661
Chapter 661
Zeke could not help but be surprised by what the Final Sage said.
'Become a Demon king and destroy the world?'
Although it was meant to stop the atrocities of Apollion, the Sun God who repeated destruction and creation, this was never the direction Zeke wanted.
"I did not come here to destroy the physical world."
The Final Sage nodded at Zeke's reaction as if understanding.
"It's understandable to be bewildered. But sacrifices are inevitable to liberate the physical world."
Zeke frowned and stepped forward while speaking.
"Did you say inevitable sacrifices?"
He emitted sharp killing intent toward the Final Sage.
"In my past life, I was one of those inevitable sacrifices. Do you think true liberation can be achieved through salvation built upon sacrifice?"
KUGUUGUGUGU!
The energy bursting from Zeke's body, having regained his divinity, shook the entire realm.
The surrounding space rippled and the visions showing other timelines where the physical world was destroyed by Ragnarok and restored disappeared.
Zeke and the Final Sage had returned to the Temple of the Distorted Constellation.
The Final Sage spoke heavily while watching Zeke react more intensely than expected.
"Do you think it's possible to save the physical world without any sacrifice?"
"You keep trying to test me."
Zeke glared at the Final Sage and continued speaking.
"I know it's nearly impossible to achieve anything without any sacrifice. But assuming unconditional sacrifice for a goal is an entirely different matter."
TSUTSUTSU!
Leviathan was now in Zeke's hand.
He pointed the sword at the Final Sage and said.
"As you said, I will absorb the Demon King’s soul. But I have no intention of becoming the Demon King. Much less destroying the physical world."
At Zeke's words, the Final Sage furrowed his brow and slowly nodded.
"I see. That's a direction I had never considered."
He said this and thought alone before seeming to understand something and spoke again while looking at Zeke.
"Zeke Draker, as I said before, I cannot predict your future or the future you will create. That's impossible for any constellation."
After finishing his words, the Final Sage stared at him quietly and struck down his staff.
KUUNG!
Concentric circles formed from where he struck and spread toward Zeke.
Zeke stepped back warily at the Sage's sudden action.
Then the Final Sage smiled and said.
"No need to worry. I'm merely conveying your will to the Old Beings."
When he finished speaking, vibrations occurred in the giant white tree behind.
WOOWOOWOONG!
Strange resonance arose from the tree that had been petrified like a fossil, and soon the tree's will was transmitted into Zeke's mind.
【Unpredictable】
【Child of strange fate】
【Therefore】
【Holds possibility】
【Where none have gone】
【The realm beyond the stage】
【To that incomprehensible realm】
【Can lead】
Strange voices that seemed childlike, elderly, feminine, and youthful all at once echoed chaotically in Zeke's mind.
'Are these the Old Beings?'
Though they had neither form nor shape, Zeke could somewhat sense through the will transmitted to his mind what caliber the Old Beings had possessed.
Even the Great Demon Lords who were powerful constellations couldn't match a fraction of their caliber.
The Final Sage who had been staring at his staff in that state looked at Zeke and spoke.
"It seems the Old Beings have acknowledged your will as well."
He lifted his staff from the ground and continued.
"We are already forgotten beings. It's difficult to give you a grand gift that would aid your journey."
As the Final Sage finished speaking, the staff he was holding slowly floated up.
Simultaneously, the staff rippled and began transforming into something.
What the staff transformed into was none other than a mirror shard.
At the Final Sage's gesture, the mirror shard slowly moved toward where Zeke was.
Soon the mirror shard reached before Zeke's eyes.
Zeke spoke toward the Final Sage.
"What exactly is this?"
The Final Sage slowly opened his mouth at Zeke's question.
"Would you understand if I said it's a mirror shard that contained the soul of primordial light?"
Zeke's pupils widened at the Sage's answer.
When Harvey Draker tried to send him to another dimension, and when the traces of the Distorted Constellation sent him here. Both times they had used this mirror shard.
'The power left by the primordial light contained in the mirror. They used that?'
As Zeke quietly gazed at the brilliantly glowing mirror shard, the Final Sage continued speaking.
"This is the largest piece among the mirror shards possessed by the Distorted Constellation. Part of the primordial light's soul is contained within it."
WOOOWOONG!
The ethereal light contained in the mirror rippled as if responding to Zeke.
The Final Sage said while watching this:
"I don't know what effect the soul left by the primordial light will have on you. You are unpredictable, as is the primordial light. Only you, the one involved, will know what happens when you meet that soul."
Zeke slowly reached out his hand toward the brilliantly glowing mirror shard after hearing the Final Sage's words.
WOONWOONWOONWOON!
The mirror shard vibrated intensely as Zeke's hand drew closer.
Seeing this, the Final Sage spoke with a faint smile.
"Zeke Draker, I pray your firm will shatters the wheel of fate."
At the same time, Zeke grasped the mirror shard, and at that moment, an immense light spread out.
WOOWOOWOONG!
Light like that which appeared when the world first began flowed from the mirror shard and seeped into Zeke's body.
A moment later, Zeke was in a primordial space filled with light in all directions.
Enveloped in light, Zeke fully experienced the sensation of comfort for the first time in his life.
'Peaceful.'
