Nexus: The Rise of the Administrator

Chapter 22: The “Iron Cross” Faction – Part 2

A platoon of forty well-equipped soldiers moved out to intercept them. They all wore black tactical uniforms bearing the Iron Cross emblem on their chests. Their levels ranged from 12 to 24—impressive for ordinary humans. The platoon leader was a Major named Harald Voss (no relation to Xander), level 26, with a vertical scar running down his face.

Harald stopped thirty meters away, flanked by ten men armed with rifles modified by alien technology.

"Identify yourselves!" he shouted. "You are entering Iron Cross territory. Any show of hostility will be met with lethal force."

Xander stepped down from the vehicle.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, his *Sovereign Presence* aura expanded. Several Iron Cross soldiers took an involuntary step back. Some gripped their weapons tighter.

Harald frowned, clearly feeling the oppressive pressure.

"You... you’re that 'Administrator' everyone’s been talking about lately. Xander Voss. The one who built a wall using monster magic and calls himself a sovereign."

Xander walked slowly forward until he stopped ten meters from the Major. Lira, Elena, and Marcus flanked him.

"And you must be the lapdog of someone more important," Xander replied, his voice calm yet cutting. "Tell your superior that the System Sovereign requests an audience."

Harald laughed scornfully.

"System Sovereign? What a ridiculous title. We in the Iron Cross don't follow false gods or lucky boys who happened to get a better System. We have the Legion Relic. It gives us structure. Hierarchy. True military order. What do you offer? A harem and a cult of personality?"

Elena stepped forward, smiling coldly.

"A second-hand artifact from the Harvesters. You’re using alien technology designed for enslavement and think it makes you superior. Pathetic." An angry murmur rippled through the Iron Cross soldiers.

Harald raised his hand, calling for silence. His eyes locked onto Xander.

"Our leader, Colonel Reinhard Graves, has a clear message for you. Humanity will only survive if it returns to the old order. Chain of command. Individual sacrifice for the collective. No kings. No sovereigns. No self-proclaimed gods. Join us as a Major or leave the city. Otherwise... we will consider your territory a threat to human unity."

Xander tilted his head slightly. A dangerous smile played on his lips.

"Human unity... How lovely. You want to turn people into cogs in a military machine controlled by an alien artifact. I offer evolution. True power. The chance for every man and woman to become more than they were. You offer blind obedience. I offer voluntary loyalty... and dominion."

He took another step forward. His ethereal crown flared.

"Tell your Colonel Graves that the ideological conflict has already begun. I do not bow to inferior relics. And if the Iron Cross tries to impose its 'order' on my territory... I will rewrite every single one of you."

Harald clenched his jaw. For a moment, it seemed he would give the order to attack. But something in Xander’s aura made him hesitate.

"You’re a tyrant masquerading as a savior," the Major spat. "Graves will crush you. The Iron Cross will bring order to this city."

Xander activated Nexus Domain on a small scale—only 15 meters in diameter.

Inside the zone, gravity shifted subtly. The Iron Cross soldiers felt their bodies grow heavier, as if they were carrying an extra 50kg in their packs. Harald staggered. "This," Xander said, his voice resonating with absolute power, "is merely a fraction of what I can do. Go back to your Colonel. Tell him the System Sovereign does not negotiate with chains disguised as order."

He deactivated the Domain.

The Iron Cross soldiers retreated slowly, visibly shaken. Harald cast one last hate-filled glare before turning his squad around.

As Xander’s group returned to their vehicles, Lira spoke in a low voice:

"They’re going to attack. Sooner or later."

Marcus agreed.

"They’re organized. Well-armed. Their unit buffs are potent in large-scale combat. We can win... but we’ll take casualties."

Elena, for her part, looked excited.

"Their artifact is weak, but interesting. If I can study a synchronization bracelet... I might be able to develop countermeasures. Maybe even infect their system."

Xander gazed at the Iron Cross stronghold as the vehicles pulled away.

"They represent humanity’s past. I represent the future. This ideological conflict won't be resolved with words."

He clenched his fist, making the veins in his forearm bulge.

"It will be resolved with blood and dominion."

Back in their territory, Xander gathered all eighty-seven inhabitants that very night. Standing on the central platform, with Lira, Elena, and Marcus by his side, he declared:

"A new faction has emerged. They call themselves the Iron Cross. They believe humanity’s salvation lies in blind obedience to a military hierarchy and an alien artifact. They view us as tyrants. We view them as willing slaves to an inferior relic."

His voice echoed across the territory, carried by Law Weaver:

"I do not seek unnecessary war. But if the Iron Cross comes to impose their “order” upon us… we will show them what true power means. What it means to be sovereign."

The crowd responded with a unified roar:

"Sovereign!"

As the people dispersed, Xander stood alone atop the wall with his two women. Lira rested her head on his left shoulder. Elena pressed her body against his right side.

"There are so many of them" Lira whispered.

"And we are better" Elena replied.

Xander gazed at the horizon, where the lights of the Iron Cross base were still visible.

"Let them come. When the conflict begins… I will rewrite more than just their laws."

He smiled, his crown glowing softly.

"I will rewrite the destiny of this city."