Episode 393
A high-pitched whirring sound filled the air as the hourglass floated up, resonating in Zeke’s ears.
Moments later, the hourglass flipped, and the scenery around him began to shift.
Zeke had witnessed this phenomenon before.
“Time is rewinding.”
The power of reversal was linked with Chronos’s hourglass, turning back the clock on the surroundings.
The spinning hourglass came to a sudden halt.
“What era have I landed in?”
Having experienced this before, Zeke remained calm and surveyed his surroundings.
The number of statues had noticeably decreased since he first entered.
It was then that he heard a voice.
“Remarkable. Just as Chronos predicted.”
Turning towards the altar, Zeke saw a woman with flowing silver hair approaching.
In an instant, Zeke realized she was a dragon in human form.
The silver-haired dragon looked at Zeke and asked, “Are you Zeke Draker?”
Zeke was startled that a dragon from the past knew his name.
“Did Chronos tell her about me?”
Chronos, the time-manipulating dragon, could foresee future events but was restricted by karma from speaking of them freely.
Yet, the fact that the silver-haired dragon knew Zeke’s name suggested Chronos had risked breaking the timeline to deliver a crucial message through her.
The silver-haired dragon introduced herself, “I am Hyperion, Lord of the Silver Clan and Guardian of the Dawn.”
Zeke recalled Hades mentioning Hyperion, whose lair was said to be on the northern continent.
As Hyperion approached, she continued, “First, let me give you what Chronos entrusted to me.”
She extended her hand towards Zeke.
A soft hum filled the air as light emanated from her hand, seeping into Zeke’s body.
In that moment, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[You have acquired 3/4 of the Seals of the Chronos Kingdom.]
[Once all seals are found, the coordinates to the Chronos Kingdom’s treasury will be activated.]
―Main Quest Mission (Linked)―
[Take the relics imbued with primordial power to the Forgotten Temple of the Ancients. (No time limit / The temple’s coordinates will activate once all three relics are obtained.)]
[Find and restore the scattered Seals of the Chronos Kingdom to their original state. (No time limit / 1 seal remaining)]
[Activate the coordinates to the Chronos Kingdom’s treasury using the restored seals.]
[Main Quest Mission Reward: ???]
[Linked Quest Mission Reward: Title - Heir of the Chronos Kingdom]
With Hyperion handing over the seal, only one remained.
“The problem is, it’s in the Rom Empire.”
Specifically, in the capital, Rom.
Currently, Abel and Siemens were leading the demon forces occupying Rom, making it difficult to approach.
“I’ll need to think more about how to find the last seal.”
Hyperion, having given the seal, spoke to Zeke.
“Chronos believes you are the savior destined to vanquish the Demon King.”
Zeke nodded at Hyperion’s words.
“Yes. Lord Hermes also mentioned that as an immortal, I alone possess the power to kill a god.”
Hyperion was taken aback by Zeke’s statement.
“You’ve met Lord Hermes? But his divine status is currently sealed. How… Ah!”
Hyperion seemed to realize something, and Zeke nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. As you suspected, I was able to extract the spear sealing the divine status of the dragon god because I possess the power of an immortal.”
Understanding dawned on her face as she nodded.
“So that’s why Chronos left me that message.”
“What message did Chronos leave for you?”
Hyperion replied, “Chronos instructed me to tell you to break the seal of the Earth God.”
Zeke had already broken the seals of Poseidon, the Sea God, and Hermes, the Forest God.
With his power as an immortal, he could likely break the Earth God’s seal as well.
“Where is the Earth God sealed?”
Hyperion answered, “The Earth God is sealed in the Forest of the Forgotten.”
The forbidden Forest of the Forgotten was a place deeply connected to Zeke.
“The Forest of the Forgotten, huh. It’s not surprising something like that would be there.”
Though he had tried to avoid it, Zeke realized he couldn’t delay any longer, his expression growing serious.
At that moment, the hourglass hovering in the air began to vibrate.
The time he could remain in the past was nearly up.
Hyperion approached Zeke and took his hand.
“There’s no time. Synchronize your mana with mine.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Do you not even know basic mana synchronization? There’s no time to explain. I’ll guide you, so relax and don’t resist the flow.”
Hyperion tightened her grip on his hand.
With a hum, mana began to flow into Zeke’s body through their joined hands.
“Ugh…”
The sensation of foreign mana entering his body was initially uncomfortable, but Zeke endured it, relaxing and allowing the energy to flow naturally as Hyperion instructed.
Soon, a mark began to appear on Zeke’s chest.
As more of Hyperion’s mana poured in, the mark grew more vivid and shone brightly.
After absorbing a significant amount of mana, another message appeared before Zeke.
[Pure mana fills the heart of the dragon.]
[The curse on the Cursed Light Dragon Bahamut’s heart is neutralized.]
[The heart of the Cursed Light Dragon Bahamut is restored to the heart of the Dusk Ruler Bahamut.]
“The curse on Bahamut’s heart is lifted?”
The mark’s color was now more vibrant and luminous than before.
The message continued.
[You have acquired the title ‘Dusk Ruler.’]
[Due to the title ‘Dusk Ruler,’ Bahamut’s powers are amplified 1.5 times after sunset.]
[The seal on the heart of the Dusk Ruler Bahamut is reduced to 35%.]
[The second stage restriction on the user is lifted.]
[As a result of lifting the restriction, the karma required to unlock dragon skills is reduced by 30%.]
