650
Chapter 650
GRAAAH!
As the outer beings bared their sharp fangs with horrific screams, Zeke smiled as if pleased.
"I've been waiting for you to appear."
To Zeke, the charging outer beings were nothing more than masses of karma points.
He extended his hand and unleashed shadow blades.
SWIIIISH!
The rotating shadow blades around Zeke's body instantly sliced through the outer beings.
SLAAAASH!
The dismembered corpses of the beasts were immediately absorbed into the shadows on the ground.
Seeing the massive karma points flowing in as expected, Zeke smiled with satisfaction.
"Come at me!"
He took out Ascalon from his inventory and activated its soul resonance.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
White lightning containing soul technique power burst out in all directions.
BOOOOM!
The outer beings exploded upon being struck by hundreds of lightning bolts.
TSTSTSTS!
Mouths emerging from Zeke's shadow devoured the dead beasts' corpses completely.
WOOOONG!
As the floating sword vibrated more intensely, endless outer beings began emerging from the floor and walls.
GRAAAH!
Seeing this, Zeke raised Ascalon and activated his newly gained authority.
"Authority of Flames of the Abyss."
Simultaneously, black flames erupted from Zeke's body, forming a massive ring of fire above his head.
WHOOOOSH!
Whips of flame shot out from the black fire ring, ensnaring the charging outer beings.
GRAAAH!
The beasts wrapped in flames of abyss scattered into ashes without even final screams.
Though many beasts vanished in that attack, their numbers still filled the massive cavern and continued growing.
GRAAAH!
The overwhelming number of charging beasts with their sharp fangs created soul-crushing pressure.
But seeing this, Zeke simply smiled.
He reached toward the black flame ring.
"Hera, come forth."
Hera, the second beast of the apocalypse and sacred beast of the abyss, was summoned from the depths.
ROAAAAR!
Answering Zeke's call, Hera burst forth from within the black flame ring.
The sacred beast of flame with four lion heads breathed fire at the charging outer beings.
WHOOOOSH!
The black flames of abyss incinerated the outer beings instantly.
After one attack, Hera flew into the air and swung sharp claws at the beasts.
The flame-wrapped claws instantly raked through the beasts' bodies.
Even a slight touch from those claws caused flames of abyss to ignite and consume their entire bodies.
GRAAAH!
The beasts screamed as flames of abyss spread from Hera's claws.
Thousands of beasts charging toward the altar were swept up in flames and scattered to ashes.
But many beasts still charged at Zeke, while the floating black flame ring above his head continued attacking with flame whips.
Zeke didn't stop there and summoned the Destroyer's Eye as well.
RUMBLEEEE!
Inextinguishable flames of destruction rose wherever the summoned Destroyer's Eye shone.
The simultaneous burning of abyssal and destruction flames brought merciless annihilation to the outer beings.
Soon the vast cavern transformed into what seemed like purgatory itself as flames raged everywhere.
Leaving the outer beings to Hera, Zeke slowly approached the floating sword.
The sword that summoned the outer beings rang out with a powerful sword cry toward the approaching Zeke.
―Child of Adam. This is meaningless resistance. You cannot escape fate.
The same voice from before echoed in Zeke's ears.
Strange energy swirled around the sword again, trying to block Zeke's approach.
In response, golden aura rippled out from Zeke's body.
TSTSTSTS!
The strange energy was neutralized upon contact with the golden aura, finally exposing the bare sword.
Zeke reached out toward the revealed sword.
"I don't know what you are, but I won't be controlled by your power like Arthur."
A strong wave emanated from the sword.
SCREEEECH!
The sword resonated powerfully with a different intensity, as if making its final struggle.
Then something remarkable happened.
CRACK!!
Cracks began forming on the surface of the sword god statue behind.
RUMBLEEE!
As the cracks in the statue collapsed, something crawled out from between them.
CRAAACK!
What emerged from the statue resembled the tentacles of outer beings.
But as soon as Zeke saw it crawl out from the statue's cracks, he sensed it was different from ordinary outer beings.
'That is...?'
Observing it briefly, Zeke realized where he had felt this energy before.
It was the same energy he had felt from the sealed being in the saint statue at the Goddess Theia's temple.
Then messages appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[Title 'One Blessed by the Great Dragon' detects traces of 'Unspeakable Darkness'.]
[Defense system automatically activates against traces of 'Unspeakable Darkness'.]
[System Overclock forcibly activates.]
[Revealing constellation's divinity.]
[Constellation name 'One Who Crossed the Wall' opposes traces of 'Unspeakable Darkness'.]
[Constellation name 'Guide of Fair Pain' opposes traces of 'Unspeakable Darkness'.]
WOOOONG!
Overclock activated automatically in Zeke's body as his divinity extended to oppose the power of the outer being called 'Unspeakable Darkness'.
SCREEEECH!
The floating sword howled as it continued creating cracks in the statue.
Zeke tried to analyze the 'Unspeakable Darkness' through the Akashic Records but could not find proper information about what it was.
However, he instinctively felt he needed to prevent it from emerging.
'Must seal the cracks in the statue.'
Just like sealing the saint statue at Goddess Theia's temple before, he had to seal the sword god statue to prevent that ominous being from emerging.
Recalling that memory, Zeke gripped Ascalon and raised its soul resonance power.
Simultaneously, he spread the Elemental Sword Fire field.
With soul resonance power added to the purest flame, truly sacred fire was created.
Zeke immediately swung Ascalon to breathe sacred fire toward the statue.
WHOOSH!
Pure and sacred white flames wrapped around the cracking statue.
SCREEEECH!
The shadow sword howled more fiercely, trying desperately to draw out the 'Unspeakable Darkness' from within the statue.
