<w:bottom w:space="0" w:sz="0" w:val="nil"><w:right w:space="0" w:sz="0" w:val="nil"><w:between w:space="0" w:sz="0" w:val="nil"><w:shd w:fill="auto" w:val="clear"><w:spacing w:after="0" w:before="0" w:line="276" w:linerule="auto"><w:ind w:left="0" w:right="0" w:firstline="0"><w:jc w:val="left"><w:rpr><w:rfonts w:ascii="Calibri" w:cs="Calibri" w:eastasia="Calibri" w:hansi="Calibri"><w:b w:val="1"><w:i w:val="0"><w:smallcaps w:val="0"><w:strike w:val="0"><w:color w:val="000000"><w:sz w:val="22"><w:szcs w:val="22"><w:u w:val="none"><w:shd w:fill="auto" w:val="clear"><w:vertalign w:val="baseline"><w:r w:rsiddel="00000000" w:rsidr="00000000" w:rsidrpr="00000000"><w:rpr><w:rfonts w:ascii="Calibri" w:cs="Calibri" w:eastasia="Calibri" w:hansi="Calibri"><w:b w:val="1"><w:i w:val="0"><w:smallcaps w:val="0"><w:strike w:val="0"><w:color w:val="333333"><w:sz w:val="22"><w:szcs w:val="22"><w:u w:val="none"><w:shd w:fill="auto" w:val="clear"><w:vertalign w:val="baseline"><w:rtl w:val="0"><w:t xml:space="preserve">Chapter 346 Except for light gray hair and brown shining eyes, his face was almost identical to Zeke's.Zeke stared at the Holy King's face.'Except for the hair color, he looks exactly like me.'Though startled at first, Zeke quickly accepted reality.'Since I inherited blood from both House Agamemnon and Draker, it's not strange that we look alike.'Though their appearances were nearly identical rather than just similar, Zeke dismissed it as mere coincidence.The Holy King spoke while looking at the startled Zeke."Why do you look at me that way?"Zeke shook his head and replied."It's nothing, Your Majesty."This time the Holy King studied Zeke before saying."Your demeanor. You're very similar to Terakan Draker."Zeke was surprised by the Holy King's unexpected words."Me?""Yes."The Holy King's voice was quite sharp when speaking about Terakan.Seeing the Holy King's reaction, Zeke realized something.'He seems to have suspected Terakan was his birth father. But since Terakan never revealed it, he didn't acknowledge it either.'Zeke pondered why Terakan hadn't told the truth to his son Geo Lubern.'Did he not want to reveal that Claudia was Bahamut whom he killed?'The relationship between Terakan Draker and the Holy King seemed more complex than expected.Then the Holy King asked Zeke."Successor. What is your name?"After considering, Zeke used his previous alias."Kai Lubern."He reused the name he had given to Laura when he went to the past.The Holy King's eyes wavered at Zeke's words."Lubern. Then you are my descendant?""Yes."Zeke took out Agamemnon's Mask, one of the holy relics, from his inventory and showed it to the Holy King."This is a divine object passed down through our family. It was almost destroyed once but was restored by the Fairy King's blessing."The Holy King was even more surprised seeing Agamemnon's Mask in Zeke's hands."The great sage's mask! It was passed down after all! I worried since no one after me could use it properly. What a relief."The Holy King smiled in relief briefly, then asked Zeke after some contemplation."I have one question.""Please speak, Your Majesty.""If you are my descendant, you should be able to use the power of light like me with the Healer class. However..."The Holy King continued while looking at the spear in the glass case."The holy spear Longomiant cannot draw out its god-slaying ability with the power of light. The power needed for this is...""I understand. The power of immortality is needed, right?"The Holy King's eyes widened at Zeke's words."How do you know this?""Actually, before coming here, I met the divine dragon Poseidon and pulled out the spear that was sealing his body."Zeke took out the crude spear he had pulled from Poseidon's body from his inventory and showed it to the Holy King.The Holy King was shocked seeing that spear."I've heard of this spear. Did you truly pull it out?""Yes, that's correct."At Zeke's words, the Holy King closed his eyes and clasped his hands in prayer."God of Light. Today at last I have met the true successor who will save the world and can pass on this spear."Watching the Holy King pray solemnly, Zeke felt an inexplicable familiarity with him.'Is it because we look alike?'Zeke thought of his other siblings.Perhaps because they had different mothers, all his siblings had distinct appearances and personalities.Though he maintained good relationships with Kali and Helen, it was more as colleagues or allies than siblings.Abel, one of his brothers, even died by Zeke's hand, and another brother Bacchus nearly died when captured by Zeke.Fratricide between siblings was quite common in House Draker's history.Zeke felt mixed emotions about feeling more closeness to the Holy King, whom he just met today and was only a spirit, than his blood siblings.'How strange. This has never happened before.'Then the Holy King finished praying, stood up and approached Zeke."Kai Lubern. Only today can I finally break free from these heavy chains of bondage. In my stead, use this holy spear to eternally destroy the resurrecting Demon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠King.""Your Majesty, I have one question.""Speak.""While I too heard the prophecy about the Demon King's resurrection, I cannot know exactly how the Demon King will be resurrected.""Prophecies are dangerous in themselves, so prophets inevitably hide the truth using riddles and rhymes. What do you know about the resurrection?""I only know that the Abyss mages are trying to resurrect a being called the King in Yellow using the Book of the Dead."The Holy King's expression darkened ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the mention of the Abyss."Those cursed bastards are still running rampant. Even though I killed them whenever I saw them."Surprisingly, the Abyss existed even in the Holy King's time.Zeke spoke to the Holy King."Currently, it's been about 800 years since the time of the Holy Empire that Your Majesty established. The Demon King is treated as nothing more than a character in children's stories. Everyone snickers at talk of the Demon King's resurrection, thinking it's a tasteless joke."The Holy King frowned at