Episode 249

Hades sat up abruptly, shouting in disbelief.

“This is insane! Who’s spreading such ridiculous rumors?”

“Is it not true?”

“Of course not! If I find the person spreading those lies, I’ll rip their tongue out!”

Jamilah had spoken with such confidence that I almost believed it was true, but it seemed I was mistaken.

Zeke, still bewildered by Hades’ outburst, asked, “Then why are you tied up here?”

Hades took a deep breath, calming himself before speaking. “It’s not for murder, but… I did commit a crime.”

“Attempted murder of your own kind?”

“This fool? Trying to make me out as some kind of monster. It’s nothing like that!”

He sighed heavily. “Ah, who can I blame but myself? I was warned not to enter, but I did anyway.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Hades straightened up, pointing to the ground. “Here, this place.”

“This labyrinth?”

“Yes. It was one of the forbidden places, but I came in and set up my workshop. I was curious about the things here and wanted to experiment.”

Zeke was taken aback by the unexpected revelation. “So you’re bound here because you entered a forbidden area?”

Hades shook his head. “Don’t think of dragons like humans. Do you think we punish each other for breaking rules?”

He sighed again. “I’m bound here not because of punishment, but because I meddled with the core of the forbidden area, and now my soul is trapped.”

“Your soul is trapped?”

“Yes. I’m bound to this realm and can’t leave.”

“My goodness. How strong must the binding be to hold a dragon?”

Hades grumbled in frustration. “Exactly. Damn it. I’ve tried everything for three thousand years, but this binding won’t break.”

Hades had been trapped here even longer than Ishtar, who had been bound for two thousand years.

Yellin, who had been listening to Hades and Zeke, was caught off guard by the unexpected turn in the conversation.

“H-Hades, does that mean you can’t break the binding on our family?”

Hades frowned, irritated. “Are you trying to add fuel to the fire? I’ve been stuck here for three thousand years, and you’re complaining about two thousand?”

Yellin quickly fell silent at Hades’ rebuke.

Zeke addressed Hades again. “If we manage to break your binding, will you free the Ishtar family?”

Hades laughed heartily, clutching his stomach. “You think you can break my binding? If you can, I’ll not only free them, I’ll grant you a wish!”

Zeke stood up abruptly, determination in his eyes. “Show me the way to the core of the forbidden area.”

Hades was momentarily taken aback by Zeke’s confidence, then clicked his tongue. “A knight, not a wizard, thinks he can do something? You’re amusing. Fine, let’s see what you can do.”

Hades snapped his fingers.

Whoosh!

The scenery changed once more.

A massive stone pillar, inscribed with countless symbols, stood in the center of a vast cavern, glowing and vibrating.

Yellin gaped at the enormous pillar. “My word, Sir Zeke. I’ve never seen a stone this large.”

Zeke turned to the floating Hades. “Hades, what was this site originally used for?”

“I’m not entirely sure. All I know is that the pillar once controlled a city that stood here.”

“Are you referring to a city from before the era of the Hero King?”

“Yes. A city from the era of the constellations, long before I was born.”

It was fascinating that the core of a city older than dragons was still active.

Zeke approached the pillar cautiously.

A message appeared before him.

[Warning: Approaching may cause severe karma distortion. Do not proceed.]

‘Karma distortion?’

Zeke realized the pillar was connected to karma. He decided to step back, wary of ending up like Hades, with his soul trapped.

Zeke turned to Hades. “Hades, could you move Yellin to another location?”

Hades glanced at Yellin, who looked at Zeke in surprise. “Sir Zeke! What do you mean…?”

Before Yellin could finish, Hades snapped his fingers, sending her elsewhere.

“I’ve placed her back in the workshop. You don’t want the high elf girl to see everything, do you?”

“You noticed.”

“You’ve been hinting at it all along. Now that she’s not here, speak freely.”

Zeke nodded, then asked Hades, “Do you know about karma?”

Hades looked at Zeke in shock. “How do you know about that?”

“I have the spirit of an Elder Dragon imprinted on my soul. Thanks to that, I can use the administrator system even though I’m not a dragon’s contractor.”

Hades’ eyes widened further. “Administrator system? My word. Did Chronos really create that?”

“You know about the administrator system?”

“Of course. I helped lay its foundation.”

“Wait, are you saying you created the system, Hades?”

“Not exactly created… Let me show you.”

Hades waved his hand, and unfamiliar symbols appeared in the air.

Zeke recognized the arrangement of the symbols. “Isn’t this the administrator system?”

Hades shook his head. “No, this is the system used by the ancient city. I studied these systems and gave the framework to Chronos to apply to that inverted tower you mentioned.”

“So the system was derived from the methods used by ancient cities?”

“Yes, those ancient cities achieved a level of civilization unimaginable today. They were remarkable for researching how to use the world’s power efficiently.”

