Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

Chapter 428: Broken and Lone Shard



Parker stepped into the room, and the very fabric of existence seemed to exhale in recognition. The crystalline formations didn't just resonate—they sang hymns of acknowledgment that had been written before the first star ignited.

Reality itself bent not in submission, but in greeting, like a faithful servant welcoming home its rightful master.

The power display was subtle yet absolute. Parker didn't need to flex cosmic muscles or unleash devastating energy—his mere presence was statement enough.

The air around him shimmered with potential that made the room's impossible architecture seem mundane by comparison.

Shadows deepened where they shouldn't, light bent at angles that defied physics, and for just a moment, every atom in the space vibrated in perfect harmony with something far greater than themselves.

Seoryeon took an involuntary step back, her usual composure cracking like ice under pressure. In all her centuries of existence, through countless encounters with beings that mortals would call gods, she had never felt anything quite like this.

Her mind raced through comparisons, desperate to categorize what stood before her.

Hwanung—the divine being whose godly presence had once made her tremble with awe in their first shared lifetime—suddenly seemed like a child playing at divinity compared to the young man casually adjusting his cufflinks. The memory of that ancient god's child and her man in the past's, overwhelming aura now felt quaint, almost nostalgic, like recalling a candle after witnessing a supernova.

But it was when her enhanced senses probed deeper that true understanding began to dawn. The Existence itself—not just reality, not merely the cosmoses or omniverses, but the entire infinite tapestry of everything that was, is, or could ever be—seemed to recognize him. It didn't bow or submit; it simply acknowledged its Prince.

"Prince of Existence," she whispered, the words escaping before she could stop them.

Her mind immediately flew to Daegon—the ancient dragon guardian of Korea who had been corrupted by sins that were, admittedly, partially her fault.

In terms of raw power level, Daegon still surpassed this young man by more than half. She could see Parker's cosmic ranking clearly, could measure the energy output and divine quotient that placed him technically below that corrupted dragon.

Yet somehow, she knew with absolute certainty that Parker could stand toe-to-toe with Daegon and emerge victorious. Not through superior firepower, but through something far more fundamental—authority that transcended mere strength. It was the difference between a pretender with a stolen crown and the rightful heir who commanded loyalty through birthright.

What she didn't fail to fathom was how inaccurate her comparison was.

"Who are you really?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What have I gotten myself into?"

Parker studied her with those ancient eyes, and she saw his own surprise flicker across his features.

He'd expected power—had felt her presence from outside the building—but Seoryeon was revealing herself to be something of a freak in her own right.

After all, as his cosmic senses probed deeper into her essence, he encountered something that should have been impossible.

"Fate," he murmured, genuine surprise coloring his tone.

She stood outside of Fate itself, like the servants of his sister. Not merely resistant to destiny's pull or capable of bending probability—she existed in a space where Fate, that most fundamental force, simply had no jurisdiction. And Fate was no ordinary cosmic principle—it was the domain of his own elder sister, the Princess who served as sovereign over Fate, Karma, Beginning, and more.

Who could truly avoid the control of a Princess's domain? What manner of being could step outside the very concept of predetermined destiny?

The air between them crackled with mutual recognition—two impossibilities taking each other's measure, each discovering that the other defied the natural order in ways that should have been mutually exclusive.

Behind them, Cassidy, Ava, and Callista remained frozen, witnesses to a conversation that was reshaping their understanding of what was possible.

Only Ava continued scrolling through her phone, blissfully unaware that she was watching the Prince of Existence meet a being who had somehow slipped through the cracks of reality itself.

"Well," Parker said finally, his smile returning but carrying a new edge of respect, "this should be interesting."

Seoryeon's own smile was sharp as winter wind. "Indeed it should, Your Highness."

The universe held its breath, waiting to see what would happen when unstoppable force met immovable object—or in this case, when infinite authority encountered someone who had somehow made herself ungovernable.

—Perhaps, thanks to the knowledge bestowed upon her by her pantheon about the most powerful beings in existence, Seoryeon was able to recognize him almost immediately. The Prince of Existence—a title whispered in reverent tones across dimensions, spoken of in prophecies that predated most civilizations. She had expected power, but not this. Not him.

Parker's smile remained enigmatic as a familiar voice whispered in his mind, her tone carrying the weight of cosmic understanding.

[Do you think she's the one?] Levi's voice was barely a breath against his consciousness, confirmation of what his own senses had already begun to piece together.

Parker gave the slightest nod, his expression never changing as he continued to study Seoryeon.

She was indeed the broken shard of his sister's being from that ancient war—the fragment that had somehow achieved independent existence. In simpler terms, she was his sister's daughter, chosen one, or whatever classification applied to beings born from the essence of Princes and Princesses.

[But daddy, she's also connected to a certain pantheon. It's called the Fate Pantheon!] Nyxavere's voice suddenly echoed in his mind with the excited tone of someone who had just uncovered a fascinating puzzle piece.

"Fate Pantheon, huh?" Parker murmured under his breath, his interest genuinely piqued. This meant, Seoryeon had lived before and this wasn't her first time. And it didn't seem like Nyxavere was going to say anything about it.

Seoryeon, catching his thoughtful expression, gestured gracefully toward an arrangement of chairs that had definitely not been there moments before—reality bending to accommodate their conversation with the casual ease of someone who had transcended such mundane concerns as fixed architecture.

"Please," she said, her voice carrying the perfect balance of respect and confidence. "Make yourself comfortable."

As Parker settled into the offered seat, Nyxavere's mental voice continued with the enthusiasm of omniscience discovering new connections.

[Yes, daddy! There are two pantheons separate from all the other god pantheons—the Dark Pantheon and the Fate Pantheon! Isn't that wild?] He could feel her playful tone.

Thirsty for chaos?

Thanks to his daughter's limitless knowledge, Parker began to understand the true depths of what Seoryeon represented. But the crucial question remained: what exactly was her position within this Fate Pantheon? Was she a minor member riding on inherited power, or something far more significant?

"This," Parker thought to himself as he watched Seoryeon move with the fluid grace of someone who existed partially outside normal spacetime, "is going to be very interesting indeed."

The pieces were falling into place—the broken shard of his sister's essence, somehow connected to an entire pantheon dedicated to the very forces with the name of what his sister commanded and if he was right—which he was—there must be a powerful being capable of manipulating Fate. The implications were staggering, and Parker found himself genuinely curious about how this particular cosmic accident had evolved into something so... organized.

Seoryeon settled into her own chair with predatory elegance, clearly aware that the dynamic between them had shifted. They were no longer just two powerful beings sizing each other up—they were family, in the most complicated, dangerous sense of the word.

"Now then," she said, her dark eyes gleaming with anticipation, "shall we discuss why I really asked you here?"

Parker's smile widened. Oh yes, this was definitely going to be good.


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