Episode 416
Crash!
The hammer, imbued with the will of the wind, struck with explosive force, causing the creature’s body to twist and burst apart.
Zeke began to bring his hammer down on the fallen creatures.
Smash! Smash! Smash!
He continued to strike until their bodies were shattered beyond recognition.
How long had he been at it? The corpses twitched, but they showed no signs of regenerating easily.
“That should do it.”
Zeke used his absorption skill on the remains.
Shadows rose and enveloped them, but surprisingly, the absorption failed, and everything returned to its original state.
The absorption skill could devour objects or creatures with magical energy, but it couldn’t consume humans or ordinary beings.
“Even after all this, they’re just humans, not corrupted by magic?”
It was impossible for ordinary humans to regenerate like this.
“Could it be that the forces behind Salmak are involved? If so, it makes even less sense.”
When Zeke had seen the dark wizard clan Scorpion working with Salmak, it seemed likely.
These could be biological weapons created through forbidden experiments by dark wizards.
However, most such weapons were usually corrupted by magic, so his doubts remained.
But with no immediate way to solve the mystery, Zeke pondered how to deal with the still-twitching creatures when someone appeared.
“Zeke Draker.”
The master of Salmak revealed himself.
Zeke stood up, gripping his hammer, and addressed him.
“I thought you’d run away. I’m surprised.”
“Where would the master of Salmak go, leaving this place behind? You insolent fool.”
The master glared at Zeke with fury.
“How dare you repay my kindness like this.”
Zeke chuckled and replied.
“Let’s get the facts straight. I saved your lover, and we made a deal. I even paid you.”
He swung his hammer as he continued.
“And you were the one who broke the contract first. You sent Shadia to assassinate me.”
The master bit his lip, unable to retort.
After gathering his thoughts, he spoke to Zeke.
“Bringing that up now is pointless. Withdraw your forces immediately, and I’ll spare your life.”
“Do you really think that’s the right move? Let me propose something. Surrender now, and I’ll guarantee you a peaceful death.”
Zeke had no intention of letting the master of Salmak live.
The master’s face twisted in anger at Zeke’s words.
“There’s no reasoning with you.”
He snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, three more creatures appeared behind him.
Growl!
They were massive, with bulging muscles and grotesquely protruding veins, just like the ones Zeke had faced earlier.
As Zeke examined them, he was shocked to recognize one of their faces.
“Did you sacrifice your lover too?”
The master’s most cherished disciple had also become a mindless monster.
The master licked his lips and replied to Zeke’s accusation.
“My disciples willingly gave themselves to protect me! Isn’t that true love?”
It was clear he had used some suspicious drug or ritual, exploiting their loyalty.
“Should I have let them kill you in a past life?”
Zeke clicked his tongue and picked up his hammer.
He swung it at the creatures charging at him.
Boom!
The creatures hit by Zeke’s hammer were sent flying.
They were fast and strong, but that was all.
They might have been a threat to ordinary knights, but not to Zeke, who had reached the level of a black knight.
Crash!
After pinning the three creatures against the wall, Zeke advanced toward the master of Salmak.
“It seems giving you a peaceful death is out of the question.”
But then, suddenly—
Whoosh!
Rahim appeared behind Zeke through spatial movement.
Beside Rahim stood a girl with closed eyes and a man with a mask covering his mouth.
Rahim spoke to the girl.
“Masa, begin.”
The girl, following Rahim’s command, opened her eyes.
Her eyes were a strange mix of red, purple, and gold.
Zzzzz—
The girl, called Masa, fixed her mystical gaze on Zeke.
She attempted to penetrate Zeke’s mind with it.
Ssssss—
Masa tried to delve into Zeke’s psyche and subdue his spirit.
No matter how strong a knight was, if their spirit was subdued, they couldn’t resist.
Masa quickly entered Zeke’s inner world.
But then, she sensed something strange.
“What is that?”
Something was lurking within Zeke’s inner world.
It slowly raised its head.
Masa was shocked to recognize the presence.
“A dragon?”
A massive, jet-black dragon with glowing yellow eyes stared at her.
The dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of flames at Masa.
Roar—
Startled by the approaching flames, Masa retreated from the inner world.
When she regained her senses, she found herself not in the outside world but in an old castle, bound by chains and sitting on a throne, a man wrapped in bandages looking down at her.
Masa was overwhelmed by the immense and malevolent power emanating from the man.
“Aaaah…”
She was so terrified she couldn’t speak.
The man with bandages on his face glared at Masa with his red eyes.
[How dare you enter my domain without permission… I shall bind your soul and make you my eternal slave.]
He rose slowly from the throne and approached Masa.
Desperate to escape, Masa found herself unable to move as the inner world closed around her.
Just as the bandaged man was about to seize her—
“Return to your place while I’m still asking nicely.”
Zeke appeared before Masa, commanding the man.
As the master of the inner world, Zeke’s words made the shadow of Caligula tremble in fear and return to its throne.
It sat with its head bowed, muttering incessantly.
Zeke looked down at the fallen Masa and spoke.
“This is what happens when you invade someone else’s mind. Now, go back.”
Zeke snapped his fingers.
“Gasp!”
Masa suddenly returned to her senses.
