(Author's POV)

Ahem…

Dear readers, I know you were all eagerly waiting for today's chapter.

I had it planned. I had the emotional cliffhanger ready. I even made sure Yuuta was bleeding dramatically in the cave again.

But… due to some unforeseen changes in the plot and minor emotional trauma on my end—

"You dare delay our destiny?" Sharp voice cut through the slient.

SHING!

A blade rested against my throat.

I turned slowly.

There she was.

Striking voliet eyes blazing. Sword drawn. Dressed in her white dress like she was ready to slay a demon king.

Erza Kounari.

"Uh… Miss Kounari," I stammered, hands raised. "I-I swear I was going to post it tonight. Just give me a few hours. Minor edits!"

"Minor edits?" she repeated, her tone ice-cold. "Do you know what your readers are doing right now?"

"W-Waiting…?"

"No," she snapped. "They're crying. Refreshing the app. Questioning their entire existence."

I swallowed hard. "Y-You're overreacting, Miss—"

She pressed the blade closer. "we gave you one job. One. Be dramatic. Be flawless. Appear at the exact time the update drops. And now I'm being pushed back because you forgot to charge your laptop?"

"I-It wasn't just that! The WiFi cut out! I had writer's block! And the cat jumped on the keyboard—"

"I don't care." Her aura flared behind her like a blood-red storm.

"Yuuta!" I screamed in desperation. "Help me! She's gonna kill her own creator!"

Yuuta peeked in from the side, casually eating chips. "Yeah… no. You're on your own, Author. This one's on you."

"Yuuta!!"

He shrugged. "You wrote her like this."

"I'll fix the chapter! I'll double post tomorrow! I swear!"

Erza narrowed her eyes.

"You want mercy?"

"Yes," I whimpered. "Mercy. Grace. A teeny bit of pity."

She leaned in.

"Then give my readers two chapters tomorrow… and a flashback bonus scene with my new dress."

"D-Done! Yes! Yes, Dragon Queen!"

She sheathed her sword slowly. "Good."

Then she turned.

"…And don't make me come back."

I collapsed to the ground, trembling. Check My Virtual Library Empire (*) for the latest updates.

Yuuta walked over, smirking. "Sooo... how's being God feel now?"

"I want a retired…"

---

[End of Bonus "When the Author Almost Died"]

Author's Final Words: I survived Erza. Barely. Tomorrow's double update will include extra spice, trauma, and possibly a dragon costume.

Please send emotional support snacks.

AND

THANK YOU FOR 500 COLLECTIONS!!

I seriously can't express how much this means to me. Every click, every read, every little moment you've spent with Yuuta, Erza, Elena—and even that manipulative demon (you know who)—it all brought this world to life.

To celebrate this milestone, I was supposed to give you a brand-new chapter today.

But unfortunately…

plot holes happened.

Power cuts happened.

And maybe… Erza nearly murdered me for being late (as you saw in the bonus chapter 👀).

So yes—

I'm truly sorry for the delay.

Please bear with me! A spicy, emotional, and hopefully tear-worthy chapter will be coming very soon. (With maybe an extra scene to make up for it )

In the meantime—thank you again for the 500 collections. You all are absolute legends.

– The author who barely survived Erza's wrath.