Episode 442

“The Great Sage?”

Zeke quickly latched onto the standout word from the fragmented message.

“Could it be that the one who sealed this place was the Great Sage…?”

Rumble!

Just then, the door reacted.

It split open halfway, and a vortex of dimensional energy swirled within.

Simultaneously, a portal-like dimensional gate appeared in the center.

“Is that the way?”

Zeke swiftly gripped his sword sheath and activated his spirit form.

Ssshhh—

In his spirit form, Zeke stepped into the dimensional gate.

As he did, a message appeared before his eyes.

[Anomaly detected.]

[Unauthorized entity intrusion detected.]

[Emergency protocol activated according to manual.]

It seemed the security system had detected Zeke attempting to enter the dimensional gate in his spirit form.

Clang!

Hidden walls around the door opened, and sharp metal spikes shot out.

From these spikes, a powerful plasma field emerged, forming a net in front of the dimensional gate.

Crackle—

The plasma net extended, ensnaring Zeke in his spirit form within the dimensional rift.

“Ugh!”

It was the first time Zeke had been attacked in his spirit form, leaving him bewildered.

Caught in the plasma net and unable to move, the situation worsened as the door began to close.

“No!”

Panicked, Zeke struggled to escape the plasma net, but no matter what he tried, he couldn’t move.

In desperation, he attempted to exit his spirit form and leap into the dimensional gate, but the plasma net held him fast, preventing any escape from the rift.

“Damn, everything’s going wrong…”

If he exceeded the time limit for staying in the dimensional rift in his spirit form, the path back to the physical realm might close.

“Ugh!”

Feeling the urgency, Zeke summoned his Astral Sword and poured all his energy into breaking free, but it was difficult to exert his full power within the rift.

Just as the door was about to close completely—

Woooom—

The cry of Raven’s phoenix echoed through the dimensional rift.

Raven, now larger than before, spread its wings wide and flew towards Zeke. Astonishingly, it began pecking at the plasma net ensnaring Zeke, devouring it.

Rumble—

Watching Raven devour the plasma net as if it were a delicacy, Zeke quickly gathered his strength and broke free from his bonds.

He sent a telepathic message to Raven.

“Raven! Over here!”

Raven, reluctant to leave the remnants of the plasma net, finally flew towards Zeke.

Grabbing onto Raven, Zeke hurled himself towards the nearly closed dimensional gate.

“Haaaah!”

With a battle cry, Zeke mustered all his strength and barely managed to slip through the gate as it sucked him in.

Bang!

The stone door slammed shut behind him.

As if nothing had happened, the door returned to its silent vigil.

---

Crackle—

“Ugh!”

With a burst of sparks, Zeke tumbled onto the ground, clutching Raven, as they emerged into the physical realm.

“Phew…”

Catching his breath, Zeke quickly surveyed his surroundings.

“Did I make it back?”

Breathing the air and feeling the solid ground beneath his feet suggested he hadn’t become lost in the dimensional void.

But something felt off about the surroundings.

“Is this really the Temple of Theia?”

Unlike a typical temple, bizarre statues lined the area.

Sharp teeth, twisted faces, bodies resembling a fusion of grotesque creatures.

The sight of these statues brought one thought to Zeke’s mind.

“Outsiders?”

The statues bore a striking resemblance to the Outsiders, with their tentacles, teeth, and grotesque forms.

Cautiously, Zeke approached one of the statues and touched it, only to recoil in shock.

“What the… it’s alive?”

Though they stood motionless like statues, Zeke could sense the essence of the Outsiders within.

He gazed at the massive chamber filled with these Outsider statues.

“If these things are all alive…”

Zeke imagined the horror of these creatures awakening and emerging into the physical realm.

The mere thought sent shivers down his spine.

“Wait, did the Great Sage seal this temple to prevent these creatures from escaping?”

Zeke began to understand why this place, unlike other ruins, had never had its security code deactivated.

If these Outsiders were to spill out, it would lead to an irreversible catastrophe.

“Phew, well, it seems to be a temple, so I should head inside.”

The chamber housing the temple was vast beyond measure.

The ceiling was so high it appeared as a black void, making it impossible to estimate how many Outsider statues were present.

Passing through the statue-laden area, Zeke spotted a temple building constructed in the style of the Central Continent.

He approached the building.

Amidst the grotesque Outsider statues, the white marble structure stood out, creating an unsettling contrast.

As he neared the temple, he saw an open door leading inside.

Entering, he found himself in a typical temple interior, crafted entirely from white marble.

“Is this truly the Temple of Theia?”

Following the straight path, Zeke ventured deeper into the temple.

In the center, he discovered a statue.

“The Statue of Theia’s Saintess?”

At first glance, it seemed so, but upon closer inspection, it was far from ordinary.

“What is this?”

Half of the sacred saintess statue was entwined with the grotesque tentacles of an Outsider.

The depiction was so vivid it seemed as if the Outsider was about to devour the saintess statue whole.

As Zeke examined the statue more closely, he was taken aback.

“The Outsider isn’t consuming the saintess. It’s… emerging from within.”

The sacred body of the saintess was giving birth to the grotesque form of an Outsider.

At that moment, Zeke heard something.

『□◆□■◀ ▶▷□… come to me, child…』

The voice was reminiscent of what he had heard from the remnants of Azitahaka.

