Episode 395
A low growl echoed as Dochul stood atop the cliff, surrounded by a horde of monstrous beasts, glaring down at Zeke and his companions. The moment their eyes met, Dochul’s eyes flared a menacing red, and the same crimson glow flickered in the eyes of the waiting monsters.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The monsters, weapons in hand, began advancing toward Zeke’s group with murderous intent.
Zeke tugged on a chain and turned to Icarus. “Stop those monsters, now.”
Icarus hesitated, trembling as he commanded the monsters to halt, but his words had no effect. “This… this can’t be! They’re not obeying my orders!”
As the monsters closed in, they let out a terrifying roar and charged.
A massive demon orc, wielding a giant battle axe, led the charge. Alicia met the orc head-on, delivering a powerful kick to its chest.
Crack!
The orc’s chest caved in, sending it flying backward.
Crash!
The airborne orc collided with others, sending them sprawling against the cliff. Alicia spat on the ground, drawing her sword from her back.
“You damn monsters. We were playing nice, but now you’ve crossed the line. You’re all dead today.”
With that, Alicia charged at the monster horde, and the knights of Himonas followed her lead, launching into battle.
The ground shook as the Himonas knights, wielding claymores, clashed with the beasts like ferocious animals.
Zeke turned to the Barbarian unit and the Tourn Knights. “Go assist the Himonas knights. The Black Spirits, guard against any succubi trying to interfere and hold the line.”
After issuing his orders, Zeke took to the skies with his dragon wing skill, soaring toward the cliff. From above, he equipped Hershion and unleashed a radiant mace strike at Dochul.
Boom!
A powerful burst of light descended upon Dochul and the beasts. But to Zeke’s surprise, a translucent shield appeared around them.
“Magic?”
As he pondered this, dark sorcerers and knights in crimson armor emerged from the shadows. Zeke sensed a sinister energy from the knights.
“Their power reverses aura. It’s dangerous to go down there.”
He decided to target the crimson-armored knights first. Just as he was about to attack, he sensed something faster than sound heading for his temple.
Crack!
Zeke barely deflected the attack with Roland, realizing it was a magic bullet from a Night Killer.
“A trap.”
Even Icarus had been a lure to draw Zeke here. He thought of the mastermind behind such a scheme.
“Azmun Barrios. Only he would devise such a cunning plan.”
Magic bullets from the Night Killers rained down on Zeke, while the dark sorcerers cast barriers and the enemy knights advanced with aura-infused swords. Dochul’s beasts blocked any escape routes.
If Zeke were an ordinary black knight, he would have struggled against the aura-suppressing barrier.
“Azmun, you’ll regret not capturing me here when you’re in hell.”
Zeke stowed Roland and drew his hammer, the Giant Slayer, a weapon perfect for channeling divine energy.
Crackle!
With divine energy coursing through the hammer, Zeke charged forward with blinding speed, too fast for the Night Killers to track.
He swung the hammer, imbued with the spirit of “Will of Steel,” at the nearest enemy knight.
Whoosh!
The hammer cleaved through the air, shattering the knight’s sword and striking his chest.
Crash!
With a deafening impact, the knight was sent flying. As Zeke prepared to attack the others, the knight, whose chest had been crushed, rose and walked toward him, armor and sword miraculously restored.
“Magic? No, this is beyond that.”
Zeke realized the knights were imbued with a formidable power.
“One of Siemens’ secret weapons, no doubt.”
Siemens had long prepared for war against both Draker and the continent, amassing hidden weapons and forces. The black knight he had encountered before was one such weapon, capable of infinite regeneration by absorbing demonic energy. But these knights seemed to regenerate on their own.
Zeke felt as if he were facing a mirror image of himself, with a healing factor akin to his own.
“So this is what it’s like for my enemies.”
At that moment, the strongest of the enemy knights stepped forward, speaking in a cold, emotionless voice from behind a fully obscuring helmet.
“Cease your futile resistance. Surrender, and your life will be spared.”
Zeke replied, “Spare me? Whose orders are you following?”
The knight leader ignored his question, repeating, “Refusal will only bring pain.”
The knights’ swords flared with powerful aura.
Zeke realized their goal was to capture him alive, not kill him.
“Why not kill me? Does Azmun need me alive?”
He shook his head, considering the possibility that the knights weren’t sent by Azmun Barrios at all. The empire’s current situation was a tangled web of conflicting interests.
“Dochul’s presence here is also troubling. What is he doing?”
As Zeke’s mind raced, the knight leader charged, sword aimed at his head.
Whoosh!
The powerful strike descended, but Zeke blocked it with his hammer, recognizing the familiar swordsmanship.
“I’ve seen this style before…”
Despite its power, the sword moved with eerie silence. Zeke recalled the unique technique and identified the knight leader.
“Bishop Castick, the Silent Knight!”
It was the signature style of Bishop Castick, one of the five-star knights from his past life.
Clang!
Zeke deflected the sword and retreated.
