Episode 661
Hearing the words of the Last Sage, Zeke couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“Become the Demon King and destroy the world?”
Though it was supposedly a way to stop the Sun God Apollyon’s cycle of destruction and creation, it was far from the path Zeke desired.
“I didn’t come all this way to destroy the material world.”
The Last Sage nodded, as if understanding Zeke’s reaction.
“It’s understandable to be shocked. But to liberate the material world, some sacrifices are inevitable.”
Zeke frowned at the Sage’s words and stepped forward.
“Inevitable sacrifices, you say?”
He directed a sharp, threatening aura at the Sage.
“In my past life, I was one of those so-called inevitable sacrifices. Do you really think true liberation can be achieved on the backs of such sacrifices?”
Rumble!
The power emanating from Zeke, who had regained his divine status, shook the entire realm.
The surrounding space, which had been showing glimpses of other timelines destroyed and restored by Ragnarok, vanished.
Zeke and the Last Sage found themselves back in the twisted temple of the constellations.
The Last Sage, observing Zeke’s intense reaction, spoke heavily.
“Do you believe it’s possible to save the material world without any sacrifice?”
“You keep testing me,” Zeke retorted, glaring at the Sage.
“I know achieving something without any sacrifice is nearly impossible. But assuming sacrifices are necessary for every goal is a different matter entirely.”
Ssshhh—
Suddenly, Zeke held the Levatein in his hand.
Pointing the sword at the Sage, he declared, “I will absorb the Demon King’s soul as you suggested. But I have no intention of becoming the Demon King, nor do I plan to destroy the material world.”
The Last Sage furrowed his brow but slowly nodded.
“I see. That’s a perspective I hadn’t considered.”
He paused, lost in thought, before addressing Zeke again.
“Zeke Draker, as I mentioned earlier, I cannot predict the future you will create. No constellation can.”
With that, the Sage struck the ground with his staff.
Boom!
From the point of impact, concentric circles spread out, reaching Zeke.
Zeke, wary of the Sage’s sudden action, stepped back.
The Sage smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I’m merely conveying your will to the ancient beings.”
As he finished speaking, a massive white tree behind them began to vibrate.
Wooooom!
The tree, which had been petrified, emitted a strange resonance, and soon, its will was transmitted into Zeke’s mind.
【Unpredictable】
【Child of strange fate】
【Therefore】
【Holding potential】
【To lead to realms】
【Beyond the stage】
【Into the realm of the unfathomable】
A voice, sounding both childlike and ancient, male and female, echoed chaotically in Zeke’s mind.
‘So these are the ancient beings.’
Though they had no form or shape, Zeke could sense the magnitude of their presence through the will conveyed to him.
Even the mighty demon lords of the underworld couldn’t compare to their stature.
The Last Sage, watching Zeke, spoke again.
“It seems the ancient beings have acknowledged your will.”
He lifted his staff from the ground and continued.
“We are forgotten entities. We can’t offer you a grand gift for your journey.”
The Sage’s staff began to float and transform into something else.
The transformation revealed shards of a mirror.
With a gesture, the Sage sent the shards slowly toward Zeke.
As the shards reached him, Zeke asked, “What is this?”
The Sage replied slowly, “Do you understand if I say it’s a shard of the mirror that held the soul of the primordial light?”
Zeke’s eyes widened at the Sage’s answer.
When Arthur Draker tried to send him to another dimension, and when the traces of the twisted constellations brought him here, both times they used this mirror shard.
‘So they used the power left by the primordial light in the mirror.’
As Zeke gazed at the shimmering mirror shard, the Sage continued.
“It’s the largest piece of the mirror the twisted constellations possessed. It contains a fragment of the primordial light’s soul.”
Wooooom!
The radiant light within the mirror seemed to react to Zeke.
The Sage observed this and said, “I can’t predict what effect the soul of the primordial light will have on you. You’re unpredictable, and so is the primordial light. Only you will know what happens when you meet that soul.”
Listening to the Sage, Zeke slowly reached out for the glowing mirror shard.
Wooooom!
As his hand neared, the shard vibrated intensely.
The Sage, with a faint smile, said, “Zeke Draker, may your unwavering will shatter the wheel of fate.”
At that moment, Zeke grasped the mirror shard, and a brilliant light burst forth.
Wooooom!
The light, akin to the dawn of the world, flowed from the shard into Zeke’s body.
Moments later, Zeke found himself in a primordial space filled with light.
Enveloped in the light, he felt a sense of comfort he had never experienced before.
‘It’s peaceful.’
His life had been a series of vengeance, battles, and bloodshed.
Yet, immersed in this light, all of that seemed meaningless.
It felt as if he could forget everything and find solace and peace for his soul here.
But the comfort was fleeting.
[The power of Immutable is activating.]
