Episode 312
“So those guys being here means there’s an ancient ruin nearby, huh?”
It seemed like they were excavating something in the area.
Zeke, assessing the situation, decided to stick to the plan he had made with Adnan and Bodmir: he would draw the Empire’s attention outside.
He turned to Helen and said, “Sister, as we discussed yesterday, find your way out of the canyon and head straight to the autonomous district. I’ll catch up with you soon.”
Initially, Helen had opposed Zeke’s plan to act as a decoy alone. But she knew it was the only way for everyone to escape safely.
With a determined look, Helen nodded at Zeke. “Don’t worry about us here.”
To reassure the Joins and the Beastfolk, Zeke transferred the dozing phoenix onto Helen’s shoulder. Then he addressed the Barbarians, “You guys, follow me.”
With the Barbarians in tow, Zeke made his way out of the canyon. He climbed up the cliff to get a better view of the canyon below, where he saw a horde of frenzied monsters.
“Looks like there are more monsters than before.”
Whether they were being brought in from the Forest of the Forgotten or being unearthed here, their numbers had definitely increased.
The Barbarians, looking at Zeke, asked, “Zeke, what do we do?”
“Hunt monsters?”
“That pink orc looks tasty.”
Zeke calmed the Barbarians, who were eyeing the monsters hungrily. “First, we need to distract them.”
He summoned Gurav and the Shark Dragons.
With a roar, Gurav and the Shark Dragons, happy to be summoned after a long time, playfully approached Zeke. He patted their heads and said, “Go on, have some fun.”
Gurav led the Shark Dragons into the canyon, and the Barbarians watched in awe as the dragon squad charged forward.
“Amazing.”
“Zeke, you have many talents.”
“We’ll brag about this back in the village.”
Zeke, with a stern face, warned them, “No unnecessary chatter.”
Gurav and the Shark Dragons scaled the canyon walls, charging at the monsters.
With a screech, Gurav was the first to attack, spewing toxic smoke, followed by the Shark Dragons.
The monsters, caught off guard by the sudden assault, retaliated.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A massive Cyclops swung its club at Gurav, but Gurav deftly dodged and wrapped its tail around the Cyclops’s legs, toppling it. The Shark Dragons pounced, tearing into the Cyclops with their powerful jaws and sharp teeth.
Though they seemed like gentle lizards to Zeke, they were, in fact, a formidable group of high-risk monsters.
As Gurav’s squad pushed into the canyon, the frenzied monsters grew more agitated, causing chaos.
Zeke, hiding with the Barbarians, observed the reactions around them.
Soon, a hidden passage in the canyon wall opened, and several figures in black emerged, scanning the area.
Zeke, using his keen sight, tracked their movements.
“Are those the Hounds and the Abyssal Mage?”
He had suspected the presence of an Abyssal Mage due to the camp setup.
Enhancing his hearing, Zeke eavesdropped on the conversation between the Hounds and the Mage.
“What’s going on? Why are the monsters fighting each other?”
“Could it be the awakening effect has worn off?”
“Don’t be stupid! That can’t happen here with the artifact’s stabilizing effect.”
The Abyssal Mage, gritting his teeth, turned to the Hounds. “Have the beasts sent after the Joins and Beastfolk not returned yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Make sure to retrieve their bodies as instructed from above.”
“Understood.”
“Damn it… The excavation isn’t finished yet, and we can’t have chaos outside. Send some men down to deal with those rampaging monsters!”
The Abyssal Mage barked orders at the Hounds before retreating back into the cliff.
Zeke, having overheard the conversation, sensed something was off.
“The Abyssal Mage is giving orders to the Empire’s Hounds? They used to conduct secret experiments, but now they’re openly collaborating?”
Rumors had circulated about something happening to the Emperor, and it seemed to have affected their relationship with the Abyss.
The urgency in their actions suggested the Emperor’s condition had worsened.
“In my past life, I remember the Emperor surviving until I obtained the artifact. Could he have actually gained immortality back then?”
It dawned on Zeke that they might be excavating the artifact the Emperor desired.
“I need to find out what it is.”
Just then, the Hounds appeared from the canyon.
They were descending the cliff on ladders, seemingly intent on attacking Gurav’s squad.
Zeke asked the Barbarians, “Can you throw rocks that far?”
The Barbarians picked up a nearby rock with ease and grinned. “Want to play long-distance throwing?”
Zeke shook his head. “Not a game. Wait until more come out, then use the rocks to take them down.”
The Barbarians nodded. “Got it.”
“Piece of cake.”
“Easy.”
Leaving the Barbarians on guard, Zeke stealthily descended into the canyon.
Gurav’s squad was still battling the monsters, but the Hounds seemed to think it was just infighting among the beasts, as they hadn’t reacted since receiving their orders.
Zeke hid in the shadows, waiting for the Hounds to approach.
The Hounds, having descended the cliff, drew their swords and advanced.
One of them, at the back, grumbled in a weary voice, “Why am I stuck doing this at my rank?”
Another Hound replied, “Just hang in there. The unit’s been tense lately. You’ll be back at the center soon.”
Listening to their conversation, Zeke realized the Hound unit had undergone a reorganization.
