Episode 389
Thwack!
As Pretz’s head shattered into pieces, the knights behind him were thrown into chaos.
“A-a-attack!”
In truth, it was the knights of Gehaegung who had initiated the assault, yet they were quick to shift the blame.
They pulled out chains with sickles attached from their cloaks.
The ominous aura emanating from the chains suggested they were artifacts imbued with dark magic.
The knights immediately hurled the sickles at Zeke.
Whoosh!
Dozens of sickles, each attached to a chain, flew towards Zeke.
In response, the warriors known as the Kingfist and the Barbarians charged forward.
Crash!
Even weapons cursed with dark magic were no match for the Barbarians’ formidable bodies.
The Barbarians deflected the sickles and seized the chains instead.
Whoosh!
With a powerful yank, the Barbarians pulled the knights towards them.
“Whoa!”
Unable to resist the Barbarians’ immense strength, the knights were dragged forward, only to be met with a barrage of punches.
Crunch!
A single punch crumpled a helmet, crushing the knight’s head beneath it.
Following the Kingfist’s lead, the other Barbarians joined the fray.
Crunch!
The clash of armor and the sound of bones breaking echoed loudly around them.
“Argh! Stop them!”
“Signal the mages! Break the barrier!”
The knights of Gehaegung were helpless against the Barbarians, unable to use their aura due to the barrier.
Meanwhile, Reina and the knights of the Turn family watched the Barbarians wreak havoc like wolves among sheep, their mouths agape.
‘How did Zeke manage to tame such fearsome savages?’
While Reina was lost in thought, Zeke, who had been observing from behind, raised his hammer and shouted.
“Capture the mages above! Follow me!”
At Zeke’s command, the Black Sword Knights immediately followed him.
Seeing this, Reina turned to the Turn knights.
“I’ll assist them. Block the imperial knights’ escape routes!”
After issuing her orders, Reina hurriedly pursued Zeke and the Black Sword Knights.
Though they too couldn’t use their aura, the Black Sword Knights seemed unfazed, cutting through the dense forest with their swords as they followed Zeke.
Reina found it strange to rely solely on her physical strength after so long.
‘This isn’t the first time the Black Sword Knights have faced such a situation.’
Despite being of the same rank as blue knights, the Black Sword Knights had far more combat experience, having faced numerous dangerous battles.
Just then, Zeke shouted from the front.
“Remove your gloves and disrupt their magic! Block their escape if they try to flee!”
With those words, Zeke discarded his gloves and activated a magic suppression technique, creating a field around him.
Buzz!
Within this field, which halted the flow of magic, the mages found themselves unable to cast spells.
The dark mages of the Abyss were caught off guard, as the suppression was far more potent and precise than the innate ‘magic interference’ ability of pureblood Drakers.
“D-damn it!”
As the mages attempted to flee, Liam and Felix led the Black Sword Knights to block their escape.
Whizz!
Liam drew a dagger and hurled it at the fleeing mages.
Thud!
The dagger struck the center of a mage’s back with precision.
Felix, swift on his feet, raced ahead to cut off the dark mages’ retreat.
The mages hesitated, trying to regroup, but found themselves surrounded by other Black Sword Knights.
As the dark mages exchanged glances, preparing to draw relics imbued with demonic power, Zeke’s hammer of light descended upon them.
Crackle!
The mages, struck by the lightning of light, foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
The Black Sword Knights swiftly bound the fallen mages’ arms and legs, ensuring they couldn’t move.
Reina watched their coordinated actions in a daze.
Then Zeke approached her.
“Reina, come with me. We’re going to destroy the center of the barrier.”
Snapping back to reality, Reina followed Zeke deeper into the forest.
There, they encountered a group of dark mages and monsters holding demonic relics.
The dark mage shouted at the monsters.
“Kill them!”
The monsters, empowered by demonic energy, charged at Zeke and Reina, drooling.
Still within the barrier’s influence, they couldn’t use their aura.
Reina broke into a cold sweat at the sight of the ferocious monsters.
Zeke turned to her and said, “Your strength doesn’t come solely from your aura. Trust in the sword you’ve wielded.”
Reina steadied herself, feeling her trembling body calm.
With renewed resolve, she charged at the monsters, sword in hand.
Whoosh!
Using her body’s momentum, she unleashed her signature technique, a flash-like strike.
The true form of her technique, the Flash Strike, finally revealed itself.
Slash!
Reina’s sword cleaved a monster in half.
It was a remarkable display of skill, achieved purely through physical strength, without relying on aura.
Having depended solely on aura, Reina realized that the true power of her Flash Strike, like the Duke’s Gale Strike, was rooted in physical strength.
With this newfound understanding, Reina’s movements transcended human limits, her speed astonishing.
Whoosh!
Like a dazzling flash of light, her sword gleamed as she cut down the charging monsters.
Zeke nodded in approval as he watched Reina.
‘With this, Reina has truly reached the level of a blue knight.’
While Reina dealt with the monsters, Zeke approached the mage holding the relic.
The dark mage intensified the barrier against Zeke.
But Zeke, using spiritual energy instead of aura, was unaffected by the barrier.
He drew a hammer instead of a sword, channeling the power of the Holy Light.
Whoosh!
The hammer, imbued with powerful light, smashed both the mage and the relic in one swift blow.
Crunch!
The mage’s body twisted at odd angles, and the shattered relic rolled across the ground.
With that, the surrounding barrier dissipated.
Buzz!
The knights could once again use their aura.
However, the knights of Gehaegung had already been subdued by the Barbarians and the Turn knights.
Zeke approached a near-death dark mage to read his memories.
‘This isn’t their main base. The main base is further up. This one doesn’t know the exact location of the gate.’
