697
Chapter 697
Zeke looked around the sword grave with countless swords to assess the situation. The sudden transportation to the Draker sword grave through dimensional cracks was puzzling. Avatar Adam, who harbored the Demon King's soul, was nowhere to be seen. It seemed Zeke was the only one in this space.
Then something crossed Zeke's mind.
'Could it be...?'
He wondered if instead of being transported, this sword grave space had manifested around him. If so, it meant only one thing.
"A unique space."
Arthur Draker had taken advantage of the dimensional crack to unfold his unique space and draw Zeke in.
He walked slowly along a path between the swords stuck in the ground. The scene was much different from his previous visit. Instead of several dozen swords of former Draker family heads, now countless swords filled an endless space. Some were old, others looked brand new.
Zeke looked up at the temple at the end of the path between the sword graves.
WOOOOOONG!
Gram in his hand vibrated strongly. Having absorbed Caladbolg, Caledvulgh, and now the Sword of Victory 'Caliburn' hidden behind the name Zahak, Gram's pitch-black blade was gleaming.
The vibrations from Gram grew stronger, and Zeke sensed they were responding to something inside the temple.
WOOOONG!
Zeke instinctively realized Gram was yearning for another shadow sword.
'If it's another shadow sword, then Arthur Draker's Caliburn and...'
The shadow sword stuck in the ground that couldn't be pulled out, which he had seen with Arthur Draker when he first came to the Draker sword grave.
Feeling the increasingly strong vibrations, Zeke took to the air. He flew past countless swords toward the temple, landing at its entrance.
Zeke stared at the massive Apollion emblem carved on the temple doors. As if welcoming him, the doors opened by themselves.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Inside stood a familiar God of Sword statue, the statue of Avatar Adam holding a sword.
Zeke slowly approached the statue. Then Gram vibrated even more intensely.
WOOOOOONG!
Realizing the reaction wasn't to the Avatar Adam statue, Zeke looked behind it.
At the end of the vast temple chamber were hundreds of steps leading to an altar. On that altar was the source of the vibrations calling to Gram.
Zeke floated up to the altar. There he found the sword calling to Gram,a crude claymore made of a black color that seemed to absorb everything. It was the very sword that neither Zeke nor Arthur Draker had been able to pull out before.
WOOOOOONG!
As he approached, Gram's vibrations grew stronger. Zeke noticed both Gram and the sword on the altar were vibrating. He reached out toward the sword as if entranced.
Then suddenly.
CRACKLING!
Strong plasma erupted before Zeke as he approached the sword.
Snapping back to his senses, Zeke saw a message:
[Detected attempt to corrupt user's mind.]
[User's unique powers 'Infinite Breakthrough' and 'Immutable' activated to defend against corruption.]
Zeke realized he had been entranced by the sword,a weapon powerful enough to erode the mind of someone who had reached mythic-grade transcendent godhood.
Zeke stepped back while looking at the black sword that still called to him through Gram.
"How disappointing, Zeke."
Arthur Draker's voice echoed as Zeke retreated.
Wary, Zeke took Leviathan and Ascalon from his inventory. As he prepared to attack with gleaming sword light, trying to locate Arthur Draker, the space rippled and Arthur appeared behind the sword.
But Arthur Draker's appearance wasn't normal.
'A spirit form?'
Arthur appeared as a semi-transparent spirit, not in his elderly form but as his younger self.
He spread his arms dramatically toward Zeke.
"Zeke, why did you reject the call of the divine sword?"
In spirit form, Arthur grasped the sword handle embedded in the altar. The sword vibrated more strongly in response to his touch.
RUMBLE!
The entire temple shook from the sword's power.
Zeke glared at Arthur without moving and asked,
"What are you planning?"
In response to his words, Arthur Draker shrugged and said,
"I merely responded to the divine sword's call, I have no other intentions."
Zeke glared at the sword Arthur called divine and spoke.
"The shadow swords absorbed into Gram, your Caliburn, and that immovable sword. What is the true identity of that sword that makes you so obsessed with it?"
Arthur Draker grinned at his question.
"Zeke, this sword is the ultimate weapon I've been searching for all this time. Literally a god's sword."
Arthur Draker stroked the sword handle as he spoke.
Then he addressed Zeke again.
"The sun god Apollion saved the phenomenal world from the Primordial Light and harmonized the world as the supreme god. But the world created by the Primordial Light was unbalanced and incomplete. So Apollion tried to correct it."
Zeke frowned as he listened to Arthur Draker, sensing his madness in claiming that the sun god Apollion, who had caused countless apocalypses in the phenomenal world, had saved it from the Primordial Light.
Arthur Draker continued.
"But due to the restrictions created by the Primordial Light, the constellations couldn't intervene in the phenomenal world. So Apollion created an avatar to act in his place and sent him to the phenomenal world. Avatar Adam. And he gave that avatar a sword containing his power."
Zeke's eyes widened at Arthur Draker's words, finally understanding why he was obsessed with the divine sword.
"You're saying that sword is Avatar Adam's sword? Containing the sun god Apollion's power?"
Arthur Draker grinned at Zeke's words.
"It doesn't contain his power. This sword is Apollion himself."
Zeke couldn't help feeling confused by Arthur Draker's claim.
The immovable divine sword being Apollion himself,he couldn't tell if this was just Arthur Draker's poor metaphor or literal truth.
