"Wheel of Fate."
Zeke recalled what the Elder Dragon and the Great Sage had said about it.
"Is the Wheel of Fate... referring to the constellations of the Celestial Realm? The ones who murdered the Creator, the Primordial Light, and turned the beings of the Phenomenal World into their slaves?"
Satan shook his head at those words.
"The Thirteen Palaces. They were once my brothers. But in the end, they too are beings bound by fate."
"If even the constellations of the Celestial Realm are subject to fate, then there must be some other entity grasping even their fate."
Satan slowly nodded. He seemed to think for a moment before he opened his mouth. "The one who murdered the Primordial Light and stole its power." Kugugugugu!
In that instant, killing intent rose from Satanʼs body, shaking the entire ravine.
His eyes gleamed as he spoke.
"The Sun God. He is the one who holds the Wheel of Fate."
Zeke paused, holding his breath at the name Satan mentioned.
"The Sun God?"
Zeke was also aware of the existence known as the Sun God.
Gio Rubern, who had led the early Holy Empire, worshiped the God of Light. But as imperial power shifted from the Rubern Bloodline to the Holy Empire, the Order of Light transformed into the Sun Order, which worshiped the Sun God.
Later, when the Holy Empire split into the Holy Kingdom and the Rom Empire, their doctrines diverged as well. The Holy Kingdom revered only the Sun God as the sole deity, while the Rom Empire worshiped the Sun God, the Moon Goddess Theia, and all the Thirteen Palaces that protected them.
The Elder Dragon had said this was the work of the constellations who murdered the Primordial Light and demoted his divine status out of fear of his resurrection.
"The Primordial Light became the Sun God, and the God of Chaos was sealed under the name of the Moon Goddess, his divinity downgraded... But the Sun God murdered the Primordial Light?"
Satan looked at Zeke and said,
"I was the first to rebel against the Creator, but it was the Sun God who used that to murder the Creator and seize its power. He and I were once the most beloved brothers, but after that, we walked diverging paths."
His face took on a slightly bitter expression as he continued.
"All of this is ultimately a stage he created. We are merely actors performing on that stage, following the scenario called fate."
"Then why is the Sun God doing this? If everything is already set according to his will, why repeatedly erase and remake civilizations? Wasnʼt the murder of the Primordial Light meant to prevent that in the first place?"
At those words, Satan replied with a hardened expression.
"The Sun God took the power of the Primordial Light, but he cannot wield it fully. He realized that to perfectly use that power, he must understand the Primordial Light. Even he has not fully escaped the sanctions of karma."
Zeke clenched his teeth tightly upon hearing Satanʼs words.
"...So all of this is just practice? To acquire the power of perfect creation?"
The idea that destroying the Phenomenal World and harvesting the souls of countless mortals as karma was merely practice made this reality feel like a cruel joke to Zeke. "No matter how we struggle, weʼre nothing more than playthings for the constellations." At that moment, Satan snapped his fingers toward Zeke.
"Zeke Draker, no need for that expression. Didnʼt I say Iʼve been waiting for you for a long time?"
He flashed a charming smile again and continued.
"A perfect stage, perfect actors. The Sun God desires to become a flawless being through this. But fortunately, before he achieves that, the Elder Dragon and the Great Sage created a being to defy the wheel called fate. With their power alone, they couldnʼt resist the Sun God who grasps fate."
With those words, Satan pointed at Zeke.
Zeke met Satanʼs gaze and said,
"You mean that simply regressing from the future to the past allows one to resist fate."
"You didnʼt just turn back time. You came from beyond the stage the Sun God prepared, from behind the Fourth Wall."
He snapped his fingers once more, and clusters of light gathered.
A stage for a lively play formed on the table.
Though the exact content was unclear, the actors performed their roles with utmost effort according to the script.
Satan inserted his finger between the stage and the audience.
"This is the Fourth Wall."
Then, one of the actors from behind the stage turned toward the audience, crossed over Satanʼs finger, and stepped onto the stage.
"You see, youʼve crossed this wall."
With the new actor appearing from behind the stage, the performance fell into chaos.
All the actors began improvising frantically to accommodate the newcomer who had breached the Fourth Wall, creating new content on the spot.
Satan watched and said,
"This is the current state of the Phenomenal World. What do you think will happen if this continues?"
Zeke stared at the ruined stage and replied,
"...The play will either continue improvising chaotically, or if it becomes unmanageable, the curtain will fall midway."
Satan grinned at Zekeʼs words.
"Exactly. If it becomes impossible to control, heʼll drop the curtain. The one who staged this play."
Zeke looked up at Satanʼs words.
"You mean my existence will force the Sun God, who holds fate, to come down and end it."
"A perfect stage, perfect actors, perfect scenario. If thatʼs truly what he wants, yes. Right now, itʼs nothing like what he intended."
Hearing Satanʼs words, Zeke began to understand what the Elder Dragon and the Great Sage had intended.
"Breaking the Fourth Wall to plunge the stage into chaos. Forcing the one behind the
Wheel of Fate to step onto the stage..." Satan slowly rose from his seat.
He approached Zeke and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Zeke Draker, youʼre not yet prepared to confront him. To become a true resistor of fate, you must prepare more before he comes to drop the curtain."
"What kind of preparation do you mean?"
"You need to attain a divinity capable of opposing him." Zeke furrowed his brow at Satanʼs words.
"Absorbing your soul isnʼt enough?" Satan shook his head.
"After falling to the Demon Realm and losing my true name, my power has waned. My once radiant wings are gone, and now only faint authority remains."
Satan called the authority that gathered near-extinct civilizations to build cities in the Demon Realm "faint."
