of a fifth was unnerving. "And who the hell is this?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.

[Name: Lazarus | Level: ???]

[Health: 5000 | Strength: 500]

[Speed: 200 | Magic: 100]

[Description: (Locked)]

I stared at the man in the middle of the angels. The name Lazarus didn’t immediately click in my head, but something about him was eerily familiar. His silhouette was tall and slender, and unlike the others, he held no weapon. Instead, his arms were folded behind his back, as if he had no intention of fighting.

He had spiky black hair, neatly combed back. He wore a simple, sleeveless black cloak, which showed off his rippling muscles. His eyes, the color of steel, bore down on me. Despite the low numbers in his stats, his aura seemed to indicate otherwise.

[System alert: Player Luquier Vaunt's existence has shifted the original script of the simulation. Adjusting...]

What? Another event similar to when I summoned Skalyt to face her original? But in this case, I hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.

"******. It's been a while," the man named Lazarus said to me, the first word censored to my ears. The four archangels flanking him took a step back, allowing the shadowy figure to step forward.

The Soultaker trembled within my grasp. "You... you're..."

"Thanatos," Lazarus smiled softly at the weapon, as if he were greeting an old friend. "Though you may be in sword form, I'd recognize that aura anywhere."

"Damn, you just know everyone, huh?" I muttered to the blade in my hands, its blue runes glowing softly.

"Not everyone, just those relevant to my master," the Soultaker responded, the voice echoing slightly in the grand chamber. "But enough about that. What are you doing here, with the archangels, Lazarus?"

The man gave an awkward smile. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you again, but I'm a bit confused as to why you're here. You're a little early, no?"

[???]

Both the archangels and I were confused as to what Lazarus was talking about. Sephera also seemed just as flabbergasted. Was this man also aware of my existence outside of the system?

"You know why I'm here," I said, keeping my voice calm. "The same reason everyone else is. To reach the top of the tower."

"Not what I meant, Player," Lazarus's smile faded a bit. "You're growing too quickly for the system to handle. I can only assume that my presence here means you've disrupted the system's natural progression track."

I scowled. "System this, system that. Who created such a bullshit guideline in the first place? Isn't Last Stand supposed to be trying to grow as strong as possible so that you can clear the tower and defend against whatever threat there is?"

"I assume you know more than you let on," Lazarus countered with a knowing look. "Last Stand was never meant for humans to clear so easily. Those who created this whole ordeal designed it as both a form of entertainment and to appease the warring sides."

"Entertainment?" I scoffed, feeling a wave of anger surge through me. "Is that what we are to you? Pawns in some cosmic game?"

"You're directing your anger at the wrong person, Player," Lazarus sighed, stretching his body. "I just want to warn you that the stronger you grow, the more the system will try to adjust to it. That's why I was forced to come here several floors early."

I shivered. I was going to face this guy on the later floors? But he didn't have very impressive stats. In fact, he seemed no stronger than a beginner Player, like I had been when I cleared Sephera's tower.

"All you archangels, leave us now. I will deal with the Player," Lazarus called out, his voice echoing in the grand chamber. The four angelic bosses hesitated, but after a nod from Michael, they retreated, leaving the two of us alone.

I gripped the hilt of the Soultaker, tensing my body in preparation to whatever Lazarus was going to do. As I stared into his silver eyes, I noticed that he wasn't too keen on fighting me.

"You look like you don't want to do this. Is the system making you do this?" I asked him, crouching defensively.

Lazarus's eyes narrowed. "Somewhat. I would rather not fight someone who was chosen by a dear comrade of mine. As much as I'd like to tell you how to defeat me, once again, the system will not allow that."

"How are you so aware of all of this?" I pressed on, trying to gain as much information as I could. It would only take a second to defeat Lazarus, so I wanted to try and stall for time. Then again, a part of me felt like this battle wasn't going to be easy despite the cold numbers I had seen.

Lazarus chuckled dryly, as if bitter from my question. "The truth is, I'm much more akin to the Admins rather than a product of the system."

[!!! He knows about us?!]

My mouth hung slightly open. Including Bathalt and Lucinda, Lazarus was now the third non-Player entity that was aware of Sephera's presence. It made me wonder just what exactly my role was in this world if such strong beings were able to break the 'fourth wall' of Last Stand.

"As much as I can afford to tell you, Player, Admins are much more similar to you than you think," Lazarus continued, ignoring my shocked expression. "And I'm certainly more so to you than they are."

He mirrored my crouching, tensing his muscles. "Continue to grow, Player, but beware of incurring the system's attention. Don't make the same mistake I did."

The warning was cryptic, but I couldn't ignore the urgency in his tone. "What are you talking about?"

"I've been on a slightly different road you are on. The only difference was, I challenged the system foolishly," Lazarus leapt at me, but in my eyes, it was like he was moving in slow motion. "So the system integrated me, a former Player, into its very fabric to maintain balance."