Episode 179
Sharp, spiked iron balls spun furiously as they hurtled toward Zeke.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as Zeke raised his sword to create a barrier of water, the ground beneath him trembled.
Rumble!
The earth split open, causing Zeke to lose his balance and stagger.
The iron balls thrown by Sion sped toward Zeke with alarming speed.
Crash! Boom!
The iron balls collided around Zeke, exploding with a deafening roar.
Shards of the shattered iron balls flew in all directions, embedding themselves into the surrounding buildings. The solid stone walls were left riddled with holes.
Sion watched the rising dust cloud, panting heavily.
“Hah… Arrogant fool. How dare you challenge me, Sion.”
Exhaustion was evident on Sion’s face, likely from expending too much energy at once.
Catching his breath, Sion slowly approached the carriage.
He raised his hand, lifting the carriage into the air with a sinister smile.
“I won’t let a traitor die so easily.”
He shook the airborne carriage violently.
Thud! Thud!
The carriage rattled, producing a cacophony of noise from within.
Sion clutched his stomach, laughing with glee.
“Hahaha! Dario, you pretentious fool! Always acting high and mighty. Serves you right!”
After laughing to his heart’s content, Sion slowly clenched his fist.
The specially crafted transport carriage began to crumple under his power.
Sion frowned at the carriage’s unexpected resilience.
“A mere carriage dares to resist!”
He exerted more force, causing the carriage to crumple faster.
Just as Sion focused on the carriage, something flew toward him.
Whoosh!
An arrow shot through the air, aimed directly at Sion.
Thwack!
Distracted by the carriage, Sion failed to dodge the arrow, which struck his shoulder.
“Ugh!”
The arrow disrupted Sion’s concentration, causing the floating carriage to crash to the ground.
Sion yanked the arrow from his shoulder, his eyes blazing with fury.
“Damn it! How dare you wound me!”
More arrows flew toward Sion from inside a building.
Sion extended his hand toward the incoming arrows.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a gesture, the arrows halted mid-air.
At that moment, chains shot up from the ground beneath Sion.
Clang!
The chains wrapped tightly around Sion’s ankles.
“Argh!”
Sion struggled to break free, but it was futile.
The ground shook again, and Zeke emerged.
Zeke unleashed a lightning skill at Sion.
Crackle!
The powerful electricity surged through the chains, striking Sion.
“Aaaagh!”
Sion convulsed and collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Zeke, now standing firmly on the ground, pulled the chains to check Sion’s condition.
‘He’s not dead yet.’
Realizing a direct confrontation with Sion would be difficult, Zeke had hidden beneath the cracked earth to avoid the iron ball explosion, then summoned a dragon soldier to distract Sion and create an opening.
Zeke used soul-binding magic to capture Sion and injected him with hydra venom to paralyze him.
He planned to interrogate Sion slowly after capturing him alive.
With Sion subdued, Zeke walked toward the carriage.
Using his strength, he pried open the carriage door, which had been crushed by Sion’s power.
Inside, a secure cage designed to protect Dario was installed.
As Zeke opened the cage to retrieve Dario, he noticed something amiss.
‘The cage is open?’
Suddenly, the ground split again, and the entire carriage sank into the earth.
Zeke quickly leaped off the carriage wall and escaped.
Whoosh!
Using a wind barrier, Zeke lifted himself and climbed the fractured ground back to the surface.
The specially crafted carriage lay completely crushed below.
On the surface, Zeke spotted someone standing behind the chained Sion.
A figure wearing a skull mask and a long black robe with unusually long arms.
This must be the one who had been manipulating the ground all along.
Crack!
The skull-masked figure attempted to break the chains binding Sion.
However, the soul-bound chains would not release until Zeke retrieved them.
When the chains wouldn’t budge, the skull-masked figure raised a long arm to strike Sion’s head.
Zeke swiftly drew a dagger and hurled it at the skull mask.
The dagger, imbued with explosive intent, struck the skull mask.
Boom!
The explosion halted the skull mask’s movements.
Seizing the opportunity, Zeke pulled the chains, dragging Sion toward him.
Then, from within the explosion, the skull mask’s eyes glowed red.
The figure’s body crumbled like sand, disappearing into the ground.
Zeke swung his sword at the spot where the skull mask vanished, but only managed to gouge the earth, finding no trace of the figure.
Realizing the futility of searching for the skull mask, Zeke turned his attention to the unconscious, chained Sion.
Fortunately, Sion was still breathing.
But just as Zeke felt a sense of relief, something rolled toward him.
Zeke looked down to see what had stopped at his feet.
It was none other than Dario’s severed head.
In the courtroom of the Draker Court in Autumnfell, many had gathered.
Among them were the Silver Knight, Carly Draker, the former Black Knight, Duke Draker, the leader of the Black Wolf Brigade, the Scarred Knight, and Gareth Draker—all key figures in the current Draker power structure.
They had convened to hear the testimony of a Nostra Family executive and deliver a verdict on the crimes.
The person who had requested this trial was none other than Carly Draker.
She had enlisted Duke Draker and Gareth Draker as guarantors, lending weight to the proceedings.
