"The tears of the Moon Goddess Theia are adamantium?"
There was no known method for how adamantium, which contained the power of godslaying, was created.
In the first place, the very existence of such a metal wasn't widely known, so it was only natural.
The fact that this adamantium consisted of the tears of the Moon Goddess Theia was quite astonishing.
At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[The restored statue of the Moon Goddess Theia detects the Hercion worn on the user's body.]
[Confirming the status of the deactivated Hercion.]
[The statue of the Moon Goddess Theia transmits an authentication code to the user.] Woooong!
Zeke felt karma data being transmitted from the statue of the goddess.
[Authentication code acquired from the statue of the Moon Goddess Theia.]
[The acquired authentication code activates the inactive item.]
The Hercion of the Moon Goddess Theia that Zeke wore began to react to the authentication code.
Woooong—
[Activating inactive item.]
[Activating the sealed grand magic circle.]
[All 29 magics engraved on the Hercion are activated.]
As the grand magic circles engraved on the Hercion activated, they emitted a brilliant light in the form of mystical patterns on its surface.
Zeke looked at the fully activated Hercion of the Moon Goddess Theia with an expression of wonder.
"So this is the true Hercion of the Moon Goddess Theia."
As he let out a sigh of admiration, another message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[The authentication code detects the power of the shadow dragon dormant in the user's heart.]
[The title One Blessed by the Ancient Dragon reacts to the authentication code.]
[A hidden code within the activated item activates.]
[The hidden code triggers, revealing the true form of the Moon Goddess Theia's legacy.]
Rumble rumble rumble—
Vibrations emanated from the Hercion of the Moon Goddess Theia, which emitted a mystical light.
At the same time, the external form of the Hercion began to change.
Crunch crunch crunch!
Soon, the Hercion forcibly disengaged, ejecting Zeke from the armor.
"What's this?"
As Zeke looked on in confusion, the grand magic circle on the surface of the Hercion glowed, and another message appeared.
[The true legacy of the Moon Goddess Theia, which was sealed, is inherited by the user.] Along with that message, black energy began to pour out from the opened armor.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
The black energy wrapped around Zeke's body and naturally seeped into him.
At the same time, the dragon heart stirred, and an emblem rose above Zeke's chest.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
The black energy that had seeped into his body, Bahamut's heart, and Zeke's shadow reacted to each other.
A moment later, astonishingly, Zeke's shadow took form and wrapped around his body.
[The 'Shadow Armor,' the true legacy of the Moon Goddess Theia, settles into the user's body.]
[Due to the influence of the Shadow Armor, the seal level on the heart of Bahamut, Ruler of Sunset, is reduced by 25%.]
[When using Bahamut's authority while wearing the Shadow Armor, its power doubles.] Zeke stared at the messages in disbelief, his mouth agape.
"The true legacy of the Moon Goddess Theia? Shadow Armor?"
It meant that the Hercion, made of orichalcum, had merely been a seal containing this Shadow Armor.
Zeke looked at the Shadow Armor wrapping around his body.
The shadow rippled as if it had a physical form.
Gazing down at it, Zeke thought of something, and the shadow moved according to his will.
"Then, can it do this too?"
Zeke visualized a shield in his mind.
Clang!
The shadow wrapped around Zeke's hand and instantly took the form of the shield he had imagined.
"It really works?"
Zeke tapped the shield that had formed on his hand.
It felt as solid as metal, hard to believe it was made of shadow.
Curious to test it further, Zeke drew Roland and struck the shield.
Clang!
Even with Roland, forged from orichalcum, the shield showed no scratch.
"It's incredibly sturdy. Then, what about this?"
This time, Zeke summoned the shadow and visualized it forming armor around his body.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
In an instant, the shadow enveloped Zeke like the Hercion, creating full plate armor.
It clung to his body much more closely than the Hercion and felt almost weightless.
"My god, what principle is this made on?"
The Shadow Armor formed anything according to his will and was controlled freely.
