Eeeeeeng—
The hourglass floated into the air, emitting a strange sound that rang in Zeke's ears.
Moments later, the hourglass flipped over, and the surrounding scenery began to change.
Zeke had seen this sight before.
"Time is rewinding."
The Authority: Rewind linked with Chronosʼs hourglass, turning the surroundings back to the past.
The spinning hourglass suddenly stopped.
"What era is this?"
Since he had experienced it once before, Zeke didn't panic. He looked around calmly.
The number of statues had clearly decreased compared to when he had entered earlier.
It was then.
"Remarkable. I never thought Chronos's words would come true."
Zeke turned his gaze toward the altar and spotted a woman with mysterious silver hair approaching.
He immediately realized she was a dragon polymorphed into human form.
The silver-haired dragon looked at Zeke and asked.
"You are Zeke Draker, correct?"
Zeke was startled that a dragon from the past knew his name.
"Did Chronos tell her about me?"
Chronos, as a dragon who commanded time, could glimpse the future, but karma restrictions prevented her from mentioning it casually.
Yet the fact that the silver-haired dragon knew Zeke's name meant Chronos had risked breaking the timeline to leave a message through her.
The silver-haired dragon said to Zeke.
"My name is Hyperion. I am the lord of the Silver Clan and the Watcher of Dawn." Zeke recalled Hades mentioning Hyperion and that her lair was on the northern continent.
Hyperion approached Zeke and continued.
"First, I should give you what Chronos asked me to deliver." She extended her hand toward Zeke.
Woooong!
Light extended from her hand and seeped into Zeke's body.
At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[You have acquired the Seal of the Kingdom of Chronos 3/4.]
[When all remaining seals are found, the treasury coordinates of the Kingdom of Chronos will activate.]
—Main Quest Mission (Linked)—
[Take the Sacred Relic containing primordial power to the Forgotten Primordial Temple. (No time limit / Coordinates of the temple will automatically activate upon acquiring all three Sacred Relics.)]
[Find the scattered seals of the Kingdom of Chronos and restore them to their original form. (No time limit / 1 seal remaining)]
[Activate the treasury coordinates of the Kingdom of Chronos using the restored kingdom's seal.]
[Main Quest Mission Reward: ???]
[Linked Quest Mission Reward: Title - Heir of the Kingdom of Chronos]
As Hyperion handed over the Seal of the Kingdom of Chronos, only one seal remained.
"The problem is that it's in the Rom Empire."
More precisely, it was in the capital city of Rom.
And with Abel and Siemens leading the demonkind to occupy Rom at that time, approaching rashly would have been difficult.
"I need to think more about how to retrieve the last seal." Hyperion looked at Zeke and said.
"Chronos believed you are the savior who will annihilate the Demon King." Zeke nodded at Hyperion's words.
"Yes. Hermes also said that as an Immortal, I possess the unique ability to kill a god." Hyperion was startled by Zeke's words and said.
"You met Hermes? Her divinity should be sealed right now. How... Ah!"
Hyperion seemed to have realized the answer herself, and Zeke nodded toward her. "Yes. As you suspected, since I also possess the power of an Immortal, I was able to pull out the spear that sealed the Divine Dragon's divinity." She nodded as if she finally understood.
"So that's why Chronos left that message for me."
"What message did Chronos leave?" Hyperion said to Zeke.
"Chronos asked me to tell you to unseal the Earth God."
Zeke had already unsealed the Sea God Poseidon and the Forest God Hermes.
As one who possessed the Immortal's power, he would also have been able to unseal the Earth God.
"Where is the Earth God sealed?"
Hyperion looked at Zeke and said.
"The Earth God is sealed in the Forest of the Forgotten."
The forbidden area known as the Forest of the Forgotten held a deep connection to Zeke as well.
"The Forest of the Forgotten. Nothing there would be surprising, but still."
Though he had wanted to delay it as much as possible, Zeke instinctively knew he couldn't. He wore a serious expression.
Woooong!
The hourglass floating in the air began to vibrate.
It meant the time he could stay in the past was nearly over.
Hyperion approached Zeke and took his hand.
"Time is short. Synchronize your mana with mine."
"Yes? What do you mean?"
"Don't you even know something basic like mana synchronization? This... There's no time to explain. I'll guide you, so relax your body and don't resist the flow." Hyperion gripped Zeke's hand firmly.
Woooong!
With a vibrating sound, mana began to flood into Zeke's body through her hand.
"Urgh..."
The foreign sensation of mana entering his body was initially uncomfortable, but Zeke endured it. As Hyperion instructed, he relaxed and tried to accept the flow naturally.
Then, at some point, text began to appear on Zeke's chest.
Woooong!
As more of Hyperion's mana poured in, the text on his chest grew denser and shone more intensely.
After absorbing an unknown amount of mana, a message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[Pure mana fills the dragon's heart.]
[Pure mana neutralizes the curse embedded in the heart of the cursed light dragon Bahamut.]
[The heart of the cursed light dragon Bahamut recovers into the heart of the Ruler of Sunset Bahamut.]
"The curse on Bahamut's heart has been lifted?"
He could feel the text's color becoming clearer and brighter than before.
The message continued.
[You have acquired the title 'Ruler of Sunsetʼ.]
[Due to the title 'Ruler of Sunset,ʼ the power of Bahamut's authorities increases by 1.5 times from sunset onward.]
[The seal level on the heart of the Ruler of Sunset Bahamut has decreased to 35%.]
[The Stage 2 Restriction on the user has been lifted.]
[Due to the restriction lift, the karma required to unlock Dragon Race Skills is reduced by 30%.]
