Episode 135
Hissss!
After absorbing the Hydra’s power, Zeke had grown even larger, resembling a basilisk. The creature, now called Gurav, flicked its tongue menacingly, emitting a threatening sound.
“A m-monster!”
“Ahhh!”
People on the street screamed and fled in terror.
Hiss! Hiss!
As the Hydra’s venom sprayed around, acrid smoke rose from the grass and trees.
Paladins, who had been lying in wait, were startled by Gurav’s appearance and quickly raised their shields, forming a defensive line.
The hunting dogs, witnessing this, were taken aback.
‘Who are these guys?’
Just then, the ground shook.
Clatter, clatter!
Undead creatures made of monster bones emerged, and a Demi Lich appeared, its voice echoing ominously.
“I am a servant of the ‘Rider of Blood and Madness’! Destroy those seeds of light immediately!”
The Demi Lich unexpectedly commanded the disguised hunting dogs.
The hunting dogs were bewildered by the sudden order but had no choice but to draw their weapons.
The paladins, equally surprised, quickly assessed the situation.
‘Who are these guys?’
Seeing the hunting dogs with the monsters, the paladins identified them as enemies and charged with their shields.
“Charge!”
Boom!
The undead monsters shattered and flew apart under the paladins’ assault.
Amidst the chaos, a figure clad in black armor leaped out, attacking the paladins.
Clang!
The paladins, now fully convinced that the hunting dogs were enemies, shouted in alarm.
“Heretics! They’ve summoned monsters and beasts!”
Blinded by their fervent faith, the paladins interpreted the situation to suit their beliefs.
With wild eyes, the shield-bearing paladins charged at the hunting dogs.
The hunting dogs, seeing the paladins rushing at them, had no choice but to fight back with their drawn weapons.
As the battle erupted, the reason for fighting became irrelevant. The focus was solely on defeating the enemy in front of them.
Zeke, watching the chaos unfold from his hidden spot in the bushes, grinned.
‘Well done, Dragon Soldiers 1, 2, and 3.’
Zeke had secretly planted Dragon Soldiers among the hunting dogs, inciting them to attack the paladins and spark the conflict.
As planned, the paladins and hunting dogs misunderstood each other’s identities and fought.
‘It would be great if they just destroyed each other.’
Just then, a loud whistle pierced the air.
The sound of the whistle prompted the hunting dogs to immediately turn and retreat.
The paladins pursued them relentlessly, but they couldn’t match the hunting dogs’ specialized evasion skills.
Zeke instructed Gurav and Richmond to lure the paladins as far away from the road as possible.
Then, he turned his attention to the retreating hunting dogs.
Before they could set up their trap, Zeke needed to sever their connections to give Arina and her group a chance to escape.
Silently trailing the hunting dogs, Zeke discovered them stopping in front of a cabin deep in the forest.
At that moment, a knight disguised as a mercenary emerged from the cabin.
‘Looks like a Blue Knight. The field commander, perhaps.’
The imperial knight shouted at the hunting dogs.
“You fools! I told you to capture the bloodline of Luvern, not clash with the paladins!”
The hunting dogs felt wronged by the sudden turn of events but had no choice. In the military, the superior’s word was law.
The knight gritted his teeth and yelled.
“Damn it! If Commander Daria finds out we failed even the surveillance mission, she’ll have my head!”
The name Daria caught Zeke’s attention.
‘Daria… Could it be Daria Calvi of the Sagittarius Knights?’
Daria Calvi, a knight of the Sagittarius constellation, was renowned as the most skilled female knight in the empire.
She primarily used a bow, reputedly able to hit an ant on a wall from several kilometers away.
‘If Daria Calvi is here, things could get complicated.’
Morgan Buffon, a knight of the Scorpion constellation, was more of a strategist than a strong fighter.
But Daria was known to be the closest to a Black Knight among the empire’s Red Knights, possessing exceptional skills.
Zeke couldn’t help but feel the pressure.
‘I didn’t realize the empire valued Luvern’s bloodline enough to involve a commander-level knight.’
Zeke recalled Arina’s words about how every power on the continent desired the miracle-working bloodline of Luvern.
For the empire’s emperor, obsessed with immortality, it was an irresistible lure.
Zeke drew his sword and donned a mask.
‘I need to divert their attention as much as possible.’
He ordered Richmond to lead the monster army and drive the paladins toward the hunting dogs.
If the two groups weren’t allied, it was best to make them clash and disrupt the situation.
Roar!
Gurav’s roar echoed from afar.
The imperial knights and hunting dogs tensed, drawing their weapons.
“Damn it, a horde of monsters out of nowhere.”
The imperial knight signaled the surrounding hunting dogs to regroup with the main force.
Zeke stealthily followed them, guiding Richmond and Gurav along the way.
The hunting dogs gathered in front of a cave where their camp was set up.
‘Is there any place these guys haven’t set up camp?’
Zeke relayed the cave’s location to Richmond and Gurav.
He intended to observe the situation while remaining hidden.
Suddenly, a bolt of black lightning struck where Zeke was hiding.
Boom!
Zeke rolled away just in time to avoid the lightning.
‘What was that?’
The precise magic targeting him, even while hidden, left Zeke bewildered.
Then, a thought crossed his mind.
‘That abyssal mage at the Zoin Temple also pinpointed my location.’
Though he didn’t understand the mechanics, it seemed the abyss possessed magic capable of detecting hidden presences.
Zeke scanned the surroundings with his dragon eyes.
A mage in a black robe emerged from the cave.
“You fools! Over there!”
The mage pointed directly at Zeke’s location with his staff.
The knights and hunting dogs charged toward the spot the mage indicated.
