Zekai stood completely still, staring at Lucien. For several seconds, his mind refused to process what had just happened.
"Your death is my life."
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
A moment ago, he had escaped what he thought was a sanctuary. Now, he had somehow stepped straight into the grasp of something far worse.
His fingers tightened around Null Drakular. He took several cautious steps backward.
"No..."
His voice came out quieter than he intended.
"I know damn well that if I kill you, I'll survive."
There was a faint tremor in his voice. Fear. Real fear.
Not the fear of dying. The fear of discovering that death itself might not mean what he thought it did.
The Guardian didn't answer. Instead, he calmly stepped forward and brought his palms together.
Clap.
The sound echoed through the enormous sanctuary.
"See for yourself."
His eyes settled on Zekai.
"...how you killed him."
Something tugged at the back of Zekai's eyes. His vision warped.
The sanctuary stretched. The throne, the pillars, Lucien, the Guardian—
Everything blurred into a distorted haze.
"What...?"
Before Zekai could react, the world vanished.
He was sitting on a throne. The same throne Lucien had occupied moments earlier. Zekai's body sat perfectly still, one leg crossed over the other, his posture strangely regal.
His eyes widened.
'How did I get here?'
He tried to move. Nothing. His fingers wouldn't respond. His head wouldn't turn. Even his breathing seemed disconnected from his will.
It felt like he was inside his own body. But someone else was controlling it.
He could feel every breath. Every heartbeat. Every movement. But none of them belonged to him.
Then Zekai looked ahead. And froze. Someone stood before the throne.
Himself.
Another Zekai.
The same face.
The same eyes.
The same Null Drakular. Even the murderous expression was identical to the one Zekai had worn when he attacked Lucien.
"No..."
His instincts screamed.
'This isn't happening.'
The other Zekai suddenly moved. Exactly as Lucien had moved before. He disappeared from where he stood.
Zekai tried to react.
Move!
His body refused. The blade flashed.
SLASH!
Null Drakular passed through his neck.
Zekai's eyes widened. For one horrifying instant, he saw his own body from the other side. His head separated from his shoulders.
Warm blood splashed across the throne. A single tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
'Coming here was the biggest mistake I've ever made.'
His thoughts became strangely quiet. There was no anger anymore. No fear.
Only one regret.
'I promised Aron I'd bring him back.'
His severed head slowly fell toward the floor.
'And I'm going to die here...'
His eyes trembled.
'I haven't even found him yet.'
For the first time, Zekai understood something terrifying. He wasn't afraid of dying.
He was afraid of dying before he could keep his promise.
"U-Uh..."
His severed head struck the floor. Then—
Everything went black.
...
Zekai suddenly gasped.
"Haa...!"
Air tore into his lungs. He bent forward, desperately dragging breath into his body. One knee was pressed against the floor. Both hands immediately flew to his throat.
Nothing. No wound. No blood. No scar. He touched the spot again. Still nothing. His gaze dropped.
Null Drakular was still in his hand. Relief washed through him. For a moment, that was the only thing he could feel.
'I'm alive.'
For a moment, that was the only thing he could feel. Then Aron's face appeared inside his mind.
That familiar smile.
'...I almost broke my promise.'
He slowly raised his head.
Lucien stood before him. Unharmed. Still sitting upon the throne. His eyes remained closed, his posture unchanged.
Zekai stared.
The Guardian looked down at him. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"How was it?"
He tilted his head.
"Your sword has quite a sharp edge."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But that's not enough."
"Should I make it sharper for you?"
Zekai said nothing. His breathing remained uneven. The battles he'd fought until now had been dangerous. Some had brought him close to death.
But this was different. He had experienced it. Not imagined it. Not nearly suffered it. He had actually watched himself die. And somehow...
that frightened him more than Lucien's strength. Because he didn't understand what had happened.
His fingers tightened around Null Drakular. He couldn't let go.
'I can't lose this.'
'Null Drakular is the strongest thing I have right now.'
The thought came instinctively. As if the moment he released it, someone would tear away the last thing protecting him.
The Guardian suddenly glanced toward the side.
"Look at him."
His voice carried quiet amusement.
"A street dog finally learned fear."
Zekai's eyes shifted. He felt something. Someone was watching him.
He turned toward the right. There they were. The strange figures he had briefly seen along the Ascension Steps.
Pale robes covered their bodies, their faces hidden beneath deep shadows. Only their eerie green eyes were visible.
