Zeke couldnʼt hide his bewilderment at the unexpected proposal from Mephistopheles.
Seeing him like that, Mephistopheles explained calmly.
"I didnʼt realize you had already attained divinity like this. There are limits to the information I can gather from my position looking down on the Phenomenal World. In any case, since youʼve already transcended mortality and begun to acquire divinity, youʼre more than qualified to bear the name of a Constellation." Zeke collected his thoughts at Mephistophelesʼs words.
'He was one of the six lords of the Demon Realm. Even though he had only manifested a portion of his soul at that moment, in terms of rank, he stood at the pinnacle among all Constellations. He couldnʼt let himself be swayed by the demonʼs words.ʼ
He had personally witnessed how Constellations had ravaged the Phenomenal World in the past and how many civilizations had been destroyed as a result.
That was why his first thought was that it was dangerous to fully trust Mephistophelesʼs words.
Mephistopheles gave a wry smile as he looked at Zeke.
"Itʼs only natural that youʼd be wary of my proposal first. I understand completely." For a demon, Mephistopheles showed an unusual amount of empathy.
As he clapped his hands, the screen split into four sections again, displaying the four domains of the Demon Realm.
"There are currently two lords in the Abyss, one in Abaddon, one in Gehenna, and one in the Pandemonium that I rule. That makes five in total. But itʼs known that there are six rulers of the Demon Realm."
He looked at Zeke and asked.
"Where do you think the remaining one is?" Zeke had wondered about this himself.
It was said there were six archdemons ruling the Demon Realm, yet only five domains were governed by lords.
"A lord of the Demon Realm without a domain to rule. Is this connected to the proposal you made to me?"
Mephistopheles smiled as if pleased.
"I like how well we communicate. Among the demons, there are so many simple-minded ones that I often have to exercise great patience to explain things one by one." Mephistopheles switched the screen back to Pandemonium.
"The truth is, the last lord of the Demon Realm, who no longer exists, once ruled
Pandemonium alongside me. Since Pandemonium is the largest domain across all of the
Demon Realm, it could easily accommodate two lords."
Zeke opened his mouth after hearing Mephistophelesʼs words.
"Did a conflict arise in the middle?" Mephistophelesʼs eyes flickered slightly.
He nodded with a bitter smile.
"You could say that. The other lord who ruled Pandemonium with me, the 'Arrogant Savior,ʼ is currently sealed away."
Zeke repeated the Constellation title Mephistopheles had mentioned.
'Arrogant Savior.ʼ
Mephistopheles gazed into the distance, as if recalling the past, and spoke.
"The truth is, it was the Arrogant Savior, not me, who first designed the current form of Pandemonium."
"So the Arrogant Savior wanted to create a new civilization in the Demon Realm."
"As his title suggests, he wanted to save us—the fallen Constellations—and our followers in the Demon Realm."
Mephistopheles shook his head and continued.
"But he was as arrogant as he was driven by a desire for salvation. His enthusiasm and unshakeable confidence in himself led him to push forward with his plans without regard for the Constellations or the state of the demons."
From Mephistophelesʼs words, Zeke could easily guess what had happened. "The other Constellations must have joined forces to attack the Arrogant Savior." Mephistopheles shook his head at that.
"It wasnʼt the other Constellations—it was 'Iʼ who sealed him."
As he said this, Mephistopheles wore an expression of reminiscence uncharacteristic of an archdemon.
"If he had continued to force his will through, not only Pandemonium but the entire
Demon Realm could have collapsed. Thatʼs why I had to make a decision." Zeke interpreted Mephistophelesʼs words in another way.
It was possible that a fierce power struggle had erupted between him and the Arrogant Savior over control of Pandemonium.
'Since he was an archdemon, he couldnʼt believe everything the demon said, but it seemed certain that one of the six archdemons was sealed.ʼ Zeke pondered how he could use this newly learned fact.
