I created my own system

Chapter 400 400: Two colors

Shouts and screams radiated like wildfire inside the main control room. Hidden beneath those voices were their worry and fear of the situation.

"Damn it, what is happening!"

Panic surged high without them noticing. Their thoughts became chaotic, like a raging storm being guided in a direction they had no control over. The arguments did not even sound like their own voices anymore. Each word echoed half a second too late—as if something else was repeating them before they spoke.

In a matter of seconds, a presence loomed freely among them. It moved from one person to another until the entire room was under its control.

Bit by bit, the words that were being thrown became accusations—blames that were pointless to say and attacks that struck below the belt. A switch had been flipped, and like falling dominoes, the continuous internal clash led to a chain of failures that turned their ire toward each other.

"ENOUGH!"

A voice, clear and commanding, cut through the chaos and brought clarity to their minds—bringing back the reason they had forgotten even if only for a minute.

"...."

"What just happened?"

The generals all looked at each other before their gazes fell toward a single figure.

It was the man hidden beneath a long hood. His name had not yet been revealed, yet his influence overwhelmed all of the generals present.

"You… did you save us?"

Salas realized it first as he sensed the fog clouding his thoughts had disappeared.

More of the soldiers came to the same conclusion, but more than the people they wanted to thank, his mind was somewhere else.

"It's a vassal."

He concluded, which shook those who heard him.

The Aileenian soldiers felt a cold rush run down their backs, not anticipating such a scenario.

"Can you handle such a being?"

The cloaked man simply shook his head, causing a stir that made them immediately send a message to the princess.

"We need to gather as much force as possible," the cloaked man began to advise—

—but the entire armada suddenly shook as if an earthquake had struck.

"Its here!"

He declared.

As soon as those words left his lips, the lights suddenly disappeared, replaced by a darkness that made them feel powerless. Even the battlefield projections vanished from the command table as if swallowed whole.

"What—"

"I can't see!"

"I can't hear anything! Is somebody there?!"

Despair gnawed at their hearts.

More than that—

their senses disappeared entirely, leaving their minds exposed and open to be corrupted.

What happened next was beyond their control, though none of them could tell.

A greater evil descended upon them.

One whose darkness could not be expelled.

And as the army in the sky trembled—

a ray of hope flashed into their hearts.

Bit by bit, what had been taken from them returned along with a voice whose conviction could not be shaken. Like a lighthouse standing firm within a storm, it guided them in the right direction.

"Dear Lord, our savior—may your light guide our path. Give hope to those who have given up and strengthen their belief to fight."

A prayer gave birth to a light that pushed back the devouring fear creeping into their hearts.

The air warmed around them.

Armor plates stopped trembling.

Even wounded soldiers found themselves breathing easier.

As their senses returned, a stand-off between light and darkness emerged.

A being created from madness, death, and revenge stood against one who carried a purpose that only his God truly knew.

His light symbolized a will that would not be easily torn apart.

"What are you?"

The knight looked at the holy figure in front of it. Its very existence screamed for annihilation—one it did not dare to stop. It would obey without objection and with all its might would cause destruction.

"I was made to end this war."

The Dark Knight spoke calmly. Its dark ruby eyes shone between the slits of its helm, unwavering, determined to kill its enemies.

"Name."

It continued.

"I am Niccolo, the last child to hold the power of light."

The name he carried was not ordinary.

Niccolo was a descendant of a great man—Vaelthorn.

He was the one who made the Gods wish to bestow all their blessings. In that era, he had been a loyal knight and a trusted friend of the emperor, making it easy for the other Gods to take a liking to him.

However, time passed.

And his bloodline had slowly diluted the weight of that noble name.

"You have killed my allies."

"You have joined a war you shouldn't."

A frown formed on Niccolo's face as if he were trying to decipher the intention behind those words. Though he wished to voice the truth behind his and the others' reasons, he was well aware it would not work against his enemy.

No reasonable explanation could convince the creature in front of him to back down.

Staring at the enigma whose very existence embodied death, he knew he stood no chance.

"Shall we?"

The knight stepped forward as it spoke. Its black obsidian wings unfolded with the sound of breaking glass, spreading wide as if inviting its enemy to come forward.

The embodiment of light simply shook his head, already knowing the fight was inevitable.

"I hope you understand the consequences of this action."

Divine blessings surged into motion around him.

"You who bear no name—I shall escort you back to the oblivion you came from."

The sky bore two colors.

One black.

One white.

They blended into a fiery battlefield, urging those who were protected to take caution—

for the war was nowhere near ending.

.

.

.

Apollo and his friends sat inside the quiet kitchen room, watching the battlefield through the tactical projection. Their eyes were filled with surprise, not expecting such powerful divinity to come from a champion rather than from a direct descendant.

"Gulp."

The sound came from McKenzie.

He was only watching—but it was enough to make him nervous at the excessive power emitting from Niccolo.

It was a power he had never witnessed before.

"Apollo."

He called, wanting to hear his friend's opinion.

"We are not in danger, are we?"

Apollo continued watching the footage, already understanding the reason behind the doubt.

"That Niccolo is strong—too strong. However, it won't be enough to make our Knight lose."

The answer was expected from Apollo.

But it did not calm their restless hearts.

"However…"

Unfortunately, he was not finished speaking.

"If they could gather more people—someone on the caliber of the Cardinal Dukes…"

A console emerged into his hands as his fingers moved across it, taking control not just of one but multiple artificial soldiers at once.

"Though I doubt they can afford to bring them out unless—"

All attention focused on him as he pointed toward a certain object that made the people of Aileen incapable of invading.

"The barrier?"

"Yes, Keith. If the barrier breaks, then that's the sign that both sides will go all out."

In a single moment, their hearts were thrown into turmoil.

Nervous and uncertain—

they could only watch how the situation unfolded.

"Apollo."

Agnes called.

Though she tried to appear calm, her trembling hand could still be noticed.

"The barrier won't be broken… right?"

Her question hung in the air.

Apollo didn't answer her immediately.

Instead, his fingers continued dancing across the console's buttons, redirecting unit formations across the battlefield.

"No worries. I will handle it."

He assured her.

But deep down—

even he didn't know how the situation would turn out.

He only hoped it would not reach the point where he had to step forward himself.

I haven't recovered yet.

If I were to fight someone whose strength is equivalent to the Cardinals…

then even I might lose.