Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!
Chapter 535 - 535: Watching Stars Fall

"Point is—you've got time. Not much. But enough," she said. "If you want to stay in control of anything when Earth fully awakens? You need to recruit. Now. Build loyalty before they build warbands."

Then came the sound of a throat clearing.

And the universe quieted.

Parker hadn't moved.

But now they looked at him.

He stood slowly, casual in a way that made every immortal cell in the room flinch.

His voice? Light. Polished. Almost amused.

"I saved Earth," he said, like it was a weather report. "Gave it a gift. The Awakening. A chance to fight back, should something—anything—try to take it again."

He glanced upward, as if addressing some vast, silent thing coiled in space.

"But you know humans," he continued. "Complicated. Selfish. Hilarious. Beautiful. Dangerous. All wrapped in one. You never know when one… or a few thousand… decide they're done with the planet and want to take it out with them."

He shrugged.

"As expected, I knew the risks. You can't give fire to a forest and not expect smoke. But few thousand can't dictate the fate of billions, but the possibility of that threat still stands. "

His gaze swept over the room, every god-blooded face.

"That's why I want the Four Families keeping their grip—for now. So, I don't have to step in. Because if I do…"

The sentence didn't end. It hung. And it promised.

"I give you powers," he said, calm again. "You keep your sovereignty. Your money. Your little fiefdoms."

Then his tone dropped, like thunder beneath velvet.

"But don't forget yourselves."

"If you try to take Earth—claim it as your playground, harm the people I gave this awakening to—if you manipulate this new flow like the old… I will return. And not as your ally."

The room was frozen. Breathless. Reality itself seemed to listen.

"Best thing you can do? Keep an eye out. Recruit strong. Shield the planet. Let it evolve at its pace. But never think for a second that you're the authors of this age."

He turned slightly, gently pulling Maya to her feet with him.

"I'm not stopping you from moving. Just don't cross the line."

His final words rang like prophecy:

"Do what you want. But the moment you forget the cost…"

He didn't finish. He didn't need to.

Everyone nodded.

Because they knew.

And Parker turned—leaving the ruins behind, shadows licking at shattered furniture, frost still weeping down the walls. The chaos didn't end. It simply shifted.

This was Earth now.

***

"So… what do you think of him?" Pandora asked, eyes glued to the glowing energy screen as the Wilder mansion played out like a reality show dipped in divine drama.

She looked half-possessed—dreamy-eyed, slack-jawed, one hand resting against her cheek like she was watching her favorite god walk across a catwalk made of thunderclouds. If Parker had so much as blinked, she probably would've squealed.

Sarah didn't answer immediately. She tilted her head, arms folded, studying the chaos inside the mansion—Parker sitting like a sovereign among wild storms, Maya looped around his arm like cosmic ivy, Ere, somewhere in the rafters probably thinking about meat again.

"To be honest…" Sarah began, thoughtful. "He's still generous as ever. I mean, not everyone can just give away power like that—"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa," Pandora snapped, turning to her so fast her earrings jingled. Her voice was syrupy, spoiled, and half a threat. "I wasn't asking for a fucking eulogy."

Sarah blinked.

Pandora squinted, the kind of squint that could either precede a hug or homicide. "I know he's generous. I know every noble thing he's ever done. I've known him longer than you've had taste in men. If I wanted a lecture, I'd go kneel before Empress Maya and beg for a slideshow."

Sarah bit her lip. Yep. That was Pandora.

You never really answered the question she asked. You answered the question she felt. And right now? She wasn't feeling facts.

"Okay," Sarah exhaled. "Then what exactly are we—"

"Tell me," Pandora breathed, suddenly clinging to her like she was reenacting a tragic romantic drama. "Isn't he hot?"

There it was. The real question. The actual subject. For fuck's sake, Pandora!

She pointed dramatically at the screen. "Look at that face. That jawline! My god. The way his eyes light up when he talks about ultimate power—"

"Actually," Sarah interjected, deadpan, "I didn't see any eye-lighting—"

"Get away from me." Pandora shoved her sideways with a disgusted flick like Sarah had just insulted every deity in the pantheon. "You're blind. You wouldn't know incandescent sex appeal if it slapped you across the teeth."

Sarah tried to return to the screen.

Pandora threw her arm out like a velvet curtain. "No. Banished. You've ruined the vibe." She turned back, sighing dramatically, forehead pressed to the edge of the energy screen like it was a window into heaven.

