Episode 656
“You want to make a pact with me?”
Zeke repeated the words of the twisted constellation’s remnant, his voice tinged with skepticism.
The remnant nodded, its presence a shadowy echo of something once grand.
“I’ve risked much to appear here, all for the sake of forming a contract with you.”
Zeke, still wary, pressed on. “What kind of contract are we talking about?”
The remnant smiled, a ghostly curve of its lips. “It’s not a deal that would disadvantage you, so rest easy.”
It took a step closer, its form flickering like a mirage. “In the past, we lent our power to ‘that being’ in hopes of gaining a name.”
Ancient entities, once part of the twisted constellation, had lent their strength to the sun god Apollyon. But Apollyon used that power to slay the primordial light that created him, ignoring their desires.
The remnant’s smile faded, replaced by a somber expression. “That was a mistake. We no longer wish for a name.”
Zeke studied the remnant, curiosity piqued. “If you don’t want a name, why not just let yourselves be forgotten?”
The remnant shook its head. “As long as ‘that being’ holds our power, even fading into obscurity is difficult. No matter how we hide, ‘that being’ seeks to summon us back.”
Understanding dawned on Zeke. “You want me to kill Apollyon so you can finally be forgotten.”
The remnant nodded. “Complete rest. That is our wish.”
These drifting entities, neither remembered nor forgotten, longed for peace. Zeke understood their plight; eternal life without purpose was a cruel bondage.
As Zeke pondered, the remnant spoke again. “So, will you make a pact with me?”
Zeke replied, “I understand what you want. But there’s something missing.”
He met the remnant’s gaze, his voice firm. “The price. If I grant you rest, what will you give me in return?”
Every contract required an exchange. The remnant nodded, as if expecting this. “Of course, without a price, there can be no contract. A fitting response from a demon lord.”
The remnant extended its hand, and a light shimmered above its palm, forming into something tangible.
Zeke looked at what the remnant offered. “A mirror shard?”
The remnant grinned. “Think of it as a seed.”
Zeke shook his head, unimpressed. “If you thought this would seal the deal, you underestimated me.”
The remnant seemed momentarily taken aback by Zeke’s resolute tone. “I knew you were thorough, but you’re even more so than I imagined.”
Zeke had a reputation for negotiating favorable terms, even with the demon lords. The remnant, seeing Zeke’s guarded expression, continued.
“This is a ‘Domain Seed.’”
Zeke’s curiosity was piqued. “A domain seed? Are you suggesting it can create a personal domain?”
The remnant explained, “The hidden world within the abyss is an illusion. But what if that illusion could become reality?”
Zeke’s expression shifted. “A space that turns illusion into reality… You mean a personal domain?”
Personal domains were unique spaces only divine beings could possess. Even the divine dragons and sacred beasts had their own domains, often referred to as divine lands.
However, the constellations’ domains were different. They couldn’t exist in the physical realm, so their domains were isolated spaces, inaccessible from the outside.
Zeke had encountered celestial constellations and ancient beings with such domains. Though their power was diminished in the physical realm due to karmic restrictions, the ability to manifest their power was formidable.
The only way to escape such an isolated domain was to create another domain to break free.
Zeke, possessing divine power, had inherited domains like the ‘Purgatory’ of the Arrogant Savior and the ‘Chamber of Time’ from the Last Sage. But these were not truly his own.
If the remnant’s words were true, the seed could allow Zeke to open his own domain.
Zeke examined the mirror shard, its light strange and otherworldly. “Is this how personal domains are usually created?”
The remnant chuckled. “Not at all. Personal domains are forged over countless eons by constellations with divine power.”
The remnant’s smile twisted wryly. “But the celestial constellations are forcibly expanding their domains by squeezing the karma of the physical realm, leaving them hollow. Creating a true domain is akin to creating a world. The domain seed aids in that process.”
Zeke recalled the celestial constellations’ domains—empty, desolate cities. He had thought their incompleteness was due to being summoned to the physical realm, but the remnant’s explanation suggested otherwise.
