Zatiel continues flying across the Emptiness for weeks. Like the last time, he used the waves of chaotic energy around him to heal his body and soul, restoring himself to peak condition. There was a sharp light in his eyes as he moved closer and closer to his objective.
What the Samsara Thearch was after was something he did not learn from the memories of slaying Rank 10, but a place he found during his initial journey through the Emptiness. He had only seen it from afar the first time and did not dare to get too close since, at that time, he lacked the strength to face the individual guarding the treasure.
That person's aura was one full of commitment that would not bend or yield under any circumstances, and there was little doubt in his mind that he would have to kill that individual to take the treasure.
Even now, Zatiel was not sure of his chances of victory. Of course, things would be different if he was willing to go all out, overexerting himself and using the power of the White Sun Pupil.
Yet, that could not happen. The Samsara Thearch could not afford to use the powers of the Late Stage on his journeys to secure the treasures. Any incapacitating injury at this point would put the entire Daybreak Universe in danger.
After almost a month, Zatiel was even better than his previous peak since the battle with the Fourth Realm Phenomenon taught him how to use his Eternal Flame of Justice at a more granular level.
'If everything were to turn out great, then I would reach the Late Stage by the time I obtain all the treasures.'
Zatiel showed a rueful smile as that thought crossed his mind since reaching the Late Stage required more than just hard work. And even if he were to achieve it, that did not mean everything would turn out well.
The Beyonder had existed as a Late Stage life form for an unquantifiable amount of time, so it was impossible to know just how strong it was or what you would need to defeat it.
Silver flames appeared in the Samsara Thearch's eyes as he pushed those thoughts to the back of his head and focused on the target in front of him.
Zatiel had finally reached his destination, and what he saw was hard to describe.
Right in front of the Samsara Thearch was a massive gate whose height could equal the diameter of a super universe, with a division in the middle. It glowed with a golden light that kept the giant waves of chaotic energy away and generated all sorts of phenomena in the Emptiness.
There were strange pictures engraved in the gate, with the largest of all being two majestic black butterflies, one on each side.
Nine golden steps lead to the gate, each of them having the picture of a strange beast that Zatiel could not recognize from any of his memories.
At the highest point of this majestic gate was a golden core surrounded by red halos that unleashed a power full of life and vitality. It was the energy nucleus of the gate and what Zatiel was looking for.
As for the person that guarded this construct, he was a middle-aged man with short black hair, a large muscular humanoid body, golden armor, and a large sword on his back. The man resembled a typical paladin from the fairy tales and was currently in a meditative position, drinking what seemed to be tea.
The middle-aged man did not raise his eyes even when the Samsara Thearch appeared and just kept drinking his tea as if nothing was happening.
Zatiel's eyes narrowed as he saw the behavior of the man. He had not bothered to hide his presence since that would have been futile, but he did not expect the middle-aged man to act as if he was not even here.
'Arrogance or true composure?'
The Samsara Thearch flew toward the gate, but to his surprise, when he reached the steps, a force began to act on his body. It pushed him down, forcing him to take the steps if he wanted to reach the gate.
Zatiel had the power to resist that strange force, but it would drain a considerable amount of his energy, and there was no gain in it, so he descended to the first step.
As soon as he put his feet on the first step, the engraving on it began to glow, and the phantom of a majestic creature emerged.
'Oh, I see. Each step is a different beast I must face before finally reaching that man. It looks entertaining, but I am not in the mood.'
Golden flames emerged from the Eternal Flame Pupil, flooding the first step and forcing the phantom back.
Zatiel then just began to move from one step to the other, and no matter what emerged, all those creatures simply crumbled under the power of the Eternal Flame of Justice.
Those phantoms were not weak, each being a True Rank 10 life form. Still, while that would be enough to hinder the path of most Fourth Realm life forms, it was not enough to delay the Sasmara Thearch at all.
The Samsara Thearch reached the ninth step and overpowered the phantom in it just like he did with all the others before jumping into the platform containing the middle-aged man and the golden gate.
"Please."
The middle-aged man extended his hand, signaling for Zatiel to sit in front of him and share the tea. That was a bizarre proposition, one that Zatiel did not accept right away, but he was intrigued by this character, so he nodded and sat in front of the man.
"Zatiel Daybreak, the Samsara Thearch, Progenitor of Neo-Demons and Depravitas, Doom of Alpha and Eldritch, Slayer of Endless Darkness."
Before Zatiel could even say a word, the middle-aged man began to speak. Although those were just titles, they depicted key moments in his life, something the middle-aged man should know nothing about since they had never met before.
"You seem to know a lot about me."
Zatiel's eyes grew sharp, and his voice was cold as he stared at the middle-aged man.
"Not really, it just told me about you." The middle-aged man pointed at the gate behind him before raising his head and opening his eyes. There was no light in them, making it seem he was blind, but Zatiel could feel that someone was looking at him through them.
'Those are no eyes but portals.'
Zatiel's face grew solemn as he felt the power of the middle-aged man more clearly now that they were right in front of each other, and it seemed that the fight would be even more dangerous than he thought. Nevertheless, he would not leave this place without the energy nucleus.
"You know a lot about me, but I don't know your name."
The middle-aged man stared at Zatiel for a moment and handed a cup of tea.
"I don't have a name. Those are social constructs used by life forms to communicate and spread their circle of influence. I was built with the sole purpose of guarding the Oblivion Gate, so I never needed one. However, for the purpose of this conversation, you can call me Guardian."
Zatiel's eyes narrowed, and he stared at Guardian for a moment before taking the cup and drinking the tea. A flash of surprise appeared as the taste was delicious.
"It had been a long time since I drank something just for its taste. I must say, it is very good."
Guardian nodded to Zatiel's words and served another cup as the two drank the tea together.
"Oblivion Gate. That is a very ominous name. I wonder where it leads to?"
"It is not to get somewhere but for someone to get here."
Zatiel's eyes widened as he heard that. He did not expect Guardian to actually answer his question, but this one gave him even more information.
That massive golden gate was a construct that defied logic and with a power that no one beneath the Late Stage could make, yet its sole purpose was to allow an individual to reach this sector of the Emptiness.
The gate grew from an interesting treasure to a potentially dangerous location. Zatiel had no idea who the person that wanted to use it was or their goals, but he did not feel comfortable with the gate being so near the Daybreak Universe.
The Samsara Thearch then focused on Guardian, trying to understand more, but he was out of luck.
"I know your questions, but I don't have answers. I have no idea who will come through that gate or what they will do after reaching this place. I only know I must guard this place until it happens, and I will do it from anyone."
Guardian's face was resolute, with no hesitation or fear whatsoever.
"Ahhh."
Zatiel sighed as he continued drinking his tea alongside the middle-aged man. None of them hurry up since they knew that after they were over, a battle would start.