[Due to the restriction lift, the spiritual power required to upgrade Dragon Race Skill ranks is reduced.]
"The heart's seal level has decreased, and the Stage 2 Restriction has been lifted." On top of that, he had acquired the title "Ruler of Sunset" that Bahamut once held.
The title enhanced the power of Bahamut's authorities, Dragon Species Domination and Shadow Domination, at night.
"No wonder she's called the dragon of shadows."
Tssst—
As all the pure mana flowed into Zeke's body, Hyperion finally released his hand.
She opened her closed eyes, revealing mysterious silver irises.
"Now the curse on Bahamut's heart is lifted."
"Yes, thanks to you, I've reclaimed the title 'Ruler of Sunset.ʼ"
Hyperion's expression darkened at Zeke's words.
"Yes... In the end, Bahamut followed her fated path."
From her words, Zeke realized that this timeline was still before the War of Liberation had broken out.
Before the time fully ended, Zeke quickly asked Hyperion.
"Hyperion, actually, I came here looking for the Tomb of Caligula. Do you know anything about it?"
When Zeke mentioned Caligula's name, Hyperion looked surprised but soon nodded. "I do. After all, I am the guardian of that tomb." Hyperion continued.
"Caligula's power was far too dangerous, so an Elder Dragon sealed it personally. At the
Elder Dragon's request, I have been watching over the tomb ever since."
"So you are the guardian of the Tomb of Caligula."
Zeke now understood why the compass had pointed here.
"Looking for the Tomb of Caligula..."
Hyperion pondered briefly, then looked at Zeke and said.
"Immortal blessed by an Elder Dragon. Perhaps entrusting Caligula's power to you is the better choice."
She extended her hand forward, and light gathered to form a key.
Hyperion handed it over and said.
"This is the key to enter the sealed tomb. It will guide you to the tomb."
Zeke nodded as he received it.
"There was a separate key. If I hadn't met you here, finding the tomb wouldn't have guaranteed entry."
Zeke stored the key in his inventory and said to Hyperion.
"Hyperion, I have one more question." He continued quickly.
"The true identity of the Demon King... Is he the first Godslayer who fell and became the king of all fallen constellations?"
Hyperion nodded at Zeke's words.
"Yes, the one who slew the most gods. And in the end, he fell himself and became the king of the fallen constellations."
"I heard the same from the War God Tyr. But if that's true, doesn't that mean the
Godslayer became the Demon King?" Hyperion shook her head.
"Strictly speaking, it was the Godslayer and whatever dwelled within his immortal body that combined to birth the Demon King."
"Whatever dwelled in the Godslayer's body...?"
"No one knows its exact nature. The Elder Dragons speculate it might be the opposite of the Creator God, the Primordial Light."
"The opposite of the Creator God?"
"Yes, the Primordial Light created this world. But naturally, its antithesis was born as well. Thus, it can also be called a fragment of the Creator God. As a fragment and the opposite of light, it seeks to destroy what the Creator God made. That's why this entity endlessly tempts the Creator God's creations, pulling them down and making them fall." "Temptation and Fall. That must be the core of its existence." Hyperion nodded.
"The first Immortal and Godslayer was ultimately consumed by it and became 'the first
to fall.ʼ"
"And thus, the first Immortal became the vessel for the Demon King."
"The power of immortality itself disrupts the world's balance. The Fairy King was wary of
Immortals appearing in the Phenomenal World."
The Immortal was the being with the power to annihilate the Demon King, but also the one who could perfect him.
This was why the Fairy King and other fairies rejected and guarded against the power of immortality.
"The fragment of the Creator God combined with the power of immortality is the true identity of the Demon King. To truly annihilate the Demon King, I must eradicate that fragment."
The Holy Spear was the one Sacred Relic capable of destroying that fragment.
As Zeke was about to ask Hyperion more.
Tssst—
Hyperion's body began to fade gradually.
With the time ending, the spirit body that formed her started to dissipate.
She looked down at her transparent body and nodded as if she had anticipated this outcome.
"Finally, I can enter the long-awaited eternal rest." Zeke asked in surprise at her unexpected words. "You've been waiting for me all this time?"
"It was my promise with Chronos. To deliver the key to save the future to the savior who would one day appear."
She looked at Zeke and said.
"Zeke Draker, I am truly sorry to entrust the fate of this world to you."
Woooong!
The hourglass began to vibrate once more.
It was time to return to the original timeline.
Before it was too late, Zeke quickly said to Hyperion.
"Hades missed you greatly. I'll tell her about today's meeting."
At the mention of Hades, Hyperion's expression flickered with surprise.
After a moment's thought, she extended her hand, creating a book and handing it to Zeke.
"Give this to Hades. It contains content she'll like. Teaching that child was a great joy for me as well."
Soon, Hyperion's body scattered completely into silver halos of light, and the hourglass spun again.
Woooong!
The surrounding environment shifted back at rapid speed.
The missing statues began to reappear one by one.
When the statues returned to their original number, the changing scenery stabilized, and the hourglass vanished.
Back in the present, Zeke felt the intense vertigo as before.
"Hoo!"
He staggered and leaned against the altar wall.
Though he adapted to the current time much faster than before, he could regain his senses quickly.
"Still, I can't get used to it."
Zeke slowly exited the underground memorial space and ascended to the castle's surface.
Quite some time had passed; dawn had already broken.
Yet, for some reason, the castle was in an uproar.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Just then, the alert bells rang wildly from the castle.
Zeke hurried over and looked outside.
"Oh no..."
A massive monster legion and horde of magical beasts were advancing toward Himonas Castle.