693
Chapter 693
Arthur Draker, facing Zeke, let out a subtle smile.
“Zeke, come here.”
He greeted him with an unwelcome smile and gestured toward the bound Guardian.
“You two are familiar with each other, aren’t you?”
Zeke struggled to keep his gaze from drifting toward Terakan, who was restrained by Arthur Draker. Instead, he raised Gram and aimed it at Arthur Draker.
“You’re wasting time with nonsense when this isn’t a situation for it.”
Arthur Draker chuckled at Zeke’s remark.
“Yes, you’re somewhat right. But still…”
He snapped his fingers.
The clones of Ajitahaka, who had been in a tense standoff with Caligula, instantly transcended space and appeared behind Arthur Draker, who was possessing Rivein.
As he stepped back, with the clones of Ajitahaka in front of him, Arthur Draker spoke.
“The Evil God, Ajitahaka. Do you know why Ramon tried to summon this wicked being?”
He snapped his fingers again toward the clones of Ajitahaka.
Upon receiving the signal, the clones merged into one, transforming into a towering man covered in eerie tattoos.
Zeke recognized what he was.
‘The Flesh-Eating Emperor, Ajitahaka.’
A former emperor of an ancient empire, a being who had devoured countless entities with the power of flesh consumption, attaining the status of a celestial being,Ajitahaka was an unprecedented existence.
However, Zeke had already sealed his power within a sacred relic using Gram and handed it over to Caligula. Because of that, something felt off as he faced the human shaped Ajitahaka standing before Arthur Draker.
‘This is…?’
After a moment, he furrowed his brows and spoke.
“The Knights of Apollion… Did you create them using Ajitahaka’s body?”
Arthur Draker smiled in satisfaction and nodded.
“As expected, you’re sharp. Yes, Ramon’s intention in summoning Ajitahaka to the physical realm was to create an immortal legion.”
Zeke had already suspected as much.
Jiemens had joined hands with the Abyss, conducting horrific human experiments to create a completely controllable, indestructible army.
Ramon Jiemens had discovered that the key ingredient for this immortal legion was none other than the Evil God, Ajitahaka.
A legion of supreme knights who could absorb the abilities of others, instantly regenerate wounds, and share experiences across individuals.
Had this legion been completed, Jiemens could have unified the entire continent with ease.
But Ramon Jiemens’s scheme had crumbled due to Zeke’s intervention, and the research on the immortal legion had fallen entirely into Arthur Draker’s hands.
The power of Ajitahaka, which had once dwelled within the heart of the Dragon of Light, had been passed from Ramon Jiemens to Abel Draker, and eventually to Arthur Draker.
And with that power, Arthur Draker had gained the ability to create Dark Matter and manipulate distorted causality.
Using this ability, he had summoned the sealed power of the Evil God from its isolated plane into the physical world, and thus, he had completed the immortal legion that Ramon Jiemens had failed to perfect.
Zeke now understood how the Knights of Apollion could wield such powers and why Arthur Draker could possess their bodies at will.
He raised Gram and aimed at Ajitahaka.
“So if Ajitahaka’s power is destroyed, the abilities of the Knights of Apollion will vanish as well.”
Arthur Draker nodded with a smirk.
“A reasonable deduction, Zeke. However…”
He floated into the air, approaching the restrained Sentinel, then snapped his fingers.
TZZZZZZZ!
The tattoos engraved on Ajitahaka’s body began to glow.
Simultaneously, bones burst from his body, forming armor and a sword.
Watching the bone-armored Ajitahaka, Zeke could feel that he now possessed the abilities of the Apollion Knights, including the Elemental Sword, Dragon Slayer Techniques, and Bloodline Abilities.
The worst of the Evil Gods had just been granted incomprehensible power.
Arthur Draker, observing Zeke’s grave expression, spoke.
“Do you think you can destroy a Baptized Ajitahaka?”
Zeke did not answer.
Instead, blades of shadow surged around him.
Arthur Draker nodded at the sight.
“As expected, that’s what my son should do.”
As if those words were a signal, Ajitahaka, now fully armored with a bone helmet, lunged at Zeke.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!
He skillfully unleashed dragon-slaying techniques, launching sword strikes toward Zeke while simultaneously exerting telekinetic force to restrain his body using bloodline abilities.
Zeke tore apart Ajitahaka's abilities with the power of shadow, then jumped into the air and swung his sword from above, deploying Infinite Sword technique.
KWAKWAKWABOOM!
Shock waves shot in all directions as Ajitahaka's sword and Zeke's sword collided.
Arthur Draker watched this with an intrigued expression.
At that moment, a strange light flickered in Ajitahaka's eyes as he pressed his sword against Zeke's, and a peculiar magical power flowed through his sword into Gram.
Surprisingly, ancient characters began to be engraved on Gram's blade.
Seeing this, Zeke calmly drew upon the power of Great Purification.
Golden aura flowed from his body, neutralizing Ajitahaka's evil spell, and the ancient characters that were about to be engraved on Gram were completely erased.
Zeke glared at Arthur Draker behind Ajitahaka and said,
"You seem quite eager to have this sword."
Arthur Draker smiled subtly at his words.
"I can't deny it's an increasingly interesting sword. Zeke, everything you possess will eventually become mine."
When Arthur Draker signaled Ajitahaka again, Ajitahaka's breastplate suddenly transformed into a dragon-shaped magical beast, opening its mouth wide to condense and spew energy like a dragon's breath.
GOOOOOOO!
The compressed shot fired from Ajitahaka's breastplate flew toward Zeke.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!
