Episode 451

“So, it was the Great Sage who orchestrated my return.”

Until now, Zeke had believed that it was the Elder Dragon and Chronos, the dragon of time, who had sent him back. But it turned out the mastermind behind it all was the Great Sage.

Zeke looked at the Great Sage and spoke.

“Did you foresee that I would claim the Elder Dragon’s legacy and plan accordingly?”

The Great Sage smiled gently and shook his head.

“Not quite. Even I cannot predict every event in the uncertain continuum of the future, much like Chronos.”

Zeke, still puzzled, pressed further.

“The Elder Dragon embedded the ‘irreversible power of promise’ in the statue but didn’t truly believe it would activate. If you weren’t certain either, then why…?”

The Great Sage nodded in understanding.

“Both the Elder Dragon and I, along with Chronos, placed our hopes on a very slim chance. And it was you, Sir Zeke, who seized that chance with your own strength.”

“It sounds as if everything was mere coincidence.”

“No, there is no such thing as coincidence in this universe. Even the smallest event is the result of countless gears turning in harmony.”

Zeke looked at the Great Sage and spoke again.

“The Elder Dragon wanted me to return on my own, granting me the chance to defy fate. But… I wonder if this is truly what I wanted.”

The Great Sage regarded Zeke thoughtfully.

“Do you regret turning back time, Sir Zeke?”

Zeke hesitated, unable to answer immediately. His previous life had been miserable and desperate beyond comparison. In the pit of despair, he had regretted his past life and, as death approached, reached for the Elder Dragon’s legacy with a fierce will to live. That was why the ‘irreversible power of promise’ had activated, allowing him to live this life anew.

The Great Sage observed Zeke closely.

“I see a seed of doubt growing within you.”

Zeke lifted his head, a hint of bitterness in his expression.

“A seed of doubt? Such things don’t apply to an immortal like me.”

It wasn’t just his belief in his immortality. Zeke’s passive skill, ‘Indomitable Will,’ protected him from mental and emotional harm.

The Great Sage shook his head.

“The anxiety born from uncertainty about one’s existence is not easily quelled, even by the power of immortality. What I mean is that your fear of losing everything you’ve gained in this life is growing.”

Zeke bit his lip, wanting to deny it but unable to speak. In his past life, he had nothing. Those he loved had perished in war, leaving him without purpose. Yet, having survived, he had fought harder, hoping that becoming stronger might change something. But that was a misguided thought.

‘Even if I had become a dark knight in my past life, I wouldn’t have found a purpose to live.’

Emptiness and void had filled his past life. But now, things were different. In this life, he had things to protect, people to care for. Outwardly, he claimed his goal was to become so strong that no one could bind him, to be free. But as time passed, his thoughts began to change.

He had found a place to call home, and the number of people within it grew. To protect them, Zeke pushed himself to become stronger. Yet, as the number of things he wanted to protect increased, so did his anxiety. He feared that everything might vanish like a dream, leaving only emptiness behind.

Thus, Zeke kept questioning. Why was he sent back? Was this new life genuine or an illusion? Did he deserve to live this life?

The Great Sage spoke with conviction.

“The life you are living now is a history you have created, Sir Zeke. No one can take that away.”

With those words, the long-standing anxiety in Zeke’s heart began to dissipate. The fear that everything created by an incomprehensible power might vanish like a bubble was finally put to rest.

Zeke looked at the Great Sage and asked, “So, my presence here is not a coincidence but a necessity, driven by the universe’s gears?”

“The one who set those gears in motion was none other than your will, Sir Zeke. The Elder Dragon and Chronos believed that your will could change the doomed future and save the world.”

The Great Sage gestured to the three divine relics floating in the air.

“Do you know when these relics were last gathered together?”

Zeke shook his head.

The Great Sage smiled broadly.

“It was when the ‘irreversible power of promise’ was embedded within the Kabbalah system.”

As he finished speaking, a golden aura burst forth from the relics.

A low hum resonated as the Great Sage extended his hand toward Zeke. To Zeke’s surprise, the jeweled sword Roland and the war hammer of Tyr were summoned from his inventory, floating in the air.

Seeing this, Zeke realized once more that the Great Sage was indeed a master administrator.

The Great Sage looked at the floating Roland and spoke.

“A sword imbued with the noble will of a paladin and a hammer with the strength of a war god. Perfect materials for a new divine weapon.”

As he reached out, the golden aura from the relics shone even brighter, flowing into Roland and the hammer.

The three relics’ power merged into Roland and the hammer, leaving Zeke astonished.

“The power of the relics is combining into one?”

As Zeke watched in amazement, the golden aura gradually diminished, and Roland and Tyr’s hammer began to glow with a radiant light.

As the sacred light infused them, the sword and hammer started to vibrate.

Simultaneously, Roland and the hammer began to merge into one.

Zeke was taken aback.

“The relics’ power, Roland, and Tyr’s hammer are merging into one?”

From within the radiant light, a new sword emerged.

The size of Roland, which had been in the form of an arming sword, increased, transforming into a cross-shaped sword with an extended pommel. Ancient runes, glowing in gold, were engraved along the blade. The ostentatious appearance was gone, replaced by intricate craftsmanship and an overall majestic aura.

