Still floating high above the earth, Zeke bent over with both hands resting on his knees.
The backlash from Devil's Miracle had arrived.
Blood streamed from his eyes like crimson tears, staining his cheeks as exhaustion threatened to drag him into unconsciousness. His vision blurred beneath the starlit sky, leaving him oblivious to the faint teal flicker hovering nearby.
Moments later, Blue returned.
The griffon had successfully extinguished the flames consuming its wing and immediately flew to Zeke's side. Despite its injuries, concern was evident in the mystical beast's golden eyes.
"No need to worry about me."
Zeke forced a weary smile as he gently patted Blue's feathers.
"I'm just glad to see you again."
Without warning, a searing pain erupted from the back of his neck.
"Likewise."
Lord Samus' voice rang out.
Before Zeke could react, an iron grip clamped around his throat.
Blue screeched and spun around, attempting to free his master. However, a flaming palm strike met the loyal griffon head-on, launching it into the distance.
"Blue..."
Zeke's voice came out as little more than a rasp beneath Samus' crushing grip.
"To think you possessed such a caring side. Who would've known?" Samus chuckled. "But don't worry. I'll gladly reunite master and pet."
The moment he finished speaking, he shot toward the earth like a falling comet.
Still gripping Zeke by the neck, Samus dragged him through the sky as if he weighed nothing.
The world blurred.
The wind howled.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Meanwhile, Lord Samus laughed.
"Countdown until impact!"
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
"Eight!"
"Seven!"
"Six!"
"Five!"
"Four!"
BOOM!
The mountain exploded.
Stone, dirt, and fire erupted outward as a massive section of the landscape collapsed under the force of the impact.
When the dust finally settled, only destruction remained.
A crater scarred the mountainside.
At its center stood a victorious father.
Beneath him lay a son who was burned, broken, battered, and barely recognizable.
"Oh?"
Samus looked around theatrically.
"I must've miscalculated in more ways than one. I could've sworn we'd land closer to your little companion's corpse."
He clicked his tongue.
"Tsk. What can you do? At least you'll have the opportunity to reunite in the afterlife."
His laughter echoed through the shattered valley.
....
Before intercepting Zeke, Samus had taken the time to review the contents stored within the teal recording orb.
What he discovered only fueled his fury.
After carefully examining the footage, he finally uncovered the truth behind Kang-Min's deception and the actual amount of time that had passed while trapped within the illusion.
The realization humiliated him.
For perhaps the first time in centuries.
He had been fooled.
Not merely delayed.
Fooled.
Samus had sworn to make Zeke suffer for that embarrassment.
Yet even then, his troublesome son managed to exceed expectations once again.
The power Zeke displayed after consuming Devil's Miracle had genuinely threatened him.
When Crescent Moon and New Moon descended upon him, Samus was forced to rely on a spatial substitution technique.
A marked object instantly switched places with its user.
In this case, the sacrifice had been the teal orb hovering above Zeke's position.
The artifact and the surrounding sky were obliterated moments later.
Now, however, everything had returned to its proper order.
Samus stood at the top of the food chain.
And Zeke lay dying beneath his feet.
The way things should have always been.
Zeke could barely breathe.
Every inhale sounded like a broken bellows struggling to function.
Satisfied with the suffering before him, Samus prepared to conclude their lengthy game of cat and mouse.
"Admittedly, I underestimated you yet again."
His voice carried through the night.
"Despite knowing how meticulous you are, you've still managed to surprise me. However, your greatest efforts ultimately amount to nothing."
He crouched slightly.
"A pawn's life inevitably ends with a pawn's death."
The stars and full moon cast a pale glow over the father and son standing amidst the darkness.
"Now then. The curtain is finally closing on this tedious affair. As a reward for your persistence, I will allow you to speak your final words."
For several seconds, silence followed.
Then Zeke laughed weakly.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Heh..."
His damaged body trembled.
"Even if I have to crawl my way out of the depths of hell..."
His golden eyes locked onto Samus'.
"I'll make you—and every dirty bastard like you—regret the day you crossed me."
His voice gradually strengthened.
"So remember the poisoned seeds you've sown."
A faint grin appeared.
"Until we meet again."
"Hmph."
Samus smirked.
"There's no need for me to concern myself with a dead man's delusions."
He extended his hand toward Zeke's chest.
Yet before his fingers could touch him—
Zeke dissolved.
His body collapsed into a puddle of blood.
Silence followed.
For the first time that day, Lord Samus stood completely motionless.
Bewildered.
Confused.
Enraged.
A thin stream of blood trickled from his clenched fist.
Once again, he had been made a fool.
....
Meanwhile, inside the Blood Sanctum, Zeke remained seated cross-legged at the center of the formation.
The backlash struck immediately.
A torrent of blood erupted from his mouth as the accumulated damage suffered by the Blood Clone returned to its creator.
For a brief moment, he nearly lost consciousness.
Then he steadied himself.
He had come too far to collapse now.
This was the final phase of his plan.
Earlier, while Samus remained trapped inside Kang-Min's illusion, the old Grandmaster had carefully examined Zeke's body and discovered the hidden tracking curse placed upon him.
The culprit had been obvious.
Lord Samus.
According to Kang-Min, the curse could only be completely removed by its original caster or by an Immortal.
Neither option was realistic.
To ordinary people, Immortals existed only in myths and legends.
Yet powerful sects and clans knew the truth.
Every major power possessed records of ancestors who had successfully stepped beyond Stage 5 and entered Stage 6.
Upon reaching that realm, the mortal world itself could no longer contain them.
The heavens would forcibly pull them into a higher plane of existence.
With no practical means of removing the curse, Zeke chose a different solution.
If the curse was an advantage for Samus—
Then he'd turn it into a disadvantage.
Using a specialized Blood Clone, he painstakingly transferred the tracking properties onto a duplicate body.
As long as the clone existed and Zeke remained stationary, the seal's effectiveness on his true body would diminish significantly.
The clone would serve as bait.
A false trail.
A target Samus couldn't ignore.
And while his father hunted the decoy, Zeke could complete the technique he had spent decades developing.
Now, after years of preparation, the moment had finally arrived.
His gaze lowered toward the countless symbols carved across his flesh and soul.
The ritual was called:
Self-Return.
Originally, he had created it for a single purpose.
To return home.
Back to Earth.
Back to the world he once belonged to before becoming Zeke Samus.
In his youth, the dream had consumed him.
But after decades of research, experimentation, and failure, hope slowly transformed into resignation.
The truth was simple.
Self-Return was far more likely to kill him than save him.
Yet compared to the alternatives...
Death felt preferable.
'I can't believe I've been pushed into using a technique with such miserable odds.'
Zeke laughed bitterly.
'Then again, I'd rather gamble on a sliver of hope than spend the rest of my life hiding like a frightened mouse.'
His resolve hardened.
Without hesitation, he swallowed another pill.
The effects struck immediately.
His damaged body screamed in protest as he forcefully ascended into the Grandmaster realm for a second time.
Power surged through him.
Yet he felt less alive than ever.
Like a corpse being held together through sheer willpower.
Ignoring the agony, Zeke raised two fingers.
Then plunged them directly into his own heart.
"Self-Return."
The ritual began.