Kudududuk!
In the meantime, the black substance gradually spread through the air, obscuring the figure of Harvey Draker who had lingered behind it.
Zeke unleashed a sword strike toward the substance.
Tzutzutzutzu—
Just as with the Heart-Sword earlier, the sword strike Zeke had just launched was absorbed into the substance and vanished.
And it spread even faster than before.
Zeke turned his head and said to the Custodian.
"Did you say you know what that is?"
A faint vibrating sound emanated from the Custodian's broken body in response to Zeke's words.
"Yes."
"If you know, then either block it yourself or tell me how to block it." The Custodian spoke again through the vibrating sound.
"It cannot be blocked."
At the Custodian's words, Zeke furrowed his brow and stepped back.
He then moved to the side of the broken Custodian and pointed Laevatein at him. "What does that mean? Speak clearly. If I could, Iʼd smash you first."
Zeke knew the Custodian's true identity was the homunculus of the Great Sage, and that it had hidden the fact that the Book of the Lion was here.
He could understand the intent to form the Highlander and regulate the balance of the Phenomenal World.
But Zeke was also furious about the blind fanaticism that arbitrarily interpreted the Great Sage's will, creating a savior under that pretext with Harvey Draker and other test subjects.
The Custodian's will flooded into Zeke's mind with such force that it reverberated through his entire head.
[That is a dimensional hole created by twisted causality.] Zeke grimaced at the Custodian's words.
"I canʼt make sense of that. So, if it canʼt be blocked, what are you saying we should do?"
The Custodian's will flowed in again.
[You must allow it to absorb offerings equivalent to reversing the twisted causality. Then it will naturally disappear.]
Zeke's expression changed at the Custodian's words.
"What nonsense is that?"
The Custodian's voice echoed in his mind in its dry tone.
[Beings with strong karma. Those on the level of the High Table. If offered as sacrifices, it will vanish on its own.]
Zeke could no longer hold back and brought down Laevatein on the broken Custodian's chest.
Kwaduduk!
Even as its chest was crushed, the Custodian conveyed its intent in the same dry voice.
[That is the only way. There is no other.]
"Shut up! I should have realized it from the start, with all that talk of balance, regulation, and the fate of the world—such bullshit. You truly have no interest in this world at all. Youʼre just a parrot repeating the same lines."
Zeke glared down at the Custodian with fierce eyes. He pondered for a moment, then suddenly recalled something.
"Letʼs ask the real Great Sage who made you what he thinks of this mess. You damn puppet."
He pulled out the Key to the Treasury of Chronos, enhanced with the Ark of the Sacred Relic, from his inventory.
It was an artifact that could summon spirits related to Chronos using an item as a medium.
Zeke snatched the Staff of the Great Sage that the Custodian had been holding.
Kigigik!
The Custodian tried to struggle, but with its chest pinned by Zeke's sword, it couldn't move.
Zeke held the Staff of the Great Sage and activated the Key to the Treasury of Chronos.
Tzutzutzutzu—
The staff, serving as the medium, scattered into a halo of light and transformed into a form of karma, seeping into the key.
Wuuuuuung!
A massive light surged from the key, shooting into the air and forming a portal of white light.
Wuuuuuuung!
From the portal of light, which scattered halos, emerged a heroic spirit over two meters tall, clad in long robes with flowing hair.
Except for the halo shining behind it, it wore the same attire and appearance as the Great Sage Zeke had met before.
The Great Sage's heroic spirit emanated a brilliant halo that filled the stone chamber as it manifested in the Phenomenal World. It lifted its head and gazed at the black substance slowly spreading in the air.
At the same time, the Great Sage's will flowed into Zeke's mind.
[Sir Zeke, itʼs been a long time since we last met.]
Surprisingly, the Great Sage's heroic spirit retained the memory of meeting Zeke in the primordial temple.
His voice continued.
[I would have liked to enjoy a cup of tea leisurely, but given the situation, that wonʼt be possible.]
The Great Sage's heroic spirit raised its staff toward the gradually spreading black substance.
A radiant light poured out from the staff.
Chwaaaaaak—
The black substance halted its spread upon encountering the halo of light the sage emitted.
Zeke, seeing this, asked the sage.
"Have you blocked it?"
The sage shook his head.
[No. Even with my power, I cannot eliminate it, so Iʼve merely stopped time in this place temporarily.]
Looking around urgently at the sage's words, Zeke saw that not only the black substance but everything else had indeed stopped, just as he said.
"Time-stopping magic."
He had thought only Chronos could wield authority over time.
Even Chronos had to bear powerful repercussions to cross timelines.
Though limited to a confined space, the Great Sage's ability to halt time—even temporarily in his heroic spirit state—made Zeke freshly realize how immense his power was.
The Great Sage's heroic spirit looked at Zeke and said.
[The situation has become complicated, Sir Zeke.] Zeke nodded, replying with a hint of resentment.
"Yes, and itʼs even more so because of that puppet you left behind."
The Great Sage let out a shallow sigh as he looked at his halted homunculus.
[I prepared it as a contingency after the Demon Kingʼs sealing, not knowing what might happen... I didnʼt expect it to cause problems like this.]
Zeke steadied his heart as he looked at the regretting Great Sage and said.