The Great Sage nodded in satisfaction at the cross-shaped sword shimmering with a golden aura.

“The power of the relics has settled well.”

With another gesture, the cross-shaped sword moved smoothly and stopped before Zeke.

“Take it, Sir Zeke.”

Zeke reached out slowly, grasping the transformed Roland. As he did, a message appeared before him.

[The jeweled sword Roland and Tyr’s hammer have combined.]

[The combined weapon has been enhanced by the power of the relics.]

[It has evolved into a legendary item, and a true name has been bestowed upon it.]

[The sword is named ‘Excalibur,’ the sword of primordial light.]

“A legendary item? It’s evolved into a holy sword?”

Zeke checked the information on the newly transformed sword, Excalibur.

―Excalibur Information―

Description: A sacred sword evolved by the power of the relics, combining the jeweled sword and the war god’s strength, imbued with primordial light.

Unique Abilities: Will of Light, Great Purification, Spirit Manifestation, Awakening Grant.

Special Note: Deals five times the damage to entities with demonic energy. / When Will of Light is activated, damage increases tenfold.

Zeke was astonished by the abilities granted to Excalibur. Not only did it possess the relics’ powers, but it also had a new ability called ‘Will of Light.’

“Activating Will of Light allows it to deal ten times the damage to entities with demonic energy…”

For Zeke, who was preparing for a decisive battle against the demon army, this ability was invaluable.

Simultaneously, another message appeared.

[You have acquired the title ‘Master of the Holy Sword.’]

[The title ‘Master of the Holy Sword’ causes the special skill Holy Light Technique and Demon Hunting Technique to merge into a new skill.]

[Special Skill Spirit Technique (SS-grade) is registered.]

[Active Skill Radiant Blade of Light is absorbed into Spirit Technique.]

The influence of Excalibur had caused the Holy Light Technique to evolve into a new skill called Spirit Technique.

The Great Sage looked at the sword named Excalibur with a satisfied expression.

“Excalibur. Sir Zeke, this sword will greatly aid you in your journey ahead.”

Zeke tore his gaze from the sword and looked at the Great Sage, asking, “Sage, I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“The sword before me, named Excalibur, is it a sword that existed before, or is it newly created at this moment?”

He couldn’t help but wonder, recalling a sword that had revealed the true name ‘Caladbolg.’

The Great Sage pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

“To be precise, the sword named Excalibur does not exist at this moment.”

Zeke’s eyes widened in surprise, and he asked, puzzled, “It doesn’t exist at this moment… Does that mean it existed in the past?”

“Many civilizations that once existed on this continent have had their traces erased by the constellations, their histories vanishing entirely. Though no one remembers them now, their remnants exist in the form of karma data on the Setropy dimension server.”

At the words of the Great Sage, Zeke glanced at the holy sword Ascalon and asked, “So, are you saying this sword was crafted by a civilization that predates our own?”

The Great Sage nodded. “It seems that traces long forgotten have manifested here, transcending causality through karma.”

An item from a civilization far older than the current one, even predating the age of the constellations, had reemerged in Zeke’s hands.

Zeke raised the holy sword Ascalon towards the sky and activated its divine power.

A resonant hum filled the air as a golden aura radiated from the sword, forming a dome-like barrier around him. It seemed capable of delivering tenfold damage to any being tainted with dark energy.

‘Just as the Great Sage said, this sword will be invaluable in the battles to come,’ Zeke thought, gazing at his newly acquired weapon with satisfaction.

The Great Sage then turned to Zeke and asked, “Sir Zeke, you possess the holy spear Longomianth, do you not?”

Zeke nodded. “I do. How did you know?”

“As a master administrator, I can use a bit of the Akashic Code to track events in the material world. I call this ability ‘Clairvoyance.’”

With a gesture, the Great Sage summoned Longomianth and Bahamut from Zeke’s inventory, causing them to appear in midair. Bahamut was currently cracked from an attack by the abyssal priest, Harvey West.

The Great Sage observed this and nodded. “The abyssal priest is also beyond the laws of this world. That’s why even an indestructible item can be damaged.”

“If he’s beyond the world’s laws… does that mean the priest is an irregular?”

The Great Sage shook his head. “It’s similar, but calling him an irregular isn’t quite right. He isn’t beyond the laws due to the power of the god of chaos.”

“Is it possible to transcend the world’s laws through a power other than the god of chaos?”

“Yes, it is… but…”

Suddenly, the Great Sage’s form flickered, his spirit wavering before stabilizing again. He frowned. “It seems I lack the karma to bear the causality of sharing that story.”

He looked up at Longomianth and Bahamut, extending his hands and slowly bringing his palms together. “To oppose the abyssal priest who defies the laws, you’ll need a power that can match him.”

A low hum resonated as Longomianth and Bahamut, similar in form, began to merge.

Zeke’s eyes widened as he watched Longomianth emit a dark mist, seeping into the cracks of the damaged Bahamut. “Are Longomianth and Bahamut merging into one?”

Before long, Longomianth had completely dissolved into a mist, swirling around Bahamut, which was now surrounded by a shimmering black powder.

With a grinding sound, the infused Bahamut began to transform into something new.