Early morning.

Standing behind the window, Zorn quietly watched the rising sun as it cleared the horizon.

When it reached a certain position,

the sun, with its faint red halo, instantly turned completely blood-red, as if soaked in fresh blood.

"A...ro...ka...s..."

"A...ro...ka...s..."

Uncanny, dreamlike whispers flooded the depths of Zorn’s soul, reverberating deep within his Sequence.

Outside the window, the trees that had been shedding their leaves instantly burst into flame with a great CRACKLE. The blood-red fire was like a cackling demon.

Blood continuously seeped from the walls. Black tentacles slithered upward as pairs of blood-red eyes lit up from the depths.

Lava began to spill from the ground, flowing freely.

In an instant, the entire world had transformed into a ruinous Purgatory, a thick blanket of ash covering everything.

On the pane of window glass between Zorn and the Sun,

his silhouette was reflected.

It was a writhing mass of flesh, constantly pumping and throbbing, flailing in the throes of death!

Upon the mass of flesh and bone were not only Zorn’s own features, but also the skeletal forms of the two Evil Spirits he had devoured: Rat King Bucky and the Evil Spirit Divine Mage, Francis.

The two reached out, their hands passing through the mirrored glass to grab Zorn, trying to drag him down into the depths of the great, risen sun—a sun that looked as if it were weeping blood.

"Master!"

A startled cry suddenly rang out beside Zorn.

Zorn came back to his senses and looked to his side.

He saw Vanessa staring at him, a look of shock on her face.

"What’s wrong with me?"

Zorn asked calmly.

"You... just now, you were wreathed in scorching smoke, as if..."

"As if I was about to be set on fire?"

Zorn added.

"Yes!"

Vanessa nodded very seriously.

"It’s the Sun!"

Zorn turned his head back to look out the window.

The bizarre, grotesque scene from moments ago was gone.

The room was quiet again, and outside the window, yellowed leaves occasionally drifted down.

The Sun, now slightly higher in the sky, had returned to its usual, blindingly bright state.

The eerie, burning crimson from before had vanished as well.

’The [Crying Blood Sun] is almost here.’

At the window, bathed in the morning sunlight, Zorn watched the slowly rising Sun, his figure as still as a silhouette.

The day before yesterday, and yesterday as well, Zorn had sensed something was off about the rising Sun while he was on the road.

So today, Zorn had decided to take a closer look.

He wouldn’t have known the truth of it without looking.

But now, he saw it all too clearly.

’That [Crying Blood Sun] really packs a punch.’

It had almost set him on fire. Thankfully, Vanessa had woken him up in time.

’Of course, for me now, never mind being set on fire; even being burned to death wouldn’t be a major issue.’

’The [Sun Church] has already begun constructing the grand ritual for the [Crying Blood Sun].’

’I need to speed up the progress of my Evil Spirit Catastrophe Ceremony as well.’

’Otherwise... once the Crying Blood Sun rises...’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

’I’ll become a target for the [Crying Blood Sun] as well.’

’It doesn’t matter if it’s the Holy Fierce Sun Church, which is currently in power, or the Sun Church, which will ascend in the future.’

’They all view other Evil Spirit Sequences as a threat.’

’Even the Evil Spirit Sequences under their command are nothing more than pawns, to be used until their value is completely drained.’

’This was true for the Zorn Corick of the original timeline, for the Evil Spirit Divine Mage Francis in this timeline, and even for the Evil Spirit tool who is about to ignite the Crying Blood Sun in the current stage.’

’Not to mention the even stronger bosses and factions in the grander arcs to come!’

’They also see the fleshy remains of Evil Spirit Sequences as a delicious meal.’

Lost in thought, Zorn gazed out over Ogrande City.

’I need to add another powerful anchor and, at the same time, acquire the Sun King’s Golden Scepter to fully construct my Golden Throne.’

’Only then can I bathe in the light of the Crying Blood Sun when it shines down, and remain unharmed.’

’In the [Crying Blood Sun] ceremony, the Sun King’s Golden Skeleton is one of the core ritual components.’

’Once I obtain the Sun King’s Golden Scepter and construct the Golden Throne...’

Zorn’s eyes narrowed, an unusual light flickering in their depths.

’Not only will I have no fear of the [Crying Blood Sun], but I can also better integrate myself into this grand ceremony.’

’I can borrow the Sun Church’s power to help me carve an immortal Sacred Mark.’

The [Crying Blood Sun] was a terrifying "Miracle Ceremony."

One could say that such ceremonies were clashes between portions of the Divine Spirits’ power.

The ones who directed them, the Controllers, were Transcendents from the major powers.

In the future, such terrifying "Miracle Ceremonies" would not be uncommon.

As for this kind of powerful "Miracle Ceremony,"

Zorn naturally had his own ideas about how to secretly profit from it.

The "Sun King’s Golden Throne," constructed using the Sun King’s Golden Scepter, was the key.

When it came to the [Crying Blood Sun] Miracle Ceremony,

Zorn probably understood the entire process better than anyone in the [Sun Church].

Using the Sun Church’s [Crying Blood Sun] as the core,

Zorn would quietly initiate a secret, embedded ritual to become part of the [Crying Blood Sun] himself.

He only needed the [Crying Blood Sun] to ascend.

And Zorn would reap the benefits for all time.

’I don’t need your permission to participate!’