Episode 526

“The sixth lord of the demon realm?”

Zeke couldn’t hide his surprise. He never expected Mephistopheles to make such a proposal.

Seeing Zeke’s reaction, Mephistopheles calmly explained, “I didn’t anticipate you’d already possess a divine status. From where I stand, observing the material world has its limitations. Regardless, you’ve transcended your species and begun to acquire divinity, making you worthy of a celestial title.”

Zeke steadied himself, processing Mephistopheles’ words.

‘He’s one of the six lords of the demon realm. Even if only a fragment of his soul is present, his rank is the highest among all celestials. I mustn’t be swayed by his words.’

Zeke had witnessed firsthand how celestials had ravaged the material world, leading to the downfall of countless civilizations. Trusting Mephistopheles entirely was a risk he couldn’t afford.

Mephistopheles, noticing Zeke’s caution, offered a wry smile. “It’s only natural you’d be wary of my offer. I understand.”

For a demon, Mephistopheles was surprisingly empathetic. With a clap, the screen split into four, displaying the four domains of the demon realm.

“Currently, there are two lords in the Abyss, one in Abaddon, one in Gehenna, and I rule Pandemonium. That makes five. Yet, it’s known that there are six rulers of the demon realm.”

He turned to Zeke. “Where do you think the sixth one is?”

Zeke had pondered this mystery before. The demon realm was said to have six rulers, yet only five domains were governed.

“A lord without a domain… Is this related to your proposal?”

Mephistopheles chuckled, pleased. “It’s refreshing to converse with someone who understands. Many demons are simple-minded, requiring much patience to explain things.”

He shifted the screen back to Pandemonium. “The missing lord once ruled Pandemonium alongside me. Given its vastness, it could accommodate two lords.”

Zeke spoke up, “Did a conflict arise between you?”

Mephistopheles’ eyes darkened slightly, and he nodded with a bitter smile. “You could say that. The ‘Arrogant Savior,’ who ruled with me, is now sealed.”

Zeke repeated the name, “The Arrogant Savior.”

Mephistopheles, lost in thought, continued, “In truth, it was the Arrogant Savior who first designed Pandemonium’s current form.”

“Did he aim to create a new civilization in the demon realm?”

“As his name suggests, he wanted to save us and our followers who had fallen to the demon realm.”

Mephistopheles shook his head. “But his arrogance matched his desire for salvation. Driven by ambition and self-assurance, he pushed his plans without considering the celestials or demons.”

Zeke could easily deduce what happened next. “The other celestials attacked him, didn’t they?”

Mephistopheles shook his head. “Not the others. It was ‘I’ who sealed him.”

Despite his demonic nature, Mephistopheles looked pensive. “Had he continued, Pandemonium—and possibly the entire demon realm—would have collapsed. I had to make a decision.”

Zeke considered another angle. Perhaps a fierce power struggle had erupted between Mephistopheles and the Arrogant Savior over Pandemonium.

‘While I can’t trust everything a demon says, it’s clear one of the six great demons is sealed.’

Zeke pondered how to use this newfound knowledge. Just then, Mephistopheles addressed him.

“Though the Arrogant Savior is sealed, the lord’s position remains vacant. His followers are scattered, their powers sealed, and divided among other factions. Your companion, Arataso, is one such case.”

Zeke was taken aback to hear Arataso’s name from Mephistopheles. ‘Arataso was originally part of the Arrogant Savior’s faction?’

Crackle—

Suddenly, sparks erupted from Anastasia’s body, where Mephistopheles had manifested. It seemed karma’s constraints were encroaching on his domain.

Mephistopheles grimaced and continued, “Time is shorter than I thought. Zeke Draker, to the point: I propose you absorb the sealed soul of the Arrogant Savior, attain celestial status, and become the sixth lord of the demon realm.”

The sixth lord of the demon realm. It was a chance to rise above ordinary celestials and rule over them.

Crackle!

Anastasia’s body was engulfed in sparks from the backlash of causality.

Zeke asked Mephistopheles, “Why do you want me to become the sixth lord?”

“To protect the Pandemonium I’ve built over the years. The other lords plan to resurrect the Demon King, destroy the material world, and summon the demon realm to the surface.”

Zeke broke into a cold sweat. ‘Summon the entire demon realm to the material world?’

Anastasia’s fortress had been summoned atop an ancient castle to reduce karma’s constraints. If they expanded this method, summoning the demon realm to the surface wasn’t impossible.

Gehenna’s burning lands, Abaddon’s abyssal darkness, the endless battles of the Abyss, and the demon city of Pandemonium. The surface would become a demon’s paradise.