His life had been nothing but revenge, struggle, and bloody battles.
Yet being immersed in this light made all of that feel meaningless.
It felt as though just being here would let him forget everything and find peace and rest for his soul.
But that comfort lasted only briefly.
[Authority Immutable activates.]
TSUTSUTSU!
Zeke, who had been wrapped in light, soon returned to his original form.
Authority Immutable, which allowed Zeke to exist as himself, had activated.
The self he had defined was not a being that would settle for comfort and peace.
Zeke walked to one side while maintaining his domain within the light-enveloped realm.
And there he encountered the being that created this world of prismatic light.
Though only a faint form, Zeke immediately recognized who this being was.
'The primordial light.'
Even with only part of its soul remaining, the primordial light possessed a stronger presence than any constellation.
The trace left by the primordial light reached out toward Zeke.
As if looking at himself in a mirror, Zeke also reached out.
Their palms met.
The soul fragment left by the primordial light was drawn into Zeke's body.
WOOWOOWOONG!
Simultaneously, the prismatic lights spread around Zeke's body were absorbed into him.
Zeke felt all of this being completely drawn into his soul.
And a moment later, messages appeared before his eyes.
[Absorbed part of the primordial light's soul fragment.]
[Absorbed the light of beginning that accompanied the world's birth.]
[Due to the absorbed light of beginning's influence, constitution changes to Infinite Body.]
[All constitutions integrated into Infinite Body constitution.]
[Soul's caliber increases from absorbing part of the primordial light's soul fragment.]
[Due to caliber increase, changes from Legendary class Immortal to Mythical grade class ‘Transcendent’.]
[Authority randomly granted as reward for discovering Temple of Distorted Constellation.]
[Authority Luck activates.]
[Randomly granted authority reacts with Transcendent class soul.]
[User's owned Authority Unique Barrier and Authority Return, unique domain Time Room react.]
[Owned authorities and unique domain combine with randomly granted authority to create new authority.]
[Acquire Transcendent class unique authority 'Infinite Regression'.]
[Unique authority 'Infinite Regression' abilities partially restricted.]
Zeke could not help but be surprised at seeing the information about the newly acquired unique authority.
―Unique Authority Information―
Infinite Regression: Within user's unique domain, return to a certain point in time upon death is possible. (Due to ability restriction, cannot designate return point)
An authority that can transcend death and return to a certain point.
Zeke recalled endlessly regressing in the abyss of the past.
'What if I could freely control that power?'
This could become the most powerful weapon when facing the celestial constellations.
As he was thinking this, all light was drawn into Zeke's soul and he was placed in the middle of complete darkness.
At the same time, he felt his body being pulled somewhere.
WOOWOOWOONG!
Though momentarily confused, he soon felt himself crossing dimensional boundaries and returning to where he was meant to be.
KUGUUGUGUGU!
Enduring the vibrations felt throughout his body, Zeke passed through a long tunnel and saw bright light rippling again.
After closing and opening his eyes at the blinding light, a completely different scene was spread before him.
'Where is this?'
The place where Zeke arrived after crossing the external dimensional boundary was none other than the Southern Islands.
While initially barely more than abandoned land, it now had a proper city built thanks to Zeke's astronomical financial investment.
At the center of the Southern Islands, comprised of multiple islands, was a planned city centered around the academy where Arina served as principal. The surrounding islands housed dwarven forges and pharmaceutical factories.
As Zeke gazed at the brilliantly developed Southern Islands, he soon discovered something.
KAAAAK!
Winged demon beasts were swarming in massive numbers toward the city of the Southern Islands.
In response, magic shells were being fired from the city walls, while mages activated large-scale magic for defense.
Additionally, Highlanders staying in the Southern Islands were swinging their swords at the approaching demon beasts from atop the walls, preventing them from entering the city.
Then, not just from the sky but from the sea as well, giant demon beasts emerged creating water sprays.
Peter Pan's Fishermen fleet began throwing enchanted harpoons at the demon beasts.
Simultaneously, Peter Pan, descendant of the deep sea folk, maintained the defensive line by attacking the approaching demon beasts from underwater using ancient spirit arts.
KWARURURUNG!
And then, heavenly thunder, seemingly used by Principal Arina, struck down toward both sky and sea.
Though demon beasts swept up by the magic fell in droves, the numbers of the tenacious foreign species demon beasts did not easily diminish.
While the Southern Islands city was built to defend against external enemies and continued holding out, it was insufficient to block thousands of demon beasts.
Seeing this, Zeke furrowed his brow and quickly tried to fly toward the Southern Islands city.
But then.
"Zeke Draker."
Suddenly, a voice calling Zeke was heard from behind.
When he turned around startled, an unexpected figure stood there.
It was Anastasia, youngest of the three demon realm princesses.
But Zeke noticed that the being before him was not Anastasia.
"Mephistopheles."
Mephistopheles, a Great Lord of the demon realm and Devil General, had descended to the physical world by borrowing the body of his avatar Anastasia.
Mephistopheles, who had descended into Anastasia breaking through karma's sanctions, spoke while looking at Zeke.
"The time has come now."
He continued speaking with a chilling smile.
"The Demon King’s revival is not far off."