Episode 428
Zeke and the members of the Black Spirit Squad were relocated to a mansion provided by Azmun.
The mansion, designed in the style of the Rom Empire, was a stunning piece of architecture, both practical and elegantly beautiful.
It was said to have been designed and built by a member of the royal family at great expense, but the owner was captured and executed on the day Abel seized Rom.
Azmun had taken over the vacant mansion and used it as a villa, but he had generously offered it to Zeke and his group.
Zeke let out a bitter laugh as he surveyed the luxurious guest room Azmun had prepared for them.
“The city outside is a ghost town, yet this mansion feels like a world of its own.”
The guest room was adorned with luxury items from across the continent, giving the impression that every opulent item imaginable had been gathered there.
Zeke stretched out on a plush sofa, lost in thought.
“Teaming up with Azmun to take down Abel, huh.”
During negotiations, Zeke had accepted Azmun’s proposal.
Azmun had been delighted with Zeke’s decision and eagerly laid out his plan.
He intended to report that he had captured Zeke in a trap and then bring him before Abel in the royal palace.
The plan was for Zeke, disguised as a prisoner, to break free and kill Abel when he approached, allowing the waiting knights of Magal Palace to seize the palace.
At first glance, the plan seemed amateurish, but most coups weren’t executed with grand strategies.
Unlike the paranoid Emperor Nero of the past, who required several layers of security just to be approached indirectly, Abel was far more accessible.
Azmun believed that a straightforward approach would be more effective, and Zeke agreed to participate in the plan, staying at Azmun’s secret villa until it was time to play the role of a prisoner.
However, Zeke never truly trusted Azmun Barrios.
“A cunning schemer, angry for the sake of the Rom Empire, wanting to kill Abel? That’s as believable as a dwarf swearing off meat.”
Having dealt with Azmun Barrios in a past life, Zeke knew all too well that Azmun wasn’t motivated by loyalty or love for the empire.
He was more likely to sell out the empire for his own gain.
As Zeke pondered Azmun’s plan, he reached a conclusion.
“It’s a trap set with that dark sorcerer in the palace.”
The dark sorcerer, acting as the regent, was rumored to be pulling Abel’s strings from behind the scenes.
Zeke was convinced that this sorcerer was connected to the Abyss.
If that were the case, it was highly likely that Azmun and the sorcerer had conspired to capture Zeke.
“A trap by a schemer and a dark sorcerer.”
Zeke stood up, having made up his mind.
He activated his Shadow Clone skill.
Swoosh—
Zeke’s shadow rose and formed an identical figure.
The shadow clone could wield about 40% of the original’s power.
Even the clone alone could match the strength of a red knight.
Unlike ordinary clones, this one had a physical presence, making it difficult for even a knight’s keen senses to detect it wasn’t real.
Leaving the shadow clone behind, Zeke activated the system’s portal for the first time in a while.
He checked the coordinates he had previously marked on the map.
“100 points for the transfer. Not bad.”
The system portal operated on karma, making it untraceable by magic. Thus, 100 points were well worth it.
With a hum, Zeke’s body vanished in the portal’s light, leaving only the shadow clone in the room.
“Hmm.”
In an abandoned house in Rom’s deserted cityscape, Boris was reading a report.
Behind him, Aaron and Visco, armed with magic rifles, were keeping watch.
Sion, sitting on a sofa, tossed a metal ball into the air with a bored expression, while Serina lay on another sofa, wearing an eye patch.
Just then, Adol, wearing a skull mask, brought something over.
“Food’s here.”
With that, Adol handed out meal kits.
As soon as Sion opened his kit, he grimaced.
“Ugh, why is it Type C? I told you I can’t eat chicken.”
Serina, sitting next to him, gently chided him.
“Sion, don’t be picky. If you keep this up, I’ll tell Arina.”
At the mention of Arina, Sion flinched.
With trembling hands, he picked up a spoon and reluctantly began eating the Type C combat rations.
“Ugh, chicken is the worst.”
While Adol kept watch, Boris, Aaron, and Visco also started eating their meal kits.
