Episode 376

Zeke followed the sage into the room, only to find it completely empty. Just as he was about to question this, the sage raised a hand, and a magical circle began to glow and rise from the floor.

“A portal?” Zeke wondered.

Indeed, a portal had been hidden beneath the floor. The sage moved a chair onto the magical circle and gestured for Zeke to join him. Zeke stepped onto the circle, standing beside the sage. Soon, the familiar hum of a portal filled the air.

A bright flash enveloped them, and the room transformed into a space surrounded by towering trees. Zeke could feel a much stronger presence of dragon energy here.

“Where are we?” he thought.

A message appeared before his eyes:

[The Advanced Administrator System detects the secure zone ‘Domain of the Forgotten Forest God.’]

[The Advanced Administrator System attempts to connect.]

[The domain recognizes the Advanced Administrator.]

[Verifying access code for ‘Forest of Lush Silence.’]

[Seal of the secure zone is lifted, granting entry.]

As the message faded, the intertwined trees began to part, creating a path forward. The sage watched in amazement.

“Incredible. I never thought the access code to the sealed zone would be granted before I even mentioned it. It’s been millennia since this place was last opened.”

The sage shook his head in disbelief and motioned for Zeke to follow. They walked through the path formed by the trees.

Zeke turned to the sage. “Sage, the system called this place the domain of the Forgotten Forest God. Is this… the domain of the Divine Dragon?”

He recalled how Poseidon’s domain had been referred to as the ‘Forgotten Sea God’ before its seal was broken.

The sage nodded. “You seem to know quite a bit about the Divine Dragon. Yes, the sealed body of the Divine Dragon resides here.”

Zeke was taken aback. “Are you saying the body of the Divine Dragon is sealed here, just like Poseidon’s was by the Immortal’s Spear?”

This time, the sage was the one surprised. “How do you know about that?”

Zeke hesitated, then explained, “I broke the Sea God’s seal. That’s how I learned about it.”

The sage stopped, turning fully to face Zeke. “You broke Poseidon’s seal?”

Zeke nodded, and the sage’s expression grew complex. He turned back and continued walking, lost in thought.

They soon reached the end of a long corridor, opening into a vast chamber. The chamber was entirely made of wood, with a ceiling so high it seemed endless.

“Wow, this place is enormous. Are we at the roots of a giant tree?” Zeke wondered.

The sage extended a hand, and the trees in the chamber began to move.

Rumble—

Something emerged from the floor. Zeke stepped back to see a massive fossil connected to the wooden floor.

“A dragon?”

The fossil of a curled-up dragon seemed to be the source from which the trees had grown. It reminded Zeke of the giant turtle that had hidden the Sea God’s seal.

“Is this giant tree the avatar of the Forest God?” Zeke asked.

The sage nodded. “You know quite a bit about the Divine Dragons. Yes, the sealed Forest God created this massive tree before its consciousness faded, leaving me, its avatar, to guard this place.”

Zeke realized the sage’s true identity. “So, like Poseidon, you’re an avatar of the Divine Dragon.”

The sage introduced himself. “I am Hermes, Lord of the Green Clan and avatar of the Forest God.”

Zeke recalled hearing Hermes’ name from Hades, who had mentioned him as one of the oldest and wisest dragons, respected by all.

Hermes gestured to the fossilized body of the Divine Dragon. “If Poseidon explained things to you, you already know what happened.”

Zeke nodded. “Yes, I heard that Siemens Apollyon sealed the Divine Dragon’s divinity with the Immortal’s Spear.”

“Do you know why Siemens Apollyon did that?” Hermes asked.

“I heard it was because the Divine Dragons created a homunculus of the Hero King to stop him, at the request of the Great Sage. When Siemens Apollyon learned of their involvement, he used the Immortal’s Spear to seal the dragons’ hearts.”

Hermes listened quietly before speaking. “While revenge for creating the Hero King’s homunculus was part of it, there was another reason.”

Hermes shared what Poseidon hadn’t. “At that time, there were three Divine Dragons: me, the Forest God; Poseidon, the Sea God; and the Earth God.”

He continued, “The Divine Dragons were chosen to receive the gods’ powers and fulfill their roles. The Forest, Sea, and Earth Gods were tasked by the Creator God to maintain the balance of this world. The Divine Dragons inherited this duty.”

Zeke remembered how the chaotic seas had calmed when Poseidon regained his divinity.

“So, Siemens Apollyon sealed the Divine Dragons’ divinity to weaken the gods’ power and disrupt the world’s balance?”

“Exactly. With the dragons sealed, chaos spread. Human conflicts escalated, turning the continent into a battlefield.”

