Episode 567
“The Wheel of Fate.”
The words of the Elder Dragon and the Great Sage echoed in his mind.
“Is the Wheel of Fate… referring to the celestial beings of the heavenly realm? Those who killed the Primordial Light and enslaved the beings of the material world?”
Satan shook his head at this.
“The Thirteen Constellations. They were once my brethren. But even they are ultimately bound by fate.”
“So, if the celestial beings are also bound by fate, does that mean there’s someone else holding their destiny?”
Satan nodded slowly, contemplating for a moment before speaking again.
“The one who killed the Primordial Light and stole its power.”
A tremor shook the entire canyon as a murderous aura emanated from Satan.
His eyes gleamed as he spoke.
“The Sun God. He is the one who holds the Wheel of Fate.”
Zeke held his breath at the mention of the name.
“The Sun God?”
Zeke was well aware of the Sun God’s existence. Geo Lubern, who led the early Holy Empire, worshipped the God of Light. However, as power shifted from the Lubern lineage to the Holy Empire, the cult of light transformed into the Sun Cult, worshipping the Sun God. Later, as the Holy Empire split into the Holy Kingdom and the Rom Empire, their doctrines diverged. The Holy Kingdom worshipped the Sun God as the sole deity, while the Rom Empire revered both the Sun God and the Moon Goddess, Theia, along with the Thirteen Constellations.
The Elder Dragon had said that the celestial beings, fearing the resurrection of the Primordial Light, had demoted its divine status.
“The Primordial Light was sealed under the name of the Sun God, and the God of Chaos under the Moon Goddess. But the Sun God killed the Primordial Light?”
Satan looked at Zeke and spoke.
“I was the first to resist the Creator, but it was the Sun God who used that opportunity to kill the Creator and steal its power. We were once the closest of brothers, but after that, we walked divergent paths.”
A hint of bitterness crossed his face as he continued.
“This is all a stage set by him. We are merely actors moving according to the script of fate.”
“Then why does the Sun God do this? If everything is as he wills, why erase and recreate civilizations repeatedly? Wasn’t killing the Primordial Light meant to stop that?”
Satan’s expression hardened as he replied.
“The Sun God took the power of the Primordial Light but realized he couldn’t fully wield it. To use it perfectly, he needs to understand the Primordial Light. He, too, is not entirely free from the constraints of karma.”
Zeke clenched his teeth at Satan’s words.
“Is this all just practice? To achieve complete creative power?”
The idea that the destruction of the material world and the exploitation of countless mortal souls were merely practice made Zeke feel as if reality itself was a cruel joke.
“No matter how much we struggle, are we nothing more than playthings for the celestial beings?”
At that moment, Satan snapped his fingers at Zeke.
“Zeke Draker, there’s no need to make that face. Didn’t I tell you? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
With a charming smile, he continued.
“A perfect stage and a perfect actor. The Sun God desires to become a flawless being through this. But fortunately, before he can achieve that, the Elder Dragon and the Great Sage created a being capable of defying the Wheel of Fate. Their power alone isn’t enough to resist the Sun God, who holds fate.”
With those words, Satan pointed at Zeke.
Zeke met Satan’s gaze and spoke.
“Is it just because I returned from the future to the past that I can resist fate?”
“You haven’t just traveled through time. You’ve come from beyond the stage the Sun God set, from beyond the fourth wall.”
As he snapped his fingers again, a swirl of light gathered, forming a stage on the table where a lively play was being performed. Though the content was unclear, the actors were doing their best to follow the script.
Satan inserted his finger between the stage and the audience.
“This is the fourth wall.”
Then, one of the actors from behind the stage crossed over to the audience side and climbed onto the stage.
“See? You’ve crossed this wall.”
The stage became chaotic as the new actor appeared, causing all the actors to improvise and adjust their performances.
Satan watched this and spoke.
“This is the current state of the material world. What do you think will happen if this continues?”
Zeke looked at the disordered stage and spoke.
“The play will either continue improvisationally or be stopped midway if deemed uncontrollable.”
Satan grinned at Zeke’s words.
“Exactly, if it becomes uncontrollable, the one who set up the play will end it.”
Zeke raised his head at Satan’s words.
“Does my existence mean the Sun God, who holds fate, will come to end it?”
“If he truly desires a perfect stage, perfect actors, and a perfect script, then yes. Because right now, it’s nothing like he intended.”
Zeke felt he understood what the Elder Dragon and the Great Sage intended.
“To break the fourth wall and plunge the stage into chaos. To force the one behind the Wheel of Fate to come onto the stage…”
Satan slowly stood up and approached Zeke, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Zeke Draker, you’re not yet ready to oppose him. To become a true defier of fate, you must be prepared before he comes to end it.”
“What kind of preparation?”
“You need to acquire a divine status capable of opposing him.”
Zeke furrowed his brow at Satan’s words.
“Absorbing your soul isn’t enough?”
Satan shook his head.
“After falling to the demon realm and losing my true name, my power has waned. My once radiant wings have fallen, and now only a faint authority remains.”
Satan, who had gathered the remnants of nearly extinct civilizations to create a city in the demon realm, called his power faint. It was hard to imagine the extent of his power when he was once Lucifer. The Sun God, who had power comparable to Lucifer and had absorbed the abilities of the Primordial Light, was even more formidable.
