The staircase seemed endless.
Zekai continued climbing. Step after step.
The vast sanctuary remained silent above him, its white architecture growing larger with every step. The warm sunlight reflected from the ancient stone, while distant waterfalls poured from the cliffs surrounding the valley, their constant roar strangely muted by the overwhelming stillness of the place.
He had already climbed hundreds of steps.
Yet the summit was finally within sight.
"...Almost there."
Zekai exhaled slowly.
His legs were beginning to feel heavy, but he refused to stop. Whatever waited at the top had to be connected to the Reality Fracture.
And if he wanted to prevent another dimensional interference from spilling monsters—or something far worse—into his world...
He needed answers.
He took another step.
Then—
He stopped.
"...?"
Several steps ahead...
Something was standing on the staircase.
Zekai narrowed his eyes.
A group of figures sat silently across the ancient steps.
Six.
No...
There were more.
Their bodies were covered completely in pristine white robes. Their faces remained hidden beneath their hoods.
Each sat in a different position.
One leaned forward with both hands resting against an unfamiliar weapon.
Another sat with one knee raised, a long object resting across its lap.
Another held something resembling a spear.
The others carried weapons Zekai couldn't identify.
None of them moved. None of them spoke.
They simply...
Watched.
Zekai's fingers slowly tightened around Null Drakular.
"...People?"
He blinked.
The figures flickered. For a fraction of a second—
Their bodies distorted like a corrupted image.
Then—
They disappeared. Nothing remained.
Only the empty staircase.
Zekai stared at the spot for several seconds.
"..."
He blinked again.
"...Maybe I'm dreaming."
He rubbed his eyes. Nothing.
The figures were gone.
"...Yeah."
"I've officially been in this place too long."
He continued climbing.
Yet something about those figures remained inside his mind.
They hadn't felt like ghosts. They hadn't felt like illusions either.
For that brief moment when their eyes had seemed to meet his...
Zekai had felt something.
Recognition. As though those unidentified beings had already seen him before.
He pushed the thought aside. There was no time to dwell on it.
A few more steps...
Then—
The staircase ended.
Zekai stepped onto the summit. His eyes widened.
"...Whoa."
The top of the sanctuary wasn't a room.
It was an enormous open platform stretching farther than he could see.
White stone formed a circular stage surrounded by towering pillars.
On both sides of the platform, magnificent waterfalls descended from impossible heights, their silver streams disappearing into clouds far below.
At the far end stood a massive throne.
It was carved from a strange white material that seemed almost brighter than marble.
Behind it...
A colossal angelic statue towered into the sky.
Its wings stretched outward like enormous walls.
One hand held a gigantic sword pointed toward the heavens.
The statue's face remained expressionless.
Yet there was something strangely familiar about its presence.
Almost...
Judgmental.
Zekai slowly lowered Null Drakular.
"...So this is the center."
He looked around.
Nobody.
The throne was empty.
No guardian. No mysterious figures.
Nothing. For a moment...
The entire sanctuary seemed abandoned.
Then—
A heavy breeze drifted across the platform.
Zekai's coat fluttered.
The air moved strangely. Not naturally. It curled around his body...
Then continued toward the empty throne.
A whisper followed.
Ancient.
Distorted.
Almost too old for human ears to understand.
"..."
Zekai turned his head.
"What was that?"
The wind stopped.
Silence returned.
He looked toward the throne again.
Empty.
"...I swear someone was—"
His sentence died. Because someone was sitting there.
A figure.
One leg crossed elegantly over the other. One arm rested casually against the side of the throne.
The other supported his cheek.
His body was covered by a long white robe. His head was lowered. His face remained hidden beneath the fabric.
Zekai's entire body stiffened.
"..."
He took one involuntary step backward.
'How did he get there?'
There had been no flash.
No distortion.
No movement.
No sound.
He hadn't even sensed another presence.
Yet the figure was sitting directly in front of him.
Zekai's instincts screamed.
'I can't sense him.'
His eyes narrowed.
Even though he's right there. That was impossible.
Even Zero...
Even the strange entities he had encountered before had left some trace.
A pressure. A presence.
Something.
This being had nothing.
No origin.
No detectable aura. No visible source of power.
He looked almost completely human.
Almost.
Ancient symbols covered portions of his pale skin beneath the white robes, faintly glowing like markings that had been carved into existence itself.
His appearance was almost angelic.
Beautiful.
Unnatural.
And yet...
Zekai felt something crawling down his spine.
The figure didn't look like someone sitting on a throne.
He looked like someone who had been given the throne because the world itself had no choice.
Another breeze passed through the sanctuary.
This time—
It came from the figure. The air itself seemed to obey him.
The white hood slowly slipped backward.
Red hair fell across his pale forehead. Then the figure lifted his face.
Golden eyes remained closed.
Zekai swallowed.
'Stay calm.'
'Nothing like what you think.'
'Just stay calm.'
He cleared his throat.
"...Hey, Mr."
No response.
Zekai waited. Nothing.
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I'm Zekai Krystan."
Silence.
"..."
"Yeah."
"Not exactly the friendliest greeting."
Still nothing.
Zekai sighed. Then his expression became serious.
"In your dimension..."
"There is a Reality Fracture."
"I came here to find out what's causing it."
His gaze remained fixed on the throne.
"Do you know anything about it?"
Nothing.
The entity didn't even acknowledge him.
Zekai's eyebrow twitched.
He had fought monsters.
Entities.
The Fool.
He had faced death. But somehow...
Being completely ignored was beginning to irritate him more than all of them.
"...Seriously?"
He waited another moment. No response.
Zekai muttered under his breath.
"This guy never understands."
The moment the word left his mouth—
The sanctuary changed.
The golden eyes opened.
Zekai's entire body locked in place.
Two brilliant golden irises stared directly at him.
The pressure arrived instantly. His instincts screamed.
RUN.
The entity slowly raised one hand. His fingers made a simple downward gesture.
"Shut up."
His voice was quiet. Almost emotionless.
Then—
"Dirty stray dog."
BOOOOOOM!!
The world disappeared beneath pressure.
Zekai's body was violently slammed into the stone.
CRACK!!
The platform beneath him fractured.
His chest struck the ground so hard that blood burst from his mouth.
"...Ghh!"
His arms trembled. His bones screamed.
The invisible force pressed against every inch of his body.
It wasn't like the staircase. This wasn't a law rejecting him.
This was pure domination.
Something had simply decided—
You will kneel.
✦ End of Chapter 60 — You Will Kneel ✦