Chapter 430
Chapter 430
Chapter 430
The Flesh-Eating Emperor Ajitahaka.
It was the name of a cursed figure erased from human history.
His infamy was especially well-known among demons, as Ajitahaka summoned demons to drink their blood and devour their flesh.
Ajitahaka was the emperor of an ancient empire that existed in the Eastern continent, wielding immense power and authority.
Even Blood King Caligula, the ruler of Shambhala, was like a firefly before the moon compared to Ajitahaka.
Ajitahaka possessed a powerful blood ability - he could absorb the power of those he consumed.
Using this ability, he devoured countless powerful beings and became an existence that transcended human power.
Having surpassed human limitations, Ajitahaka sought to become a 'Constellation' himself.
In this process, Ajitahaka consumed demons rather than humans to absorb the power of fallen Constellations.
As a result, the infamy of the Flesh-Eating Emperor Ajitahaka spread even to the demon realm, and despite being human, he gained power surpassing that of Constellations.
However, not satisfied with this, Ajitahaka attempted to absorb even fallen Constellations to reach an even higher level.
What stopped the seemingly unstoppable charge of the Flesh-Eating Emperor was none other than himself.
While attempting to summon and absorb the power of a fallen Constellation, Ajitahaka lost his physical body, and his soul was imprisoned in the 'Isolation Realm,' known as the prison of the abyss.
When Ajitahaka, who had come closest to becoming a Constellation as a human, disappeared, the empire he built quickly crumbled.
Peace returned to the Eastern continent that had long been suppressed by Ajitahaka's power, and the Emperor of Terror was forgotten in history, shunned by those who had suffered because of him.
Ropocale couldn't help but be surprised that Azmund was holding a sword containing such power of Ajitahaka.
While Ropocale knew that Azmund had joined hands with Ramon Jimenez and received his support, he hadn't expected him to bring forth the power of the Flesh-Eating Emperor.
Azmund swung the grotesquely transformed sword of Ajitahaka toward the lower demon.
KAAAAAAK!
The Flesh-Eating Sword imbued with Ajitahaka's authority suddenly changed its shape and devoured the upper body of the lower demon.
KWADDEUK!
KWADEUK!
With a loud noise, the body of the lower demon, having lost its upper half, fell to the ground with a thud.
Ropocale gritted his teeth at this sight.
'So it's Ajitahaka's power. That's why Azmund was so confident in his betrayal.'
Ajitahaka was one who, though human, was not human - one who absorbed power by chewing and swallowing demons whole.
For Ropocale, a demon, this was a terrible match-up.
Ropocale wrapped the chains binding Zeke around his hand and stepped back for now.
CHWARALARAK!
As the chains fixed to the ceiling and floor separated, Zeke's bound body fell to the ground with a thud.
Ropocale pulled the chains to drag Zeke closer and quickly activated a barrier.
KUGUGUGUGU!
As the barrier activated, black lightning shot down from the ceiling toward Azmund.
PAJIJIJIK!
While the black lightning held Azmund back, Ropocale tried to escape the great hall with Zeke.
"Stop him!"
The royal knights infected with the demon realm's parasites charged at Azmund following Ropocale's command.
Azmund swung the sword containing Ajitahaka's power as he moved toward Ropocale's location.
But Ropocale's magic was faster.
CHUCHUCHUTSU!
Black mist enveloped Ropocale and the chained Zeke, and they immediately transported somewhere outside the great hall.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!
Azmund violently swung his sword at the mist trying to catch the fleeing Ropocale, but the black smoke had already escaped the great hall.
A red light flashed in Azmund's eyes as he lost Ropocale.
He swung Ajitahaka's sword toward the royal knights before him.
KWADEUDEUDDEUK!
The royal knights who had kept rising again were now left with only their bitten bodies trembling on the ground from that single strike.
And right after, when Azmund released Ajitahaka's sword, a huge mouth appeared and devoured all the bodies of the royal knights writhing on the floor.
KWADEUDEUDDEUK!
With a horrible sound of bones crushing, the demonized royal knights disappeared without a trace.