“That’s what the system is.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have entered, but I’ve been fascinated by ancient civilizations since I was a hatchling. Black dragons have a tendency to obsess over things once they get interested. I was hooked.”

“So you’ve been studying this core all this time.”

“Yes, as I delved into the system, the concept of ‘karma’ kept appearing. It was the essence of ancient civilization.”

Zeke recalled the hermit who dealt with karma.

‘The people of the ancient civilization had mastered the art of manipulating karma.’

Controlling karma allowed one to transcend the laws of the physical world.

Zeke, having experienced the power of karma through the system, understood its potential.

‘The power to control karma…’

Trying to control too much power could lead to being consumed by it.

The fate of dark wizards, who summoned demonic power for strength only to have their souls devoured, was a grim reminder.

Perhaps the ancient civilizations vanished, leaving only traces, because they were consumed by the immense power of karma they abused.

Zeke decided to try accessing the system connected to the glowing pillar.

‘System, can you connect to that control system?’

A message appeared.

[Attempting to connect with the advanced administrator system.]

[Connection denied due to different recognition codes.]

Zeke shook his head. “The recognition codes are different, so I can’t access the system.”

Hades looked at Zeke. “Recognition codes? I know those.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Do you think I’ve been idle for three thousand years? I’ve been trying everything to break free from this binding, including deciphering the system. Hold on.”

Hades manipulated something in the air, then flicked his hand toward Zeke.

A message appeared before Zeke.

[A new system requests access to the administrator system.]

Zeke granted Hades access.

[Access granted.]

[Updating with new information.]

[A new recognition code has been entered into the Kabbalah system.]

[The previously inaccessible area of the Sephirot dimension server is now open.]

[Reattempting connection to the suspended administrator system.]

[Connection successful.]

Thanks to the recognition code Hades provided, Zeke accessed the control system.

[Welcome, Administrator. Welcome to the beloved golden city of ‘Blanca,’ cherished by the constellation ‘Stained Breath of the Unseen.’ How may I assist you?]

“Golden city Blanca?”

It was a name Zeke had never heard before.

He asked the Blanca system, ‘How can I release the entity bound to this city?’

The system searched for an answer, then a message appeared.

[Currently, the city manages one adult dragon entity.]

‘Managed entity?’

Zeke found the system’s terminology odd.

‘Is it possible for the city to manage a dragon?’

Another message appeared in response to his question.

[The golden city Blanca, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, can register and manage more than five dragon entities. Registered entities are meticulously managed to ensure the safety of citizens from external threats and provide enjoyable entertainment.]

Zeke was stunned by the system’s message.

‘Could it be that the city subjugated dragons and used them at will?’

It seemed unbelievable, but the evidence suggested it was true.

Zeke continued questioning the system.

‘How can I deregister the dragon entity?’

A message from the system appeared.

[The current registered polyp cannot be deregistered due to a system error.]

“A system error? What does that even mean?”

[The dragon heart of the polyp is fused with the karma control device, making it impossible to sever the connection at this time.]

Zeke listened to the system’s explanation and pieced together the situation.

“So the dragon heart is completely stuck to the control device.”

Hades had touched the control device, which was experiencing a karma distortion, and something seemed to have gone wrong.

Zeke asked the system again.

“Find a way to separate the dragon heart from the control device.”

Blanca’s system responded with a message.

[Apologies, Administrator. We have not found a way to separate the polyp from the dragon heart.]

If things continued like this, Hades would be trapped here forever.

Just then, a message appeared from the original Kabbalah system, not Blanca’s.

[Searching for a solution to the issue on the Sephiroth dimension server.]

[The search range is too broad. Narrowing the scope.]

[Compiling the administrator’s skill and inventory information to find a feasible solution.]

[One solution has been found.]

“What? There’s a solution?”

Zeke hurriedly checked the solution.

[Use the special skill ‘Blood Eye’ owned by a senior administrator to identify the control connections between the polyp and the city.]

[Temporarily sever the connection between the polyp and the control system using the ‘Body of the Sea God’ possessed by the senior administrator.]

[Use the special skill ‘Soul Sever’ to disconnect the dragon heart from the control system.]

The method was laid out in detail. Zeke read it carefully and retrieved the body of the sea god from his inventory.

He then looked at Hades.

“Hades.”

“What? It’s not going to work, is it? I knew it…”

“I think I’ve found a way.”

“What?”

Hades stammered, caught off guard by Zeke’s unexpected response.

“W-what do you mean… you really found a way?”

“Yes. But… the method might be a bit rough.”

“R-rough? Who cares if it’s rough? It really works? What do we need to do?”

Zeke pulled out Bahamut, which he had been wearing.

“I’m sorry, Hades. But I’m going to need you to hand over the dragon heart.”