Zeke questioned the connection between the dragons’ seals and human wars.

“As the world’s balance faltered, fallen constellations tempted and manipulated humans. Over millennia, countless dynasties rose and fell, with many dying in despair and fear.”

Zeke’s face hardened. “Are you saying the wars and conflicts among humans were due to the fallen constellations’ influence?”

“Not all, but their influence was present at critical moments.”

Zeke was troubled. “Why would they incite wars among humans?”

“Don’t you know? For fallen constellations, war is a feast. They absorb the negative energy and grow stronger, while the souls of fallen humans become their prey.”

The fallen constellations incited conflict, driving beings to despair and madness, to strengthen their power and status.

Zeke finally understood why Narak and Siemens were so intent on waging war and committing mass slaughter. It wasn’t just about reviving the Demon King; it was about empowering the fallen constellations.

The sage, seeing Zeke’s realization, spoke. “Hearing you freed the Sea God made me think.”

Zeke, puzzled by the sage’s tone, asked, “Shouldn’t we free the sealed Divine Dragons to restore balance and stop the fallen constellations?”

The sage replied slowly, “That’s one way to see it, but there are deeper signals at play.”

“Signals?” Zeke asked.

The sage pointed at Zeke. “The Immortal.”

As an avatar of the Divine Dragon, the sage knew Zeke’s true nature.

“The presence of an Immortal is dangerous. It signals the imminent return of the Demon King.”

In every era of the Demon King’s rise, an Immortal appeared. In the Hero King’s time, it was Siemens Apollyon; during the Liberation War, it was Terracan Draker.

Zeke asked the sage, “The Holy King entrusted me with the Sacred Spear, saying I was destined to destroy the Demon King, a task Terracan Draker couldn’t complete.”

The mention of the Sacred Spear widened the sage’s eyes. “The spear that first killed a god… is that what you mean?”

Instead of answering, Zeke retrieved the Sacred Spear from his inventory. The sage, seeing the black spear, spoke to Zeke.

“It seems to have taken shape under the influence of your soul.”

“Yes, once I inherited it, its form changed.”

The sage nodded thoughtfully.

“An immortal can kill a god, or even become one.”

Zeke was taken aback by this revelation.

“I understand the part about killing a god because of the Godslayer Stone, but what do you mean by becoming a god?”

The sage pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

“An immortal exists beyond the reach of karma. Who do you think would desire such a being the most?”

Zeke’s face hardened at the sage’s words.

“Surely not…?”

The sage nodded.

“A body that cannot perish is the perfect vessel for the Demon King.”

Zeke felt as if something had struck him hard in the head.

The first Godslayer, who killed a god, eventually became the fallen king of the constellations.

Siemens Apollyon, who wielded the power of an immortal, allowed the Demon King to descend into his body.

Terracan Draker didn’t become the Demon King, but he couldn’t bring himself to kill Bahamut, his beloved, who was possessed by the Demon King.

Then, a realization hit Zeke.

“During the Liberation War, the body the Demon King sought to descend into wasn’t the Shadow Dragon Bahamut, but the immortal Terracan!”

Bahamut might have sacrificed himself to imprison the Demon King within his own body, asking Terracan, the only one with the power to kill gods, to destroy them both.

But Terracan couldn’t bring himself to destroy Bahamut, and the Demon King’s soul was sealed in the Book of the Dead, locked away in a tower beyond the dark sea, unreachable by anyone.

Now that Zeke understood that an immortal could both kill and become the Demon King, he realized why the Lady of the Lake was reluctant to give him the holy relic because he was an immortal.

“If I were to change my mind, use the relic to summon the fallen constellations back to the mortal realm, and release the Demon King’s soul from the Book of the Dead to descend into my body…”

No one would be able to stop the Demon King once he descended into the mortal realm.

The sage looked at Zeke and spoke.

“That’s why the appearance of someone who can break the seal of the Divine Dragon is also a sign that the Demon King might be resurrected.”

Zeke nodded in understanding.

“I see what you mean, but I have no intention of letting the Demon King descend into my body.”

The sage shook his head.

“The descent of the Demon King isn’t something you can think of so simply. Even Terracan Draker didn’t realize he’d forsake his chance to destroy the Demon King at the last moment.”

The Demon King peers into the deepest, darkest corners of the soul, seeping in through the weakest points.

That’s why the whispers of the Demon King cannot be blocked, and resisting the temptation is nearly impossible.

“The temptation of the Demon King…”

Zeke had never considered that he might become the vessel for the Demon King, and his mind was in turmoil.

After a moment of silence, the sage spoke to Zeke.

“I have a request for you.”

The sage pointed to his own heart.

“Use the holy spear to destroy me.”