The sword returned to its original form, as if there was nothing left to eat.
Azmund grabbed his wrist and gritted his teeth in pain.
When he removed his gauntlet and rolled up his sleeve, black blood vessels were protruding all over the wrist holding the sword.
'I used too much of the sword's power.'
Ajitahaka's power was strong, but the more it was used, the more it invaded the user's body.
If misused, one could become a monster that only craves flesh consumption after having their body stolen by the sword.
Azmund glared at the sword once before composing himself. When he opened the doors of the great hall, knights of Crab Palace who had been waiting behind entered.
He shouted toward the knights.
“Ropocale has fled! His true identity is a demon! He must still be somewhere in this palace - find him and recover Zeke Draker!"
At Azmund's shout, the Crab Palace knights quickly scattered throughout the palace.
* * *
"Damn it! Why did Ajitahaka suddenly show up there?!"
Ropocale, who had urgently fled to his secret location, gritted his teeth.
He hadn't received any power capable of blocking Ajitahaka's power from his master, the 'Writhing Pit of Darkness,' so he had no choice but to flee urgently.
'Even if it's my master, whether they could block the power of flesh consumption...'
In the secret location, Ropocale frantically racked his brain.
A way to escape from here, avoid Azmund's pursuit, and carry out the orders given by the Writhing Pit of Darkness.
He looked at Zeke, who lay bound in chains on the floor.
'I need to take him to the place of contract.'
Zeke Draker was currently a much-talked-about figure among fallen Constellations.
Rumors had spread in the demon realm that he had defeated not only high-ranking demons but also fallen Constellations with strong powers.
The Writhing Pit of Darkness planned to subdue Zeke's soul and make him its vessel, intending to descend to the material world directly.
It judged that if it could perfectly descend to the material world while wearing Zeke Draker's physical body, it wouldn't be impossible to claim the material world for itself.
Ropocale opened a box he had prepared and took out an egg containing a parasite.
'Once I plant this in Zeke Draker's body, he won't be able to defy my orders.'
He carefully held the egg and closed the box to implant the parasite egg in Zeke's body.
But then he sensed something strange.
The hair all over his body stood on end, feeling like a cold wind brushing against his skin.
Ropocale slowly turned his head backward.
Zeke Draker, who had been bound in chains until just now, was nowhere to be seen.
'H-how did he break free from the soul ch….?'
CHWARALARAK!
Before he could finish his thought, a chilling sound rang out as white chains burst from beneath his feet.
KWADEUDEUDDEUK!
Solomon's chains wrapped around Ropocale's body.
"KUUUUGH!"
Though Ropocale struggled this way and that while bound by the soul sealing technique, he couldn't break free no matter what.
Then Zeke approached Ropocale, who had collapsed on the floor.
As he reached out his hand, the black chains scattered on the floor floated up and were drawn into Zeke's hand.
CHWARALARAK!
Zeke gripped the black chains and said to Ropocale.
"It's ridiculous that you thought you could bind me with just this."
Having mastered the soul sealing technique, Zeke knew better than anyone how to handle soul chains, so breaking free wasn't particularly difficult.
Moreover, since Ropocale and Azmund had given him time while fighting, escaping like this was nothing.
Bound by Solomon's chains, Ropocale's eyes darted around as he looked at Zeke.
Zeke put the black chains into his inventory and deployed the Holy Light Veil.
PAJIJIJIK!
Lightning of light flowed through Ropocale's body through the Holy Light veil.
"KUUUUGH!"
"Where is the real Abel?"
At Zeke's question, Ropocale gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Zeke deployed the Holy Light veil again, as if finding it amusing.
PAJIJIJIJIJIJIK!
The secret room flashed with lightning.
"KUHEK! UUUUGH!"
Under the continued pain, Ropocale became unable to open his mouth.
Zeke looked down at Ropocale before shaking his head.
"For someone who just ran their mouth, you've got quite the spirit. Not that I want to praise you."
As more time had passed than expected, Zeke didn't want to waste any more time here.
He placed his hand on Ropocale's head and activated Dragon's Wisdom.