It was hard to even imagine the extent of his power when he was still Lucifel.
The Sun God, who had power equal to Lucifelʼs, had also absorbed the abilities of the Primordial Light.
Satan gazed into Zekeʼs eyes and slowly spoke.
"To confront him, you must fully absorb the sealed soul of the Demon King." Zekeʼs face twisted fiercely at Satanʼs words, and he sprang to his feet.
Drawing Laevatein, he stepped back.
"...Itʼs ridiculous that Iʼve been taking a demonʼs words seriously until now."
In the end, he had been scheming to revive the Demon Kingʼs soul within Zekeʼs body, deluding him all along.
Seeing Zekeʼs reaction, Satan shook his head.
"Sigh, I was worried it might turn out like this. I may be charming, but I lack eloquence.
Azazel—no, Mephistopheles would handle this better."
Chijijijik—
Satanʼs form began to blur as he spoke with regret.
He looked at Zeke and said,
"Timeʼs up. Even with the power of this ravine, manifesting a being of my divinity directly consumes a great deal of causality." Satan gazed at Zeke and continued.
"Zeke Draker, before the final act arrives, hear the truth from Mephistopheles first.
Otherwise, youʼll end up with the same fate as Solomon in the past." Satanʼs form grew even fainter, on the verge of vanishing.
Zeke shouted at him.
"Hear the truth? What does that mean!" Satan smiled enchantingly and said,
"Iʼll be dormant within you. When youʼre ready, call me anytime. Iʼll prepare the arrangements for you."
With those words, Satanʼs form completely vanished.
Tsutsutsutsu—
As soon as Satan disappeared, time in the ravine began to flow again.
Zeke mulled over Satanʼs parting words, then shook his head to steady his turbulent mind.
"I canʼt trust a demonʼs words. In the end, I have no choice but to uncover the truth myself."
Gripping Laevatein firmly once more, he stared into the mist beyond the ravine.
"One by one. Iʼll carve my own path, not anyone elseʼs."
As always, Zeke emanated an unshakable resolve and stepped into the mist of the ravine.
*
Deep within the ravine, the Red King and the Dracul Knight Order had set up camp, awaiting Zekeʼs arrival.
The Red King intended to capture the Knight of Salvation, Zeke, using the unique power of this ravine.
Seated in meditation, wearing his red Hercion armor with legs crossed, the Red King pondered the secrets Zeke Draker possessed.
"He can wield the power of dragons."
The power of dragons, which had long vanished from the Central Continent, was the source of the countless miracles Zeke had performed.
The Red Kingʼs mind was filled with information on Zeke Draker.
He had analyzed the many miracles Zeke displayed to the world, identified his abilities, and meticulously prepared traps accordingly.
"I must capture him here."
In truth, neither Castro Pollock nor Jupiter mattered much to the Red King.
He had even deliberately provoked Castro Pollock into opening the gates and attacking the allied forces.
The Dark Mages of Narak were repulsive, but they were adept at inciting human madness, making it not so difficult.
The Red King had exploited even that aspect to create the current situation.
And all of this was a process to draw out Zeke Draker.
As expected, Zeke Draker had appeared on the battlefield and entered the ravine alone.
Now, he just needed to wait calmly for the prey to fall into the trap.
Kiiiiing—
At that moment, a sharp sound echoed from the front of the ravine.
The Red King, who had been sitting calmly, slowly rose to his feet.
At the same time, the other Dracul Knights adjusted their formation.
A deep, low voice emanated from the Red Kingʼs helmet.
"He has reached the target point."
This ravine possessed the power to suppress draconic abilities and infiltrate the subconscious, disrupting the mind.
The Red King didnʼt know the principle behind that mysterious power.
But he knew well that it was extremely lethal to those with draconic power.
The Red King waited for Zeke to enter this place with his draconic power restricted and his mind corrupted by the ravineʼs influence.
With his draconic power suppressed, Zeke would only be able to exert the level of a Black Knight.
At the same power level of a Black Knight, the battle-hardened Red King held the advantage, and with the Dracul Knight Order at his side, capturing Zeke Draker would be feasible.
"The downfall of the strong is always one thing: arrogance."
The reason he had routed the Murk Empire twenty-five years ago was by targeting their arrogance.
A young Knight of Salvation, born with the immense power of dragons, would surely charge in alone, just as he calculated.
Mounting his beloved Red Steed, the Red King hefted his signature massive red axe. The Dracul Knight Order scattered throughout the ravine, waiting for Zeke to arrive.
And as the Red King anticipated, Zeke Drakerʼs figure began to emerge from beyond the ravine.
"Hoo, hoo..."
Zeke Draker, covered in wounds with his face contorted, charged toward the Red King with blood-red eyes flashing.
With a savage glare, he let out a roar at the Red King.
"Youuuu scum!"
In that instant, the Red King spurred his Red Steed and retreated.
Right on cue, the enraged Zeke raised his sword and rushed toward the Red Kingʼs position.
At that moment, the magic circle pre-installed on the ravine floor activated.
Woooooong!
As the magic circle, crafted by the Dark Mages of Narak, activated, black smoke billowed up, enveloping Zekeʼs body.
"Kaaak!"
Zeke quickly tried to remove his gauntlets to deploy mana reflection, a Pureblood Draker ability, but the black smoke coiled around his hands, preventing movement.
Seeing this, the Red King signaled again.
The Dracul Knights hidden throughout the ravine drew secret weapons brought from Jupiter and aimed at Zeke.
At the Red Kingʼs signal, dozens of shells flew toward Zeke.
Kwaaakwang!
A massive explosion and roar swallowed Zeke, bound by the magic circle.