Whoosh!
Zeke dropped his concealment and lured the hunting dogs and knights into the forest.
As he retreated, he hurled daggers from his cloak at the hunting dogs.
Swish, swish!
The daggers, imbued with power, struck the hunting dogs’ arms and legs.
The knights deflected the daggers with their swords and charged at Zeke.
Clang!
The imperial knight’s sword clashed with Zeke’s.
“Haaah!”
The imperial knight unleashed an aura blade, pressing Zeke hard.
‘That’s not enough.’
Zeke countered the knight’s aggressive assault with a water barrier, launching a counterattack.
Crash!
His powerful strike smashed into the knight’s armor.
“Ugh!”
The blow was so forceful that the knight’s armor crumpled and nearly shattered.
Realizing Zeke’s skill was no ordinary threat, the imperial knights adjusted their stances.
Zeke unleashed a wind barrier against them.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind erupted from Zeke’s sword as he unleashed a storm blade at the knights.
Slash!
The massive storm engulfed the knights, hurling them into the forest.
Whoosh!
Zeke swung his sword at the disoriented knights.
Clang!
Some knights managed to raise their swords in defense, but most fell to Zeke’s blade.
“Ugh!”
When the storm subsided, more than half of the imperial forces were down.
The imperial knight gritted his teeth, pointing his sword at Zeke with a resolve that defied death.
Zeke wondered at their unwavering loyalty.
‘Why are they so devoted to that mad emperor?’
He couldn’t comprehend why the imperial knights were so determined to fulfill the emperor’s orders, who was obsessed with achieving immortality by scouring every dungeon on the continent.
Despite Zeke’s confusion, the knights’ swords flared with aura blades.
“Haaah!”
The imperial knights charged at Zeke in unison.
Boom!
Zeke’s sword, imbued with the will of the wave, clashed with the knights’ swords.
“Ugh!”
The knight who took the full force of the wave’s will coughed up blood and collapsed.
‘Time to retreat and lure them further away.’
Seeing the knights hesitate after the intense clash, Zeke prepared to withdraw.
Boom!
Another bolt of black lightning struck where Zeke had been.
‘Damn mage.’
The mage in the black robe appeared with a swirl of black smoke.
He pointed his staff at Zeke and spoke.
“Where did you crawl out from?”
Without responding, Zeke aimed his sword at the mage.
‘Perfect. I’ll use this chance to lead them away.’
Zeke retreated, casting a radiant mace at the mage.
Boom!
A massive beam of light descended upon the mage.
Sizzle!
Black smoke rose from the dark sphere enveloping the mage.
“Damn Luvern’s magic. Capture him! He’s of Luvern’s bloodline!”
As Zeke anticipated, the mage recognized the light magic.
Zeke turned and fled deeper into the forest.
A chorus of whistles began to echo from all directions.
The hunting dogs were closing in, tightening their net with precision.
“Richmond, what’s the status on the paladins?”
“Ugh, Master. These guys are relentless. At this rate, Goorav and I are done for.”
Hearing this, Zeke maneuvered Richmond and Goorav deeper into the trap set by the hunting dogs, intending to ensnare the paladins within.
Meanwhile, a mage, hovering in the air, pursued Zeke, shouting, “Capture him! We must catch that one!”
Zeke maintained a strategic distance, luring the mage further. It was all part of his plan to capture the mage from the Abyss.
A distant roar echoed—Goorav’s cry. Zeke knew the paladins had been drawn deep into the trap. He dismissed Richmond and Goorav’s summons, then turned to face the mage.
The mage, gliding over the ground, brandished his staff at Zeke. “I’ll paralyze you alive!”
Crackling energy balls shot toward Zeke. In that instant, he drew his orichalcum sword from his inventory.
With a hum, he unleashed the Light’s Punishment skill.
Electric currents of light coursed through Zeke’s sword. “Oh?”
With the orichalcum blade, Zeke deflected the incoming energy balls, which disintegrated into ash upon contact.
The mage halted mid-air, stunned. “Impossible! Cutting magic with a sword?”
Zeke sliced through every energy ball that came his way, then leaped into the air, swinging his sword at the mage.
But only black smoke remained where the mage had been.
Landing, Zeke scanned the area with a dragon’s gaze, sensing something suspicious. He unleashed a Dragon’s Claw in that direction.
A tearing sound followed, and something was caught.
“Ugh!”
The smoke coalesced, revealing the mage, black blood dripping from his chest.
“A wound that won’t heal… How is this possible?”
Though Zeke had used the Dragon’s Claw before, he’d never seen it bypass defenses or inflict such lasting damage. It seemed wounds from dragon skills were irreparable.
“I didn’t know dragon skills had this effect.”
While purification skills and light magic eradicated dark energy, dragon skills seemed to inflict a different kind of fatal wound.
With the white sword still crackling with light, Zeke advanced on the mage. The mage, clutching his bleeding wound, pointed his staff at Zeke.
“Which demon’s servant are you?” Zeke demanded.
The mage flinched, then let out a pained, guttural laugh. “So, you’re the one who sabotaged the Alencia project. I didn’t expect the Luvern to be involved.”
It was clear this mage was also part of the Abyss.
Zeke leveled his sword. “If you’re chasing us for a miracle, it’s pointless. Tell that mad emperor to abandon his delusions.”
The mage spat blood, chuckling darkly. “You’ll never leave this place alive.”
Suddenly, the mage drew a dagger and slit his own throat.
Zeke was taken aback by the mage’s sudden suicide. “Damn it, I needed him alive for information.”
He gritted his teeth, staring at the mage’s lifeless body.
Then, it happened.
A sinister smoke began to rise from the mage’s corpse.