The crude form of Bahamut had astonishingly transformed into a sword shaped like a cross, resembling the holy sword Ascalon, which had just been forged.
Unlike Ascalon, however, ancient characters were engraved in silver across the blade of Bahamut.
Once the change was complete, a message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[Black Sword Bahamut absorbs the holy spear Longominant, fully releasing its seal.]
[Black Sword Bahamut, having regained its original power, is enhanced by the sacred relic's strength.]
[It evolves into a legendary item, granting the sword a true name.]
[The sword is named Black Darkness Sword Laevatein, Embracing Chaos.]
"Black Darkness Sword Laevatein, Embracing Chaos?" Zeke gazed at the newly transformed Bahamut.
He then reached out and grasped Laevatein.
The moment he took hold of the sword, Zeke could feel it.
Though its name and appearance had changed, its essence remained that of Bahamut.
Woooong—
Laevatein, sensing Zeke's energy in turn, trembled along its blade, resonating with sword resonance.
Zeke checked Laevatein's information.
—Black Darkness Sword Laevatein Info—
Description: A sword of chaos forged by a master artisan with the spiritual eye from the hardest fang of the cursed light dragon Bahamut using azure flame, now infused with the power of the holy spear Longominant.
Unique Authority: Chaos Field.
Unique Abilities: Indestructible, Mana Conversion, Form Change, Mana Absorption.
Special Notes: Deals five times the damage to constellations and sacred blood bodies. / When Chaos Field is activated, it can nullify a constellation's authority.
Zeke was stunned by the description etched on Laevatein.
"It can nullify a constellation's authority?"
Constellations could freely manipulate causality using karma and twist the world's laws at will.
If it was possible to nullify such authority, facing constellations would give him a tremendous advantage.
Moreover, attacking with Laevatein would inflict five times the damage on constellations and sacred blood bodies, which would be a huge help.
"This would be useful against the fallen constellations trying to resurrect the demon king."
Holy Sword Ascalon and Black Darkness Sword Laevatein.
With these two legendary items, Zeke had secured the power to prepare for the battles ahead.
Zeke marveled at the great sage, who had performed such a miraculous feat in the form of a heroic spirit.
Even Archmage Hoshgar, the progenitor of the Nirvana Family who had remained as a spirit body beyond human limits, had not wielded power on this level.
No wonder he was a figure from legend.
At that moment, the great sage's body grew even fainter than before.
He looked at Zeke and said, "It seems I truly have little time left. Sir Zeke, please accept this."
The great sage extended his hand toward Zeke.
A golden key floated above his palm, flying through the air to merge into Zeke.
[You have acquired the legendary item Key to the Treasury of the Kingdom of Chronos.]
[As a linked quest mission reward, you have acquired the title Heir of the Kingdom of Chronos.]
[As the kingdom's heir, you can use the treasury's key.]
[The user can utilize items stored in the Kingdom of Chronos Treasury for a limited time.]
[Some items may require karma points due to causality.]
The great sage looked at Zeke and said, "The treasury of the Kingdom of Chronos now belongs to you, Sir Zeke. And this is my gift to you." The great sage pulled a monocle from his robes.
Guiding his flickering heroic spirit form, he approached Zeke and placed the monocle in his hand.
[You have acquired the Great Sage's Monocle.]
[When equipped, you can use the authority Clairvoyance.] The great sage smiled at Zeke.
"I hope this gift greatly aids you in navigating your fate."
Beside the flickering great sage appeared a similarly flickering black dragon statue.
The elder dragon's voice echoed in Zeke's ear.
『One who defies fate, it is time to leave this place.』
Rumble—
Zeke felt not just the temple but the entire city engulfed in a massive vibration.
"Is Carcosa collapsing?"
『This is an illusory space pieced together from fragments of non-existent spacetime. The longer you remain, the more causality you lose.』 Woooong!
With those words, a dimensional rift opened behind Zeke.
Soon, a portal formed within the rift, pulling Zeke's body inside.
Just before being sucked into the dimensional rift, Zeke shouted to the elder dragon and the great sage.
"If my fate is truly to annihilate the demon king! Tell me! What must I do!"
In response, the great sage smiled through his fading heroic spirit form and said, "The omens of the end will guide you. Seek that single ray of light shining through despair and follow its path."
Woooong—
With those words, Zeke's body was completely drawn into the dimensional rift.
*
Boom boom boom—
In the midst of the dimensional storm, Zeke endured the agony of his body being torn apart.
"Urgh!"
At that moment, Raven appeared beside Zeke.
Rurrr—
Hearing Raven's phoenix cry, Zeke barely regained his senses.
Through the gaps in the dimensional storm, he spotted a white light shining in the distance.
Zeke conveyed his will to Raven.
'Raven, let's head there!'
Raven spread its wings wide, tearing through the storm toward the light.
Zeke propelled himself along the path Raven cleared.
He plunged into the light, pushing past the raging dimensional storm.
Woooong—
Zeke's body was ejected from the portal.
"Huff, huff!"
Exhausted, Zeke panted heavily.
Had he not possessed the immortal body constitution, his form would surely have been shredded by the storm within the dimensional rift, vanishing without a trace.
Soon, the effects of infinite stamina restored his breathing and healed his body.
Regaining his composure, Zeke checked the messages before him.
[You have successfully completed the main quest mission.]
[As a main quest reward, a new system function is unlocked.]
[All functions of Defense Mode are released.]
[System Link Function is activated.]
[Direct control of defense zones, including the mobile fortress, is now possible.]
[Using karma points, you can install armaments and defensive walls in defense zones.]