[The energy required to upgrade dragon skills is reduced.]
“The seal on the heart is weakened, and the second stage restriction is lifted.”
Additionally, he had gained the title ‘Dusk Ruler,’ which Bahamut once held.
The title enhanced Bahamut’s powers of dragon and shadow control at night.
“No wonder he was called the Shadow Dragon.”
As the pure mana finished flowing into Zeke, Hyperion finally released his hand.
She opened her eyes, revealing her mystical silver gaze.
“With this, the curse on Bahamut’s heart is lifted.”
“Yes, thanks to you, I’ve regained the title of Dusk Ruler.”
Hyperion’s expression darkened at Zeke’s words.
“So… Bahamut met his fate as destined.”
Through Hyperion’s words, Zeke realized that this time period was before the liberation war.
Before time ran out completely, Zeke asked Hyperion, “Hyperion, I’m actually here searching for Caligula’s tomb. Do you know anything about it?”
At the mention of Caligula, Hyperion looked surprised but then nodded.
“I know. I am the guardian of that tomb.”
Hyperion continued, “Caligula’s power was so dangerous that the Elder Dragon personally sealed it. I have been guarding the tomb at the Elder Dragon’s request.”
“So you are the guardian of Caligula’s tomb.”
Zeke understood why the compass had led him here.
“Searching for Caligula’s tomb…”
Hyperion pondered for a moment before speaking to Zeke.
“An immortal blessed by the Elder Dragon. Perhaps entrusting Caligula’s power to you is the better choice.”
She extended her hand, and a light coalesced into a key.
Handing it to Zeke, Hyperion said, “This is the key to enter the sealed tomb. It will guide you there.”
Zeke accepted the key with a nod.
“A key… If I hadn’t met Hyperion here, finding the tomb would have been difficult, even if I located it.”
After storing the key in his inventory, Zeke addressed Hyperion again.
“Hyperion, there’s one more thing I’m curious about.”
He quickly continued, “The identity of the Demon King… Is it true that he is the first god-slayer who fell and became the king of all fallen constellations?”
Hyperion nodded at Zeke’s question.
“Yes, the one who killed the most gods. And eventually, he fell and became the king of the fallen constellations.”
“I heard the same from the War God Tyr. But if that’s true, doesn’t that mean the god-slayer became the Demon King?”
Hyperion shook her head.
“Strictly speaking, the Demon King was born from the fusion of the god-slayer and something that dwelled within his immortal body.”
“What was it that dwelled within the god-slayer’s body…?”
“No one truly knows its nature. The Elder Dragon speculates that it might be the opposite of the Creator God, the Primordial Light.”
“The opposite of the Creator God?”
“Yes, the Primordial Light created this world. But naturally, something opposite to it also came into being. In that sense, it can be considered a fragment of the Creator God. As a fragment, it seeks to destroy what the Creator God has made, constantly tempting and dragging down His creations.”
“Temptation and corruption. That’s the essence of this being, then.”
Hyperion nodded.
“The first immortal, the Godslayer, was eventually consumed by it and became ‘the first to fall.’”
“And thus, the first immortal became the vessel for the Dark Lord.”
“The power of immortality disrupts the balance of the world. The Fairy King was wary of immortals appearing in the physical realm.”
Immortals had the power to destroy the Dark Lord, yet they could also make him more formidable.
This was why the Fairy King and other fairies rejected and feared the power of immortality.
“So, the Dark Lord is the Creator God’s fragment combined with immortal power. To truly destroy the Dark Lord, we must eliminate that fragment.”
The Holy Spear was the only divine artifact capable of eradicating that fragment.
Just as Zeke was about to ask Hyperion another question, he noticed something.
Ssshhh—
Hyperion’s form began to fade.
Her time was ending, and her ethereal body started to vanish.
She looked down at her transparent form, nodding as if she had anticipated this outcome.
“Finally, I can rest in peace after all this time.”
Zeke, surprised by her words, asked with a startled expression, “Have you been waiting for me?”
“It was a promise with Chronos. To deliver the key to saving the future to the savior who would one day appear.”
She looked at Zeke and said, “Zeke Draker, I’m truly sorry to entrust the fate of this world to you.”
Vroooom!
The hourglass began to vibrate once more.
It was time to return to the original timeline.
Zeke quickly spoke to Hyperion one last time.
“Lord Hades has missed you greatly. I will tell him of our meeting today.”
At the mention of Hades, she looked momentarily surprised. Then, after a brief thought, she conjured a book and handed it to Zeke.
“Give this to Hades. It’s filled with things he would enjoy. Teaching him was a great joy for me as well.”
Soon, Hyperion’s form dissolved into a silver light, and the hourglass resumed its cycle.
Vroooom!
The surroundings changed rapidly once more.
Statues that had vanished began to reappear one by one.
When the statues were restored to their original number, the shifting environment stabilized, and the hourglass disappeared.
Back in his own time, Zeke felt a familiar dizziness.
“Phew!”
He steadied himself against the altar wall, but he adjusted to the present much faster than before.
“Still, it’s hard to get used to.”
Zeke slowly made his way out of the underground memorial chamber and ascended to the castle above.
Time had passed, and daylight had already broken.
Yet, something was amiss—the castle was in an uproar.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The alarm bells rang out urgently.
Zeke rushed to look outside.
“Damn it…”
A massive horde of monsters and beasts was advancing toward Himonas Castle.