The man in silver smiled.
It wasn't a warm smile.
Nor was it cruel.
It was the smile of a scholar who had discovered something thought to be impossible.
For several long seconds...
No one moved.
The Alpha Wolf remained bowed.
The five Commanders behind it did the same.
Every Shadow Hound in the street lowered itself until its body touched the ground.
Even Ethan, the Berserker who moments ago had been ready to slaughter dozens of survivors, fell to one knee.
The entire battlefield had become silent.
Except for Liam's heartbeat.
"Who..."
Liam whispered.
"...are you?"
The silver-haired man looked at him.
"You may call me Orion."
His voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
Yet every word carried an invisible weight.
"I have held many names."
"But Orion is the one humans find easiest to pronounce."
Emma frowned.
"Human?"
Orion glanced toward her.
For the first time, his expression changed.
Confusion.
"As expected."
"They cannot perceive me."
Emma blinked.
"What?"
Liam slowly turned toward her.
"You... can't see him?"
She looked around the street.
"There isn't anyone there."
Ben stared at Liam as if he'd lost his mind.
"Liam..."
"Who are you talking to?"
A cold chill ran down Liam's spine.
He looked back.
The Alpha Wolf was still kneeling.
Still staring at Orion.
So the monsters could see him.
But humans couldn't.
Except...
Liam.
"You've already begun awakening."
Orion smiled faintly.
"Much earlier than predicted."
"I don't understand."
"You will."
"Everyone keeps saying that."
For the first time...
Orion laughed.
A quiet laugh.
"I suppose they do."
The gray Administrator window suddenly burst into existence.
Unlike before...
It shook violently.
Lines of text scrolled so quickly Liam couldn't read them.
Unknown Entity Detected
Authority Insufficient
Scanning...
Scanning Failed
Access Denied
Then one final message appeared.
Danger Level: Unknown
The screen vanished.
Orion had clearly seen it.
"...Still cautious."
He nodded approvingly.
"The Protocol is functioning."
Liam took a cautious step forward.
"What are you?"
Orion became quiet.
For a long moment...
He simply watched the burning city.
Then he answered.
"I am what remains."
"...Of those who built your prison."
Liam frowned.
"Prison?"
Orion slowly looked toward the crimson crack stretching across the heavens.
"You call it..."
"...the System."
The words struck Liam harder than any monster ever had.
The System...
Wasn't a gift.
It wasn't salvation.
It was a prison.
Suddenly—
The Alpha Wolf stood.
Its golden eyes burned brighter.
"You speak too much."
Orion sighed.
"I know."
"But history has a habit of repeating itself."
The Alpha's claws dug into the asphalt.
"You endanger the Balance."
"The Balance?"
Orion's smile disappeared.
"There has never been balance."
"There has only been control."
Without warning...
The Alpha attacked.
The street exploded beneath its paws.
Its massive body crossed nearly fifty meters in the blink of an eye.
Too fast.
Liam couldn't even follow the movement.
Then...
Orion casually raised one finger.
The Alpha stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
Frozen in midair.
Space itself had become solid around it.
The survivors inside the supermarket stared in horror.
To them...
Nothing had happened.
They only saw the monsters suddenly freeze.
"You've become weaker."
Orion sounded disappointed.
"I remember when your kind could challenge stars."
The Alpha growled.
"You interfere..."
"...Herald."
Herald.
Another unfamiliar title.
Orion smiled faintly.
"Yes."
"I suppose I still am."
With a flick of his finger...
The Alpha was thrown backward.
It crashed through three buildings before disappearing into a cloud of dust.
The shockwave shattered every remaining window nearby.
The five Commander-class monsters immediately retreated.
None dared attack.
Liam stood speechless.
This...
Was power beyond imagination.
If the Alpha Wolf could massacre awakened humans without effort...
Then Orion existed on an entirely different level.
"You have questions."
Orion looked at Liam.
"I do."
"You will not receive answers today."
Liam sighed.
"I figured."
"Good."
Orion seemed pleased.
"A curious Administrator survives longer than an arrogant one."
He took a step backward.
His body slowly began dissolving into white light.
Before disappearing completely...
He looked directly into Liam's eyes.
"Live."
"Seventy-two hours."
"Do not accept the System."
"Whatever it offers..."
"...refuse."
Liam's heart skipped a beat.
Seventy-two hours.
Again.
Why did everyone keep mentioning that number?
Orion smiled one last time.
"When the seventy-second hour ends..."
"...we will meet again."
His body dissolved into countless particles of light.
Gone.
As though he had never existed.
The moment Orion disappeared...
Time seemed to start moving again.
The Alpha Wolf slowly climbed from the ruins.
Its body was covered in cracks.
Yet its eyes remained fixed on the place where Orion had stood.
It didn't attack.
Instead...
It let out a long, mournful howl.
Not one of rage.
Not one of victory.
It sounded...
Like grief.
Then the Alpha turned.
Without another glance at Liam...
It led every monster away.
Within minutes...
The streets were empty.
Inside the supermarket...
The survivors slowly emerged from hiding.
Marcus looked around in confusion.
"...Why did they retreat?"
No one knew.
Only Liam remained silent.
His gaze lingered on the empty street.
One sentence echoed through his mind.
Do not accept the System.
But he already had.
Or rather...
The System had rejected him.
For the first time since the apocalypse began...
Liam wondered if that rejection...
Had actually saved his life.