597
Chapter 597
KUGUGUGUGUGU!
Souma staggered as his beast received a powerful impact.
'What was that?'
Souma thought nothing could deliver such a powerful blow to the giant beast he controlled, except for the Kraken guarding Storm Castle.
Yet, mocking his assumption, another whirlpool formed underwater and the water spray struck down the giant beast.
KUGUGUGUGUGU!
Realizing something was there, Souma activated a prepared spell to synchronize his senses with the beast.
TSUTSUTSUTSUTSU!
Soon after connecting with the beast, Souma felt as if he had become the giant beast himself.
KUGUGUGUGU!
Feeling like he had become a giant sea serpent, Souma looked around underwater to identify what had attacked him.
'I can't see anything.'
He thought there might be another sea monster, but there was no sign of one.
Then he felt another massive whirlpool surging toward him.
Souma moved himself to control the beast, raising the scales covering its body.
ZIIIIIIING!
Tens of thousands of scales on the giant beast's body created vibrations that shook the entire ocean.
The shockwaves from the vibrations spread in all directions, dispersing the approaching whirlpool.
ZIIIIIIING!
As the giant beast's vibrations grew stronger, the underwater environment became more turbulent.
Even the giant Kraken, guardian of Storm Castle, couldn't withstand these ultra-vibrations and had to end its life after being wrapped in tentacles and injected with poison.
After spreading the vibrations by controlling the beast, Souma heightened his senses to find his attacker.
Then something flickered near the translucent orb where Souma was.
'What's this?'
Sharing senses with the beast, Souma became wary of something rapidly approaching his brow.
He soon realized what it was.
'Zeke Draker!'
Zeke was quickly approaching the giant beast, wielding Leviathan.
WOOOOONG!
Soul energy surged from Zeke's sword, and he immediately swung it at the giant beast.
Soul technique
Double Spell
Will of Penetration
A sharp whirlpool flew toward the beast's brow as the dragon-slaying technique imbued with soul energy unfolded.
Souma quickly moved the beast the moment Zeke's sword moved.
KUGUGUGUGUGU!
The serpentine beast dodged Zeke's sword strike while concentrating its ultra-vibration attack toward him.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKA!
A powerful collision occurred underwater as the Will of Penetration clashed with the ultra-vibrations.
KUGUGUGUGUGU!
The shockwave shot upward, strong enough to pierce through the thick frozen ice sheet on the surface.
KWARURURURU!
Shadow summons and outer realm beasts fighting on the ice were swept up in the shockwave.
Zeke's summons transformed into shadows and moved elsewhere thanks to his quick judgment, but the outer realm beasts took direct hits from the shockwave and were torn to shreds.
KWADUDUDU!
The torn bodies of the outer realm beasts sank into the sea.
The shockwave from Zeke and the beast's clash remained underwater, preventing the beasts' flesh from properly regenerating and causing it to decompose.
Souma's synchronization with the giant beast broke as he took mental damage from the powerful impact.
Though he couldn't use it like his own body anymore, he extended tentacles in all directions while sweating, searching for traces of Zeke.
'Surely he couldn't have survived an attack of this magnitude...'
But then.
TUK TUK!
When Souma turned his head, Zeke Draker was looking at him from outside the translucent orb.
"Y-you!"
Souma raised his tentacles to try to remove Zeke.
But Zeke was faster.
He struck Souma's orb hard with his Leviathan.
KWADUDUDUK!
With a shattering sound, the top of the orb broke and seawater rushed in.
As the startled Souma tried to synchronize with the beast again through magic, Zeke moved even faster.
Zeke rushed toward Souma before the magic could fully activate.
KWAJIJIJIK!
Souma's leg was torn off.
"AAAAGH!"
Souma screamed and glared at Zeke.
Though the magic failed, the connection with the beast wasn't completely gone. Following Souma's will, tentacles surged from all directions to wrap around Zeke.
Zeke blocked the tentacles with Shadow Armor and said while glaring at Souma,
"You and I have some things to discuss."
Zeke restrained Souma's body with Solomon's Chains.
Then he sent light lightning through Souma's body.
PAJIJIJIJK!
"AAAAGH!"
After receiving the constellation name ,Guide of Fair Pain, Zeke's torture became a branch of authority, allowing him to inflict much deeper pain than before.
The pain affected not just the body but also the soul and mind, making it impossible to easily escape.
Despite being accustomed to various forms of torture and pain as the Black Corps intelligence unit commander, Souma trembled and suffered from Zeke's lightning.
Zeke took Souma and escaped from the translucent orb.
Then he unleashed the Elemental Sword Water Field toward the empty shell of the beast.
KWADUDUDUDUDU!
A massive whirlpool formed around the beast, grinding it completely from head to tail.
DUDUDUDUDU!
Not just the giant beast, but all the outer realm beasts that had fallen into the sea were also sucked into the whirlpool.
Zeke quickly moved toward the surface.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!
Breaking through the ice, Zeke emerged above water and boarded the original sailing ship with Souma.
KUGUNG!
Bound by Solomon's Chains, Souma rolled onto the deck due to Zeke's indifferent handling.
"KUGH!"
Richmond and Vane approached Souma.
Souma flinched when the high-level monster Arch Lich approached.