Zeke steadied his breathing and raised his sword as he watched the compressed shot flying toward him.
KUGUGUGUGUGU!
Zeke, holding Gram, deployed the Elemental Sword Water Field against the compressed shot.
CHWAAAAAAAK!
His sword drew an arc, gently gathering the compressed shots into a single spherical ball.
WOOOONG!
The spherical ball, compressed even more tightly by Zeke, adhered to his blade.
Zeke then wielded Gram with the principle of the Water Field and hurled that sphere toward Arthur Draker.
The compressed sphere, spinning fiercely, grazed Ajitahaka's shoulder before flying straight toward Arthur Draker.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!
The sphere Zeke launched emitted pressure strong enough to crush the entire flagship, like a black hole drawing in everything.
Seeing this, Arthur Draker extended his hand with a surprised expression.
"Truly impressive. Is this the true Elemental Sword of the Hero King?"
He caught the compressed sphere with one hand.
TSTSTSTS!
The intensely spinning compressed sphere gradually stopped in Arthur Draker's hand, then disappeared as if absorbing into his palm.
Seeing this, Zeke furrowed his brow.
'He can exert this much power while possessing Rivein's body.'
This clearly showed that Arthur Draker's power had become much stronger than before.
Arthur Draker looked down at Zeke, then turned his head toward the torn space leading to the Final Tower.
"Seeing my grown son is very joyful as a father. But it seems I must first finish what needs to be done."
Arthur Draker, gripping the restrained Guardian's shoulder, looked down at Zeke and said,
"I will take the Demon King's soul. If you want to stop me, come. I'll be waiting there."
WOOOOOONG!
A huge mouth appeared as space split open behind Arthur Draker.
Zeke immediately launched Ascalon and Leviathan.
Ajitahaka promptly blocked Arthur Draker, deploying a barrier to stop Ascalon and Leviathan.
At that moment…..
KRAAAAAAAA!
When Zeke turned toward the source of the roar, he saw four angels attacking Bahamut in flight.
Bahamut was still attacking the warships even with dragon slayers' chains wrapped around its body.
But it was too much to face all four angels alone.
Although the current Bahamut was just a shell without soul or heart, it was still his birth mother. Zeke couldn't help but hesitate for a moment.
And in that brief moment of Zeke's hesitation, the huge mouth swallowed Arthur Draker, the Guardian, Draker, and Ajitahaka.
Just as Zeke was about to rush to stop this, Bahamut's scream shook the atmosphere.
"...Damn it."
In the end, Zeke turned and flew toward where Bahamut and the angels were.
Zeke launched his sword toward the angels who were trying to insert their tails to absorb Bahamut's power.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!
Powerful sword light rose like a storm and blew away the angels.
He then swung Gram toward the dragon slayers who were restraining Bahamut's movements.
CHWAAAAK!
While the dragon slayers retreated to avoid it, shadow blades springing from Gram devoured their chains.
Only then did Bahamut break free and fly back into the sky.
But the liberated Bahamut headed directly toward the split gap where the Final Tower was visible.
With four pairs of wings spread, Bahamut moved its massive body and entered straight inside.
It seemed to be following the Terakan that Arthur Draker had taken.
The angels who had been pushed back by Zeke's sword also tried to enter the gap to catch Bahamut.
At that moment, beings emerged from the shadows to block them.
The shadow spirits absorbed by Zeke revealed themselves.
Ashvin, created by combining the angel Azrael, and Brontos, created by combining the angels Raziel and Samael, stood in their way with glowing eyes.
KAAAAAK!
The four angels, strengthened by the power of distorted causality and absorbed dragon power, attempted to unleash their breath against Ashvin and Brontos.
At that moment, the power of constellations flowed from Ashvin and Brontos.
This was possible because Zeke had distributed the powers of constellations sealed in Solomon's ring to them.
The power of wind emanated from Ashvin, while sonic waves and poison powers flowed from Brontos.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!
Before the angels could fire their breath, Ashvin and Brontos's powers attacked them first.
KAAAAAAK!
The storm of gale wind, sonic waves, and poison restrained the angels, who tried desperately but unsuccessfully to break free.
Just as the angels tried to use their power once more, space rippled behind them.
TSTSTSTS!
Zeke appeared, piercing through the shadows.
With his appearance, shadows surging from Gram became a huge mouth that swallowed the angels in one gulp.
KAAAAK!
KWAAAAK!
The angels screamed and struggled to escape from the shadows, but it was impossible to break free from the restraint of shadows surging from Gram.
They gradually sank into the shadow swamp created by Gram and disappeared.
Zeke's pupils changed to golden dragon eyes after simultaneously absorbing four angels.
Immediately, Zeke raised his head and looked at the widened gap.
PSHHHHHHK!
Plasma currents flowed in all directions from the gap, which had grown large enough to swallow the black tower created by the Elder Dragon.
Zeke sent a message to Hades, who was moving the ark.
[Lord Hades, I will enter the Final Tower. Please prevent the Apollion forces from entering there.]
Hades's reply came immediately.
[What? You're going to enter there alone?]
Not only Hades but also the High Tables aboard the ark shouted in disapproval of Zeke's recklessness, insisting it was absolutely forbidden.
But Zeke closed the incoming messages and stared at the entrance leading to the Final Tower.
Only Zeke, who possessed divine status, could stop Arthur Draker who was there.
'Arthur Draker, I will not let you claim the Demon King's soul.'
Zeke gritted his teeth and launched himself into the gap.