She staggered and fell to the ground, and Rahim adjusted his glasses, speaking.
“What are you doing, Masa? Why haven’t you subdued Zeke Draker’s mind?”
Masa, her face pale, looked at Zeke and replied.
“It’s impossible. I can’t believe someone has such an inner world…”
Zeke’s mental world, containing the power of both a dragon and a blood king, was beyond human comprehension.
Seeing Masa lose her will to fight, Rahim clenched his teeth and spoke to the man beside him.
“Nazim.”
At Rahim’s words, the man called Nazim nodded and stepped forward.
A blade emerged from Nazim’s hand.
But the astonishing thing was that the blade protruded through his palm, not held in his grip.
Swish!
Nazim swung the blades extending from his arms, attacking Zeke.
Thud!
Zeke deflected the attack with his hammer, causing Nazim to retreat and leap into the air.
At that moment, massive blades emerged from Nazim’s shoulders.
Nazim hurled the shoulder blades at Zeke.
Whoosh!
The two giant blades spun rapidly toward Zeke.
“What the—?”
Zeke was taken aback by the sight of blades emerging from a person’s body.
He deflected the incoming blades with his hammer, but they changed direction and flew back toward him.
“Annoying.”
Meanwhile, the creatures Zeke had previously struck began to recover and charged at him again.
Roar!
The creatures roared and swung their fists at Zeke.
Zeke decided to deal with them one by one.
Clang!
Chains shot out from Zeke’s left hand.
He wrapped the chains around his hammer and swung it at the charging creatures.
Boom!
The hammer struck the creatures, and the chains ensnared their bodies.
Clang!
Bound by the soul-binding technique, the creatures’ wounds healed, but they couldn’t move.
After restraining the creatures, Zeke turned his attention to Nazim’s flying blades and swung Bahamut.
Whoosh!
Unleashing the power of the elemental sword, Zeke intercepted the blades and redirected them.
Whirl!
The blades, combined with the rotational force of the reverse wave sword, seemed to fly toward Nazim but suddenly veered toward the master of Salmak on the throne.
“Ugh!”
The master hastily extended his hand.
Thin silver threads shot from his sleeve to intercept the blades.
Ping—
But the blades, imbued with the power of repulsion, sliced through the master’s threads.
Slash!
The blades grazed the master’s shoulder and embedded themselves in the wall.
“Argh!”
The master clutched his shoulder, staggering backward, and shouted at Rahim.
“Damn it! Kill him already!”
Salmakju’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
Hearing the furious shout, Rahim adjusted his glasses and glared at Zeke.
“Time’s up. Zeke Draker, stop meddling in our affairs and die.”
With those words, Rahim raised his hand.
A magical circle appeared beneath Zeke.
Realizing this was the trap they’d been stalling for, Zeke understood too late.
Rumble!
An all-too-familiar energy emanated from the circle on the ground.
“What the…?”
It was the same energy he’d felt from the abyssal pit Nevilos had once opened.
The energy from the circle began pulling Zeke in.
Slowly, Zeke sank into the circle. Rahim watched with a faint smile.
“Even demons can’t escape the abyss beyond the chasm. Not even you, Zeke Draker, will find a way out.”
As Zeke sank to his knees, he glared at Rahim.
“Did the Nostra Family create these creatures and this magic circle?”
Rahim’s expression hardened for a moment before he adjusted his glasses and replied.
“Consider it a parting gift. The Nostra Family has conducted secret experiments for years. We’ve invested heavily in creating immortal soldiers, superhumans with powerful bloodline abilities, and tactical magic.”
“And these are the results?”
“This is just a fraction. No one truly knows the essence of the Nostra Family.”
By now, Zeke was waist-deep in the circle.
Salmakju, watching, ground his teeth and shouted.
“Rahim! What are you doing? Kill him already!”
But then, chains on the ground sprang to life, wrapping around Salmakju’s legs and dragging him toward the abyss.
“Argh!”
Salmakju reached out to Rahim, desperation in his eyes.
“Help me…!”
Zeke seized the chains, unleashing a burst of lightning.
The shock sent Salmakju foaming at the mouth as he sank into the abyss, his end pitiful and unremarkable for a desert tyrant.
Rahim, startled by the sudden turn of events, realized Zeke was no longer sinking.
“You… how?”
Zeke donned the masks of Hersion and Agamemnon, radiating a purifying light.
A golden aura neutralized the abyss’s malevolent energy, allowing Zeke to rise from the pit and hover above Rahim.
The chained creatures howled at Zeke, their wounds seemingly healed.
“Perfect timing. Thanks for opening it.”
Zeke yanked the chains, hurling the creatures into the abyss’s maw.
The creatures were sucked into the endless chasm.
Rahim shouted at Zeke.
“Zeke Draker!”
The abyss’s entrance began to close.
Zeke landed on the restored ground, clad in armor, and looked at Rahim.
“Seems like you put a lot of effort into this. What a waste.”
Zeke approached Rahim.
Najim drew his blade, stepping in to protect Rahim.
Zeke glanced at Rahim, Najim, and Masa, then sheathed his sword and spoke.
“Rahim, was it?”
He fixed his gaze on Rahim.
“Tell me everything you know about the Nostra Family. Do that, and I’ll grant you a merciful death.”