One thing was clear though: something dangerous would happen the moment that sword was pulled out.
Zeke cautiously addressed Arthur Draker.
"Whatever it is, I understand enough that your goal is to pull out that sword."
With those words, Zeke activated Overclock.
Immediately, strong divine power erupted from Zeke's body.
RUMBLE!
The wave created by Zeke's divine power shook the entire temple.
Floating in the air, Zeke looked down at Arthur Draker and said,
"I'll tear apart this unique space itself and hide that sword here forever."
Arthur Draker laughed and shook his head at Zeke's words.
"How interesting. Hiding the divine sword forever..."
Arthur Draker trailed off, released the sword, stepped back, and snapped his fingers.
The space split open, revealing a giant mouth from which Avatar Adam emerged.
Zeke immediately threw Ascalon and Leviathan at the suddenly appearing Adam.
BOOM!
The two swords flew faster than light.
But then something amazing happened. A strong wave suddenly rippled from the sword embedded in the altar.
WOOOONG!
Simultaneously, a massive barrier formed around the sword.
Ascalon and Leviathan were blocked by this barrier and couldn't advance further.
Zeke, concentrating his divine power on his swords, could feel the sword's incredibly powerful force.
'This is...'
In that moment, he realized something.
The creator of this unique space wasn't Arthur Draker but the divine sword itself.
BOOM!
While Ascalon and Leviathan collided with the barrier created by the sword, Avatar Adam, summoned by Arthur Draker, approached the sword embedded in the altar.
Then, space distorted in Avatar Adam's hand and something appeared in his grip.
It was Arthur Draker's sword, Caliburn.
When the grey-bladed Caliburn was grasped by Avatar Adam, the divine sword's vibrations grew even stronger than before.
RUMBLE!
As the barrier expanded, the vibrations shaking the temple intensified ominously.
The violent tremors caused stones to fall from the temple ceiling.
Avatar Adam, completely unfazed by this reaction, slowly brought Caliburn toward the divine sword.
Amazingly, Caliburn transformed into a shadow form and was sucked into the divine sword embedded in the floor.
WOOOOOONG!
After the divine sword absorbed Caliburn, a powerful wave rippled outward.
This time, it was Gram in Zeke's hand that reacted to the wave emanating from the divine sword.
ZIIIIING!
Soon after, Gram began to disintegrate into fine ash from the tip of the blade, then flew toward the divine sword and started being absorbed.
TSUTSUTSUTSUTSU!
Seeing this, Arthur laughed loudly from behind.
"The final missing piece has finally fallen into place!"
Zeke realized that the final piece Arthur mentioned was none other than Gram.
His goal wasn't to steal Gram but to cause it to react with the divine sword and merge into one.
It was clear he had deliberately revealed Zahak's true form to have it absorbed into Gram for this purpose.
Zeke tried to put Gram back into his inventory, but the waves flowing from the divine sword were too strong to make it possible.
Eventually, the Gram held in Zeke's hand completely scattered and was sucked into the divine sword.
TSUTSUTSUTSUTSU!
The divine sword, having absorbed both Gram and Caliburn, began to transform.
KWADUDUDUDUDU!
The rough-looking claymore changed into a cruciform sword.
The blade, which had been consistently black, turned silver, and unknown ancient characters were finely engraved on its surface. The pommel and handle also changed into an antique ancient style.
WOOOOOONG!
As the transformed divine sword caused an ominous wave, Zeke raised his right hand and concentrated the power of his Soul Spirit.
Then the power of will imbued with divine status wrapped around the sword.
KUGUGUGUGUGU!
As the Soul technique power settled in his arm, Zeke let out a strong battle cry and swung his arm widely.
"HAAAAAAH!"
Soul technique
Triple Spell
Will of Great Annihilation
Zeke intended to annihilate not only the divine sword but space itself at once with the Triple Spell.
The sword strike imbued with the will of great annihilation flew toward the divine sword.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!
It was a sword strike with enough power to make the divine sword, the temple, and the entire space ripple.
But at that moment, something unbelievable happened.
CHWACHWACHWACHWACHWACHWA!
The fiercely flying will of great annihilation was instantly sucked into the blade of the divine sword.
WOOOOONG!
The surface of the divine sword, having absorbed the Soul Spirit sword strike, emitted an even stronger wave while radiating a brilliant light on its surface.
And Incarnate Adam reached for the divine sword while Zeke's attack was neutralized.
WOOOOOONG!
Then the divine sword caused a loud vibration and slowly began to be drawn out.
KWADUDUDU!
As the sword was gradually pulled out, space itself became increasingly distorted.
'I must prevent him from getting his hands on the divine sword.'
Zeke summoned Leviathan and Ascalon again.
WHEEEEEK!
Catching the two flying swords, Zeke flew toward Incarnate Adam at the speed of light.
KUGUGUGUGUGU!
When Incarnate Adam had drawn the sword halfway, Zeke raised the powers of Dark Soul Spirit and Holy Soul Spirit, the authorities of his two swords.
Then he unleashed Infinite Sword Technique with these two powers.
The powers of light and darkness emanating from the swords became one, emitting a soul destroying aura.
Zeke swung his sword toward Adam, who was reaching for the divine sword.
Infinite Sword Technique Final Form
Mind Sword Technique
Soul Destruction Sword