Zeke instantly raised an extremely powerful sacred fire to first stop the movement of the being trying to escape the statue.
Then he turned around and gestured toward Leviathan, which had completely absorbed the dark matter.
BOOM!
Leviathan containing dark soul energy flew toward the shadow sword.
CRACKLE!
As Leviathan flew in, the shadow sword created a barrier of material similar to dark matter, but this too was inevitably absorbed by Leviathan.
CRACKLE!
As Leviathan dug deeper inside, the shadow sword finally began losing power.
Zeke seized this opportunity to raise shadows.
SWOOSH!
The shadows Zeke raised took the form of a giant hand and wrapped around the shadow sword.
SWOOSH!
With Leviathan pressing from the front and the shadow hand from behind, the shadow sword could no longer resist.
The shadows Zeke created wrapped around the shadow sword trying to control its power.
CRACKLE!
Plasma erupted around the sword.
Zeke slowly approached the sword caught by shadows.
The sword tried violently to reject Zeke, but he paid no attention and reached out toward it.
―Being bound by fate. Do not forget your place.
To that whisper, Zeke said.
"Shut up. I don't know who you are, but I'll definitely smack that arrogant face of yours."
After speaking, Zeke grabbed the shadow sword's handle.
SCREEEECH!
Intense waves arose from the shadow sword gripped in Zeke's hand.
GRAAAH!
Strange power rippled in the sword and the black energy dwelling within scattered like smoke.
Simultaneously, Zeke felt the trace of the whispering voice disappear.
WOOOONG!
As vibrations occurred in the sword, messages appeared.
[Unique Authority Absolute Dominion awakens the sword's power.]
[The sword's hidden 'True Name' is revealed.]
[A facet of the promised liberation sword, the Sword of Rupture 'Caladbolg' opens its power along with its true name.]
As soon as the true name of the sword was released, the shadow sword began to sync with Zeke's Shadow Armor, just like the previously acquired Caladbolg.
[TSUUUU]
['Caledvulgh' with the same power source connects to the Shadow Armor.]
['Caledvulgh' combines with the Shadow Armor.]
'Caledvulgh?'
Though it had a similar name to 'Caladbolg', the other shadow sword that was previously sealed, its title was different.
While Caladbolg was known as the 'Sword of Solid Shadow', Caledvulgh was named as the 'Sword of Fracture'.
Though the two swords looked identical but had different titles, they shared one commonality - both were 'facets of the Promised Sword of Liberation'.
'As I expected, these swords are all shadows reflecting a single blade.'
TSUTSUTSUTSUTSU!
At that moment, as Zeke organized his thoughts, 'Caledvulgh', now awakened to its true name, completed its connection with the Shadow Armor.
Dissolved into shadow, Caledvulgh naturally followed Zeke's will, just like Caladbolg.
Zeke tried to identify the strange power and voice that had dwelled within Caledvulgh when it came into his possession, but no such traces remained in the sword.
'What on earth was that?'
As Zeke pondered the identity of the mysterious voice, he raised his head to look at the broken sword statue.
JJEOJEOJEOJAK!
Even though its power was being suppressed by divine flames, cracks continued to form in the once-broken sword statue.
Zeke slowly approached the sword statue.
The Outer Being trying to break free from the statue's cracks writhed toward him as if watching him.
"Bearer of my remaining traces......"
He instantly detected the Outer Beings' transmitted intention.
It was the same method of direct mental intrusion as the Outer Beings that had emerged from the Holy Maiden statue in the past.
‘ Unspeakable darkness. Is this his will?'
Though Zeke had dealt with the strange existence called Outer Beings quite often, he still didn't know where they came from.
Given that Arthur Draker, who could be considered an avatar of the Sun God Apollion, handled Outer Beings, Zeke could only speculate about their connection.
One peculiar thing was that the power felt from Outer Beings was completely different from that of the constellations.
Rather, the power of Outer Beings felt like it existed on the opposite end of constellation power.
Yet Zeke couldn't quite understand why the Sun God, who ruled over all constellations in the celestial realm, would handle such Outer Beings power.
'Is there something I don't know?'
Zeke decided to first stop the cracks in the sword statue, then investigate this matter further.
He floated into the air and headed toward the right shoulder of the sword statue where the cracks were worst.
In the past, when he didn't have divinity, he had to use Hermes the Forest God's sacred item and elixir to fill the cracks, but now with his powerful constellation power, that wasn't necessary.
Zeke extended his hand toward the crack.
"Authority Recreation."
As he activated the Authority of the Arrogant Savior, the cracks in the sword statue began to rapidly reconstruct.
TSUTSUTSUTSUTSU!
The broken parts reattached themselves as if time was rewinding, filling in the cracks.
"Come... do not reject me and come. Child of Chaos."
The indescribable darkness continued to transmit its intentions toward Zeke as he filled the cracks with his authority.
But Zeke didn't waver at the consciousness-invading voice and continued to raise his divinity, filling the cracks through his authority.
It was when the sword statue had almost returned to its original state.
A tentacle poked its head through the gap.
Through the tentacle, an irresistible voice bored into Zeke's consciousness.
"Child of Chaos who came against the flow of time... We are not... different beings..."
JJEOK!
After uttering these enigmatic words, the Outer Beings tentacle split open and spat something out.
TUUK!
Zeke couldn't believe his eyes when he saw what the Outer Beings tentacle had expelled.
'That is...?'
What shot out from the tentacle was a sword.
A claymore with a coiled snake engraved on the blade.
"The Sun Sword Gram?"
It was none other than the sword that Zeke had used in his previous life, made by Gelion, the Soul Blacksmith.