Zeke looked up from the mirror shard, meeting the remnant’s gaze. “I’ll accept your offer. But I have one more condition.”
The remnant crossed its arms, intrigued. “Alright, let’s hear it.”
Zeke opened his inventory, retrieving adamantium and a shard of god-slaying stone, presenting them to the remnant.
“The god-slaying stone, said to be the tears of the goddess Theia. If Theia, a chaos god, is part of the twisted constellation, you should be able to create this freely. Am I wrong?”
The remnant glanced at the god-slaying stone, then raised its free hand, conjuring something from the air.
A dark energy coalesced, forming a shard identical to the one Zeke held.
“Is this what you mean?”
Zeke nodded. “Yes, the power to slay gods. Give it to me.”
The power to kill gods was essential for confronting Arthur Draker, the sun god’s avatar who ruled the celestial constellations.
The remnant hesitated, floating in the air, legs crossed. “The power to slay gods…”
It looked at Zeke, speaking slowly. “Zeke Draker, we don’t possess the power to slay gods.”
With a gesture, the remnant sent the god-slaying stone floating into the air. It shattered, scattering black dust, within which tiny lights flickered.
Zeke sensed something from the faint lights. “What is that?”
The remnant nodded. “These are remnants of the ‘Primordial Light’ that was slain.”
The primordial light, killed by the sun god, lost its name and vanished. Its remnants drifted with forgotten gods beyond dimensions.
Zeke spoke, realization dawning. “You gathered the remnants of the ‘Primordial Light’ to create the god-slaying stone?”
The remnant nodded. “Through a pact with King Solomon, ancient beings used their power to forge the god-slaying stone.”
King Solomon, through a contract with the chaos god, became the first irregular, gaining the power to kill gods.
Zeke was taken aback by the revelation of the god-slaying stone’s origin.
The remnant addressed him again. “Zeke Draker, if you seek the power to oppose ‘that being,’ there is another way.”
It offered the mirror shard once more. “This domain seed is connected to the ‘Temple of the Twisted Constellation.’”
“The Temple of the Twisted Constellation?”
“Well, if anyone can uncover the hidden temple of the ancient beings here, it’s you. If you manage to get your hands on it, you’ll gain power beyond that of a god-slayer.”
Zeke recalled a scenario from the final chapter where he had to find the temple of the Twisted Constellation.
“The power hidden by the ancients,” he mused.
Watching Zeke lost in thought, the remnant of the Twisted Constellation spoke up. “What will you do?”
After a moment of deliberation, Zeke reached out towards the remnant, grasping a shard of a mirror that pulsed with an alien energy.
“I’ll give it a shot. But if what you said turns out to be a lie, the deal’s off.”
“Thorough to the end, I see. Very well, let’s proceed.”
With a snap of his fingers, a resonant hum emanated from the mirror shard in Zeke’s hand.
Simultaneously, a brilliant light burst forth from it.
As Zeke watched the strange light envelop him, a familiar sensation washed over him.
“This feeling…?”
He suddenly remembered where he had felt it before—during the moment he had traveled back in time through the legacy of the Elder Dragon. It was the same energy that had surged when the irreversible, promised power had been unleashed.
The hum intensified.
As Zeke lifted his gaze to the remnant of the Twisted Constellation, his vision was consumed by a blinding white light, filling the entire world around him.
In this realm of pure light, Zeke found it impossible to open his eyes fully. With no solid ground beneath him, he floated aimlessly in a void where nothing existed.
Even in this emptiness, Zeke struggled to maintain his balance.
Then, he felt a force pulling him somewhere.
Instinctively, he turned towards it.
Moments later, he sensed himself moving through a narrow, elongated passage.
When he finally emerged from the passage, Zeke opened his eyes.
The sight before him made him widen them in disbelief.
“Where… am I?”
He found himself standing atop the walls of Himonas, in the northern continent.