But a problem arose.
The Nostra Family executive scheduled to testify had not appeared, even after the appointed time had passed.
As murmurs spread among the attendees, the judge spoke up.
“This is a sacred court. Please maintain silence.”
The judge turned to Carly Draker, who shook her head with a tense expression.
William Siemens, attending the trial as an observer, watched Carly and the judge with a satisfied smile.
He had just received word from the Nostra Family that Dario had been dealt with.
‘Perfect. An unexpected blow to Carly’s side.’
Had Dario testified about the Nostra Family’s crimes, Carly would have gained credit for the trial. But failure could lead to backlash.
Currently, Carly and Abel were engaged in an invisible competition for the succession of the family head.
Even a small mistake could escalate into a major issue.
Especially since Carly’s maternal family and backers, the Prana family, lacked the influence of Siemens, who supported Abel.
In other words, even a minor misstep could cost Carly all the progress she had made.
As Carly’s expression hardened, William Siemens slowly rose from his seat.
It was clear that both Carly and Zeke would suffer setbacks from this failed mission.
At that moment, the judge, unable to wait any longer, spoke again.
“Since the witness has not appeared, I declare this court adjourned.”
He was about to bring down the gavel when—
Bang!
The doors swung open, and someone entered the courtroom.
William Siemens, about to leave, was taken aback.
‘What the…’
To his shock, Zeke Draker, wearing the Draker uniform, had entered the courtroom with someone whose face was covered.
Zeke stood before the judge and bowed respectfully.
“Honorable Judge, I apologize for the delay. I have brought the witness.”
He seated the man in the witness stand and removed the hood covering his face.
The man, though gaunt, was unmistakably Dario Totlino.
William Siemens was stunned at the sight of Dario’s face.
“This can’t be!”
His outburst drew the attention of everyone in the courtroom.
Zeke turned to William and asked calmly.
“Sir William, is there a problem?”
William quickly composed himself and sat down with a calm expression.
“No, nothing at all.”
Zeke turned back to the judge and spoke.
“I request Dario Totlino, from the Empire, as a witness to the Nostra Family’s organized crimes.”
The judge looked at Carly Draker, who nodded in agreement.
The judge accepted Zeke’s request.
“Dario Totlino, please testify.”
Dario stood in the witness stand and began to speak slowly.
“My name is known as Dario Totlino, but that is not the truth. My real name is Dario Nostra. I am one of the bosses of the Nostra Family.”
As Dario’s testimony began, the courtroom buzzed with murmurs.
Dario Totlino, the steel magnate of the empire, was reportedly abducted by mysterious assailants from Heli.
Yet, here he was, suddenly reappearing and claiming to be a member of the Nostra Mafia family, ready to testify against their crimes.
“Dario Totlino, part of the Nostra family?”
“Unbelievable.”
Amidst the murmurs of the onlookers, William stood up, raising his hand to speak.
He addressed Dario directly. “Can you prove that you are indeed Dario Totlino? The last we heard, you were kidnapped by some unknown group. Now you show up at the Dreiker court to testify? It’s hard to wrap my head around.”
Other observers nodded in agreement with William’s skepticism.
Then, Carly Dreiker rose from her seat and addressed the judge. “Your Honor, please allow the witness, Dario Totlino, to prove his identity.”
The judge nodded in assent.
Carly approached Dario, holding something in her hand. She asked him, “Dario Totlino, are you truly who you claim to be?”
“I am.”
“Do you swear that there is not a shred of falsehood in your words?”
“I swear.”
Carly nodded and turned to the jury, showing them the device in her hand. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this is an iris data storage device. As you know, anyone entering the Four Seasons Fortress must verify their identity with this iris recognition system. I checked the records, and Dario Totlino was indeed invited here before. This is his record.”
William stood up again, questioning, “How can we be sure that this device proves the witness is Dario Totlino?”
Carly looked at him with a hint of amusement. “Interesting. The Siemens family manages this iris recognition system. Are you suggesting, Sir William, that you don’t trust the system your family oversees?”
William’s face fell, realizing the implications. Pushing further could damage his family’s reputation. He forced a neutral expression and replied, “I merely meant that we should proceed with certainty.”
Once William sat down, Carly addressed the court again. “We will compare the iris data with the witness’s iris using our family’s mages.”
The mages, who had been waiting, entered the courtroom with the iris recognition device. They brought it close to Dario Totlino’s eyes.
“Recognition complete.”
The mages projected a holographic display comparing the current iris data with the past records. Everyone in the courtroom focused on the display.
The results appeared.
It was undeniable proof that the witness was indeed Dario Totlino.
William Siemens’ eyes widened in disbelief. “How is this possible?”
The Nostra family wouldn’t have lied to him. He glared at Zeke, who sat quietly. Zeke must have done something during the transport.
With Dario Totlino’s identity confirmed, Carly Dreiker turned to him once more.
“Dario Totlino, or should I say, Dario Nostra, before you confess your crimes, I have one question.”
In a clear voice, she asked, “Which of the Dreiker bloodline families is colluding with the Nostra family?”