After a few experiments, Zeke began to understand why this was the true legacy of the Moon Goddess Theia.
Zeke approached the original Hercion, now devoid of the Shadow Armor.
The Hercion still emitted a mystical light, with the grand magic circle floating on its surface.
"I'll use the Shadow Armor in emergencies and wear this as usual otherwise. With all the grand magic circles activated, it'll be even more useful."
Zeke reshaped the Hercion into backplate form and put it on again. Then, he pulled out the sword of Siemens Apollyon from his inventory.
"Time to find out what this sword really is."
Zeke applied the authentication code he had received from the statue of the Moon Goddess Theia to the sword.
[Activating inactive item.]
[The 'true name' of the sealed sword is revealed.]
[A facet of the Promised Sword of Liberation, the Sword of Hardened Shadow 'Caladbolg,' unleashes its power along with its true name.] Woooong!
As the message appeared, the sword in Zeke's hand began to vibrate intensely.
"Caladbolg?"
It was a name he had never heard before.
At that moment, the now-unsealed Caladbolg reacted with the Shadow Armor settled in Zeke's body.
[Caladbolg, sharing the same origin of power, connects with the Shadow Armor.]
[Caladbolg fuses with the Shadow Armor.]
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
Caladbolg transformed into shadow form and seeped into the Shadow Armor.
"Caladbolg shares the same origin of power with the Shadow Armor?" Zeke looked up at the statue of the Moon Goddess Theia.
Since he had activated two inactive items using the code from the statue, it wasn't surprising that they were closely related.
Zeke recalled how the Shadow Armor, infused with the Moon Goddess Theia's power, had also connected with the heart of Bahamut, the shadow dragon.
From this, Zeke reached one conclusion.
"The main authority of the Moon Goddess Theia is related to shadows."
The common thread between Bahamut, the Shadow Armor, and Caladbolg was 'shadow.'
Zeke realized that the origin of the power of the constellation known as the Moon Goddess Theia was tied to shadows.
Zeke thought of the sword embedded in the Draker family's secret place.
"Wait, the message said a facet of the Promised Sword of Liberation. That means swords containing shadow power, including Caladbolg, are divided into several parts..." As he pondered the sword, another message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[Inactive item activated.]
[Achievement quest completed.]
[As a reward, the title Blessing of Theia is acquired.]
[As a linked quest mission reward, the authority 'Shadow Domination' is acquired.]
[An identical authority exists, so the two authorities fuse and evolve into a new authority.]
[The authority 'Shadow King' is acquired.]
[The skill 'Shadow Clone' is absorbed into the authority 'Shadow King.']
[The skill 'Smokeform' is absorbed into the authority 'Shadow King.']
[The dragon race skill 'Absorption' is absorbed into the authority 'Shadow King.']
[Through the authority 'Shadow King,' Bahamut's power is strengthened.]
[Through the authority 'Shadow King,' the power of the shadow spirits is strengthened.]
[Through the authority 'Shadow King,' the power of the Shadow Armor and Caladbolg is strengthened.]
Zeke was startled by the flurry of messages.
"Authority Shadow King?"
Having unexpectedly gained this authority, Zeke tested it by summoning his shadow.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
Zeke's shadow rose and moved freely.
The Shadow Armor had fully merged with Zeke's shadow, allowing it to move according to his will with perfect freedom.
"Caladbolg."
This time, to check the sword, Zeke called its true name, and Caladbolg emerged from the shadow into his hand.
When Zeke swung Caladbolg, it felt as if the sword and his body were one.
"It's not just talk of sword and mind as one; it really feels like the sword has become part of my body."
Getting here hadn't been easy, but the rewards matched the effort, so Zeke felt deep satisfaction.
However, since what he had obtained far exceeded common sense, like the Shadow Armor, Zeke decided to keep Caladbolg hidden and use it only in emergencies.
He sheathed the sword back into the shadow and looked up at the statue of the Moon Goddess Theia, suddenly remembering something.
