Episode 274

“What is that?”

A sinister energy emanated from the black aura surrounding the apostle. It was unlike any dark magic he had encountered before.

Quickly, he gripped his sword and unleashed the power of purification.

Vroooom!

A golden aura spread out, enveloping the eerie black light. Maintaining the purifying force, Zeke slowly advanced toward the altar. Yet, the apostle resisted, pushing back against Zeke’s efforts.

Despite the relentless resistance, Zeke gritted his teeth and pressed forward. Just then, Arataso’s voice echoed in his mind.

[What… what is this? This doesn’t make any sense.]

“Arataso, what exactly is this energy?”

Arataso’s voice was filled with disbelief.

[This is the presence of a high-ranking demon. But… it’s not a summoned avatar like me. The true form has manifested.]

Hearing this, Zeke tightened his grip on Bahamut and summoned the spirit of “Iron Will” to fortify his body.

Rumble!

He intended to eliminate the apostle before the high-ranking demon could fully manifest.

“Haaaaaah!”

Zeke raised his sword, channeling his energy.

Vroooom!

Everything seemed to pause under Zeke’s will. Unlike the time with the Red Knight, an intangible force infused his blade, halting everything—air, dust, even time itself.

It was the power that marked the realm of the Black Knight: the Astral Sword had imbued Zeke’s weapon.

Vroooom!

While the aura blade created by condensing energy could destroy what it touched, the Astral Sword had the power to obliterate.

With the Astral Sword, Zeke aimed his blade at the altar. He leapt into the air, unleashing an infinite sword technique upon the altar shrouded in darkness.

Infinite Sword Technique

Triple Strike

Great Roc Emerges from Water

A tremendous wave erupted from Zeke’s sword, crashing into the black aura like a giant bird spreading its wings.

Boom!

The intangible force swirled, eradicating the black energy enveloping the apostle. Black ashes scattered in all directions as a result.

The power was on a different level from the Great Roc Emerges from Water he had used in the Red Knight’s realm.

[Kaaaah!]

Amidst the swirling black energy, the apostle’s form was revealed. It was no longer human. The skin was peeled away, exposing raw muscle, and blue blood oozed from its eyes, ears, and mouth.

Zeke charged at the apostle without hesitation.

“Haaah!”

The purifying blade of Bahamut sliced cleanly through the apostle’s neck.

Thud!

The severed head rolled across the altar floor. The black energy that had enveloped the apostle’s body dissipated, leaving only the grotesque, decapitated form behind.

Thud!

The apostle, who had attempted to manifest a high-ranking demon within its own body, was stopped by the purifying force before it could complete the summoning.

Zeke took a deep breath, looking at the fallen apostle.

“Whew, if a real high-ranking demon had appeared, it would’ve been disastrous.”

He approached the fallen apostle and grasped the handle of Roland embedded in its back. As he slowly pulled it out, he felt a crack in the mask of Agamemnon he carried.

“What the…?”

[The durability of ???‘s Mask has fallen below 20%.]

[Continued use of purification skills will decrease durability.]

[If durability reaches 0%, restoration will be impossible.]

A message appeared, warning of the mask’s deteriorating condition. Zeke quickly attempted to repair it, but a warning indicated it was an irreparable item.

“Looks like I’ll have to restore it at the Fairy’s Lake.”

He hadn’t anticipated a limit to using the power of purification. He glanced at the apostle’s body with a hint of regret.

“I killed it as soon as I heard ‘high-ranking demon,’ but… there was so much I could’ve learned about the Abyss.”

He had gathered valuable information from interrogating the manager of this sanctuary, but the apostle, a high-ranking member of the Abyss, would have known even more.

With neither the Dragon’s Sense nor Shadow Dominion usable on the dead, the loss was even more pronounced.

Yet, Zeke set aside his regret and prepared to absorb the fallen apostle through Devour.

Sssshhh—

The shadow rose, beginning the absorption as usual, but then it stopped.

“What?”

Startled, Zeke quickly drew his holy weapon and set the apostle’s body alight with sacred fire. If Devour didn’t work, it might still be alive, so he acted swiftly.

Fwoooosh!

Watching the apostle’s body burn, Zeke gripped Bahamut.

“Those Abyss bastards, can’t let my guard down for a second.”

He looked around to ensure the severed head was also consumed by flames. As he approached the fallen head, he caught sight of the apostle’s lifeless eyes. Suddenly, a light flickered within them.

“What?”

Zzzzzzz—

A jolt shook Zeke’s mind. At the same time, a crackling sound accompanied Arataso’s voice.

[…path! It’s blocking my voice…]

Arataso’s voice cut off, becoming unintelligible.

Zzzzzzz—

His ears rang, dizziness set in, and the scenery around him wavered. He staggered back, but the sound persisted.

The world before him distorted completely.

Then, he sensed a presence behind him. Snapping back to awareness, Zeke turned around. To his surprise, someone unexpected stood there.

“Simon?”

Simon looked down at Zeke with a cold expression.

Zeke spoke, bewildered.

“Simon, why are you here…?”

Slap!

Before he could finish, Simon slapped him across the face. The sting left Zeke momentarily dazed, but then he realized something was off.

“What?”