“Seems like there was a shake-up here too. The Hounds are directly under the Emperor, so if they’re affected…”
It was almost as if there had been a coup, drastically altering the power dynamics within the Empire.
“Did Consul Julius oust the Emperor and seize power?”
Julius held the rank of Grand General, commanding the Empire’s military. Though he was meant to keep the Emperor in check, he wasn’t known to covet the throne.
If the Emperor died, the Second Prince, whom Julius supported, could ascend and rule as regent, so there was no need to take such risks.
“Unless the Emperor himself orchestrated this… But why?”
If the Emperor hadn’t been overthrown, it meant he had purged his long-time aides himself.
With these questions swirling in his mind, Zeke slowly approached the Hounds.
The Hounds, yawning, raised their swords as they neared the Shark Dragons.
“Ugh, these annoying creatures. Their hides are so thick, the swords won’t even pierce.”
Just as one Hound was about to stab a Shark Dragon’s belly—
Thwack!
A Shark Dragon swung its tail at the Hound, who was caught off guard and sent flying by the powerful blow.
The other Hounds, startled, stepped back.
“Those are summoned creatures from outside! Quickly, set off the signal—!”
The Hound’s words were cut short by the cold touch of a dagger at his throat.
The other Hounds had already been decapitated by ghostly soldiers emerging from the shadows.
Zeke asked the remaining Hound, “What are you excavating here?”
The Hound, quickly assessing the situation, tried to bite down on a poison capsule hidden in his mouth to commit suicide.
But with Zeke holding him, suicide was impossible.
Zeke swiftly healed him with recovery and healing magic.
“How…?”
With no time for a leisurely interrogation, Zeke used his blood eye to subdue the Hound, turning him into a puppet.
The Hound, now under Zeke’s control, was as good as a slave. Though Zeke couldn’t extract memories in this state, he decided it was better to infiltrate the camp with the Hound and gather information.
Disguised as one of the dead Hounds, Zeke donned a perception-altering cloak and climbed the ladder into the secretive camp within the canyon.
Disguised as a Hound, Zeke entered the hidden space within the cliff.
Inside, other Hounds stood guard, vigilantly watching over the area.
The Hound subdued by Zeke spoke to the others, “Damn, we lost a few dealing with those damn monsters.”
The other Hounds sneered at him. “For someone from the center, your skills seem lacking. Getting taken down by filthy beasts.”
The subdued Hound grabbed the sneering Hound by the collar. “What did you say? Do you know who I am?”
Zeke, pretending to intervene, smoothly made his way further into the camp.
The subdued hunting dog made its way deeper into the camp to deliver its report.
As it ventured further into the cave, a massive cavern revealed itself.
“What is that smell?”
At some point, an acrid stench hit Zeke’s nose, causing him to grimace.
Scanning his surroundings, he peered down into the cavern below, where enormous blocks of ice were stacked in layers, neatly cut into rectangular shapes.
Peering closely into the ice with his keen vision, he was astonished to see ancient monsters encased within.
“Just as I thought. They didn’t bring these from the Forest of the Forgotten. They’ve been excavating monsters trapped in ice here and thawing them out.”
Workers, their noses and mouths covered, were repeatedly moving the ice-encased monsters to an inner chamber connected to the cavern.
The overpowering stench was emanating from that inner chamber.
Realizing that he couldn’t proceed any further in his current guise as a hunting dog, Zeke cloaked himself in invisibility, concealing his presence with the power of his spirit.
The subdued hunting dog continued its journey inward, and Zeke cautiously followed.
The inner chamber, where the ice blocks were being moved, was a hive of activity.
In one corner, wizards were using magic to thaw the ice, sorting the monsters inside into those that were dead and those that were not.
The foul odor came from the pile of dead monsters stacked to one side.
For the living monsters, they injected a drug necessary for brainwashing, then cast dark magic to drive them into a frenzy, followed by control spells.
Zeke sensed a familiar energy emanating from the dark magic being used.
“The aura of the Harbinger of Blood and Madness.”
If it was the Harbinger of Blood and Madness, who reveled in war and slaughter, it made sense for him to lend his power to such a scheme.
Just then, the sorcerer from the cliff earlier appeared.
“Move faster! The deadline is approaching!”
The hunting dog approached the sorcerer.
The sorcerer glared at it with irritation.
“What is it?”
Following Zeke’s instructions, the hunting dog spoke to the sorcerer.
“There’s a problem with the monsters.”
The sorcerer ground his teeth and shouted in frustration.
“This is driving me insane. Problems everywhere!”
He gestured for the hunting dog to follow him deeper inside.
Zeke, still hidden, trailed behind them.
To his surprise, the inner chamber led underground, where an entire wall was a massive excavation site.
A block of ice, large enough to dwarf a building, was embedded in the wall, with slaves chipping away at it.
Zeke used his keen vision to examine the ice block within the wall.
“What is that?”
It was likely another monster, but he couldn’t identify it.
Just then, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[Target for designated assassination detected.]
“Designated assassination target?”
Zeke was taken aback by the sudden message.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion echoed through the chamber.
The sorcerer, who had been descending with the hunting dog, shouted in alarm.
“Enemy! We’re under attack!”