Seeing the blood-red greatsword betray him, the Glorious One, Boris Vasika, seemed to realize something, and his face instantly turned unsightly.
He roared, released the crimson sword that had attacked him, and reversed his grip to condense another massive Twilight greatsword, shattering that "traitor" into countless fragments that scattered across the ground.
But just then, Rhine's pair of ethereal wings folded around those crimson shards, and in the next moment, the "dead" sword revived as good as new, cleaving toward Boris once again.
Seizing that one or two precious seconds while the Glorious One was entangled, countless "Insight Eyes" within Ebner's mind began to "work" simultaneously—analyzing possibilities and searching for a feasible plan.
Yet the structure of this "temporal cage" was indeed exquisite. Though Ebner "parsed" many "flaws," it was nearly impossible to break through them before the transformation expired.
Finally, after countless failed "simulations," one "Insight Eye" responsible for retrospection replayed a scene before Ebner's inner vision.
It was the image of the one-eyed pureblood giant, Boris Vasika, dragging the King of the North, Ulyssan, into the cavern—the same sight Ebner had glimpsed the moment he was trapped within the cage…
That's it. Looking back now, I can see how deliberate his action of dragging the King of the North was. He'd said, "I haven't gone hunting in so long—I miss the days of slaying dragons and crushing demon wolves, so I grabbed this one along the way."
But that giant, despite appearing simple, is shrewd to the core. There's no way he'd have such idle leisure before ambushing me!
Which means his purpose bears scrutiny… The only reasonable explanation is that he acted casual on purpose—to make me believe it was just a form of psychological intimidation and instinctively ignore the King of the North as mere 'background.'
His deception was remarkably successful. Without the multitasking "Insight Eyes" under the enhancement of the Omniscient Eye, I really would never have reconsidered the dragon's state of life or death.
Now the question is: why did he not want me to ignore the King of the North, yet still bring it before me?
Unless he had no choice… And perhaps the King of the North is the greatest flaw in his "cage"!
Right—the world inside this book is called The Groselle's Travels, and the mission of Groselle's party is to hunt the King of the North!
I see now… The protagonist group of The Groselle's Travels is nearly full. Adding one more member may trigger the final battle—so their encounter with the King of the North is inevitable.
That's also one reason I was so eager to retrieve the sea monster—if the final battle starts, the dragon could doom Groselle's group.
And to speculate boldly—the reason the Glorious One entered here was that when Klein extracted the sea monster's blood, Boris secretly mixed his own into it, enabling him to slip inside ahead of us to set an ambush.
By freezing time, he caused any pages of The Groselle's Travels concerning him to appear with a delay—so I didn't notice.
But once he entered, plus the sea monster, even if he never met the main cast, the conditions for the "final battle" were fulfilled.
If the frost dragon were slain by the protagonists, the book's rules would shift drastically, opening a passage to the outside world.
The Glorious One couldn't be sure what that would do to his "Twilight Cage," but given the book's divine essence, it might well shatter it entirely!
That's why he kept Ulyssan close—to prevent any accidents.
That's why he acted so "nonchalant," tossing the dragon aside, so I'd subconsciously ignore whether it lived or died!
But he probably never imagined that the passage to the outside world would form on the dragon's corpse…
The realization struck like lightning—Ebner had found his way out.
The final issue was how to strip away the God of Combat's Inquisition Chief's protective measures laid upon the King of the North.
Yes—though invisible, Ebner was certain that the cautious "simpleton" of a giant had surely left some backhand upon it.
And among all potions, the Warrior pathway's defenses were among the very best!
So… I'll have to risk it all, huh?
At this point, all schemes and tricks were meaningless. The only path ahead was to expend everything before the transformation ended and destroy the dragon's defenses—slay it outright!
Drawing a deep breath, Ebner's eyes shone with resolve.
Though the Moon pathway wasn't famed for sheer offense, the Feast of Blood once recorded a ritual that combined the Authorities of the Creator, the Desolate Matriarch, and the Death Consul—a ritual capable of piercing most "barriers" and dissecting a living being's soul from afar.
It was a secret technique co-developed by Rhine and the God of Death purely for experimentation.
Now, though he lacked the Death Consul's Authority, Ebner didn't need the full "Living Dissection." The initial effect—piercing barriers—was enough!
Once the protection was gone, even one glance at him would doom the King of the North!
As for the Desolate Matriarch… among the tiny scepters "born" from the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, the shortest one carried Her characteristic!
Thus, Ebner moved without hesitation. Ignoring the Glorious One, who had just dealt with the wings and the crimson sword, he raised a hand and, together with the little scepter, unleashed the secret art—Pre-Dissection.
The union of Creation and Desolation faintly took on the flavor of Reincarnation.
As that force approached the King of the North, a "Twilight" barrier manifested around the dragon's form.
Just as I thought! Ebner noted inwardly, and without caring for the massive sword descending upon him, fired a Blood-Moon Arrow right after the Pre-Dissection.
He had gone all-in. His transformation would end in a single second; all he could do was trust his secret technique to break the defense and kill Ulyssan.
In the next instant, the combined Creation and Desolation—that faint Reincarnation power—touched the barrier. The "Twilight" resisted briefly, then, following the natural cycle, yielded to "Dawn." The frozen time and the borrowed strength of the earth dissolved together.
With a crisp snap, the angel-level Blood-Moon Arrow pierced Ulyssan's skull. The frost dragon, already battered and half-dead, slipped painlessly into eternal slumber.
At once, pale blue-white light surged through its body, roiling its flesh. It twisted and spread, swiftly transforming the colossal corpse into a towering, double-doored gate coated in snow.
At that moment, Ebner invoked the Authority of Beauty one last time, causing the Sword of Glory to miss again—then his transformation could no longer hold. The power of history receded, and he reverted to himself.
Ebner was Ebner once more.
Though the "cage" around him now gaped open where the sudden gate had torn it, the door felt impossibly distant. Within him, countless invisible sword lights were about to explode.
He hadn't the time even for prayer, let alone to run for the gate.
The Chief Inquisitor of the God of Combat's Tribunal—the Glorious One, pureblood giant Boris Vasika—was on the verge of triumph. His single upright eye gleamed with twisted excitement, eager to freeze Ebner's soul in Twilight and wrench every secret from his torment.
Yet just as those sword lights were about to rip Ebner apart, the angel suddenly lost control—because, at some unknown moment, he had become a goat.
And as Ebner gazed at the Ice and Snow Queen doll flying out from beyond the gate, relief washed over him. His knees nearly buckled.
At that instant, however, he discovered something unexpected—his Prophet potion had been fully digested.
Perhaps what I'd been missing wasn't the ability to alter others' fates—after all, working with Fors these past days gave me ample practice there…
No, the Prophet must overcome his own destiny.
Up till now, my changes of fate relied on scheming, calculation, and familiarity with the "storyline."
But this time, I relied on nothing but my own power, gambling everything to shatter the "inevitable" doom that others arranged for me!
To alter a foretold fate—or the fate imposed upon you—strength itself can be the path, and the most direct one!
That was the "acting" I had always lacked, wasn't it?
My background was too powerful, my means too diverse. I'd hardly ever faced the desperate situations ordinary Beyonders encounter—I'd always been in control…
So this… this was what I'd been missing all along.
Could it be that Adam orchestrated this entire "desperate crisis" just to help me complete my acting?
No—it can't be that simple.
He must have another purpose.
With that thought, Ebner turned his gaze once more toward the Glorious One, Boris Vasika, now transformed into a goat, certain that the angel still harbored other secrets.
(End of Chapter)