620
Chapter 620
KUDDDDDD!
At Zeke's single command to kneel, the Dark Knights were unable to rise, as if their bodies were embedded in the ground.
Floating in the air, Zeke looked down at them with the Great Lord's demon eye and slowly extended his hand.
KUGUGUGUGUGU!
Just by extending his hand, tremendous pressure arose that could crush the Dark Knights.
The Dark Knights couldn't move an inch, pressed down by the force of Zeke's unleashed dignity.
That's when the vines on the ground moved again.
SCHWAAAAAAAK!
The vines intertwined with each other to form what looked like a giant's arm.
Then it showed movement as if trying to firmly grasp Zeke who was floating in the air.
At this, Zeke's gaze turned toward the arm made of vines.
Just by his gaze alone, the giant arm suddenly convulsed as if having a seizure, then its surface began to swell up becoming bumpy.
KIIIIIIIIIIK!
With a strange cry, the giant arm formation made of vines melted away and disappeared.
Only debris emitting a terrible stench fell to the ground with a loud sound.
Zeke slowly descended and stood before the kneeling Dark Knights.
Then with the Great Lord's demon eye, he looked into their souls trapped within the impure matter.
Souls filled with hatred and regret were screaming, having experienced tragedy in their respective worlds.
They were merely lost souls with only destructive instincts remaining, their memories and reason as heroes already paralyzed.
Their souls were even more devastated than the lost soul soldiers who had the will for revenge, and it was difficult to find their original nobility.
'These souls cannot be saved again.'
Zeke decided to liberate those who were called back here by the power of distorted causality.
He extended his hand toward the Dark Knights, intending to first remove the power of distorted causality with karma points.
But that's when it happened.
TSUTSUTSUTSU!
The souls of the Dark Knights began showing a reaction to purgatory, the unique domain of the Arrogant Savior.
Purgatory was another form of Babel, one of the disappeared worlds, and the Arrogant Savior's most painful memory.
Surprisingly, the souls of the Dark Knights wanted to find peace within that purgatory.
'They would choose suffering over the soul's rest?'
To the past heroes who had lived harboring hatred and regret for far too long, purgatory might actually be a more peaceful place.
Zeke decided to bear their inescapable pain contained in their wailing together.
He unleashed the power of purgatory, his unique domain, while keeping his hand extended toward the Dark Knights.
Then the Dark Knights' bodies made loud sounds.
Simultaneously, black smoke erupted from between the gaps in their armor.
TSUTSUTSUTSU!
Souls filled with screams were sucked into Zeke's hand.
DUDUDUDU!
The armors made loud noises as they spewed out all the black smoke.
The Dark Knights' souls were instantly swept up and took their place in purgatory.
Zeke could feel the increase in souls crying out in endless agony within purgatory, deep in his abyss.
In his past life, he too was one of those beings who endlessly screamed, no different from these souls.
'Perhaps that's why I can fully accept these souls, the souls of Babel remaining in purgatory.'
While he was feeling bitter, the bodies of the Dark Knights whose souls had escaped soon crumbled, leaving only sticky dark matter debris.
After burning those remains with purgatory's flames, Zeke turned his head to look at the black vines encompassing the temple and Hercules.
'I cannot be held back here any longer.'
At that moment, a giant eyeball appeared above his head.
TSUTSUTSUTSU!
Two eyeballs resembling the Great Lord's eyes looked at the vines holding Hercules and the temple.
Then crimson flames began to rise on the surface of the vines.
HWARARURURUK!
The purgatory flames raised by the Great Lord's demon eye burned the vine stems and gradually spread, burrowing into the ground.
Soon as those flames seemed to reach deep inside, an earthquake suddenly occurred.
DUDUDUDU!
And as the ground in front of the temple split, a giant cocoon shot out from within.
KIEEEEEEEE!
The cocoon serving as the root of the vines was none other than the very one Baron had used to summon the Dark Knights.
When Zeke's purgatory flames reached the main body cocoon, it writhed in agony and revealed itself above ground.
KEEEEEEEEK!
The cocoon let out a strange cry toward Zeke.
Then Zeke shook his head.
"This isn't the time to be looking at me."
Suddenly the cocoon seemed to notice something strange and transformed. Hundreds of eyeballs appeared across its surface.
The cocoon, now with full panoramic vision, saw none other than Hercules, who had emerged from the vines.
Hercules had already drawn out his orichalcon spear and was taking a running start while aiming at the cocoon.
KUGUUUGUUUGUUU!
Hercules threw the spear toward the cocoon with all his might.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!
The spear flew toward the cocoon with thunderous explosive sounds.
The cocoon gathered vines to create a wall to block the spear.
But its was already too late to block it.
KWADUDUDUD!
The spear Hercules threw penetrated the vine wall and lodged into the cocoon's body.
PUUUUUURGH!
As the orichalcon spear pierced through its body, the cocoon let out a long agonized shriek.
KKUEEEEEEEK!
Soon the cocoon's surface began to boil and tentacles, not vines, started to emerge.
The tentacles moved in unison to remove the spear embedded in its body.
But at that moment.
CHWAROROROROK!
The chains of Solomon that Zeke had summoned wrapped around not only the tentacles but the entire cocoon.
Then the upper part of the cocoon split open with a tearing sound, revealing a massive mouth from which black substance tried to surge out.
Zeke approached the cocoon with his magic eye glowing.