“Why is Bishop Castick here? I heard he joined the Thebea Knights after graduating from Valhalla.”
Unlike the other five-star knights, Zeke had never met Bishop Castick at Valhalla. Now, he appeared as a mindless weapon of Siemens.
Zeke addressed the knight leader. “Bishop Castick.”
Even when called by name, there was no response. His humanity seemed completely erased.
“Siemens, still playing with people’s lives.”
As the knights failed to capture Zeke, the dark sorcerers grew impatient, shouting, “What are you doing? Capture Zeke Draker! Where are the snipers?”
Suddenly, strange noises came from the communication crystals linked to the Night Killers.
―“G-ghosts! Argh!”
With their screams, the communication went silent.
“Ghosts? What’s happening?”
The dark sorcerers sensed something amiss. As they prepared to cast spells, Zeke unleashed a magic suppression technique.
Screech!
The surrounding magic froze, rendering the sorcerers powerless.
As they panicked, Nikki and the vampire assassins emerged from the shadows.
Slash!
At Zeke’s request, the vampires swiftly decapitated all but one sorcerer, who was left trembling in Nikki’s grasp.
Zeke nodded in satisfaction at the vampires’ efficiency. Nikki’s reconnaissance team had already mapped the area and sent coordinates to Zeke, allowing him to preemptively position ghost soldiers to counter any ambush.
Though he hadn’t anticipated the Night Killers, it didn’t matter.
Zeke addressed Nikki. “Well done. Stand by for further orders.”
Nikki nodded and vanished with the other vampires.
Observing the situation, Dochul attempted to retreat with his beasts. But then—
Rumble!
A wall of bones erupted from the ground, sealed with ice, obscuring the cliff’s view.
In the air, Richmond and Bane revealed themselves.
Zeke had already summoned them before coming up here, and now they appeared at his command.
“Richmond, Bane. Clear out the beasts around us.”
Knowing the cunning nature of the creature, Zeke had preemptively blocked its escape route with a wall.
Trapped within the barrier, the creature let out a furious roar, clearly displeased with the situation.
A deafening screech echoed through the air, and suddenly, hundreds of beasts materialized in the sky.
Massive crow-like creatures swooped down towards the ice wall.
As they charged, their wings sent sharp black feathers flying like arrows, embedding themselves into the bone and ice.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The relentless barrage of feathers began to crack the wall.
Sensing the opportunity, the creature rammed its sturdy horn into the fractured wall, widening the cracks.
Crash!
Finally, the bone and ice wall shattered under the creature’s might.
But as it emerged triumphantly, it was met with an unexpected sight.
Thud!
A battalion of golem knights stood ready, shields raised in a defensive stance.
Realizing the formidable strength of the golem knights, the creature hesitated and retreated.
Behind it, Kaiman and the Shadow Knights were already engaged with the enemy knights.
Zeke approached the creature slowly.
“Looks like things are finally under control. Though seeing your hideous face makes me want to puke, Docheol.”
Among the beasts, the aberrant ones were all vicious, cunning, and malevolent.
The Four Fiends were the pinnacle of these aberrations.
And among them, Docheol was the worst, killing and torturing other creatures for fun.
While other beasts, no matter how intelligent, ultimately sought to kill and consume, Docheol reveled in the act of torment itself.
In a past life, Docheol would capture humans, torment them to the brink of madness, and then release them, only to return later to maximize their terror before finally killing them.
It was a monstrous hobby.
This was why Zeke despised Docheol.
In his past life, Zeke hadn’t been strong enough to face Docheol, so his mentor Nigel had dealt with it. But now, things were different.
Swinging his hammer with a fierce determination, Zeke addressed Docheol.
“I don’t know what kind of atrocities you’re planning next, but today, I’ll make sure you’re completely obliterated.”
Docheol couldn’t tolerate the insolence of a mere human, his plaything, speaking so boldly.
A low growl rumbled from him, and his eyes glowed, inciting the surrounding beasts to charge at Zeke with murderous intent.
A terrifying aura emanated from them, stronger than that of ordinary beasts.
Unfazed, Zeke swung his hammer at the oncoming beasts.
Boom!
The power of the black knight’s hammer, infused with energy, was too much for the frenzied beasts to withstand.
Zeke pushed through the mangled beasts, advancing towards Docheol.
‘It’s smaller than in my past life. Has it not grown stronger?’
The Docheol that fought Nigel in the past was much larger and more menacing.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Docheol reached into its fur and pulled out a red dagger inscribed with runes.
‘What is that?’
Zeke quickly realized the dagger’s blade was made of bloodstone, crafted with runes.
Sensing something amiss, Zeke charged at Docheol.
In that instant, a powerful storm of dark energy erupted from Docheol, blocking Zeke’s path.
Whoosh!
But Zeke swung his hammer fiercely, dispelling the dark energy.
As he broke through the storm, an astonishing sight unfolded before him.
Docheol was plunging the dagger into its own heart.