I Hate Systems

"You…bastard!" Zaira screamed as she swatted Magister to the side and rushed towards Compass Carburettor.

Compass Carburettor activated his Boots of Transmigration and vanished, but strangely, mysterious chains followed after him and bound him, dragging him back to the battlefield at the entrance of the System World.

"You have been wreaking havoc all along. It's time you paid the price." She roared and unleashed a Grade 3 Core Skill, causing his body to rot.

"Not on my watch!" Shen Ze condensed a sword and lashed out, severing the chains binding Compass Carburettor. His sword blistered instantly, breaking into a million fragments that hacked her energy-condensed body, wounding her all over.

Universal Weapon—Hate Erasure!

Compass Carburettor's monocle shone with a resplendent hue as a ray of energy slammed into Zaira, for a moment stunning her. But a second later, the effects were drowned by a sea of Mental Energy that protected her mind, tanking the attack in her place.

Tch!

Since he had achieved his original purpose, Compass Carburettor intended to leave the battlefield and puppet things from backstage. Unfortunately, Zaira didn't seem intent to allow that. She realised that the series of misfortunes plaguing her had been instigated by him.

Therefore, she intended to finish him off first.

"Are you sure you can focus all your attention on me?" Compass Carburettor laughed all of a sudden as his right hand grabbed hold of the energy seeping into his body with the intent of turning him into a rotting pile. The Mental Energy solidified and transformed into an insect, taking root as a physical being under the powers of his Universal Anthozoa.

He clenched his hand and crushed the insect that had become a mortal, thereby ridding himself of the effect of the Grade 3 Core Skill.

At his taunt, Zaira extended her attention towards the entrance, observing Mascot let out a lecherous grin and run deeper into the System World. It was apparent as to what his intention was.

As Immortal's Army began to return to him one after another, spurred by Shen Ze's empowerment as a catalyst, Immortal's strength surged. He wasn't strong yet, but gradually, he regained half the strength he possessed in the previous war where he was killed by Zaira.

That amount of strength was sizeable, allowing Immortal to rampage around freely as sword beams hacked across the void, lacerating Grade 3 and 4 Systems alike. Like an imprisoned serial killer that was finally set free, Immortal was like a wolf among sheep.

"I'll kill you first!" Zaira condensed a dozen Core Skills and shot them at Compass Carburettor, causing him to defend with all his might and harness all the power he could from his Concepts.

"The System World's crack widens!" He shouted, churning Lore and Tell-Tale at full strength, causing the crack in the System World to indeed widen, allowing more entities to charge in.

"Oh no, you don't!" Zaira interrupted his attack and sent him flying away, causing the widening crack to stop and gradually begin to close. She was multitasking on all fronts, teleporting all over the place as she attacked the Genre Representatives.

The weaker Genre Representatives and the armies of Immortal, Mascot, Magister, and Technocraft somehow managed to keep the Grade 3 Systems at bay while Technocraft and Magister faced the three Grade 4 Systems.

Mascot was hot on Zaira's tail but oftentimes, when the situation seemed fit, he launched attacks into the System World too. His actions ensured Zaira couldn't be away from the System World for more than an instant.

Otherwise, she would only give more opportunities for him to charge deeper and destroy more. This was why she couldn't kill Compass Carburettor.

Space, Mortality, Ancient Strengthening, and Representation; Compass Carburettor was empowered by four Concepts. Therefore, Zaira's attacks only cornered him. To kill him, she would have to focus on him for a long enough duration, time that she didn't have.

It would take her at least two minutes of intense exchange of attacks to kill him. Moreover, she would have to focus solely on him during this duration. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't an option.

Mascot and Immortal would charge deep into the System World by then. And if they were to destroy the data of any Grade 3 System, the balance would topple against her.

At this point in thought, Zaira realised something as she sent Mascot flying away, stabbed a spear through Immortal and then stomped on Compass Carburettor, glaring at him, "You…how far have you infiltrated the System World?"

"How far have you infiltrated the System World?"

"How far have you infiltrated the System World?"

Her shout echoed in the void and reverberated throughout the System World, broadcasted by even the Astral Network, stunning her. It was apparent that Compass Carburettor had done that purposefully, garnering the attention of everyone.

Moreover, this was him speaking through actions.

"I infiltrated even your Astral Network."

"Zaira, have you ever wondered…" He was grunting, being crushed by her foot that weighed as much as a dozen universes. Empowered by the Concept of Space, he protected himself with many layers of dimensions, announcing calmly, "Are all the Systems on your side?"

"What?" Zaira shouted in shock when suddenly, her hair became dishevelled in a fluster. Her eyes reddened in rage as a pair of fists slammed her in the face, causing her to bleed like a mortal for a couple of seconds.

She stumbled back by a couple of steps and stared at the figure of Compass Carburettor that had punched her, muttering incoherently, "You…impossible! That can't be true!"

"The proof is before your very eyes." Compass Carburettor said as a serpent jutted out of his sleeve and swallowed the blood that leaked out of her and retreated, vanishing into a tiny tower in his possession.

Even though the presence of the serpent unnerved her for some reason, Zaira couldn't focus on that, for something terrifying was happening in the System World.

"Hahaha! That was a good one, Compass!" Immortal roared in laughter, "My predecessor did great by protecting you. This day makes his sacrifice worth it!"

In the System World, one after another, Grade 1 Systems ganged upon their brethren and devoured their Core Skills, even if it meant injuring themselves in the process. After devouring their fill, they permanently changed races, transforming into Haggons as they boarded trucks en masse and vanished from the System World.

Struck by the ones they considered to be their allies, the Grade 1 Systems lost faith in each other and began to attack everyone recklessly, for too many of them were being killed by these antagonistic Systems.

The System World, for the first time since its existence, faced a civil war.