[Designated allies as guardians and administrators receive buff corrections in defense zones.]
[All battles in Defense Mode are linked to the administrator, with karma points settled based on outcomes.]
[As a main quest reward, the active skill Area Buff evolves into Authority of Amplification.]
[As a reward, 10,000 karma points are granted.]
[As a reward, one extra-grade random box is granted.]
It seemed he had received the rewards for completing the main quest mission.
Zeke's mouth fell open at the reward details.
"Does this mean I get all karma points settled from battles in Defense Mode based on outcomes?"
Until now, in large-scale battles, even when guardians defeated enemies, Zeke received no separate karma points.
But according to this, from then on, he could earn karma points based on the combat results not just from guardians but from all participants.
'If it's a large-scale battle against the monster legion... I could acquire an enormous amount of karma points.'
Moreover, being able to directly install armaments and defensive walls in Defense Modeapplied zones meant that even if a gate opened and enemies swarmed, defense would be far more manageable.
"Ten thousand points plus an extra-grade random box... As expected of a main quest; the rewards are incredible."
Zeke decided to open the extra-grade random box later and first figure out where he was.
"Where is this place?"
Looking around, only barren plains stretched nearby.
Broken pillars and traces of ancient foundations dotted the area, but they were so weathered that their original shapes were unrecognizable.
'It looks like an old ruin site...'
Zeke tilted his head and opened the system map to check his location.
[Confirming administrator's location.]
[Unable to find location information for these coordinates.]
[Accessing karma data to update new location information.]
"Unable to find location information? What kind of place is this...?"
Soon, the location information updated, and the blank map began to fill in.
Even seeing the map, Zeke couldn't pinpoint exactly where he was.
'Mark this location on the system continental map.'
[The continental map including this location information has been updated.] Moments later, the continental map appeared before Zeke's eyes.
But it looked slightly different from usual. Not only the central continent but also the eastern continent was marked.
And Zeke's position pointed to a spot on the eastern continent.
Seeing this, Zeke was a bit flustered.
'No way... is this the eastern continent right now?' Then thud thud thud!
From the far side of the plains, soldiers on horseback charged toward Zeke.
Zeke drew Black Darkness Sword Laevatein and assumed a defensive stance against the approaching soldiers.
They wore Murk Empire-style armor and scimitars at their waists—eastern warriors who halted before Zeke.
They carried ornate flags, and Zeke was startled by the emblem on them.
'A double-headed eagle emblem. That's the symbol of the Murk Empire's sultan.'
The eastern warrior holding the flag emblazoned with the sultan's symbol shouted at Zeke.
"Barbarian from the west! What reason do you have for intruding into the sultan's forbidden zone!"
With those words, the warriors behind him drew their scimitars and aimed them at Zeke.
Zeke realized that as he escaped Carcosa, the connected portal's exit had linked to the sultan's forbidden zone, leading to this unintended intrusion.
'So the site where Carcosa once stood is here.'
The elder dragon had said that in the age of constellations, the continents weren't divided as they are now but formed a single landmass.
If that was true, it wouldn't be strange for Carcosa to have been on the eastern continent.
'Come to think of it, the ancestors of the high elves lived on the eastern continent before moving their homeland to the northern continent. Without the continents divided like now, travel would have been freer.'
As Zeke didn't respond, the sultan's warriors stepped forward.
And the blades of their scimitars began to shimmer with light.
Woooong—
The light from the scimitars merged into the warriors' bodies.
Zeke realized these weren't mere warriors but eastern successors.
The eastern successors used armaments sealed with djinn—beings between spirits and wraiths—known as demonic spirit armaments.
Successors wielded their unique combat style through these demonic spirit armaments.
Whoosh—
Flames erupted from one warrior's sword.
The armament he held was sealed with a flame-wielding djinn, meaning he had inherited it.
The other warriors also unleashed their mana and slowly advanced on Zeke.
At that moment, Zeke activated Mana Reversal Technique.
Ziiing—
As the reversal field spread around him, the mana in the armaments controlled by the successors began to tangle.
"Urk!"
He could have intensified the output to reverse their mana and drop them instantly, but Zeke adjusted the reversal technique just enough to make them retreat.
Zeke pondered what to do with the eastern warriors who had fallen back.
'If this is the Murk Empire... I can propose a deal. Besides, Hades and Yellin might still be at the sultan's palace.'
Since things had turned out this way, it might be best to meet the sultan and bring back Hades and Yellin.
Zeke addressed the warriors in the eastern tongue.
"I didn't intentionally enter this forbidden zone. There was an accident while traveling through a portal."
The warriors were surprised by Zeke's fluent eastern tongue.
They hesitated briefly, then the one who seemed to be the leader spoke.
"Even if that's true, intruding into the sultan's holy site is a grave offense. Drop your weapon and surrender peacefully. Wise judges will determine your guilt." Zeke shook his head at those words.
"I'm no criminal. I was invited to the imperial palace as a guest of the sultan."
The eastern warriors' faces darkened at Zeke's words.
"To dare fabricate an excuse using the sultan's name... Barbarian, your sin will be even heavier..."
Without waiting for them to finish, Zeke summoned Raven, who had been waiting in the dimensional rift.
Kurruru!
Raven appeared near Zeke's shoulder, rubbing its eyes sleepily with its talons.
Now fully grown, Raven was as large as an eagle. Its plumage had also become even more vibrant and colorful.
The eastern warriors recoiled in shock at the sight of the manifested Raven.
"Good heavens! That's... a divine beast!"
"A phoenix! An auspicious omen has appeared in the holy site!"