those words."This is the Abyss's method. Those evil seeds hide their identity and infiltrate throughout society, gradually changing people's perceptions, history, and information. Sometimes these conspiracies can be more effective than attacking a castle with a large army."Zeke nodded at the Holy King's words.People even still mistakenly believed that Bahamut started the Liberation War.False information and history change people's perceptions and make them completely unaware of how dangerous their situation is.The Holy King said to Zeke."The Abyss needs two things to resurrect the Demon King. One is the Book of the Dead where the Demon King's soul is sealed, the other is the vessel to contain that soul.""I think I understand what the Book of the Dead is, but what does the vessel mean?""The physical body for the Demon King's soul to descend into. That must be prepared."Zeke had one question about the Holy King's words."I heard that only a dragon's body could withstand the Demon King's strong power. That's why the Demon King's soul entered Bahamut before, isn't it?"The Holy King nodded at his words."You're right. But after the Liberation War, dragons have nearly gone extinct. So the Abyss bastards found another method.""What other method?""Dragon-humans."Zeke was shocked at the Holy King's words."Dragon-humans? Don't tell me they're creating dragon-humans to have the Demon King's soul descend into them?""That's right. A being with dragon's power but a human heart. Most suitable for the Demon King's descent. But there are conditions for this too.""What conditions?""Originally, dragon-humans were created when contract dragons voluntarily gave part of their heart to their contractors and transplanted it to forcibly strengthen the human body. Since human bodies are infinitely weaker compared to dragons, it was a kind of trick dragons created wanting to stay longer with their contractors."Zeke recalled what Hoshgar had said before.'Hoshgar also said dragon-humans' existence was a workaround that deceived karma.'But this method still needed dragons' help in the end.As he fell deeper into questions, the Holy King spoke."The Abyss's dark mages found a way to create dragon-humans without dragons' help.""What? Is that possible?""Yes, while dragons are gone, the dragon hearts they left behind when they died still exist. The dark mages conducted experiments creating dragon-humans by forcibly transplanting dragon hearts into humans."Zeke remembered something hearing the Holy King's words.'Abel. He definitely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠used dragon power too.'According to the Holy King's words, the Abyss mages must have transplanted a dragon heart into Abel to make him a vessel.'Those crazy bastards. To think of transplanting a dragon heart into a human body.'Thanks to that, Abel quickly reached the level of Black Knight, but gradually showed unstable signs and eventually was consumed by that power, transforming into a monster-like appearance.If Zeke had tried to absorb the cursed dragon heart directly without the system's power, he would surely have been no different from Abel.The Holy King continued speaking."But transplanting a dragon's heart into a human couldn't possibly be easy. Most of the Abyss bastards' attempts ended in failure."Zeke nodded at the Holy King's words.The dragon heart was the source of the enormous power dragons possessed.The power contained in an intact dragon heart was far beyond what humans could handle.Zeke said to the Holy King."So that's why the Abyss couldn't create a vessel for so long and couldn't break the Demon King's seal.""Besides the vessel, retrieving the Book of the Dead would have been nearly impossible too."Zeke looked puzzled at the Holy King's words."Doesn't the Abyss already have the Book of the Dead? I thought they were gathered to interpret it and gain its power."The Holy King shook his head at those words."Strictly speaking, the Abyss are more like followers of the Demon King created to retrieve the Book of the Dead containing the Demon King's sealed soul after the Liberation War. After losing the war, they scattered and hid everywhere, so I had no choice but to travel across the continent exterminating them."Zeke could finally understand why there were so many accounts of fighting black mages and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠liches in the Holy King's chronicles. They were traces of battles against the Abyss's black mages.The Holy King frowned remembering the Abyss black mages."To think those terrible bastards are still alive after 800 years. I should have wiped them out more thoroughly then..."Zeke shook his head."Those types are like poisonous mushrooms that lay low when in danger and rise again when the time comes. Your Majesty did your best."The Holy King smiled at Zeke at those words."Thank you."While watching the Holy King's warm smile, Zeke asked another question."According to Your Majesty's words, they didn't have the Book of the Dead then, but they might have it again now."The Holy King shook his head."That's probably not the case.""What? How can you be so sure?"The Holy King looked straight into Zeke's eyes and spoke."The Book of the Dead is hidden where neither they nor anyone else can reach it, so even the Abyss bastards won't be able to find it easily."Zeke asked with a puzzled expression."Where exactly is this place that even the Abyss can't find?"The Holy King hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking."Yes, I should tell you, as my successor."Despite saying so, he seemed to hesitate and paused before speaking again."The last dragons created a tower by sacrificing themselves to seal the Book of the Dead. And they sealed the book in the deepest part of that tower.""Are you saying the Book of the Dead is sealed in a tower made by dragons?""Yes. Thanks to the noble sacrifice of the great sage and the dragons, the Demon King's soul is as good as eternally sealed."Zeke asked the Holy King."Where is this tower?"The Holy King hesitated before slowly answering."Beyond the Dark Sea. The abandoned continent where no one can go. The Final Tower is there."