Book 9. The Final Battle / The End of Daybreak
Ezequiel's eyes narrowed as he heard Zatiel's description of the enemy's wisdom. It was extremely personal, as if they had known each other all their life.
Thanks to Universe Memory, Ezequiel saw the Flame Imperator's actions when he entered the Prima Universe after Venganza's birth, but it was not limited to that. He also saw the Alpha Universe's Leader's first interaction with the Prima Universe when he faced Issac, Bahamut, and Hyperion and how this one stopped the battle after a particular event.
The more and more Ezequiel thought about it, the greater the sense of shock and awe that assaulted his heart. An idea formed in his mind, and if it was correct, then the enemy they were about to face was much more terrifying than Endless Darkness.
Zatiel could see that a question was forming in Ezequiel's mind. He manipulated his Omega Law to create a bubble around them, so not even Extreme Rank 9 life form could spy on their conversation.
"I first grew suspicious after learning that something called Ouroboros Protocol was inside the NRAI. It was set to act in case of my demise and fired a beam of energy carrying an incredible amount of power toward the Cosmic Wall formed between the Alpha Universe and Prima Universe."
Ezequiel's face grew solemn as he heard that, and he pushed his focus to its peak. He knew this information would fundamentally change the balance in the known multiverse.
"I, of course, knew about the Alpha Universe since it was my birthplace. However, I never planned to interact with it before unifying the entire Prima Universe and destroying the Eldritch Universe. Only after that and having regained a battle strength at the De-Facto Rank 10 did I feel confident in facing Endless Darkness' Core of Existence inside that universe." Zatiel did not bother to hide his apprehension toward the Alpha Universe's Core of Existence.
Ezequiel had learned a great deal regarding Endless Darkness' Cores of Existence. The Incarnation of Death and Destruction was able to neutralize the one inside Nexus by paying a great price.
However, while it forced Zatiel to reincarnate, the Incarnation of Death and Destruction was even stronger the next time it emerged. Most likely due to assimilating the Core of Existence's essence. It reached the point Venganza was able to use it to handle the Core of Existence inside the 666th Layer without much effort.
Ezequiel did not doubt that the Incarnation of Death and Destruction would have been more than powerful enough to destroy the Core of Existence that formed Abyss had Venganza not focused his efforts on the King in Yellow.
And yet, Zatiel only felt confident in facing the Alpha Universe's Core of Existence after regaining his De-Facto Rank 10 battle power and having the full force of the Prima Universe at his disposal.
"The Will Core of Existence?" That was the only explanation Ezequiel could find for Zatiel's apprehension.
Willpower was the most challenging Core of Existence to evolve into Rank 10 and the final shackle that trapped countless great geniuses in the Law Realm.
"That is right, the Core of Existence inside the Alpha Universe corresponds to Endless Darkness' willpower. That would have been my final enemy. I would only have faced it after destroying the Soul Core of Existence in Baator, the Body Core of Existence in Abyss, and the Omega Law and Energy Cores of Existence that were the pillars of the entire Eldritch Universe. But now it is clear that none of that matters anymore.
The beam of energy fired from Final Purgatory under the command of the NRAI after my demise at the hands of the King in Yellow had two goals. One was to weaken the Cosmic Wall, and the other was to inform someone of my death. I don't recall leaving a backup plan in case of my demise, and I was supposed to have been the one that programmed every directive and protocol in the Neo-Demon Realm Artificial Intelligence." A rueful smile appeared on Zatiel's face as he uttered that last sentence due to its implication.
"Some altered your memories!" Ezequiel could not help but shout.
"That is right, and they did it after my battle in Nexus when I was the undisputable strongest entity in the entire Prima Universe. During my time like Venganza, I connected all the dots and became certain of the hidden scheme that affected my existence." Zatiel made a slight pause at that point before releasing a small laugh.
"Hahaha, my people skills might have sucked during that time, but I sure as hell was brilliant."
Ezequiel's eyes widened as admiration and awe appeared in his soul. Everybody else would have crumbled in despair at that revelation, but other than the small moment of disappointment, Zatiel's determination and willpower were as strong as ever.
'As expected from Master.' The Supreme Neo-Demon also smiled, and all doubt and hesitation vanished from his soul. He was confident they could defeat anyone as long as they were together.
"What is that person's goal?"
Ezequiel knew that no matter the enemy, the first thing you need to know to face them properly is to understand the motivation behind their actions.
"Regarding his ultimate goal, that is something I don't know at the moment. However, I am sure he will seek to fuse back the Alpha Universe and Prima Universe. If done in an orderly manner, that would help both super universes' life forms.
Unfortunately, the Flame Imperator will use his power to enhance and weaponize the Alpha Universe, so this one assimilates the Prima Universe. It will not affect weak life forms, but it will be disastrous for all those at the Law Realm since that assimilation would provoke a drastic change in the law matrix and Universe Will."
Every Inner Universe used the Prima Universe's Laws of Space and Time to form its foundation. A change in the laws would generate a devastating ripple effect, especially for those that fused their Omega Laws in the law matrix.
"How much time do we have left?" Ezequiel was confident that his destiny and potential were more than enough to reach Fourth Evolution Extreme Rank 9. At that point, thanks to his bloodline, he could deploy De-Facto Ran 10 battle power. But for all that, he needed time.
"Not much. The Flame Imperator should be almost ready with the assimilation of the Core of Existence he took from the Eldritch Universe, if not over already. After that, he will need to spend some time stabilizing his cultivation and preparing the Alpha Universe for the assimilation." Zatiel was sure that weaponizing an entire super universe would not be easy, but his voice still had a sense of urgency. Even the most optimistic timeline was not very good.
"Could the Flame Imperator march into the Prima Universe and erase any threat to his plan before finishing his preparation?" Ezequiel was sure that the Flame Imperator already knew that Zatiel was aware of his plans and preparing to counter them.
For someone with that power, it would not be too hard to endure a backlash in his cultivation in order to handle future threats ahead of time.
"After assimilating two of Endless Darkness' Cores of Existence, there is no way the Prima Universe Will would not recognize him as anything else but an alien life form. Still, something unexpected could happen at any moment. That is why I need to become stronger fast!" Zatiel's eyes burned with silver flames as a golden storm began to form above him.
