Episode 234
“Ugh!”
A sorcerer from the Abyss fell to the ground, blood pouring from his head, which had been smashed by a mace.
With the sorcerer down, the summoned monsters hesitated, giving Pharrell and the Silver Knights a chance to launch a fierce attack.
Crunch!
The knights’ swords pierced through the tough exoskeletons of the insect-like creatures.
The sorcerer, whose head had been shattered, momentarily turned into smoke and moved among the monsters. His crimson eyes glared at the knights clad in the Empire’s armor.
“You’re not the Baptized! Who are you?”
Though they didn’t respond, the knights were actually Cloné and Felix, disguised in the armor of the Imperial Knights they had defeated with Zeke.
Cloné lifted her helmet and twirled her mace, chiding Felix.
“Hey! If I crack the skull, you’re supposed to finish the job!”
“You swung first without any signal, Instructor!”
“Just catch him again! Let’s go!”
Cloné donned her helmet once more, spinning her mace as she charged at the sorcerer.
Screech!
A mantis-like monster swung its scythe-like forelegs.
Crunch!
Cloné swung her mace, severing the mantis monster’s foreleg entirely.
Screech!
Felix, too, engaged the monsters with the golden swordsmanship of Agamemnon, striking their vital points with precision.
Thud!
With Cloné and Felix joining forces, the tide of battle turned in their favor.
The sorcerer from the Abyss gritted his teeth and waved his staff.
“Master, grant me strength!”
Crack!
The dark sorcerer’s body began to transform. Hard, insect-like armor sprouted from his skin, turning him into a creature himself. He spread his wings and flew swiftly through the cave.
Buzz!
The insect-like sorcerer flew over the knights’ heads, deeper into the cave, and opened his mouth wide. From within, a swarm of small insects poured out.
Buzz!
These demonic insects carried deadly venom, each one a lethal weapon.
The swarm rushed toward the Silver Knights.
Pharrell pushed back a monster and swung his sword at the incoming insects.
Slash!
Though a few fell to Pharrell’s aura blade, the swarm circled back, ready to attack again.
Just as the venomous insects darted forward—
Whoosh!
White flames erupted, engulfing the insects completely.
Crackle!
Unable to withstand the white fire, the insects turned to ash and vanished.
The sorcerer, watching from above, shouted in disbelief.
“This can’t be! Demonic bees can’t be stopped by ordinary fire!”
From within the flames, someone slowly emerged.
It was Zeke, holding something in his hand. He glared at the sorcerer hovering above and tossed the object to the ground.
It was the head of another sorcerer, transformed into an insect.
The sorcerer from the Abyss cried out in shock.
“You dare kill my brother and priest!”
“So you were siblings. I thought those antennae looked familiar.”
Zeke had dealt with the other sorcerers from the Abyss who had entered from elsewhere.
A sharp stinger emerged from the back of the insect-like sorcerer’s hand. He flapped his wings furiously, charging at Zeke.
“Die!”
He swung the stinger at Zeke.
Zeke easily drew his sword and blocked the attack.
But the sorcerer had another target in mind.
A scorpion’s tail, tipped with a venomous stinger, shot out from his back, aiming for Zeke’s neck.
“Fool!”
The scorpion’s tail flew toward Zeke, but it stopped before the stinger could touch him.
Creak!
Amazingly, Zeke had caught the scorpion’s tail with his bare hand.
The sorcerer stammered in disbelief.
“Im-impossible. How can a human have such strength…?”
Zeke focused his strength into the hand gripping the tail.
Crack!
The tough exoskeleton, harder than steel, began to crack.
With more force, Zeke completely shattered the tail.
And he didn’t stop there—he ripped the tail off entirely.
Crack!
“Aaaagh!”
The sorcerer, now tailless, tried to retreat in agony.
But Zeke never let his target escape.
He unleashed a powerful shockwave at the sorcerer.
Boom!
The shockwave pierced the hard exoskeleton, wreaking havoc inside the sorcerer’s body.
“Ugh!”
Blue ichor poured from the insect-like sorcerer’s mouth and nose.
Zeke swung his sword, severing the sorcerer’s head.
Thud!
With the sorcerer’s death, the attacking monsters turned to smoke and vanished.
Zeke used his holy fire to burn away all traces of the monsters and sorcerers.
Pharrell and Zeke’s companions rushed over to him.
“My lord! You’re back.”
Zeke patted Pharrell, who was stained with monster ichor, on the shoulder.
“You’ve done well. There’s no need to worry anymore.”
Zeke addressed the Silver Knights.
“How is Lady Carly’s condition?”
Luno, who had spoken with Zeke before, stepped forward to answer.
“She has regained consciousness, but moving is still difficult.”
Zeke nodded at Luno’s words.
‘It seems her internal injuries are severe.’
The young mermen, who had dealt with the demons, also ran over to Zeke.
“Sir Knight! What took you so long?”
Zeke looked at Bill and Peter Pan, who had rushed over.
“I heard the mermen taken hostage were brainwashed.”
Peter Pan gritted his teeth.
“Yeah. The Empire did all sorts of horrible things. The villagers didn’t even recognize us.”
“At least it seems the Empire doesn’t intend to kill the mermen. They’ll need them to retrieve the relic for the Emperor.”
“We need to rescue the villagers from them as soon as possible.”