"Look at those hands… I bet he could crush a realm with a flick and cradle a kitten in the same breath... ugh."

Sarah rolled her eyes so hard they nearly teleported. "You need help."

Pandora didn't hear. She was somewhere else now. Somewhere warmer. Glowing. Fantasizing about Parker slaying armies shirtless while lightning danced behind him and Maya respectfully excused herself to let Pandora have five minutes alone with the man.

They hovered in the upper sky like two stargazing deities, lounging atop a wide floating sigil etched in living gold, the view below stretching across the Wilder mansion like a stage made for gods. The screen—suspended in the air before them—rippled and flickered as Parker moved through the chaos below. Each flick of his hand echoed with power. Each breath of his, to Pandora, was worthy of worship.

"Pandora, for the love of—just let me see the screen," Sarah hissed, elbowing her as she tried to lean in.

"No," Pandora said, blocking her with a winged elbow and spreading her cloak out even wider, like she was shielding sacred scripture. "You insulted the Light of Creation. Now you suffer."

Sarah huffed. "He's a man, not the reincarnation of the cosmos."

"He's Parker," Pandora replied, drawing out the name like it had been soaked in honey and lust. She cupped her own cheek. "Pah-ker. You can't even say it right. Say it. Slowly."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "I'm not doing this."

"Say it."

"No."

Pandora whirled around like she'd been mortally wounded, one hand pressed dramatically over her chest, the other rising to the stars above them. "Blasphemy. You have no soul."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Well, if I did, he wouldn't be in it."

"Shut your mouth!" Pandora barked, jabbing a finger toward her like it was a dagger of truth. "You're so emotionally bankrupt you wouldn't know an apex divine if he stood in front of you bathed in starlight and godhood."

Sarah gestured casually at the screen. "He stood in front of me last week. He sneezed. Like a normal person."

Pandora gasped and clutched the side of her face like she'd been physically slapped. "You absolute wench."

Sarah blinked. "What era are we in, wench?"

"Don't you sass me." Pandora pointed at her nose. "You should be down on your knees thanking whatever cosmic karma let you breathe the same air as him."

"Yeah, and I'd also like to breathe in his power without hearing you moan about his eyelashes."

"Don't talk about the eyelashes." Pandora's voice dropped to a whisper, reverent. "They're sacred."

Sarah scoffed. "You need therapy."

"I need him," Pandora said with absolute conviction, gripping the hem of her own dress like a knight swearing loyalty to a kingdom that didn't know she existed.

Sarah folded her arms. "I'm telling Maya."

Pandora stood tall, jaw set like she was already in court. "Tell her. I will willingly fight her in the name of love. She's married him in every lifetime. It's time someone else had a turn."

"You're unhinged."

"And you're boring."

They both stared each other down, silent on the glowing glyph-platform. Even the sky around them seemed to pause, waiting for someone to throw a lightning bolt.

Then—

Pandora lunged forward and grabbed Sarah's face with both hands, cheeks squished between her palms. "Promise me something."

"…What."

"If I die from yearning—bury me next to his aura."

"I'm leaving."

"No you're not!" Pandora shrieked, pulling her back by the collar before she could float away. "We haven't even talked about his voice yet. Do you know what it does to my bones? Sarah, my bones! They resonate when he talks. I think I evolved."

Sarah pried her fingers off. "Okay. You need to step back. Breathe. Drink water."

"He is water."

"I'm gonna hit you."

"Oh my god," Pandora moaned, clapping both hands to her heart as Parker smiled at someone onscreen. "There. Did you see it? The smile. THE SMILE. My womb just signed a lease."

Sarah froze. "…What."

Pandora blinked innocently, as if that made it better. "Don't judge me. You're just mad because you're emotionally constipated."

"I'm mad because you licked the screen."

"It tasted like power."

"You're sick."

"And yet? Enlightened."

Sarah gave up. She sighed, drifted back beside her, and sat on the floating glyph platform with a groan.

"…Fine. Okay. The smile was… decent."

Pandora gasped. Her eyes lit up like someone had gifted her a star.

"Don't play with me, Sarah."

Sarah smirked. "I didn't say it wasn't hot."

Pandora screamed. An actual scream that made the clouds shudder and birds scatter.

"YES. YES. I KNEW IT. YOU'RE HUMAN. YOU FEEL THINGS."

"Don't make me regret this."

"Too late. We're fangirls now. Join the cult."

"No."

"I already made the shirts."

"…Of course you did."