Episode 628
Zeke stared at Siemens Apollyon, disbelief etched across his face.
“Traveling back in time?”
Zeke was the only one known to have returned to the past using the “Irreversible Promised Power,” a gift from the Elder Dragon and the Great Sage. Yet here was Siemens Apollyon, speaking to him from across the timeline, making it hard to dismiss the possibility entirely.
“Did Siemens Apollyon also return like I did?”
Zeke had changed much through his journey back, becoming the savior of the world. But Siemens Apollyon had taken a darker path, allowing the Demon King to possess him and betraying those who trusted him.
For Zeke, who had fought so hard to alter the past, the idea of Siemens Apollyon returning only to commit such atrocities was incomprehensible.
Sensing Zeke’s thoughts, Siemens Apollyon spoke again.
“Zeke Draker, though we both traversed time, our circumstances differ.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The concept of time is incredibly complex. Even as a sage, I couldn’t unravel all its secrets. The ‘me’ from the original timeline glimpsed some of these mysteries after much effort, but my control over them was limited.”
Zeke struggled to grasp what Siemens Apollyon meant by “the original timeline’s ‘me.’”
After a moment’s thought, Zeke asked, “Siemens Apollyon, are you the same one I know?”
The response was cryptic.
“That’s a fundamental question. Yes and no.”
Zeke frowned at the typical sage-like ambiguity.
“What do you mean by ‘yes and no’?”
Siemens Apollyon explained slowly.
“It’s not easy to explain. Zeke Draker, I am from a different timeline than the treacherous Siemens Apollyon you know. Or rather, I am who he was before he became that traitor.”
The answer was even more puzzling.
But Zeke, with his experience of crossing timelines through the power of Chronos, began to piece together an understanding.
“Another Siemens Apollyon, not the traitor I know. Could it be that there are multiple timelines?”
Siemens Apollyon’s voice resonated again.
“Indeed, Zeke Draker. To be precise, I am from a timeline that existed before yours.”
He paused before continuing.
“In my original timeline, Chronos was not destroyed. I passed the throne to the Sword Saint, Shaton Draker, and aspired to become a sage, following the Great Sage’s legacy.”
Zeke was stunned by Siemens Apollyon’s revelation.
A timeline that no longer existed, a world without the second Demon King’s descent.
“Does that mean the second Demon King never descended in your timeline?”
Siemens Apollyon confirmed.
“Correct. I was the guardian of the sealed Demon King’s soul, ensuring he never resurrected.”
A world without the second or third Demon King’s resurrection, without the Liberation War, the evil dragon Bahamut, or the dragonslayer Terracan Draker.
“Such a timeline existed…”
Yet something about Siemens Apollyon’s story felt off to Zeke.
“If the Demon King never resurrected, why did you travel back in time?”
Siemens Apollyon fell silent, as if in pain, before speaking again.
“My original timeline was utterly destroyed.”
Zeke was taken aback.
“Destroyed? What do you mean?”
“Exactly as it sounds. My world met its end, leaving nothing behind. It was the coming of ‘Ragnarok,’ the end of all things.”
“Ragnarok, the end of the world?”
Zeke pondered the term “Ragnarok,” a word he had never encountered, even with his access to the Akashic Code.
Suddenly, a message appeared before him.
[“The Last Sage” has shared memories of the vanished timeline with you.]
[Fragments of the lost timeline are connecting with the Akashic Code.]
[A large amount of karma data is being updated.]
[You have acquired information about “the end of the world.”]
[System restrictions related to this information are being lifted.]
[Restrictions related to
[Final scenario mode is unlocked.]
[Final Scenario—The End—has opened.]
—Final Scenario (Ragnarok)—
[Prevent Ragnarok, the end of the world, and save the realm.]
[Final Scenario Reward: Master Code of the Realm]
Zeke’s expression hardened as he read the message.
“Final Scenario, Ragnarok.”
A scenario about the end of the world had emerged.
Zeke recalled what Harvey Draker had often mentioned about “the stage of the end.”
“Did Harvey Draker know about this Ragnarok, the end of the world?”
Siemens Apollyon’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Zeke Draker, I couldn’t prevent the end in my timeline.”
Zeke questioned him.
“If the Demon King didn’t resurrect, who brought about the end?”
The only being with the intent to destroy the realm was the Demon King. Other celestial beings merely used the realm to harvest karma, repeating cycles of creation and destruction.
Siemens Apollyon answered.