Ssshhh—
Wrapped in light, Zeke soon returned to his original form.
The power of Immutable, which allowed Zeke to exist as himself, had activated.
The self he defined was not one to settle for comfort and peace.
Maintaining his presence in the light-filled realm, Zeke walked forward.
There, he encountered the being that had created this multicolored world.
Though it was a faint shape, Zeke immediately recognized it.
‘The Primordial Light.’
Even with only a fragment of its soul remaining, the Primordial Light possessed a presence stronger than any constellation.
The remnant of the Primordial Light reached out to Zeke.
As if looking into a mirror, Zeke extended his hand as well.
Their palms met.
The fragment of the Primordial Light’s soul was drawn into Zeke’s body.
Wooooom!
Simultaneously, the multicolored lights surrounding Zeke were absorbed into him.
Zeke felt all of it being completely drawn into his soul.
And soon, a message appeared before his eyes.
[You have absorbed a fragment of the Primordial Light’s soul.]
[You have absorbed the light of the beginning, present since the world’s birth.]
[Your constitution changes to Infinite Body due to the influence of the absorbed light.]
[All constitutions are unified into the Infinite Body.]
[Your soul’s rank rises as you absorb a fragment of the Primordial Light’s soul.]
[Your rank changes from Legendary Class
[As a reward for discovering the twisted constellations’ temple, a random power is granted.]
[The power of Fortune activates.]
[The randomly granted power reacts with the soul of the
[Your owned powers, Unique Barrier and Reversal, and the unique domain Time Chamber react.]
[The owned powers and unique domain combine with the randomly granted power to create a new power.]
[You acquire the unique power ‘Infinite Regression’ of the Transcendent class.]
[The ability of the unique power ‘Infinite Regression’ is partially restricted.]
Zeke was astonished by the information about the newly acquired unique power.
―Unique Power Information―
Infinite Regression: Within the user’s unique domain, it is possible to regress to a certain point upon death. (Due to restrictions, the regression point cannot be specified)
A power that allows one to transcend death and regress to a certain point.
Zeke recalled the endless regressions he had experienced in the depths of the past.
‘If I could wield that power freely…’
It could become the most formidable weapon against the celestial constellations.
As he pondered this, all the light was absorbed into Zeke’s soul, and he found himself in complete darkness.
Simultaneously, he felt his body being pulled somewhere.
Wooooom!
Momentarily disoriented, he soon realized he was crossing the boundary of dimensions, returning to where he belonged.
Rumble!
Enduring the vibrations coursing through his body, Zeke traversed the long tunnel and saw the flicker of bright light once more.
Blinking against the dazzling light, he opened his eyes to a completely different scene.
‘Where is this?’
Having crossed the boundary of the outer dimension, Zeke found himself in none other than the Southern Isles.
In the beginning, it was nothing more than a barren wasteland. But thanks to Zeke’s astronomical investment, a thriving city now stood in its place.
At the heart of the southern archipelago, a planned city had sprung up around the academy where Arina served as headmistress. Surrounding islands housed the dwarves’ forges and factories producing pharmaceuticals.
As Zeke gazed at the dazzlingly developed southern islands, something caught his eye.
A cacophony of screeches filled the air as winged beasts swarmed toward the city, darkening the sky.
In response, the city’s walls bristled with activity. Magic cannons fired at the oncoming horde, and sorcerers unleashed powerful spells to fortify the defenses.
Highlanders stationed on the walls swung their swords at the flying beasts, determined to keep them from breaching the city.
Suddenly, not only the sky but the sea erupted with monstrous forms, as massive creatures surged from the depths, sending up plumes of water.
Under the command of Peter Pan, the merfolk’s warships launched enchanted harpoons at the sea beasts. Simultaneously, Peter Pan, a descendant of the deep-sea tribe, wielded ancient spirit magic to fend off the underwater attackers, maintaining the defensive line.
A thunderous crash echoed as a bolt of lightning, seemingly summoned by Arina, struck both sky and sea.
Though many beasts fell under the onslaught of magic, the resilient creatures from beyond were not easily diminished.
The city, designed to withstand external threats, held its ground, but the sheer number of beasts—thousands strong—was overwhelming.
Seeing this, Zeke furrowed his brow and prepared to fly swiftly to the city’s aid.
But then, a voice called out from behind him.
“Zeke Draker.”
Startled, he turned to see an unexpected figure.
It was Anastasia, the youngest of the three demon princesses.
Yet Zeke quickly realized that the presence before him was not truly Anastasia.
“Mepistopheles.”
The great demon lord, Mepistopheles, had descended into the mortal realm, possessing Anastasia’s form.
Having bypassed the constraints of karma, Mepistopheles looked at Zeke and spoke.
“The time has come.”
A chilling smile spread across his face as he continued.
“The resurrection of the Demon King is near.”