Drawn by the voice emanating from the statue, Zeke found himself moving forward, almost entranced.

But then—

Rumble—

Raven, perched on Zeke’s shoulder, raised its head and let out a piercing cry.

The sound snapped Zeke out of his trance, breaking the spell of the statue’s voice.

“What was that?”

Regaining his senses, Zeke looked at the statue.

Once more, the voice flowed from the statue.

『Bearer of my remnants… come forth. Embrace my will…』

Zeke felt an inexplicable pull towards the voice, finding it hard to resist.

Unconsciously, he began to move forward again.

At that moment, a message appeared before him.

[The title ‘Blessed by the Ancient Dragon’ detects traces of ‘Indescribable Darkness.’]

[The title ‘Glory of the Sea God’ opposes the traces of ‘Indescribable Darkness.’]

[The title ‘Companion of the Forest’ opposes the traces of ‘Indescribable Darkness.’]

[The title ‘Guardian of the Earth’ opposes the traces of ‘Indescribable Darkness.’]

[The title ‘Blessing of the Fairies’ aids in opposing the traces of ‘Indescribable Darkness.’]

[The title ‘Grace of the Divine Beast’ aids in opposing the traces of ‘Indescribable Darkness.’]

[The title ‘Protection of the Archmage’ aids in opposing the traces of ‘Indescribable Darkness.’]

The titles Zeke had accumulated combined their power to resist the voice emanating from the statue.

The statue began to tremble.

Rumble—

The Outsider statue, which had been on the verge of emerging, started to move ever so slightly.

Rumble—

Raven took flight, soaring into the air.

It opened its beak and unleashed a torrent of flames at the Outsider attempting to emerge from the statue.

Fwoosh—

The orange flames engulfed the Outsider statue.

The movement of the Outsider, which had been inching out, hesitated, then began to retreat back into the statue.

Rumble—

However, as Raven’s flames weakened, the Outsider’s grotesque tentacles started to emerge once more.

Seeing this, Zeke donned the Helm of Theia and Agamemnon’s Mask, then drew Roland.

He summoned the power of the Holy Light.

Wooooom!

As the orb of Holy Light rose into the air, Zeke directed a bolt of light at the Outsider emerging from the statue.

Crackle—

The combined force of the light and Raven’s flames halted the Outsider’s tentacles once more.

Zeke seized the moment, raising his sword and channeling the power of purification.

Wooooom—

A golden aura radiated from his body.

Moments later, a wave of golden light spread from him, enveloping the statue in the power of great purification.

Rumble—

Exposed to the purifying force, the Outsider that had been emerging from the statue retreated back inside, vanishing from sight.

At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.

―Sudden Quest―

[Restore the shattered statue of the Moon Goddess Theia.]

[Quest Reward: ???]

A sudden quest had emerged out of nowhere.

Zeke, maintaining the power of the Great Purification, pondered how he could restore the broken statue.

Recalling the time he had freed Hades from Blanca, he asked the system for help.

“System, find a way to restore that statue.”

At Zeke’s command, the system began its search.

[One method found. Would you like to proceed with this method?]

“Execute it immediately!”

As soon as Zeke spoke, a system message appeared before him.

[The relic obtained from Hermes, the God of the Forest, is activated as an elixir.]

[The activated relic of Hermes reveals its true form.]

With a soft hum, the relic of Hermes began to manifest.

The goat statue, acting as a catalyst with the elixir, started to extend tree branches in all directions.

The growing branches slowly reached out to the broken statue of the saint.

The branches wrapped around the statue, filling in the shattered parts hidden within.

“What the…?”

Maintaining the power of the Great Purification, Zeke watched as Hermes’ relic mended the broken parts of the statue.

With a rumbling sound, it seemed as if trees were growing from the statue’s half-destroyed face and body.

Then another message appeared.

[The purest elemental power must be infused into the tree grown from Hermes’ relic.]

“The purest elemental power?”

Zeke immediately understood what the system meant by elemental power.

He withdrew the power of the Great Purification and approached the statue.

Placing his hand on the tree enveloping the statue, he summoned the power of the Elemental Sword.

A resonant hum filled the air.

The pure forces of fire, wind, water, and metal.

From Zeke’s body, a radiant glow of four colors emerged.

The elemental power surged from Zeke, wrapping around the statue.

Amazingly, Hermes’ tree began to absorb this power.

With a soft crackling, the branches that absorbed the four elemental powers slowly burned and turned to ash.

Simultaneously, the tree’s color gradually shifted to white, its surface smoothing and transforming from wood to something akin to stone.

“The surface of the tree is becoming harder than before.”

Zeke infused the tree with even more pure elemental power.

The tree, now imbued with pure strength, turned completely white.

A powerful vibration emanated from the statue.

Only then did Zeke withdraw his elemental power and step back.

As the broken statue was restored to a pristine white form, light radiated in all directions.

At that moment, another message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.

[You have restored the shattered statue of the Goddess Theia.]

[You have successfully completed the sudden mission.]

[As a reward, you receive the Tears of the Goddess Theia.]

“The Tears of the Goddess Theia?”

As Zeke stood there, puzzled, the quest reward materialized before him.

Seeing it, Zeke exclaimed in surprise, almost involuntarily.

“This is adamantium?”