With a plethora of enemies, I knew that Lodian's battle sense had increased to 100%. Despite that, I wasn't worried. Even though my specters were harmless, dealing with more than a thousand of them was still a nightmare for any Player. The shadows moved like a swarm of black mist, obscuring his vision and keeping him busy.

As for Seth, Ophelia, and I, we continued to put the pressure on, using our abilities to keep Lodian on his toes. My clone filled in the gaps in our attacks, so the General literally had no chance to breathe as he immersed himself in the fight. Of course, we made sure not to actually deal any real damage, just to wear him down. With such a powerful Player from another world, we didn't want to lose the chance to communicate.

The sound of the battle was deafening. The clanging of steel, the shrieks of Ophelia's time manipulation, the crack of Seth's claws, and the cacophony of the Regretful Legion's spectral whispers filled the air. Yet, amidst the chaos, I heard something new. The distant sound of rushing wind grew closer, and suddenly, the air around us grew colder, sending shivers down my spine.

"Ha-ha... she's right on time..." Seth smirked, leaping away from Lodian. I followed suit, watching the air distort as a figure descended from the sky.

"Sorry I'm a bit tardy," Izu's cool voice echoed through the battle-torn cityscape, cutting through the din of clashing steel and spectral cries. "The Mu Sector had a little trouble dealing with their first boss monster."

Her black hair shimmered in the light as she gracefully floated onto the ground. Lodian stiffened upon seeing her, but before he could do anything, Izu snapped her fingers, conjuring spectral chains of gold that coiled around him. The Abyss Walker turned towards us, her gold eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Thank you for keeping him busy," Izu said, her tone light, though the gravity of the situation was clear. She approached Lodian, her chains tightening around his form. The General struggled, his sword flashing through the shadows, but to no avail. His eyes darted towards me, a silent question. I was in awe of the fact that Izu restrained him so effortlessly, when it took four of us and a shadowy army to slow him down.

"At ease, commander," Izu spoke, as if she read his mind. Which, given that she had the ability to do so, was probably what she did. "As long as you cooperate, no harm will fall upon you."

Lodian's eyes remained focused on me, the struggle in his gaze becoming desperate. The Regretful Legion surrounding him grew denser, the shadows pressing in as if to reinforce Izu's words. The air grew colder, and the pressure mounted until he finally relented, his sword clattering to the ground. The specters parted, allowing Izu to approach him without obstruction.

I took a moment to peek at Izu's stats. The last time I saw them, she only had a billion in every stat save for Risk. I wondered if she had leveled up any during the World Raid.

[Name: Izu Shen | Level: 6347]

[Title: Abyss Walker (SS)]

[Health: 54.03+ | Strength: 25.01+]

[Speed: 31.03+ | Magic: 66.02+]

[Risk: 1.01+]

[Holy shit.]

Sephera, who had been silent until now, apparently couldn't hide her surprise as her message flashed in front of my eyes. But I was equally as stunned by Izu's stats to wonder about my Admin's quietness, my eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"Does this mean she had Shrouded her stats when I first met her...?" I murmured, my voice filled with amazement. I always had a feeling Izu was stronger than me, but to outclass my numbers in every aspect like that was something else entirely. It made me wonder just how insane Nephilim was, if Izu was just the vice-guildmaster.

Izu looked over at me, her expression unreadable, and nodded slightly, as if proud that I was representing the Noble guild. She turned back to Lodian, the golden spectral chains around him tightening slightly. "Now, just relax, commander. This won't hurt a bit."

Lodian's eyes narrowed, but he didn't resist as Izu approached him, her hand reaching out to gently touch his forehead. A soft glow enveloped them both, and the battlefield grew eerily quiet as the wind died down.

After several moments, nothing happened. Izu withdrew her hand and clicked her tongue lightly.

"Seems as though your King's Crest Passive resists any and all mental attacks," Izu murmured, her eyes still closed as she maintained the golden chains. "No matter. There are other ways of extracting information. That's my specialty, you see."

Her eyes narrowed, and the chains tightened around Lodian, making him wince. He glared at her, but his eyes had lost their previous confidence. "Release me," he growled.

"Unfortunately, I can't," Izu spoke calmly, her voice carrying a hint of steel. "Not until we're absolutely sure you're not going to be a problem for us anymore."