At that moment, Mephistopheles spoke to Zeke.
"The Arrogant Savior is sealed, but his position as lord remains vacant. His subordinates have been torn apart into factions, their powers sealed, and scattered to other camps. Arataso, the one you have with you—thatʼs one such case."
Zeke was startled to hear Aratasoʼs name come from Mephistophelesʼs mouth.
'Arataso was originally part of the Arrogant Saviorʼs faction?ʼ
Crackle-crackle—
But then, suddenly, sparks began to fly from Anastasiaʼs body, where Mephistopheles had descended.
It seemed Karmaʼs sanctions had pierced even into Mephistophelesʼs unique domain.
Mephistopheles frowned and continued.
"...It seems we have less time than I thought. Zeke Draker, to get to the point: I propose that you absorb the sealed soul of the Arrogant Savior, attain the rank of a Constellation, and become the sixth lord of the Demon Realm." The sixth lord of the Demon Realm.
It was an opportunity to become a Constellation that ruled over other Constellations, not an ordinary one.
Crackle-crackle!
Anastasiaʼs entire body was now engulfed in sparks from the backlash of causality.
Zeke looked at Mephistopheles and said,
"What is your reason for wanting me to become the sixth lord of the Demon Realm?"
"Itʼs to protect the Pandemonium Iʼve built over so long. The other lords, excluding me, plan to resurrect the Demon King, destroy the Phenomenal World, and summon the
Demon Realm to the surface."
Zeke broke out in a cold sweat without realizing it at Mephistophelesʼs words.
'Summon the entire Demon Realm to the Phenomenal World?ʼ
Anastasiaʼs invasion fortress had been summoned atop an ancient castle to reduce Karmaʼs sanctions.
If they expanded the range in a similar way, summoning domains of the Demon Realm to the surface wouldnʼt be impossible.
The burning lands of Gehenna, the abyssal darkness of Abaddon, the endless strife of the Abyss, and the city of demons, Pandemonium.
The surface would inevitably become a world for demons.
Zeke hadnʼt imagined that the archdemonsʼ ultimate goal was to summon the entire Demon Realm to the surface, so he furrowed his brow deeply.
'Damn demons...ʼ
If he couldnʼt stop the Demon Kingʼs descent, the Phenomenal World would truly become a living hell.
As Zeke quickly sorted through the situation, a sudden question came to mind, and he looked at Mephistopheles.
"Unlike the other archdemons, I donʼt understand why you, as the Demon Archlord, oppose summoning the Demon Realm to the Phenomenal World. Wouldnʼt moving Pandemonium to the surface be better for your followers?"
At Zekeʼs words, Mephistopheles remained composed even amid the backlash of causality and continued.
"Tch, if the worldʼs affairs were that simple, it would be nice. But the problem is that ascending to the surface isnʼt necessarily all good for us." He pointed upward with his finger.
"If we erode the Phenomenal World, those up there will be able to intervene as well." Zeke asked in surprise at Mephistophelesʼs words.
"Those up there... you mean the Constellations of the Celestial Realm?"
Crackle-crackle-crackle—
As soon as the words "Celestial Realm Constellations" were spoken, the backlash of causality affected not just Mephistopheles but Zeke as well.
Karmaʼs sanctions did not permit mention of it.
Mephistopheles looked at Zeke, who flinched at the sudden surge of electricity, and said,
"If those damned ones come down too, the Phenomenal World might truly perish this time. Then there would be no winners or losers left. The others donʼt care about that right now—theyʼre just coveting the Phenomenal World—but I donʼt want that." He extended both hands, enduring the backlash of causality, and created something.
Whoooong!
A sphere of radiant light coalesced.
"Itʼs difficult to settle everything in the current situation. We donʼt have time, so take this first."
The orb of light Mephistopheles created flew toward Zeke.
As Zeke watched it approach, he realized what the orb of light was.