“On the contrary, it was because the Demon King didn’t resurrect that my timeline met its end.”
Zeke’s eyes widened.
“The end happened because the Demon King didn’t resurrect?”
The Demon King, thought to bring about the end, was actually the key to preventing it. Zeke struggled to comprehend.
“In the end, I chose the last resort.”
“You used the Elder Dragon’s irreversible promised power to travel back in time?”
Siemens Apollyon corrected him.
“It wasn’t the Elder Dragon’s power. It was the ultimate magic of the Ten-Class that I created as the Last Sage.”
“You created the irreversible promised power?”
“Yes. I used it to return to the timeline before the end, to the past of Chronos.”
Siemens Apollyon paused, organizing his thoughts before continuing.
“But there was a problem. The magic I created wasn’t complete, so my mind couldn’t fully transfer to my past self.”
Zeke realized the principle behind the return.
“Does that mean only the mind travels back, leaving the future body behind?”
Siemens Apollyon continued his explanation.
“The past self, with an incomplete transfer, was left with only the fear of the world’s end, without the causal understanding.”
Zeke had an epiphany.
“Could it be that Siemens Apollyon allowed the Demon King to possess him because…?”
“Yes, realizing the Demon King’s power was the only key to stopping the end. But without proper memory and mind, my past self tried to absorb the Demon King’s power and was instead consumed by it.”
Zeke listened, a heavy silence following.
“To prevent the end, you traveled back in time, but the incomplete return led to failure…”
It was a hard-to-believe story, yet parts of it made sense.
Zeke realized that this was the message Chronos had left for him, the one he hadn’t fully understood.
“Did Chronos know about this?”
Siemens Apollyon confirmed.
“Yes, the Time’s Chosen noticed my corrupted state due to the incomplete return.”
In the final war, Siemens Apollyon managed to convey the full story to Chronos.
Chronos informed the Great Sage of Siemens Apollyon’s condition, leading to a change in plans. The Great Sage sacrificed his soul to seal the Demon King’s soul back into the Book of the Dead.
“The Great Sage, my master, separated the Demon King’s soul from my corrupted soul and sealed it. He sacrificed his soul to hold the Demon King’s soul, allowing my corrupted soul to be sealed in this infinite library.”
He continued calmly.
“Afterward, Chronos, using the transferred memories, perfected the ‘Irreversible Promised Power’ with the Elder Dragon and placed it in an artifact using the power of the Three Divine Instruments. That eventually reached you.”
Zeke never imagined such a hidden story behind Siemens Apollyon.
“In the end, you traveled back in time to resurrect the Demon King to prevent the world’s end.”
“That’s the conclusion. But Zeke Draker, there’s something you must know. It’s…”
At that moment, a resonant sound filled the space where time had been halted.
Siemens Apollyon’s voice grew urgent.
“The limit of karma has been reached. Zeke Draker, listen carefully.”
He delivered his final message to Zeke.
[The end of the world is brought about by ■■■. … It must be stopped… the soul of the Dark Lord… the key… Arthur Draker… the twisted causality of…]
Siemens Apollyon’s words, which had been flowing smoothly, suddenly became fragmented, with certain words barely audible.
Most importantly, the name of the one who would bring about the end, as mentioned by Siemens Apollyon, was completely unintelligible.
It was as if this world had not yet granted permission to recognize that name.
A high-pitched whine echoed—
The resonance began again, and the space where time had been halted started to shrink.
Siemens Apollyon spoke to Zeke one last time.
[Please… you must… the future…]
With a deep hum, Zeke felt the purified soul and power of Siemens Apollyon fully transfer into him.
A message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[Due to the unique authority of ’???’, you have completely absorbed the power of
[In accordance with the will of
[You have acquired the unique authority ‘Madness’ of
[You have acquired the unique domain ‘Chamber of Time’ of
[You have fully inherited the power of
[By absorbing the soul of
Zeke felt the surge of power from fully absorbing Siemens Apollyon’s essence, realizing his soul had ascended to a higher level.
‘So, I’ve absorbed the power of the Sage and part of the Dark Lord’s power.’
The absorption of the Dark Lord’s power seemed to have replenished more karma points than he had spent on purification.
Zeke sensed his own rank had grown even more than when he had absorbed the soul of the arrogant savior.
With that, Siemens Apollyon’s voice was completely severed, and the space where time had been frozen vanished entirely.
At the same moment, Harvey Draker, who had been frozen in time, let out a monstrous scream and charged at Zeke.