"I donʼt want to blame you for whatʼs already happened. I summoned you because thereʼs something I want to know." He continued quickly.
"Is Arthur Draker planning to descend the Demon King upon me and absorb that power? Is this also part of the arranged fate you spoke of? Can this break the wheel of fate crafted by the constellations of the celestial realm?"
Finally, Zeke pointed at the halted black substance and said.
"And what the hell is that damned thing? Tell me the true nature of the power of the Outsider Species!"
His emotions rising, Zeke poured out his words like pent-up rage. Then he caught his breath and glared at the Great Sage.
The Great Sage nodded immediately.
[I understand your anger, Sir Zeke. But what I hope you understand is that everything was done with good intentions...]
"I donʼt want to hear that crap. Good intentions? For whose sake, exactly!" Zeke pointed at the broken homunculus of the Great Sage and said.
"If youʼre going to say that, then youʼre no different from that puppet. Havenʼt you ever thought that your arrogant hypocrisy—claiming everything you do under the name of noble purpose is for the greater good—is what truly distorts the balance of the Phenomenal World?"
The Great Sage had no response to Zeke's words.
Zeke, angered by the sage's attitude, continued.
"So cut the lofty bullshit and answer my questions properly."
He fell silent, lips pressed tight, then nodded and spoke again.
[You are right in everything, Sir Zeke. I was captured by the arrogance that only I could save this world.]
Admitting his fault readily, the Great Sage looked at Zeke and said.
[But Sir Zeke, the only thing I can answer is what that is.] He looked at the halted black substance and said. [A hole of twisted causality, a trace of reversed karma.]
Pajijijik!
A backlash of causality began to stir around the black substance.
The time the sage had forcibly held started to flow again.
The sage continued quickly.
[The only way to eliminate it is as my homunculus said: offset it with karma equivalent to the twisted causality.]
Zeke grimaced at the sage's words.
"Are you telling me now to sacrifice my comrades...?" The sage shook his head.
[No. Across all dimensions, you alone, Sir Zeke, can restore that twisted causality to its original state.]
Zeke's expression turned to surprise at the Great Sage's words.
"Me alone? What do you...?"
Something flashed through Zeke's mind then.
"Surely, Karma Points?"
Karma Points quantified the karma Zeke possessed.
All the monsters and magical beasts he and his subordinates had slain in battle had been tallied as Karma Points and recorded in the system.
The Great Sage nodded at Zeke's words.
[As the administrator of the Kabbalah System, you are the only one who can freely use the Akashic Code and Karma Points.]
Pajijijijik—
As the Great Sage finished speaking, time resumed, and the black substance began to move again.
Kugugugu!
The black substance spread further, drawing in everything it touched.
It was as if even the space there was being sucked into it.
Zeke, watching the black substance, suddenly recalled something.
'The painting Carus drew while thinking of me.ʼ
It felt remarkably similar to the painting where an unfathomable darkness covered the entire canvas and the black substance floated in the air.
[Sir Zeke.]
At the Great Sage's voice, Zeke snapped out of his fixation on the black substance.
Now was not the time to leisurely recall Carus's painting.
Zeke extended his hand toward the black substance and said to the system.
'System, can you offset that with Karma Points?ʼ
The system began analyzing the black substance in response to Zeke's words.
Then, a message appeared before his eyes.
[Traces of twisted causality detected.]
[Estimating Karma Points required for offset.]
[Approximately 1,166,284 points required.]
[Proceed?]
It didn't seem like much, but over a million Karma Points were needed to offset that amount of substance.
'I thought I wouldnʼt have to scrape by with Karma Points anymore...ʼ
Zeke forced himself to stay calm and said to the system.
'Offset it.ʼ
[Consuming Karma Points to offset traces of twisted causality.] Wuuuuuung!
A sensation of something leaving his body washed over Zeke, and changes began in the black substance.
Kiiiiing—
Incredibly, the black substance stopped spreading, as if time were reversing, and instead gathered toward the center.
Tzutzutzutzu—
Like ink in water diffusing and then reverting, the black substance that had spread in all directions rapidly converged to the center and soon vanished without a trace.
Zeke felt rather bewildered by the stone chamber, which had normalized so abruptly and emptily.
"Is it over?"
The Great Sage's heroic spirit nodded.
[Well done, Sir Zeke. Without the Kabbalah System, offsetting such twisted causality would have been utterly impossible.]
From Zeke's perspective, it meant burning through a massive amount of Karma Points, but if it had required sacrifices instead of the Kabbalah System, the inefficiency would have demanded tremendous losses.
Though he felt a twinge of regret at the sudden depletion of so many Karma Points,
Zeke was satisfied that the black substance was completely gone. He searched for Harvey Draker, who had transformed into an ancient dragon.
But he couldn't find any trace of him where the black substance had obscured.
'He escaped again.ʼ
Zeke had an idea of where Harvey Draker had gone.
The place where the Book of the Lion was hidden.
From the start, he had clearly been stalling Zeke here to buy time for Arthur Draker to find the hidden Book of the Lion.
'That side should be guarded by Master and the Hermit. I need to hurry there too...ʼ At that moment, the Great Sage slowly approached Zeke and spoke.
[Sir Zeke, I have a request for you.]
He met Zeke's eyes and slowly opened his mouth.
[Please make me your shadow avatar.]