Zeke hadn’t imagined the great demons’ ultimate goal was to summon the entire demon realm to the surface, and he frowned deeply. ‘Damn demons…’

If the Demon King’s descent wasn’t stopped, the material world would become a living hell.

As Zeke quickly assessed the situation, a question arose. He turned to Mephistopheles. “Why, unlike the other great demons, do you oppose summoning the demon realm to the material world? Wouldn’t it be better for your followers to bring Pandemonium to the surface?”

Mephistopheles, calm amidst the backlash, replied, “If only things were that simple. But moving to the surface isn’t necessarily beneficial.”

He pointed skyward. “If we invade the material world, those above can intervene.”

Zeke was startled. “Those above… You mean the celestials of the heavenly realm?”

Crackle—

Mentioning the heavenly celestials caused the backlash to extend to Zeke. Karma’s constraints forbade such discussions.

Mephistopheles, seeing Zeke flinch from the sudden jolt, said, “If those bastards descend, the material world might truly be destroyed. There’d be no winners or losers. The others are too focused on the material world to care, but I don’t want that.”

He extended his hands, creating something amidst the backlash.

Vroom!

A radiant sphere formed.

“There’s no time to decide everything now. Take this for now.”

The sphere of light Mephistopheles created flew toward Zeke. As it approached, Zeke realized what it was.

‘Karma data?’

He sensed compressed karma data within the sphere.

Crackle—

Mephistopheles told Zeke, “You know what it is. Everything I want to say is in there. See for yourself and decide.”

As he finished speaking, light burst from Anastasia’s body.

Rumble—

With the brilliant light, the divine domain began to fade.

Inside, Zeke felt time resume its flow.

If left unchecked, Mephistopheles’ domain would vanish, and the karma data would be erased by the backlash.

‘Damn it…’

Trusting a great demon was difficult, but ignoring him entirely wasn’t an option.

Zeke gritted his teeth and grasped the sphere of light.

Sizzle—

The karma data flowed into him.

Moments later, a surprising message appeared before Zeke.

[Received ‘Fragment of Forgotten Time’ from the Fallen Celestial, Master of the Irresistible Contract.]

[Fragment of Forgotten Time connects with the Akashic Code.]

[Massive karma data updated.]

[Acquired information on the ‘Fallen Celestial.’]

[System restriction code related to this information lifted.]

[Final scenario mode unlocked due to condition fulfillment.]

[Final Chapter Scenario—The Fallen Constellation—has been unlocked.]

―Final Chapter Scenario (The Fallen Constellation)―

[Seek out and absorb the sealed form of the arrogant savior hidden in the material realm to achieve complete divinity.]

[Final Chapter Scenario Reward: Constellation Name Bestowal]

Zeke was taken aback when he saw the scenario titled “Final Chapter” appear, rather than a main quest.

“The Final Chapter Scenario… Does this mean the Demon King’s descent is imminent?”

He focused on the part of the scenario that mentioned the sealed form of the arrogant savior hidden in the material realm.

It became clear to him why Mephistopheles had proposed this deal to him specifically.

“The fallen constellations of the demon realm can’t linger long in the material realm, even if they descend through avatars. If they send other subordinates, they’ll be discovered quickly. There’s also the issue of whether they can withstand the power of the sealed form.”

In contrast, as a human, Zeke faced no such restrictions in the material realm.

Moreover, he had transcended to gain divinity and was capable of absorbing and withstanding the soul of a sealed archdemon.

Mephistopheles must have considered all this when he proposed the deal to Zeke, offering him a fragment of forgotten time in the material realm.

“The fact that the Final Chapter Scenario has appeared means he wasn’t lying…”

If Mephistopheles was telling the truth, Zeke had nothing to lose.

By absorbing the archdemon’s soul, he could elevate his own status, and if he could thwart the other demon lords’ attempts to summon the Demon King, it would align perfectly with his own goals.

As Zeke reviewed the scenario details once more, the unique domain that had enveloped the hall vanished completely.

Vroooom!

Simultaneously, all the demons who had been affected by the divine domain Mephistopheles had briefly unleashed collapsed in exhaustion.

Anastasia, who had to endure the descent as an avatar, lay completely drained on the floor.

The first to regain consciousness was none other than Yekaterina.

“Ugh!”

Being of the Tuma race and possessing an exceptionally resilient body, she recovered the fastest.

She stood up, reached out, and summoned her weapon.

Crack―

Yekaterina grasped a massive, grotesque bone sword with both hands, her aura flaring as she charged at Zeke.

“You filthy human! How dare you deceive us!”

Unaware of the conversation between Zeke and Mephistopheles, Yekaterina swung her sword in a fury.

Whoosh―

The bone sword, brimming with energy, hurtled toward Zeke.