Episode 345
Zeke was taken aback when he saw the Holy King wearing the Hersion of the goddess Theia.
“Why is the Holy King wearing Theia’s Hersion?”
Though the Hersion looked different from the one he had obtained from Cain, Zeke could sense that the Holy King’s attire was indeed the same as the Hersion of the goddess Theia that he possessed.
The Holy King, clad in Hersion, looked down at Zeke from the throne.
“Successor.”
The Holy King’s voice echoed in Zeke’s mind.
As the king extended his hand, a brilliant light gathered, forming a silver spear.
“A spear?”
Zeke had never heard any tales of the Holy King wielding a spear.
Vroom!
Yet, the Holy King held the spear naturally, and it vibrated with power in his grasp.
The Holy King spoke, his gaze fixed on Zeke.
“I shall personally test the successor’s worthiness.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of light burst from the Holy King’s spear.
Boom!
A powerful beam of light shot toward Zeke, as if to pierce through him.
Whoosh!
Zeke quickly drew Bahamut and blocked the flash.
Crackle!
To his surprise, the light transformed into electricity, wrapping around his body.
“Ugh!”
Zeke attempted to dispel the electricity with a magic-sealing technique.
However, even with the technique activated, the electric current persisted.
“Is it not magic?”
Zeke retreated, summoning aura throughout his body.
Sizzle—
Finally, the electric current dissipated.
But the Holy King was no longer in front of the throne.
“Could it be?”
The Holy King had moved into Zeke’s blind spot, thrusting the spear toward him.
Crash!
A powerful shockwave erupted near Zeke’s side.
Whoosh!
Zeke swiftly executed a phantom step, changing direction, and unleashed a dragon-slaying technique.
Clang!
Zeke’s sword clashed with the Holy King’s spear.
“The attack is heavy.”
The force of the blow made Zeke’s wrist throb, reminiscent of his battle with Poseidon.
Without hesitation, the Holy King launched a series of spear attacks at Zeke.
Whoosh!
The sharp spear spun toward Zeke.
He swung his sword to deflect the spear, but the rotational force of the spear pushed his sword back.
“Damn!”
Crack!
The Holy King’s spear struck Zeke’s body.
Crunch!
As the spear hit, Zeke activated his own Hersion.
In an instant, Theia’s Hersion enveloped Zeke.
Though the Hersion blocked the spear, it couldn’t completely absorb the impact, and Zeke was pushed back.
“Phew.”
Once he stopped, Zeke raised his sword, glaring at the Holy King who pointed the spear at him.
The Holy King twirled the spear and spoke to Zeke.
“Is this all you have, successor?”
Zeke steadied himself, meeting the Holy King’s challenge.
“If I defeat you, will I be recognized as the successor?”
In response, the Holy King struck the floor with his spear.
Crack!
The solid ground split, cracks spreading in all directions.
“If you can, then do so.”
Zeke gripped Bahamut, gathering his strength.
Rumble—
The power of the Black Knight fully unleashed, turning the entire chamber into Zeke’s domain.
Astral energy surged from Zeke’s sword.
Swish!
As he swung his sword, the Holy King’s spear was knocked upward.
Simultaneously, Zeke activated both his magic-sealing technique and a powerful resonance.
Crackle!
The combined techniques disrupted the flow of magic and aura, causing sparks to fly from the Holy King’s Hersion.
The sudden attack forced the Holy King to retreat.
Zeke seized the opportunity, using his phantom step to close in on the Holy King’s blind spot.
Whoosh!
With a field of force surrounding him, Zeke swung his sword at the Holy King.
Crunch!
The force-infused sword carried immense weight.
The unexpected power of Zeke’s strike drove the Holy King’s feet into the ground.
Zeke didn’t relent, pressing his attack.
“Haaah!”
He swung the force-infused sword repeatedly.
Infinite Sword Technique
Continuous Strikes
Eight-Directional Slash
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Zeke’s relentless assault left the Holy King no room to counter.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Though the Holy King swiftly moved his spear to block, Zeke’s momentum was unstoppable.
The Holy King found himself backed against the wall.
He raised his spear to block Zeke’s sword and struck the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The spear’s rotation shattered the floor, sending stone fragments flying.
The Holy King intended to use the debris to create a moment to catch his breath, but Zeke, who controlled the domain with his astral sword, was unaffected.
Crackle!
The fragments flying toward Zeke disintegrated into dust.
Simultaneously, mirages rose from Bahamut, forming a shape.
Zeke unleashed the astral sword, aiming to destroy the Holy King at the source.
In that moment, a golden aura erupted from the Holy King’s body.
Sizzle—
The aura was familiar to Zeke.
“Agamemnon’s Mask.”
The aura of purification infused the Holy King’s spear, radiating brilliant light.
The Holy King’s radiant light clashed with the astral sword.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The opposing forces collided, canceling each other out, filling the surroundings with a halo of light.
Whoosh!
The shockwave pushed Zeke back.
The Holy King, leaning against the wall with a faintly glowing spear, slowly stood.
Zeke, regaining his stance, pointed Bahamut at the Holy King.
“Do you still need more tests?”
At Zeke’s words, the Holy King waved his hand, and the spear dissolved into light.
“The test is over. You have proven yourself as the successor.”
Zeke deactivated his Hersion at the Holy King’s declaration.