Burning camps, scattered corpses, and captured members of a hostile cartel, hands on their heads, kneeling. Simon looked down at Zeke and spoke.

“Zeke Murray, this is a battlefield. If you don’t want to lose your head to the enemy’s blade, get it together.”

The Simon before him was indeed the Simon he knew. But it was the Simon from his past life, the one who had taught him the skills of a hitman.

“How is this happening?”

In his past life, at nineteen, Zeke had gone from a southern slave to an assassin, then was recruited by Don Juan to join Simon’s unit and begin his hitman career.

Simon hadn’t been nurturing or kind in teaching him skills. Zeke had to learn by observing and surviving the hellish battlefields daily.

One reason Zeke avoided sleep was because those times often replayed as nightmares.

In this new life, Zeke Draker had returned to being Zeke Murray from his past life, a scenario that often haunted his dreams.

But this wasn’t a dream.

“What is going on?”

The Bahamut he had been holding, the dagger of Anexi he had tucked away, were gone. Only a few cheap daggers from his hitman days remained.

Simon spoke again, looking at Zeke.

“We’re moving out. If you don’t keep your wits about you, you might end up among those corpses in a few hours.”

Leaving those cold words, Simon turned away. Zeke watched him go, then looked around.

Everything he saw, smelled, and felt was too real.

Zeke tried to calm his breathing and regain his composure.

“Given the circumstances, this must be an illusion. An incredibly realistic one.”

He focused his mind, attempting to break free from the illusion. With his mental defenses and skills, he believed he could shatter it.

But no matter how hard he concentrated, the illusion remained. If anything, his senses only sharpened.

Then he saw Simon and the other unit members moving. Zeke hesitated but decided to follow Simon’s unit.

“I’ve heard some illusions amplify a person’s trauma to break their spirit. Maybe this is my greatest fear.”

To break an illusion that magnified trauma, one had to confront and overcome it.

Zeke quietly climbed onto a supply cart. Seeing the faces of those around him brought back old memories.

“Most of them died. Some by my hand.”

Sitting in the cart, Zeke tried to organize his thoughts.

“Arataso said something was blocking him. If the apostle’s summoning didn’t fail but was completed, and if its power is mental, this could happen.”

He tried not to get too absorbed in the situation. The more he immersed himself in his past life, the more vivid the illusion and the stronger the trauma would become.

“I need a trigger to break this.”

Zeke gripped a dagger, calming his breath as he assessed his body’s condition.

In this past life scenario, he hadn’t awakened as a healer, nor had he unlocked his core.

He attempted to heal using his past life’s instincts. But it didn’t work.

“I can do this. Stay calm and composed.”

As they rode in the cart, Zeke relentlessly attempted to heal himself, and eventually, he succeeded. Though it wasn’t as powerful as a full healing factor, it was crucial to unravel things one step at a time.

Zeke reminded himself that in the face of illusions, losing one’s sense of self could lead to an uncontrollable collapse. He waited patiently for the right moment.

After several hours of travel, Simon halted the cart and ordered the troops to disembark. The soldiers had no idea when, where, or how they would attack, or who their target was. Their duty was to follow orders without question when the commander designated an attack.

In his past life, Zeke had also followed orders like a loyal dog. Simon placed a few stones on the ground and addressed the troops.

“Split into three groups. One goes this way, another that way, and the last one over there.”

A veteran hitman raised his hand and asked, “What’s the mission, Captain?”

Simon replied in a cold voice, “Eliminate everyone. Leave no one alive.”

The troops nodded in unison and split into three groups, moving in different directions as instructed.

Attached to Simon’s unit, Zeke realized what trauma the illusion was showing him.

“Of all things…”

He remembered it vividly. This was the location of a rival organization’s soma production plant. Unfortunately, the plant was disguised as a village unrelated to soma production.

Don Juan had ordered the destruction of all production facilities to strike a blow against the rival organization. The village, along with the plant, had to be erased.

Zeke could still recall the memory clearly. Children playing ball in front of the village were struck down by arrows, or trapped in burning houses with their parents.

A massive explosion echoed.

Boom!

The magical bombs planted by Simon’s unit detonated, and the organization’s members rushed out with crossbows. The waiting troops swiftly moved in, slitting their throats.

Simon led his men with calm efficiency, eliminating every member within the plant. He then transferred the enormous stockpile of soma to the cart, marking the moment it all became Don Juan’s property.

Simon approached Zeke.

“Zeke Murray, I’ve got a task for you.”

“What kind of task?”

Simon handed him a crossbow.

“The boss’s orders are to erase this place entirely.”

Zeke took the crossbow and asked, “You mean to kill all the villagers?”

Simon looked down at Zeke and said, “There could be organization members among them.”

“There are children in there.”

Simon stepped forward and slapped Zeke hard enough to turn his head.

Glaring at Zeke, Simon said, “If your cheap sympathy spares them, the boss will throw you into the shark dragon’s den. Do you think you’ll still have that noble sympathy then?”

Zeke turned to look at Simon, whose face was twisted in a scowl. It was just like that moment.

Simon grabbed Zeke by the collar and dragged him to stand before the trembling villagers. A father was pleading for mercy, holding his child close.

“Shoot.”

Simon’s voice echoed in Zeke’s ears.