657
Chapter 657
"KILL THEM!"
Zeke surveyed his surroundings to assess the situation. Rough battle cries and clashing weapons filled the air.
BOOM!
Magic cannons fired shells at the sturdy walls of Himonas. As Zeke examined where the shells came from, he realized they belonged to the Rom Empire.
'Haven't seen those in a while.'
As he wondered, the shells exploded against the walls, scattering debris everywhere.
Simultaneously, enemies could be seen climbing up through the holes in the walls.
Northern knights on the walls shouted as they charged toward where the enemies were coming from.
"You Imperial bastards!"
With harsh northern curses, claymores plunged down at the Hounds.
Watching this, Zeke couldn't help but be surprised.
'Imperial Hounds?'
CLANG!
The Hounds blocked the powerful sword strikes of the northern knights.
The Rom Empire's Hounds were better equipped than the northern knights who fought with bare hands, as they were armed with artifacts created through dark magic.
The attacking Hounds blocked the northern knights' swords with shields attached to their wrists, then stabbed their sides with swords.
"GACK!"
The Hounds' enchanted swords pierced through the thick monster hide worn by the northern knights.
The blades were coated with poison, causing flesh to rot even from the slightest cut.
Just then, Zeke sensed a blade flying toward him from behind.
CLASH!
He quickly swung Gram to block the Hound's sword.
Then, naturally executing northern swordsmanship that his body remembered, he deflected the sword and crouched to slash at the legs.
The Hounds' equipment was mostly focused on the upper body, making their lower body defense relatively weak.
Instinctively, Zeke grabbed the dagger at his waist and thrust it into the gap in the fallen Hound's armor.
The Hound died with a groan.
Zeke precisely stabbed the Hound's heart with Gram for a kill confirmation, then belatedly checked his own attire.
'This is...'
It was the outfit from when he operated as Zeke Murray in Himonas.
He quickly grasped the situation.
'This isn't really returning to my past life. This must be memories buried in my subconscious .'
In his past life, Zeke hadn't been able to participate in the final battle at Himonas Castle.
He had to go provide support elsewhere at the request of Northern Grand Duke Alicia.
He thought the sturdy Himonas Castle could hold until he returned, but that was a grave mistake.
The forces of the mad emperor, known as the Continental Usurper, persistently attacked Himonas Castle, and ultimately Alicia fought to the end before taking her own life as befitting a northern knight.
Not being able to protect Alicia in her final moments was one of Zeke's biggest regrets from his past life.
Zeke realized he had entered deep into his subconscious through the seed of the domain activated by the Trace of the distorted constellation.
'But why this moment?'
Himonas was the place he had stayed the longest in his past life and considered his hometown.
After returning, the first things he thought of were Himonas and Alicia.
If he had truly returned to the past, he thought he could prevent Alicia's death that he couldn't stop before.
To Zeke, Himonas was special as it was both his spiritual hometown and the place that gave him a new life.
Even when he became a Cartel hitman after being abandoned by his family, or when he became a Highlander after passing on his soul technique to Nigel in the Forgotten Forest, Zeke couldn't set his heart on the places he stayed.
Before coming to Himonas, he was in pain and lonely.
Then, while hunting monsters on a request in Himonas, he first encountered the northern knights and Alicia among them.
Alicia, who possessed the authority of the Great Power, already had strength transcending normal humans even then.
She was the only person who approached him with genuine sincerity in his miserable past life.
That's why when she reached out her hand, he headed north even breaking his oath with his master.
His new life in the north wasn't filled with happy and warm memories either.
It was a time of constant war as the Rom Empire had already begun their continental invasion.
However, Zeke never regretted choosing the north in his past life.
Because Himonas was where he first found comrades he could drink with at ease and trust to watch his back, and a superior he could look up to.
'The place I considered my only sanctuary. Did I come to the moment it crumbled?'
Zeke watched the falling Himonas Castle with complex emotions.
Though these were memories from a past life already gone, returning to that moment brought back vivid memories and pain.
Zeke turned his head to look at the tower rising higher than the castle walls.
'Alicia is there.'
After staring quietly at that spot, he began running to protect his lord whom he couldn't protect until the end in his past life.
BOOM! BOOM!
Once again, the Empire's magic cannons shook the entire wall.
RUMBLE!
With a thunderous noise, debris from the walls came crashing down.
"HUFF, HUFF."
Without his powers and with the system window not functioning, his movements weren't as he wished.
It felt like he had truly returned to his past life.
He caught his breath as he climbed up the wall.
Suddenly, Imperial knights appeared blocking his path.
THUD!
Zeke took his stance as he faced the Imperial knights in red armor.
Then he realized their stance was familiar.
'Dragon-slaying technique?'
The Imperial knights taking the dragon-slaying stance were none other than Draker's knights.
In his past life, when Abel Draker became the head of the family and offered the family to the Empire, the family's knights were drafted as Imperial knights.
Zeke clenched his teeth and charged forward at the Draker knights who were rushing at him wearing armor engraved with the Rom Empire's crest.
WHOOSH!
The knights' aura-imbued swords flew toward Zeke's head.
Zeke infused Gram with mana, converting it to aura.
WHOOSH!
As aura clashed with aura, shockwaves rippled in all directions.