“That’s a relief. But I have a question.”
He stepped closer to the Holy King.
“What does it mean to be the successor you speak of?”
The Holy King regarded Zeke silently before raising his hand.
“I have something to show you.”
He snapped his fingers.
The chamber shimmered, transforming into a different scene.
It felt similar to the ethereal presence of the heroes he had encountered in the inverted tower.
“Did the Holy King also leave his spirit to pass something on to future generations? Wait, this place is…?”
The transformed space resembled the sanctuary of the dragon slayers.
The circular chamber had several doors leading to other rooms along one wall.
In the center stood a high platform with stairs leading up to it, atop which rested a glass case.
The Holy King gestured for Zeke to follow him.
Zeke ascended the platform behind the Holy King.
Inside the glass case was a spear.
Zeke’s eyes widened as he realized something.
“This spear… it’s made of adamantium.”
The only metal capable of killing gods.
A spear forged from the god-slaying metal, adamantium.
Zeke recalled extracting an adamantium spear that had sealed the divine dragon Poseidon.
The spear used by Siemens Apollyon to bind the divine dragon in his attempt to summon the demon king into his body.
That spear had been a crude piece of adamantium sharpened into a spearhead and attached to a shaft.
But the spear within the glass case was entirely crafted from adamantium, from tip to shaft.
The Holy King spoke to Zeke.
“The reason I call you the successor is because you are the next owner of this spear.”
Zeke was taken aback by the Holy King’s words.
“The owner of the adamantium spear? Are you saying I am to become a god-slayer?”
The Holy King nodded.
“As the new master of the Holy Spear Longomianth, you must inherit the destiny to slay the resurrected demon king.”
Zeke was stunned by the Holy King’s revelation.
“The Holy Spear? A destiny to kill the resurrected demon king? What do you mean by that?”
He had heard from Chronos about the demon king’s resurrection, but he hadn’t expected to hear it from the Holy King.
The Holy King continued, looking at Zeke.
“The task should have been completed by the previous successor, Terracan Draker, but he only managed to seal the demon king’s soul without using this god-slaying spear.”
He went on.
“I, as the next successor, intended to fulfill the mission of destroying the demon king, but it was impossible. I could not fully wield the power of the god-slaying spear.”
Zeke listened, piecing together the implications.
“Siemens Apollyon, Terracan, and I all possessed the power of immortality.”
To fully harness the god-slaying power of adamantium, one might need to possess the class of an immortal.
If the Holy King had only possessed the powers of a healer class rather than the immortal class, it made sense that he could use the purifying power of Agamemnon’s Mask, but not the god-slaying power.
Zeke looked at the Holy King and asked, “Why didn’t Terracan Draker use this spear to completely annihilate the Demon King?”
The Holy King remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly. “Terracan Draker refused to destroy Bahamut, which housed the Demon King’s soul. Instead of using the god-slaying spear, he used his own sword, Zahhak, to shatter Bahamut’s body and then sealed the Demon King’s soul back into the Book of the Dead.”
Zeke was startled by the mention of “Zahhak.”
“Could it be the same cursed sword Abel used?”
Abel had attacked Zeke with a weapon called Zahhak and an unfamiliar form of Hershion. While the nature of Hershion remained a mystery, the identity of the sword was now clear.
“I never imagined that sword belonged to Terracan Draker.”
The sword that had vanquished Bahamut, the shadow dragon possessed by the Demon King. Zeke had sensed an indescribable malevolence emanating from Zahhak when Abel wielded it.
There were legends of a holy sword that, after slaying countless demons and drinking their blood, transformed into a powerful cursed sword that dominated its wielder’s mind. Zahhak might have undergone a similar transformation.
The Holy King clenched his fist and gazed at the sacred spear encased in glass. “If only Terracan Draker had truly destroyed the Demon King’s soul back then, the world could have found peace and tranquility once more. The regret is unbearable.”
Terracan Draker couldn’t bring himself to kill Bahamut, his bonded companion and lover.
Yet, as Zeke listened to the Holy King, something felt off.
“Does the Holy King not know that he is the child of Bahamut and Terracan Draker?”
There was no hint that he considered Terracan Draker his father.
Zeke asked the Holy King, “Your Majesty, do you know what happened to your mother, Claudia Luvern?”
The sudden question left the Holy King silent for a moment before he spoke slowly. “I was told she died in battle shortly after I was born.”
Zeke realized his suspicions were correct. “The Holy King doesn’t know that Bahamut was Claudia Luvern.”
Zeke had learned this truth from the stories of the Sage and the memories left in ancient ruins.
If Terracan Draker had deliberately concealed this, the Holy King might never have known his true parentage.
Zeke asked again, “Do you know who your father is?”
The Holy King, still wearing his helmet, gazed steadily at Zeke. It was a bold question, but since this was merely the Holy King’s spirit, obtaining crucial information took precedence over etiquette.
After a moment, the Holy King shook his head. “I don’t know. Neither my nurse nor my mother’s companions ever spoke of it.”
It was clear that Terracan had hidden his paternity, entrusting the young Holy King, Geo Luvern, to others.
“I think I understand why he took the name Luvern instead of Draker.”
At that moment, the Holy King removed his helmet.
Zeke was taken aback when he finally saw the Holy King’s face.
“What?”
The Holy King’s face was identical to Zeke’s.