'Karma data?ʼ
He could sense that compressed Karma data was contained within the orb of light.
Crackle-crackle—
Mephistopheles said to Zeke,
"You know what it is. Everything I want to say is in there. See it for yourself and decide." As soon as he finished speaking, light burst from Anastasiaʼs body.
Rumble-rumble—
Along with a massive burst of light, the divine unique domain gradually dissipated.
Zeke, who had been inside that domain, felt time, which had been frozen, begin to flow again.
If left as is, Mephistophelesʼs domain would completely vanish, and this Karma data would be swept away by the backlash of causality and erased.
'Damn...ʼ
It was hard to trust an archdemonʼs words completely, but he couldnʼt simply ignore it either.
Zeke gritted his teeth and grasped the orb of light Mephistopheles had passed to him.
Sizzle-sizzle—
The Karma data flowed into his body.
And shortly after, an astonishing message appeared before Zekeʼs eyes.
[You have received the "Fragment of Forgotten Time" from the Fallen Constellation, the Master of the Irresistible Contract.]
[The Fragment of Forgotten Time connects to the Akashic Code.]
[A large amount of Karma data has been updated.]
[Through the data, you have acquired information on the "Fallen Constellation."]
[System restriction codes related to this information have been unlocked.]
[Conditions met: Final Arc Scenario mode unlocked.]
[Final Arc Scenario—The Chapter of the Fallen Constellation—has opened.]
—Final Arc Scenario (The Chapter of the Fallen Constellation)—
[Find and absorb the sealed form of the Arrogant Savior hidden in the Phenomenal
World, then acquire complete divinity.]
[Final Arc Scenario Reward: Bestowal of Constellation Title]
Zeke was startled to see content under the name "Final Arc Scenario" instead of a main quest.
'Final Arc Scenario. Did that mean the Demon Kingʼs descent was almost here?ʼ
Zeke examined the part of the scenario stating that the Arrogant Saviorʼs sealed form was hidden in the Phenomenal World.
He thought he understood why Mephistopheles had proposed this deal to him specifically.
'Fallen Constellations from the Demon Realm couldnʼt stay long in the Phenomenal World even through avatars. If he sent other subordinates, they would be discovered quickly. There was also the issue of whether they could withstand the power of the sealed form.ʼ
In contrast, as a human, Zeke faced no restrictions moving in the Phenomenal World.
Moreover, having become a transcendent and acquired divinity, he was a being who could absorb and bear the soul of a sealed archdemon.
Mephistopheles had clearly proposed this deal to Zeke, taking all that into account, and passed on a fragment of forgotten time usable in the Phenomenal World. 'Since the Final Arc Scenario had appeared, it seemed he hadnʼt been lying...ʼ If Mephistophelesʼs words were true, there was nothing bad in it for Zeke.
He would raise his own rank by absorbing the archdemonʼs soul, and if he could prevent the other lords of the Demon Realm from summoning the Demon King as Mephistopheles intended, it aligned with what Zeke wanted.
As Zeke reviewed the Final Arc Scenario content again, the unique domain spread across the hall completely vanished.
Whoooong!
At the same time, the demons who had been affected by Mephistophelesʼs divine domain, even briefly, all collapsed from exhaustion.
In particular, Anastasia, who had endured the descent as an avatar with her entire body, was completely slumped on the floor.
Among them, the first to regain her senses was none other than Yekaterina.
"Ugh!"
As a member of the Tuma Tribe with an inherently exceptional physique, she recovered the fastest.
After rising, she extended her hand to summon her weapon.
Rumble—
Yekaterina gripped a massive, grotesquely shaped bone sword with both hands, unleashed her demonic aura, and charged at Zeke.
"You damn human! How dare you deceive us!"
Having not heard the conversation between Zeke and Mephistopheles, Yekaterina swung her sword in intense fury.
Whoooosh—
The bone sword, laden with demonic aura, flew toward Zeke.