"It's already too late."
As he spoke, Zeke placed his hand on the orichalcon spear embedded in the cocoon's body.
UUUUUUNG!
The power of the Demon lord's surged through the orichalcon spear, creating a powerful wave.
KIIIIIIIING!
The powerful waves swept through the entire body of the cocoon.
The black substance that the cocoon had tried to expel scattered, and instead sticky bodily fluids began to flow out.
KEEEEEEEK!
As the cocoon wailed in agony once more, Zeke ignited the flames of purgatory.
The flames of purgatory flowed into the cocoon's body through Solomon's chains.
HWARURURUK!
This time the cocoon, unable to resist, simply burned away. As the purgatorial flames consumed the main body, the vines extending in all directions also turned to ash and scattered.
Zeke absorbed all the remains with his shadow before slowly descending from the air.
Although the vines covering the temple had turned to ash and scattered, one could feel that as the sealing power weakened, the entire domain was stained with an ominous power.
Zeke realized that the arrogant savior's soul he had absorbed was responding to this ominous power felt from the temple.
'The Demon King's power.'
The arrogant savior had come to the physical world to recover the Demon King's soul, only to be sealed and lose Babel, the city he created.
Zeke could now truly sense that the Demon King's soul that he had been so desperately seeking was sealed within this temple.
As Zeke was about to approach the temple, he heard the ground rumbling behind him.
KUNG!
Looking back, he saw Hercules approaching him.
Zeke and Hercules faced each other.
Surprisingly, Hercules knelt on one knee and bowed his head respectfully toward Zeke.
Then he removed the lion-head helmet and mask he was wearing.
Once the mask was removed, amazingly, a face that looked like a mix between an elf and a barbarian was revealed.
He opened his mouth looking at Zeke.
[The last warrior of the Titan clan, Hercules, greets the great constellation.]
As Zeke had expected, Hercules was not a golem.
'So he's a Titan.'
A race with such a large and heavy physique that they could be mistaken for golems.
At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[You have encountered Hercules, the last warrior of the Titan clan.]
[A forgotten fragment of time related to 'Free City Atlantis' connects to the Akashic Code.]
[Large amounts of karma data are being updated.]
[You have acquired information about 'Free City Atlantis' through the relevant data.]
[System restriction code related to this information has been lifted.]
[You can now browse the list of skills and items related to 'Free City Atlantis'.]
As soon as Hercules revealed his identity, the karma data related to Atlantis was updated.
Zeke looked at Hercules who knelt before him and said:
"Hercules, last warrior of the Titan clan. Your attitude is completely different from before. Why is that?"
Hercules looked at Zeke and said.
[After seeing the power of the great constellation, how could I dare to be disrespectful again?]
The ancient cities that achieved highly advanced civilizations had close relationships with the constellations.
This was because the dignity of a constellation was one of the great powers that sustained a city's civilization.
Therefore, it was natural for Hercules to show reverence toward Zeke if he understood that part.
Zeke accepted his changed attitude and asked Hercules,
"Very well, Hercules. Let me ask you one thing. Are you the only spirit guardian protecting this temple?"
Hercules nodded to those words.
[Yes, constellation. For the eternal peace of Atlantis, as the last warrior of the Titan clan, I accepted the great sage's proposal and became guardian of the temple.]
"The great sage's proposal? What was that?"
Hercules looked at Zeke and said.
[The sage said that dangerous people would sink Atlantis beneath the sea, and would come to release the most evil soul imprisoned within the temple. As a warrior protecting Atlantis, I could not stand by and watch, so I bound my soul to this place to guard the temple.]
Zeke inwardly swallowed at Hercules' words.
'Just like the Highlanders.'
Warriors who bind their souls to the physical world to balance the world, fighting monsters from behind the scenes.
The great sage had been binding heroes this way, imposing guardian duties on them since ancient times.
Zeke looked at Hercules and said,
"Do you have any regrets about your decision? Atlantis has long been destroyed and only remains as legend."
Hercules shook his head at those words.
[I have never regretted my decision to become a guardian. However... I do regret not being able to fulfill my final duty of protecting the temple.]
After pausing briefly, Hercules raised his head toward Zeke again and spoke:
[Constellation, I have a request.]
Zeke looked at him with a somewhat solemn feeling and said,
"Speak, warrior Hercules."
Zeke expected Hercules to ask him to release his soul bound to this place.
But his answer was completely different from what he expected.
[Please take me under your command, constellation.]
"Take you under my command? Not to be freed from this place?"
[I was the last remaining warrior of the Titan clan. The last place that accepted me after being rejected by all cities was this place, the Free City of Atlantis. That is why I gladly became their guardian warrior and made constant efforts to block external enemies.]
Zeke, having updated his karma data, knew the forgotten heroic tales of Hercules.
Hercules had sacrificed his life to stop twelve trials that befell Atlantis, and at the end, he became a hero.
He pleaded with Zeke.
[I wish to remain as Atlantis's guardian warrior until my soul perishes. Please take my spirit and allow me to fight against evil enemies.]
Zeke could feel Hercules' powerful resolve.
He looked at Hercules and said,
"Once subordinated to me, this cannot be reversed. Will you still have no regrets?"
[In the current situation, my spirit will soon perish anyway. I want to fight as a warrior until my final moment.]
Zeke nodded with a serious face after hearing Hercules' words.
"Warrior Hercules. I accept your noble will."