Richmond spoke to Zeke,
"Master, what should we do with him? Shall I extract his bones and turn him into a skeleton?"
Bane, who was beside him, added a suggestion,
"How about freezing him solid and turning him into an ice ghoul?"
Zeke shook his head at Richmond and Bane.
"Stop. For now, there are things I need to find out from him."
Richmond and Bane clicked their tongues in disappointment.
Ignoring them both, Zeke approached Souma.
"Souma, seeing you here is both pleasing and disappointing."
To this, Souma replied while looking at Zeke,
"...I feel the same, Lord Zeke."
Zeke took out a chair from his inventory and sat down.
He then used shadows to make the restrained Souma kneel from his prone position.
Having prepared tea on a table, Zeke leisurely took a sip and said to Souma,
"As I recall, Baron swore loyalty to me. How should I interpret your presence here?"
At Zeke's nonchalant words, Souma clenched his molars before slowly speaking:
"Our true master is only one ,the head of the Draker family."
"Yes, then your master should be Kali Draker. Sister is the head of the Draker family after all."
To Zeke's words, Souma raised the corner of his mouth and said:
"Kali Draker is not the true head. The true head of the Draker family is..."
"Arthur Draker?"
Zeke cut off Souma's words.
Simultaneously, Zeke grabbed the chains and sent lightning through them.
PAJIJIJIJIJIK!
"KUUUGH!"
As the lightning coursed through his body, Souma twisted in extreme pain and could no longer speak.
Zeke spoke while watching Souma?
"The current head of the Draker family is Kali Draker. This is a fact that no one can deny."
He continued speaking to the panting Souma with cold eyes,
"Arthur Draker, who faked his own death and abandoned his position as head of the Draker family, no longer has the qualification to be head. If you continue to call him the head, I will treat it as treason."
At Zeke's words, Souma raised his head and began to laugh maniacally.
"KUHEHEHEHE."
Still bound by chains, Souma slowly raised his body.
Looking down at Zeke, he said,
"The only master of the Draker family is Arthur Draker alone. Stop your pointless resistance and swear loyalty to the master again, Zeke Draker."
Zeke pointed his finger at Souma and slowly lowered it.
KUGUGUGUGUGU!
As the Force Field spread, tremendous pressure poured down on Souma.
"KUUUUGH!"
Souma, who had solemnly raised his body, couldn't withstand the pressure and was forced to kneel again slowly.
Zeke spoke while watching Souma,
"Was it also Arthur Draker's doing to inject the power of outer realm beings into the Black Corps members?"
Resisting the pressure, Souma raised his head and said to Zeke:
"The master gave us... an opportunity. An opportunity to receive the Draker name along with baptism."
The Black Corps were members of the Draker family but couldn't receive the Draker name.
And Arthur Draker gave the Draker name to those Ceremonialists who successfully received baptism among the Black Corps members.
"My name is Souma Draker. A member of the Draker family and new humanity of the world to be re-established."
At that moment, Souma's eyes flashed.
KWADUDUK!
His body twisted and contorted, and tentacles slipped through the gaps in Solomon's Chains.
CHWAAAAK!
The escaped tentacles flew toward Zeke, and Souma shouted:
"Die, Zeke Draker!"
However, the flying tentacles suddenly stopped in front of Zeke, unable to advance further.
Souma's eyes trembled at this sight.
'What is this...?'
The tentacles closest to Zeke began to soften and rot away.
"KUUUGH!"
The tentacles that entered Zeke's domain of decay authority couldn't withstand its power and began to necrotize.
Even with outer realm power, organic matter couldn't escape the authority of decay.
The decay authority crawled up the tentacles and reached Souma's main body.
"AAAAGH!"
The decay authority quickly spread through Souma's body.
Unlike the tentacles, Souma's body decayed and regenerated at similar rates, creating an endless cycle.
This forced Souma to endure the constant pain of his body rotting away.
"KUUUUGH!"
Zeke spoke while watching Souma,
"You don't have to speak if you don't want to. I merely guide fair pain. I won't force you."
Even as he spoke, Souma's flesh continued its cycle of decay and regeneration.
In this tremendous pain, Souma's endurance and willpower were gradually depleting.
Within 30 minutes, Souma changed his stance.
"I-I'll talk. Please, first stop this..."
"For a new human of the new world, your endurance is quite lacking."
Zeke waited patiently while intensifying the decay authority until Souma's flesh was on the verge of collapse.
"KUUUUGH!"
Seeing this, Zeke raised his hand to reduce the decay authority.
"HEOK, HEOK..."
Zeke asked the trembling Souma,
"What is Arthur Draker's purpose? It can't just be summoning the Demon King."
Souma spoke through clenched teeth:
"...The master seeks to open a new world."
"A new world?"
"Yes. A completely new world with different order than now. The Demon King is just preparation for that."
Zeke stood up after contemplating Souma's words.
"Perhaps the pain wasn't enough."
At Zeke's cold voice, Souma hastily spoke,
"I-it's the truth. That's the master's purpose..."
TSUTSUTSUTSUTSU!
The decay authority began flowing into Souma again, even stronger than before.
"KUUUGH!"
Zeke smiled cruelly at Souma,
"Don't worry. You won't die until you properly open your mouth. I'll thoroughly play with you."