As soon as Zatiel saw the Flame Imperator, his energy, body, soul, will, and Omega Law burst with all their power. His instincts not warning him of danger meant nothing to him since the King in Yellow made it painfully clear that they could fail.
Zatiel unleashed waves that should have shattered space-time, but to his surprise, nothing happened. He attempted to teleport away, but a force sealed everything, and communication was also impossible as that same power also distorted his karma and connection to the Virtual Dream Universe.
The Flame Imperator did nothing as Zatiel attempted all sorts of ways to leave or at least send a message to the outside.
Eventually, the Neo-Demon Ancestor sighed before calming his power. Clearly, the Flame Imperator planned this for a long time and ensured to erase any flaws.
Nevertheless, despite facing someone with a power that surpassed him by an immense amount, Zatiel did not lose control or panic. They were still in the Prima Universe, severely limiting the Flame Imperator's actions.
The Flame Imperator must have infiltrated the Prima Universe and was hiding from the Universe Will in a similar manner to what the King in Yellow did during Zatiel's evolution to the Law Realm. That meant unleashing his power even for a second would break his cover and warn the entire Prima Universe of his presence.
Of course, Zatiel did not dare to relax due to that limitation, as the Flame Imperator had the power to threaten his life with a single attack. After all, a True Rank 10 life form could easily overwhelm a Fourth Evolution Extreme Rank 9 life form.
Zatiel took a deep breath as he stared at the Flame Imperator. Other than his bloodline characteristics, they were practically identical. The Alpha Universe Leader sat at the head of a small table and patiently waited for him to get closer.
The Flame Imperator saw how Zatiel sat before him and waved his hand, making two cups appear. Each of them contained a dark red liquid that seemed to be blood.
Zatiel stared at the cup for a moment and was surprised to feel a bloodline aura that surpassed a First Order Law Bloodline. It was full of chaotic energy, making it impossible to assimilate, but it could significantly improve the body.
"It belongs to a life form in the Emptiness. It was powerful but lacked any form of wisdom, so I was able to kill it after tiring it down." The Flame Imperator noticed that Zatiel did not touch the cup, but it seemed he did not mind and began to drink the blood.
Silence reigned between the duo until the Flame Imperator finally finished with his cup.
"You must have many questions, but I am sure one is more important than all the others. You wonder who is the real Incarnation of Death and Destruction, and who is the backup?"
Zatiel's eyes narrowed as he heard that, and his soul could not help but fluctuate. All his life, he considered himself the reincarnation of the Incarnation of Death and Destruction, whose goal was to take care of Abyss and Baator and end the Eldritch Universe. After that, he would reach the Alpha Universe and engage in a final battle against Endless Darkness' Will Core of Existence.
However, the Ouroboros Protocol and the rise of the Flame Imperator, with whom he shared Primordial Essence, made him question everything.
Zatiel did not answer the question, but the Flame Imperator could see the burning curiosity in the soul of this one.
"The truth is that you are a backup plan." The Flame Imperator's tone was flat, but that phrase shocked Zatiel's soul.
Despite Zatiel's monstrous willpower, the idea he was simply a pawn was not something he could just ignore. Still, that shock did not shatter his spirit, and it was not long before a silver flame erased any doubt in his heart and soul.
"It doesn't matter. I don't care about the title of Incarnation of Death and Destruction. I am Zatiel Daybreak, the Neo-Demon Ancestor and True Godking of Justice!"
When the Flame Imperator saw that silver flame in Zatiel's eyes, he began to smile.
"Good answer. Oh, and by the way, I am also a backup."
A flash of surprise and confusion appeared on Zatiel's face when he heard that. If they were both backups, does that mean a third life form was born of the Incarnation of Death and Destruction's ego?
The idea was preposterous. Luckily the Flame Imperator answered Zatiel's question immediately.
"The Incarnation of Death and Destruction divided his Will Core of Existence into two Ego Cores. One of the cores remained in the Prima Universe and got access to the Neo-Demon Realm and Final Purgatory, among many other things. You were born of that Ego Core, and your mission was to handle the Body, Soul, Omega Law, and Energy Cores of Existence from Endless Darkness.
I was born of the Ego Core sent to the Alpha Universe through the Eternal River of the Afterlife. Nothing was waiting for me there, but the Incarnation of Death and Destruction stored in me his soul force along with that of other hundreds of powerhouses, allowing me to reincarnate faster than you and at a high cultivation stage from the beginning.
My mission was to handle the most dangerous of all the Cores of Existence, the one that contained Endless Darkness' ego."
Zatiel did not bother to hide his surprise as he heard those words. Although there was a chance the Flame Imperator could be lying, everything made perfect sense.
He also noticed the way in which the Flame Imperator referred to the Incarnation of Death and Destruction as a third party.
"In case one of us perished, the soul of the other would feel it and unlock our complete memories while at the same time activating the Ouroboros Protocol.
When the King in Yellow killed you, my memories were unlocked. Final Purgatory fired a beam toward the Cosmic Wall, allowing me to connect the Alpha Universe and Prima Universe.
By the way, in case you were curious. If I perished, Final Purgatory would have also fired a beam at the Alpha Universe, but its goal would have been to retrieve as much of my soul force as possible before giving it to you.
As you can see, the Incarnation of Death and Destruction was very clever. It did not matter if one of us failed, as the other would carry on with the mission, and we blocked those memories to increase the pressure on our shoulders."
Zatiel's eyes widened as he understood just how scheming the Incarnation of Death and Destruction was. He practically made a backup of himself, giving himself a second chance in case of catastrophic failure in one of the universes.
After analyzing all the Flame Imperator's information, Zatiel's mind could not help but generate a question.
"What was the plan if the two of us survived and finished our respective missions?"
The Flame Imperator's smile grew odd as he heard that, but he did answer Zatiel's question.
"If we were alive at the end, then we were supposed to fight to the death. The winner would devour the other, and the Incarnation of Death and Destruction would become whole once again."