UUUUUNG!
Instantly, numerous karma data including Ropocale's memories unfolded before Zeke's eyes.
He used the Sage's Eyes to select and view the data.
Through the karma data, Zeke was able to find Abel's location.
He muttered while looking down at Ropocale.
"So you separated Abel from Jimenes and took him hostage."
Boldly, Ropocale knew that Abel's physical body was more important than anything to Ramon Jimenez and was using this fact.
Under the pretext of management, he stayed with Abel 24 hours a day and blocked any approach from Jimenez's side.
For Ramon Jimenez, such behavior from Ropocale must have felt like a significant threat.
'So that's why he tried to use Azmund to kill Ropocale and recover Abel's body.'
Ropocale endured the pain and spoke to Zeke while trembling.
"Z-Zeke Draker... let's join hands. Then... you can become the ruler of this continent. I promise..."
Zeke raised the Holy Light veil again.
PAJIJIK!
As white current swept through Ropocale's body, his eyes nearly rolled back.
Zeke spoke while looking at him.
"If you're talking about the nonsensical dream of offering my body to your master to dominate the material world, forget it. Your master doesn't have that kind of capability."
The Writhing Pit of Darkness wasn't particularly strong among fallen Constellations.
Being clever, it merely received protection and gave advice to stronger Constellations, but didn't possess any particularly strong powers.
For Zeke, his proposal could only be laughable since it was a Constellation of lower rank compared to those with powerful authorities like the Herald of Blood and Madness or the Serpent of the Black Maw.
Zeke spoke while looking at Ropocale with cold eyes, as if he had gotten everything he needed.
"You don't have any particular ability, and you only think about backstabbing, so there seems to be no need to keep you alive."
At Zeke's words, Ropocale shouted in terror.
"W-wait! Z-Zeke Draker! No, Lord Zeke! P-please listen to me...!"
UUUUUNG!
Zeke gripped the chains, equipped Agamemnon's Mask, and infused it with purification power.
Golden aura seeped into Ropocale's body.
"KUAAAAAAK!"
Ropocale screamed at the terrible pain incomparable to the Holy Light Veil.
Feeling his soul being annihilated, Ropocale unconsciously escaped from the apostle's body.
CHUCHUCHUCHUCHU!
The black smoke that escaped from the body gathered in the air.
This smoke was essentially Ropocale's true form.
Ropocale tried desperately to escape from here.
While he could find a new physical body, if his soul was annihilated, his very existence would scatter into nothingness, so he tried to flee urgently.
But Zeke wouldn't just stand by and watch this.
CHWARALARAK!
Solomon's chains, which could bind even souls, restrained Ropocale who was trying to escape as smoke.
Simultaneously, Zeke's shadow flickered.
Solomon's chains pulled Ropocale's essence toward Zeke's shadow as he tried to escape.
Ropocale resisted violently, but it was useless.
Zeke's shadow, which had grown larger and risen, devoured Ropocale's true form bound by Solomon's chains.
SEUSEUSEUSEUSEUSEU!
When Ropocale's soul was absorbed into the shadow, messages appeared before his eyes.
[You have absorbed the soul of Ropocale, a mid-rank demon subordinate of the 'Writhing Pit of Darkness '.]
[Consumed HP, MP, and Mental Power are being restored.]
[Acquired A-rank skill 'Smoke Form' by absorbing the ability of the Absorbed demon.]
[Bonus reward of 1,500 Karma Points has been granted.]
Zeke examined the Smoke Form skill he obtained from absorbing Ropocale.
'A skill that temporarily turns the body into smoke for evasion, huh.'
It seemed this was the power used to escape from Azmund earlier.
After gathering everything that looked useful from Ropocale's secret location, Zeke sent a message to Richmond.
He had attached the previously summoned Richmond to Boris's side.
Zeke transmitted the real Abel's location to Richmond and then pulled out Bahamut.
"Now, it's time to really play."
UUUUUNG!
Bahamut howled as if responding to Zeke's words.
At the same time, Ropocale's secret location was completely destroyed with a massive explosion.