"Come to think of it, how do I get out of here?"
He had used the authority of deception to enter somehow, but he hadn't thought about how to leave.
Zeke pondered and tried opening a system portal.
[Portal deactivation zone.]
As expected, the portal didn't work.
"This is tricky."
As Zeke examined the restored statue of the Moon Goddess Theia while thinking of a way out, he recalled the title 'Blessing of Theia' he had received as a reward.
"With this, I should be able to access the administrator system now."
With anticipation, Zeke commanded the system to connect to the administrator system, and soon a message appeared.
[Connecting to the administrator system using the code extracted from the title Blessing of Theia.]
[Unlocking the secure zone with the corresponding code.]
[A message stored by the system for the user of this code has been discovered.]
[Would you like to confirm the message?]
"A stored message?"
Zeke, puzzled, decided to confirm it.
[Confirming the message.]
[Karma data stored in the message is transmitted to the user.]
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
Suddenly, something appeared before Zeke's eyes.
"What's that?"
Astonishingly, the figure that took form was the spirit body of someone Zeke knew.
[Zeke Draker.]
A woman who resembled Hero King Kaisir, with snow-white hair and eyebrows the color of her eyes.
It was the Dragon of Time, Chronos.
"Lady Chronos?"
He hadn't expected to meet Chronos again like this after their encounter in the past, transcending the timeline.
Her state wasn't perfect, as she appeared in a semi-transparent form, but Chronos's spirit body smiled at Zeke.
[As I predicted, you've arrived here.]
Zeke looked surprised at Chronos's words.
"Did you know I would come here?"
[I am a dragon who wields time. I see countless futures and discern which one will come to us. I saw the possibility of you coming here, but... honestly, I didn't have high hopes. The path was so difficult.]
Crackle crackle—
Chronos's spirit body flickered, as if it might dissipate at any moment.
She looked at Zeke and continued.
[Time is short, so I'll get to the important part first. The hour of fate is drawing near.] "That means... the day the Demon King revives is not far off?" Chronos nodded.
[There are several omens related to the destruction of this world and the revival of the
Demon King. And one of those omens will occur soon.]
"The omen of destruction... What is the first omen you're referring to?" Chronos took a breath and continued.
[A lunar eclipse. On the day the moon turns red, a fell god will descend upon the phenomenal world. That will be the first signal flare of destruction.]
Hearing the words lunar eclipse and fell god, Zeke recalled something.
"Fell god... The power of the Flesh-Devouring Emperor Ajitahaka... Don't tell me?" Something clicked in Zeke's mind.
Ramon Siemens could use the authority of the Flesh-Devouring Emperor Ajitahaka.
He had stayed hidden, as if waiting for something, even when Abel had seized Rom.
"Heʼs definitely preparing a new consecration. If that's summoning the fell god Ajitahaka to the phenomenal world...?"
Zeke, who had seen Ajitahaka's true body trapped in the isolated plane, recalled its terrifying power.
If Ramon Siemens underwent consecration during the lunar eclipse and brought
Ajitahaka's power into his own body, the continental balance would surely be overturned.
Even Grandmaster Arthur Draker might not be able to oppose Ajitahaka's power.
At that moment, the image of Abel, reduced to an empty shell, flashed in Zeke's mind.
Zeke's body shuddered.
He had realized Ramon Siemens's intent.
Looking at Chronos, he said.
"If Ramon Siemens gains the authority of devouring, he could consume Abel and absorb the Draker bloodline."
The authority of devouring allowed absorbing the abilities of what was consumed.
If Ramon Siemens fully acquired the authority of devouring and consumed Abel's flesh afterward, he could absorb the full power of that body.
Abel's body carried the Draker blood, and that blood held the immortal power passed down from King Solomon, through Siemens Apollyon and Terakan Draker.
With a grave expression, Zeke looked at Chronos and said.
"Ramon Siemens aims to become the Demon King himself?"