It seemed they had set up a gate there to summon monsters, planning to send a monster army from the northern continent to the central continent.
Having assessed the situation, Zeke crushed the dark mage’s neck, killing him instantly.
He then regrouped with Reina and the Black Sword Knights, heading down to where the captured knights of Gehaegung were held.
Using his power of flame, he incinerated the body of the deceased Pretz Mice.
‘Pretz was practically Azmun’s right-hand man. It’s like cutting off his right arm.’
With Azmun’s cunning schemes, only the Twin Fang Palace and the Golden Bull Palace remained as his followers.
As Azmun’s influence over Abel waned, the pressure on the Rom Empire would undoubtedly increase.
Moreover, with Julius’s side persistently persuading legion commanders across the Rom Empire, Abel and Siemens in Rom would find themselves increasingly cornered.
After organizing his thoughts and outlining the next steps, Zeke captured all the knights and mages of Gehaegung and descended from the Ogre Mountains.
He concealed the banners of the Black Sword Knights and Turn, raising the banner of Gehaegung instead, and entered the Gehaegung knights’ camp.
Unaware that their commander, Pretz, was dead, the camp allowed Zeke’s group to enter without suspicion.
Disguised as Pretz using a transformation cloak, Zeke entered the camp, where the deputy commander approached him.
“Commander! I’m relieved you’re safe. We received a telegram from Commander Azmun.”
Zeke asked, “What did Azmun say?”
The deputy commander, sensing something off about Pretz’s tone, dismissed it and replied.
“He mentioned that if Reina Draker was involved, there might be a connection to Zeke Draker, so we should avoid confrontation and wait for his arrival. But since you’ve dealt with everything safely, there shouldn’t be any issues…”
At that moment, Zeke, still disguised as Pretz, drew his hammer.
The deputy commander’s eyes widened in shock.
“Commander?”
In an instant, Zeke’s hammer struck the deputy commander’s head.
Crunch!
At that moment, the Barbarians, Black Sword Knights, and Turn knights, who had been lying in wait, revealed themselves.
As the Gehaegung knights panicked at the sudden attack, Zeke used his power of charisma and lion’s roar to shout.
“The treachery of Gehaegung’s commander, Pretz Mice, has been exposed! The imperial army conspired with dark mages to lead a monster army to invade not only the city of Barkal but the entire northern continent!”
Zeke’s voice echoed throughout the camp.
The lion’s roar instilled fear in the enemies and boosted the morale of his allies.
The once formidable encampment of the Gehaegung Knights began to crumble.
However, given their reputation as one of the empire’s elite forces, the knights quickly regained their composure after a brief moment of chaos. Assessing the situation, they decided to abandon their position and charge toward the gates of Barkal instead. They figured it would be better to confront their opponents within the city walls.
But just as they approached, the gates of Barkal swung open, and armed citizens poured out.
“Down with the vile imperial army!”
Leading the charge were none other than the dwarf blacksmiths, clad in helmets and heavy armor, wielding battle axes as they roared and rushed at the knights.
Taken aback by the fervor of the Barkal citizen militia, the Gehaegung knights hesitated and retreated. Seizing the opportunity, the barbarian unit under Zeke’s command blocked their escape route, holding firm. With the path cut off by the formidable barbarians, the knights found themselves trapped, vulnerable to attacks from the rear and flanks.
As more citizens streamed out from the city, the Gehaegung knights had no choice but to surrender, raising the white flag. The Barkal militia erupted in cheers of victory.
Once the battlefield was under control, representatives from the Barkal council approached Zeke, the mastermind behind the operation. Zeke was surprised to see them.
“Humans, a naga, and a dwarf,” he thought, recognizing them as the trio he had overheard discussing the northern duke at a nearby table during a meal in Barkal.
The human representative bowed to Zeke. “Sir Knight of Salvation, we were astonished to receive your message. We are truly grateful for saving Barkal from peril.”
Before heading to the Ogre Mountains, Zeke had reached out to the Barkal council, informing them of his plan. This allowed Barkal to organize a citizen militia in advance to counter the Gehaegung knights.
The dwarf behind the human snorted. “We appreciate the help, but you’re not here to claim Barkal for yourself, are you?”
The naga shook their head, exasperated. “Sir Zeke Draker, the Knight of Salvation, would never stoop to such pettiness. Isn’t that right, Sir Zeke?”
The naga representative, with their characteristic smoothness, probed Zeke gently.
“You have nothing to worry about. I have no intention of attacking Barkal,” Zeke assured them.
The human representative nodded, as if expecting this answer, while the naga scrutinized Zeke, wary of any hidden motives.
Then Zeke spoke up. “There is one favor I’d like to ask of the Barkal council.”
The three representatives tensed at his words. The human representative, maintaining composure, asked, “What is it, Sir Zeke?”
Zeke gestured toward the captured Gehaegung knights and dark wizards. “Announce, in Barkal’s name, that the imperial forces allied with dark wizards to invade Barkal.”
The representatives, who had been bracing for a more demanding request, were taken aback by Zeke’s words.
“Is that all?” the naga asked.
Zeke nodded. “Yes, though I wouldn’t mind a cold Barkal beer.”
At this, the dwarf representative burst into hearty laughter. “Hahaha! I’ve never met a human like you in my life. I like you! Sir Zeke Draker, the Knight of Salvation! I hereby declare you a friend of Barkal! Let’s head into the city and toast to our victory!”
The imperial army’s plot to invade Barkal had backfired, and their conspiracy was now exposed to the entire continent. As the dark wizards were led away by the three representatives, Zeke’s eyes gleamed with determination.
“Just wait, Siemens. I’ll tighten the noose around your neck even further.”