I released my Regretful Legion, brightening up the battlefield. Lodian's eyes flickered between us, his gaze finally resting on Izu as he took in her words.

"All I will say is... I do not take pleasure in senseless slaughtering, but when it comes to the future of Galvania... I will do whatever it takes for the sake of the king and his people," Lodian ground out through gritted teeth, his arms straining against the spectral chains.

"Why go so far?" I stepped in this time. "The Lambda Sector- this area has Players who've been cutting down your numbers by the thousands. Do you not care for your own kind?"

Of course, I didn't actually believe that the loss of his people wouldn't affect Lodian, but seeing the expression of utter pained conviction on his face, I couldn't help but feel pity for him. His eyes were fiery with determination, and for a moment, I could see the kind of hero he truly was in his own world. But that didn't change the fact that we were on opposing sides.

"In war, there are no 'kind' actions," Lodian's voice was low, his eyes never leaving Izu's. "Only actions that ensure victory and survival."

Izu sighed, shaking her head. "It seems as though you won't willingly tell us anything else. But, I admire the loyalty you hold for your king." Her voice was soothing, like a gentle breeze through a storm. She paused for a moment, her eyes scanning his. "Please, don't resent me for what I'm about to do."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

She then turned to us, smiling softly. "Seth, Ophelia, would you two mind taking Luquier to a safer spot from here?"

Before I could question or protest, Seth grabbed my arm and Ophelia took the lead, pulling me away from the impending battle. "What the hell?" I shouted over the howling wind, but they ignored me, their eyes focused on the horizon.

"Trust me, dude. You don't want to get caught up when Izu unleashes her Authority," Seth yelled over the roaring wind as we dashed through the city's wreckage.

[!!!] It seemed like Sephera was shocked at Seth's words. Frankly, she didn’t seem like talking much at the moment…

"Authority-?"

We finally landed, still within sight of Izu and Lodian. Seth tried his best to cushion my fall, which would've worked had Ophelia not decided to teleport us at the last second. The impact was jarring, sending waves of pain shooting through my body. I grunted, pushing myself off the ground.

"Ouch," I complained, rubbing the sore spots on my body as I took in the scene. "What's this Authority you guys are talking about?"

"You know about Active and Passive Skills, right?" Seth began, his eyes never leaving Izu and Lodian. "Authority is kinda in the same vein of classification. Except, an Authority is exclusive and is basically the pinnacle of your very being."

Despite the situation, I nodded, trying to follow along as best as possible. There was a lot I had to process, but nothing excited me more than learning new game mechanics. Well, technically this was the world I now lived in, but still.

"To refine Behemoth's words, an Authority Skill is achieved when a Player becomes in tune with their Title. Essentially understanding the depths of what their abilities mean for them," Ophelia explained, her eyes also locked on Izu and Lodian. "But unlike Active and Passive Skills, an Authority Skill requires training and effort to refine it."

The wind began to pick up as Izu's eyes glowed a piercing gold, the chains around Lodian's body tightening. The General bellowed in anger, his body straining against the spectral bindings.

"For me, I gained my Authority Skill a few months ago. You'd think it'd have something to do with my Behemoth form, but it's a bit more complex than that," Seth continued, his eyes flickering to me. "Authority Skills vary from Player to Player, manifesting themselves as physical enhancements or transformations, literal domains of their will, unimaginable summons... I guess it'd be what you'd call an ultimate skill. Your most powerful weapon with heavy drawbacks and restrictions. And mine is 'Disaster King of Land, Behemoth'. It calls forth the literal beast to wreak havoc. Pretty destructive and powerful, but I'm nowhere close to taming it."

Ophelia, on the other hand, remained silent, her eyes on the battle between Izu and Lodian. "My 'Clockwork Atmosphere' was earned through my understanding of time. It's not just about speed and slowing down time for others, but manipulating perceptions as well. It creates an enormous field space that grants me complete control of time of anyone or anything. I don't use it in combat often because I've yet to learn how to manage the perceptions of others within the zone."

[Good god... before you became a Player, there were only a handful of Authority Skills that had awoken prior, and that was well near the 50th floor... what is going on in this Match?]

"Holy shit," I blurted out in surprise. Compared to my Skills and abilities, which felt like a cheat code at times, their Authority Skills were on a whole new level. The very thought of Seth being able to control an actual beast or Ophelia bending time itself was mind-boggling. "So... what's Izu's Authority Skill like?"