Satan looked into Zeke’s eyes and slowly spoke.
“To confront him, you must fully absorb the soul of the sealed Demon King.”
Zeke’s expression turned fierce as he stood abruptly, stepping back and drawing his sword, Levatein.
“Listening seriously to a demon’s words was foolish.”
It was clear now that Satan had been trying to tempt him into resurrecting the Demon King’s soul within him.
Satan shook his head at Zeke’s reaction.
“Ah, I had a feeling this might happen. I’m charming, but not the best with words. This is something Azazel, or rather, Mephistopheles, would handle better.”
Crackling sounds accompanied Satan’s fading form as he spoke regretfully.
“Time’s up. Even using the power of this canyon, revealing myself consumes a lot of causality.”
Satan looked at Zeke and said.
“Zeke Draker, hear the truth from Mephisto before the final act. Otherwise, you’ll end up like Solomon of the past.”
Satan’s form grew faint, on the verge of disappearing.
Zeke shouted at him.
“Hear the truth? What do you mean by that?”
Satan gave a captivating smile as he replied.
“I will be asleep within you. Come to me when you’re ready. I’ll have arrangements prepared for you.”
With those words, Satan’s form vanished completely.
As Satan disappeared, time resumed its flow in the canyon.
Zeke pondered Satan’s words, shaking his head to clear his mind.
“I can’t trust a demon’s words. I must find the truth myself.”
He gripped Levatein firmly and gazed into the mist beyond the canyon.
“One step at a time. I’ll carve my own path.”
With unwavering determination, Zeke stepped into the mist of the canyon.
Inside the canyon, the Red King and the Dracula Knights were waiting for Zeke’s arrival.
The Red King intended to use the canyon’s unique power to capture the Knight of Salvation, Zeke.
Meditating in a crimson Hershion, the Red King recalled the secrets of Zeke Draker.
“He can wield the power of dragons.”
The power of dragons, long vanished from the central continent, was the source of the countless miracles Zeke had performed.
The Red King’s mind was filled with information about Zeke Draker.
He had meticulously analyzed the many miracles Zeke had shown the world, preparing traps tailored to counter his abilities.
“I must capture him here.”
In truth, Castro Pollock and Jupiter were of little importance to the Red King.
He had deliberately provoked Castro Pollock, pushing him to the brink until he couldn’t resist opening the gates and launching an attack on the allied forces.
The dark sorcerers of Narak were repulsive beings, but they were adept at drawing out the madness in people, so it wasn’t a difficult task.
The enemy king had meticulously exploited every aspect to create the current situation.
And all of this was a carefully laid plan to lure out Zeke Draker.
As expected, Zeke Draker appeared on the battlefield, stepping into the canyon to capture him.
Now, all that was left was to wait patiently for him to fall into the trap.
A sharp, piercing sound suddenly echoed from the front of the canyon.
The enemy king, who had been sitting calmly, slowly rose to his feet.
At the same time, the other members of the Dracul Knights adjusted their formation.
A deep, resonant voice emerged from the enemy king’s helmet.
“He has reached the target point.”
This canyon possessed a mysterious power that could suppress a dragon’s strength and invade one’s subconscious, causing mental disarray.
The enemy king didn’t fully understand how this power worked.
But he knew well enough that it was deadly to anyone wielding a dragon’s power.
He waited for Zeke to enter, hoping the canyon’s influence would limit his dragon abilities and cloud his mind.
With his dragon power restricted, Zeke would only be able to wield the strength of a black knight.
In a battle of black knight strength, the enemy king, with his extensive battlefield experience, had the upper hand, especially with the Dracul Knights by his side. Together, they could capture Zeke Draker.
“The downfall of those with great power is always the same: arrogance.”
It was this very arrogance that he had exploited to defeat the Murk Empire 25 years ago.
He had calculated that the young knight, blessed with the immense power of a dragon, would recklessly charge in alone.
The enemy king mounted his trusted steed, a red stallion, and gripped his massive red axe.
The Dracul Knights spread out around the canyon, waiting for Zeke to arrive.
And just as the enemy king had predicted, Zeke Draker began to emerge from beyond the canyon.
“Huff, huff…”
Zeke Draker, covered in wounds, his face twisted in pain, approached with bloodshot eyes fixed on the enemy king.
With a fierce glare, he let out a roar of defiance.
“Youuuu!”
In an instant, the enemy king pulled back on his red stallion.
At that moment, Zeke, consumed by rage, raised his sword and charged toward the enemy king.
Then, the magic circle, pre-installed on the canyon floor, activated.
A low hum resonated as the dark sorcerers’ magic circle sprang to life, enveloping Zeke in black smoke.
“Argh!”
Zeke quickly tried to remove his gauntlet to unleash his pureblood Draker ability, magic reflection, but the smoke coiled around his hands, immobilizing him.
Seeing this, the enemy king signaled again.
The Dracul Knights, hidden throughout the canyon, revealed their secret weapon brought from Jupiter and aimed it at Zeke.
At the enemy king’s command, dozens of projectiles were launched at Zeke.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The deafening explosions and blasts engulfed Zeke, who was trapped within the magic circle.