Zeke nodded.
“We’ll save them soon. Don’t worry too much.”
He reassured Peter Pan with a pat on the shoulder and then turned to Luno.
“I need to see Lady Carly.”
Luno nodded and led Zeke to the camp’s makeshift infirmary.
Inside the bone fortifications built by Richmond’s undead, a tent had been set up.
Zeke entered the tent to find Carly lying on a temporary bed.
“My lady.”
He approached her, calling her name.
Carly slowly opened her eyes at the sound of Zeke’s voice.
“Zeke. You’re here.”
Despite her unhealed injuries, Carly maintained her composure.
Bruises from internal injuries were visible all over her body.
Carly gave a wry smile.
“I handpicked the Silver Knights, believing I could trust them all… I never expected such betrayal.”
Zeke nodded at her words.
“Betrayal always cuts deeper because it’s unexpected.”
In the cartel, where betrayal was as common as eating, Zeke had been tasked with finding and eliminating traitors for Don Juan.
Yesterday’s ally or lover could become today’s traitor.
For someone as upright as Carly, the betrayal of her subordinates must have been especially painful.
Zeke spoke gravely, then approached Carly.
“Let me examine your injuries, my lady.”
Zeke frowned at the large bruise on Carly’s back.
‘Her internal injuries are worse than I thought.’
Though he had used a healing factor, it wasn’t enough to repair the damage to her aura circuits and lower dantian.
Zeke pondered for a moment before speaking to Carly.
“My lady, if these injuries are left untreated… you may never be able to use your aura again.”
Despite the shocking news, Carly remained calm.
She was already aware of her condition.
Carly spoke to Zeke.
“They used a technique I’ve never seen before. It felt like my aura was scattering, my circuits tangled.”
“I felt it too when I fought them. They use some bizarre methods.”
Zeke couldn’t reveal that the technique was demonic, so he feigned ignorance.
After some thought, Zeke looked at Carly and spoke.
“My lady, would you trust me?”
Carly met Zeke’s gaze.
“What do you mean?”
“I’d like to try healing your internal injuries.”
Carly remained silent.
She had already resigned herself to her condition.
Then Zeke stood and summoned his energy.
Whoosh!
Carly, seeing the unfamiliar energy, asked in wonder.
“What is that power?”
A force entirely different from aura.
Zeke showed her the blazing holy fire and explained.
“This is a form of ‘light magic’ that only the Rubern family, the first royal family of the Holy Empire, could use.”
“Light magic? Are you saying you can use magic, Zeke?”
“As a knight, I can’t use magic. But through an artifact I acquired, I can wield light magic.”
Zeke couldn’t reveal everything to Carly, so he kept his explanation brief.
“Sister, this magic of light has the power to heal. Trust me and allow me to treat your wounds.”
Carly was taken aback by Zeke’s words.
Tampering with internal injuries could easily cost her life here.
As she pondered deeply, a sudden clarity struck her.
‘In my current state, I’ll never be able to use aura again. If Zeke truly has the power to heal, even a slim chance is worth the risk.’
Carly was quick to assess situations. She nodded at Zeke.
“Zeke, I trust you.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment, Sister.”
Zeke stepped outside, sternly instructing that no one was to enter the hut until he returned.
He left the situation in the hands of Pharrell and Clone, then re-entered the hut.
“Sister, please remove your top and turn to face me.”
Carly nodded, slowly taking off her shirt and turning her back to Zeke before sitting down.
Zeke examined the bruises spread across Carly’s back, gauging the severity of her internal injuries.
‘It’s spread throughout her body. And it seems the dark energy has penetrated deep.’
Even if he saved Carly’s life, losing her aura meant she couldn’t stop Abel. Zeke had to restore her strength somehow.
He sat behind Carly, placing his palms on her back.
Using Agamemnon’s mask, he began to channel the purifying energy.
A golden aura poured from Zeke’s hands, enveloping Carly’s body.
The light of purification seeped into her, eradicating the dark energy lingering in her aura circuits.
“Ugh.”
Carly gritted her teeth against the pain of her aura circuits being torn apart, heeding Zeke’s warning to remain silent.
Gradually, the dissipated dark energy escaped her body as black smoke.
Zeke used a wide-area buff to bolster Carly’s endurance.
Once the purification was complete, he initiated the sacred flame technique.
“This will hurt. Please bear with it, Sister.”
Zeke’s hands glowed as the sacred flame’s energy penetrated Carly’s body.
The sensation was like fire tearing through her aura circuits, nearly causing her to lose consciousness.
“Ugh.”
Cold sweat dripped from Carly’s body.
Zeke relentlessly maneuvered the sacred flame, breaking through Carly’s blocked aura circuits.
The flame finally reached the source of her internal injury.
‘Here it is. The energy is tightly knotted.’
Zeke attempted to unravel the knotted energy with the sacred flame.
But as the flame touched it, the energy writhed, wreaking havoc inside Carly once more.
“Ugh.”
Black blood trickled from Carly’s nose.
Switching from infinite stamina to a healing factor, Zeke began to mend her body while untangling the energy with the sacred flame.
The internal injury was more severe than anticipated, and the energy was so tightly bound that any mistake could endanger Carly’s life.
As he deliberated, Zeke thought of a solution.
‘I need to use the Blood Eye.’