Three stood clearly in front. Behind them, however, faint silhouettes lingered in the darkness.
Three more. Six figures in total.
Zekai's expression hardened.
He distinctly remembered seeing six on the staircase. So why had only three appeared at first?
'So they followed me here.'
One of the figures laughed.
"He jumped forward so eagerly before."
Another chuckled.
"And now look at him."
"He can barely stand."
The third tilted its head.
"Can we play with him too?"
Zekai studied them carefully. Something about their appearance reminded him of Soulreaver.
The resemblance was undeniable. But they weren't the same.
Their bodies were covered in strange purple-black tones, while their green eyes glowed unnaturally beneath their shadows.
Soulreaver was black and white. These things are different.
Zekai's gaze moved across the sanctuary.
Lucien.
The Guardian.
Six strange figures.
He had walked straight into a gathering of monsters.
His grip tightened.
'I really walked right into their trap.'
He didn't have time to think about it. He had to leave. Now.
Zekai suddenly jumped backward. His body cleared the Ascension Steps in a single movement before landing several meters below. His mind made the calculation instantly.
One year.
'If I lose one year of my lifespan, so be it.'
'But if I stay here...'
His eyes narrowed.
'I'll lose my entire life.'
He turned and ran. He barely took two steps.
One of the shadowy figures launched itself after him. Its body shot through the air with terrifying speed.
"Your death belongs to us."
A strange weapon appeared in its hand. It swung downward.
Zekai reacted immediately. The Fool Authority surged through his body. For a fraction of a second, countless possibilities unfolded before his eyes.
He chose one. Reality seemed to bend around him. His body vanished from the weapon's trajectory.
The blade struck empty air. In the next instant—
Zekai appeared behind the creature.
He didn't hesitate. He twisted his waist and poured everything into his leg.
BOOM!
His kick slammed into the figure's back. The creature shot downward like a cannonball. But before it could hit the ground—
It stopped. Something had caught it. The figure hung motionless in mid-air. Then it slowly turned its head toward Zekai.
"You are strong."
Its voice remained strangely calm.
"But we're stronger."
Zekai didn't wait for another word. He turned and sprinted toward the Ascension Steps.
If the stairs had brought him here... Perhaps they could take him back.
He reached the bottom step.
Then—
His instincts screamed.
STOP.
Zekai froze. A familiar invisible presence stood before him.
The barrier. The same barrier he had encountered earlier.
Synthesis.
His expression changed.
"No..."
He immediately placed Null Drakular against the invisible wall. The crimson vein inside the blade flared. Dark energy surged through his arms.
"Move."
He pushed harder. Nothing. Zekai gritted his teeth and swung.
BOOM!
The impact shook the staircase. Nothing. Not even a crack. His eyes widened. He struck again.
BOOM!
Still nothing. The blade trembled in his hand. Zekai stared at the invisible barrier.
This is Synthesis. The same barrier. But earlier, he had broken through it.
'Why couldn't he do it now?'
Then the realization struck him. His expression slowly changed. He looked over his shoulder.
At Lucien.
At the Guardian.
At the six strange figures.
"...So all of this..."
His voice became quieter.
"...was a trap?"
A low laugh answered him.
"H-haaa..."
The Guardian slowly stepped forward. His previous calm expression had disappeared.
"You're an idiot, Zekai."
His eyes sharpened.
"Did you really think we'd let a Fool Bearer walk around alive?"
"We're going to keep you here."
"Piece by piece..."
His smile twisted.
"...we'll tear you apart."
"And when there's nothing left..."
His gaze shifted toward Lucien.
"...your soul will become an offering to our Lord."
His gaze returned to the staircase. The pieces began falling into place.
The sanctuary.
The guardian.
The impossible staircase.
The strange barrier.
Lucien.
His own death.
He swallowed.
"So the Ascension Steps..."
His eyes remained fixed on the barrier.
"They accepted me."
"They brought me here."
His voice dropped.
"And all of this..."
"...was a trap?"
The Guardian's smile widened.
"Yes."
He took another step.
"Everything was."
Silence.
Zekai's expression hardened.
The Guardian stopped. Then, almost casually, he added—
"Everything..."
His eyes gleamed.
"...except the Ascension Steps."
Zekai froze.
His heart skipped.
"...Then who chose me?"
The Guardian smiled. And for the first time since entering the sanctuary...
Zekai understood that the trap might be far more complicated than he had imagined.
✦ End of Chapter 62 — Who Chose Me? ✦