If he had his original power with divinity, he could have blown away Blue Knights with a single strike, but with only his past strength available now, even deflecting their swords was quite difficult.
'If I clash head-on like usual, I'll be at a disadvantage.'
Zeke steadied his breathing and relaxed his body.
Then, holding Gram at an angle, he baited the knight to swing his sword as he wanted.
CLASH!
As the knight's sword came exactly as Zeke intended, he deflected it and infused it with his soul technique's power.
SWISH!
Zeke's sword, carrying his will of severance, cut through the knight's armor at the waist.
"GACK!"
The Draker knight wearing Imperial armor collapsed with a death cry.
Then the other knights behind raised their swords and charged at Zeke.
Zeke steadied his breathing again and raised his concentration.
'Just because I came to my past life's time doesn't mean I have to only use techniques from then.'
He unleashed Duke's Wind Storm Technique, which he hadn't learned in his past life.
The Wind Storm Technique could be executed with just physical strength without aura, so even Zeke in the past could use it effectively .
Dodging the sword with Shadowless Step, Zeke dove into the blind spot and thrust both his sword and dagger into the knights' vital points.
STAB!
The knights died instantly without even screaming.
After quickly dispatching three Blue Knights, Zeke raised Gram again and started heading toward the tower.
Just then, a thunderous noise erupted from above the wall.
BOOM! BOOM!
From the giant-like roaring sound, Zeke realized Alicia was there.
'This time I will definitely save her.'
Zeke tried to run toward where he thought Alicia would be.
However, as if to stop him, an intense red sword strike flew at him.
CRASH!
Zeke quickly unleashed his soul technique to block the sword strike.
BOOM!
Though he blocked the attack with his soul technique, the impact was so strong his sword hand trembled.
'Such power... who could it be?'
Zeke raised his head to look ahead.
And he couldn't help but be surprised at who stood before him.
A man wearing a familiar Hersion.
Zeke's eyes widened at the sight of him.
'That person is...?'
What he was wearing was none other than Goddess Theia's Hersion.
Seeing this, Zeke recognized the knight's identity.
"Cain Constantinus Jiemens."
The true vessel of the Abyss who died by the regressed Zeke's hand had appeared.
When Zeke called his name, Cain deactivated his Hersion's helmet and looked at him.
He spoke to Zeke with a ruler's voice.
"Worthless northern knight, how do you know my name?"
Instead of answering Cain's words, Zeke raised Gram again.
In his current life, Cain had died by Zeke's hand before even receiving the Shadow's baptism.
Even then, Cain was a knight with power exceeding a Red Knight.
At this point in time, he surely possessed at least Black Knight level power.
When Zeke didn't answer, Cain also raised his sword and stepped forward.
"I came to catch the Wolf of the North, but first I should catch you and hear the full story."
Cain put his helmet back on and concentrated power into his sword.
RUMBLE!
Bright red aura rose from Cain's sword.
As Cain swung his sword at Zeke, the red aura extended and whipped around like a lash.
SWOOSH!
Zeke used the Wind Storm Technique to avoid the aura that came at an odd angle.
WHOOSH!
The aura chased after Zeke like a snake as he stepped back using his footwork.
While retreating, Zeke concentrated mana into Gram.
The moment the visualized aura gathered in his sword, Zeke swung at Cain's whip-like aura.
BOOM!
As the auras clashed, an explosion spread in all directions.
But Cain's red aura didn't subside at all, instead pursuing Zeke more persistently.
'Damn.'
Though the Wind Storm Technique was based on physical strength, it ultimately required the lower diantan for perfect use.
The past life Zeke had only imperfectly learned the soul technique, making proper use impossible.
Compared to his current life where he gained divinity through various encounters after returning, the past life Zeke had clear limitations.
'Even so, I can't give up here.'
Even in this past within his subconscious , dying could impact his soul in unknown ways, so Zeke didn't give up and looked for openings while avoiding Cain's aura.
Watching this, Cain spoke leisurely.
"You have quite interesting skills."
As if intrigued, he reached toward Zeke.
Ancient characters appeared as light shone from Goddess Theia's Hersion.
Zeke knew what this reaction meant.
'Plasma Field.'
Light burst from the armor in all directions instantly.
Simultaneously, plasma current flowed from Cain's outstretched hand and wrapped around Zeke's body.
"URGH!"
He tried dodging the plasma current with Storm Technique but was already too exhausted.
When exposed to the plasma current, his muscles contracted and he couldn't move.
Then, the whip made of red aura flew in and severed Zeke's neck.
* * *
"KILL THEM!"
Harsh battle cries and clashing weapons assaulted his ears.
Opening his eyes, Zeke wore a dazed expression.
'Where is this?'
He clearly remembered his neck being severed by Cain's attack.
Yet when he opened his eyes, his neck was properly attached.
'Did my Immortal Body power return?'
Unable to understand the situation, he tried opening the system window but nothing appeared.
While standing there confused, he suddenly sensed someone approaching from behind.
SWOOSH!
He avoided the Hound's attack and quickly swung Gram to sever its neck.
THUD!
Zeke felt the Hound he just killed was familiar.
'Could it be?'
He raised his head and looked around.
BOOM! BOOM!
Cannon fire rang out loudly.
Watching the crumbling walls, Zeke realized the situation.
'Returned to the earlier past?'
He had come back to when he first arrived here.