Dantanian deeply sighed while looking at the fishing rod in his hand.
Despite doing his best to divert his attention, he couldn’t help but pull himself in a spiral of anxiety.
It had been a week since he encountered Zaphiel and his army, but the mont of weakness from that ti occupied his mind.
He’d always been confident about moving across the land unhindered, so the enemy’s success in restricting his prided ability struck him.
The idea of being immobilized when he least expected it weighed on his mind. In fact, he even had the strong urge to simply dump the keys sowhere and hide. That way, he would no longer have to face Zaphiel and his army.
"Zion, this is driving crazy," Dantanian complained. "Can I just throw these keys sowhere and escape in the opposite direction?"
"You can."
"Huh? I can?"
"Yes, you can."
The Fiend of Many Faces blinked because he thought that he had misheard the teenage boy’s words.
"Can you repeat that please?" Dantanian asked.
"You can place the keys sowhere and flee back here if you want," Thirteen replied. "Just make sure you hide it sowhere no one could find. If so random local in Fracture Heaven were to accidentally find it, that poor soul will surely suffer from Zaphiel’s interrogation."
After getting Zion’s approval, Dantanian was like a fish in water.
There was one place in Fractured Heaven where he could hide the two keys. He believed that even if Zaphiel and his gang were to go there, they would have a hard ti getting the divine keys.
Why?
Because that place was special.
The Fiend of Many Faces chuckled evilly as he made his way to the Temple of Courage.
Yes! The sa temple where Zion had fought against the System God, as well as the Wanderers who needed to pass their trials.
He didn’t know who created the temple. But when he first visited it to confirm if Zion’s story was true or not, he found a secret.
Outsiders could talk to the Final Boss. When Dantanian asked if he could give a reward to the next challenger to pass the trial, the Fiend who looked exactly like him said that it was possible.
So out of curiosity, he handed a Rank 7 Sovereign Core to the Final Boss, and the latter accepted it. It then declared that it would be added to the prize pool that the next challenger would get.
"I’m a genius!" Dantanian laughed evilly as he entered the portal that led to the 13th Floor.
The mont he appeared, he saw the Colosseum where the final battle would be held. Hanging on its entrance was a ssage.
———
Here lies the Final Trial of the Temple of Courage. In order to honor your courage, and resilience for coming this far, the opponent you will face will be just as strong as you.
This trial is completely balanced, so you have a fifty-fifty chance of passing. As to whether you will succeed or not, let Fate decide whether you will pass the final test.
———
When Dantanian entered the Colosseum, space flickered and a perfect replica of him appeared at the center of the Arena.
"Oh, it’s you again," the Fake Dantanian said with a smile. "Why are you here? Do you wish to challenge the trial this ti?"
"No," Dantanian replied. "Actually, I’m here for a favor. Can you add these two keys to the reward that will be given to the next challenger or challengers?"
"Why not?" the Fake Dantanian shrugged and accepted the keys that were given to it.
A mont later, the keys were gone, which made Dantanian breathe a sigh of relief.
"Can I ask another favor?" Dantanian asked.
"And that is?" The Fake Dantanian arched an eyebrow.
"The Celestials will co here for those keys," Dantanian explained. "When they co to challenge the trial, can you bring out the strongest fighter you have? I know that this battle will be balanced, but if possible, can you bring HIM out?"
"HIM?" The Fake Dantanian blinked. "Who’s HIM?"
"Zion Leventis!" Dantanian replied without hesitation. "Can you make him be the opponent of the Celestials?"
The Fake Dantanian laughed after hearing Dantanian’s proposal.
"You must really hate whoever is coming next, huh?" The Fake Dantanian smirked.
"I don’t really hate them," Dantanian shook his head. "They’re just annoying, so I want them to suffer a bit."
"Very well." The Fake Dantanian nodded.
The Fiend of Many Faces did a fist pump. This was exactly what he was aiming for. He was already looking forward to Zaphiel’s face when he had to fight Zion, who was of the sa strength as him!
In fact, since the trial could be taken up by multiple challengers, he wanted to see what would happen if Zaphiel and the other Celestials fought the Final Boss together.
After bidding the Fake Dantanian goodbye, the Fiend left the Temple feeling that he had accomplished his mission.
All he needed to do now was head far out into the sea, and look for a deserted island until the Celestials arrived at Fractured Heaven.
While moving to his new hideout, Dantanian reported what he did to Zion.
"Smart move," Thirteen replied. "Good job, Dantanian."
"Hahaha! I know right!" Dantanian laughed. "I’m smart, you know?"
The depression he initially wallowed in was replaced by glee. An uncontrollable smile flashed on his face as he ran across the sea, leaving a trail of foam in his wake.
"It’s just a sha I won’t see their faces when they realize what they must do to obtain the keys," Dantanian said. "But, that’s no longer my problem."
"That’s right." Thirteen agreed. "As long as we have enough ti in our hands, we can create the perfect battlefield for the final showdown."
He was halfway finished with the runic formation on the island. At most, he believed that he only needed two more weeks to complete it.
Forneus was still busy visiting the various Sea Kings, ordering them to mobilize their armies.
The Sea was his Domain, and there was no ruler within it that dared to defy his will.
One by one, the great monsters of the seas made their way to the Fortunate Isles.
The Immortal Fiend promised them that this would be the first and last ti he would ask for their help.
If they refused to help him, Forneus promised to hunt them down even if they swam to the edge of the world.
Knowing how short-tempered the Sea Serpent was, the different Sea Kings who lorded over their own territories agreed reluctantly.
Even Forneus was starting to think that they would be able to win because when it ca to the high-ranking fighters on both sides below the Celestial Rank, the monsters of the Sea wouldn’t lose too much against Zaphiel’s army.
But one problem remained.
Zaphiel’s Army could fly.
Fortunately, Thirteen told him that he shouldn’t worry about that either. The formation he was making would restrict the ability of flight within a hundred-mile radius of the Fortunate Isles.
While this formation might not affect Zaphiel and the other Celestials who could fly, the armies under their command would be helpless against his Runic Formation.
Once the small fries fell into the sea, they would simply beco seafood for the Sea Kings who would co to answer Forneus’ call.
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