Seth and Ophelia didn't need to explain as the Abyss Walker seemed to have unleashed it. It was like watching a part of outer space rip a tear in front of my eyes. One moment, Izu and Lodian were standing in the middle of the ruined city, the next, a black hole had snapped open around them.

It was a massive darkness, plain and simple. The kind that didn’t just swallow light but seemed to devour everything in its vicinity. The air grew colder, and the pressure mounted as if gravity itself was being distorted. The edges of the blackness rippled like a lake's surface, then stilled. I realized that everything had fallen completely silent.

"Null. Izu's Authority Skill that defies rules. I've never actually seen it, but I've heard a lot about it," Seth whispered, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and concern. "A black hole that consumes and ignores everything. The only issue- well, it used to be, was that anything including the Player themselves were vulnerable to its effects. Rumor had it that Izu managed to retain her consciousness and abilities in the Null, but to see her still fine..."

I shivered. Even though we were nowhere near the darkness, I could still feel some... part of me being drained away. As I glanced at the now catatonic Lodian, I doubt I could even imagine what he was experiencing right now.

"S-so... Authority Skills are the ultimate moves a Player has? Is that why... is that why they have such dangerous side effects?" I asked, unable to stop the curiosity that bubbled within me.

"Pretty much... we usually think of them as our last resorts, and even then, if we're on the verge of death, we still hesitate to use them," Seth replied, his gaze still fixed on the static void. "They're powerful enough to change the tide of a battle, but they come at a cost. Using an Authority Skill is like playing with the fabric of the world itself. It's a risk we rarely take."

Ophelia nodded in agreement, her eyes distant as if remembering her own battles. "That is why most of the time, in the event that we need to use them to try and master the Skill or for some other reason, the safest place to deploy them are in dungeon resonances."

That made sense. Dungeon resonances were usually separate outside of the world and the tower, which meant that even if one's Authority Skill destroyed everything, it would be contained inside the space. I looked at my hands, feeling slightly more inadequate knowing that my strongest skills had a cap compared to their world-bending abilities.

Meanwhile, Izu stepped up to Lodian, placing her hand on his head once again. I couldn't make out what she was saying, but her voice was calm and steady. The General's eyes grew wide, and his body began to tremble.

It was only for a few moments, but the black hole suddenly vanished, and life seemed to flood back into the area. Izu turned towards us, smiling warmly and waved us over."It was a lot of memories, but I have the general gist of things now," Izu began as we joined up with her. I took a glance at Lodian, whose eyes were glazed over and felt another wave of pity for him. "Turns out that there is another world similar to ours, but in a medieval time period."

She paused, putting a finger to her lips. "And apparently, our worlds are connected through a series of 'gates' that can be accessed by certain Players."

[...I didn't even know that.]

I blinked in surprise. I wasn't expecting to hear about things that even Sephera, a literal Admin of this world, didn't know. Just how deep was 'Last Stand'?

"Who are these certain Players?" Ophelia asked. "The system made the World Raid sound as if it was its doing, not the invaders."

"And you're right, Ophelia. The system certainly triggered the World Raid. However, the Players from our dear friend's world have the capability to open small gates to not only our world, but to others as well. Temporary, but long enough to interfere," Izu turned back to the vegetative Lodian. "Despite knowing all of this, Lodian's king issued a command to his subjects. They would wholeheartedly partake in the invasion of our world to replenish their resources."

My jaw dropped. "What the fuck is wrong with that king?" I couldn't help but blurt out. "Does he not care about the lives of his people?"

Izu held up a hand. "Easy, Luquier. You don't know the whole story. The reason for the king issuing the command was because their world reached the 40th floor a few months before we did."

I fell silent. Seth and Ophelia twitched, as if they realized what that meant as well. My head began to swirl as I pieced together everything.

"Wait... you don't mean...?"

The Abyss Walker nodded. "They had gone through a World Raid themselves. With such devastation to their world, the system presented them an opportunity to reclaim and replenish their resources. So, instead of getting invaded, they were given the chance to become the invaders."

Fuck. I still wasn't sure about why the system wanted us to choose factions, but it made a little bit more sense now.

"If the trend continues, then that means the same thing will be present to us, right?" I quietly murmured, the gravity of the situation finally setting in. "Eventually, we'll be the invaders."