Sion turned to Boris and asked, “Captain Boris, how long do we have to stay here?”
Boris replied, “Until the boss arrives.”
At the mention of the boss, Sion shivered, still fearful of Zeke.
He continued to sulk, picking out the peas from his meal.
“I should’ve stayed at the academy with Arina. I heard the boss brought Masa along this time.”
Masa was the only member of the Six who was around Sion’s age.
In the past, Sion often teased Masa, which frequently got him scolded by Serina.
As Sion reminisced about the past, Aaron finished his meal and spoke to Boris.
“Captain, can’t we ask the boss to bring some snipers? It’s weird being called the sniper squad leader when I’m the only sniper.”
Boris replied, “Why don’t you ask the boss yourself when he arrives?”
At that, Aaron, like Sion, shivered and fell silent.
Everyone had experienced Zeke’s wrath at least once, and they instinctively feared him.
Just then, a portal appeared in the air, and someone stepped through.
The entire team tensed, ready for action.
But as soon as they saw who it was, they relaxed.
It was none other than Zeke.
“Long time no see, everyone.”
Zeke had left his shadow clone behind and come to meet the intelligence team he had stationed in Rom.
He greeted them and watched as they ate their combat rations.
Then, he took out some food from his inventory and handed it to them.
Sion cheered at the sight.
“Wow! Beef stew! White bread! That’s the good stuff!”
Even the usually silent Visco and Adol swallowed hard at the sight of the food Zeke had brought.
After distributing the food, Zeke took Boris aside into a room.
Seated, Zeke looked at Boris and said, “Seems like you’re managing well enough.”
Boris gave a wry smile.
“Sometimes I curse the boss for assembling such a unique team.”
Zeke chuckled, “I heard you were once voted the most desired partner in the 13th Division. They’re talented, so make sure to train them well.”
With a grin, Zeke shifted the conversation.
“So, what’s the situation in Rom?”
Boris’s expression darkened.
“As someone from the empire… if Abel were in front of me, I’d kill him on the spot.”
Boris, a former agent of the Rom Empire’s intelligence bureau, had attended the imperial university in Rom during his youth.
The Rom he remembered was one of the continent’s greatest cities, rivaling even Atlas.
But since Abel and Siemens usurped the throne and took over the city, the once-glorious Rom had vanished without a trace.
“Most people have been captured and thrown into camps, and those who managed to avoid danger are hiding in basements, too scared to come out. The city is completely non-functional, practically dead.”
Zeke found this puzzling.
“That’s strange. Normally, after seizing a city, you’d want to consolidate power and expand your influence.”
Boris nodded in agreement.
“I find it odd too. Abel seems intent on leaving the city completely empty.”
Zeke couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to turn one of the continent’s greatest cities into a ghost town.
Boris handed Zeke a report.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a record of suspicious activities we’ve observed while staying in Rom.”
Zeke skimmed through the report until something caught his eye.
“Fog blankets the city at night, and monsters crawl out of the sewers?”
It sounded like a tale from urban legends.
Boris, however, spoke with a serious expression.
“As unbelievable as it sounds, it’s true. My team and I have scoured the city and found that monsters really do appear in certain areas.”
Zeke examined the description of the monsters in the report.
“This is…?”
The creatures were bizarre, unlike anything found in nature.
They had sharp teeth, tentacles, and amorphous bodies.
Zeke had seen similar creatures before.
“These resemble the Outsiders, the beasts from the Forest of the Forgotten.”
As Zeke pondered the Outsiders, Boris provided him with new information.
“And boss, it seems there’s a Nostra Family lab around here.”
Zeke looked up at Boris’s words.
“A Nostra Family lab, huh? Are they conducting human enhancement experiments?”
“We haven’t infiltrated deep enough to know the specifics, but… it’s likely connected to the monsters appearing in this area.”
Zeke recalled the chimera-creating drug Rahim had.
‘If the Nostra Family is under Siemens’s protection, there’s no better place for chimera experiments than here. Did they move their operations here? Or have they been hiding in plain sight all along…?’
There was a chance the drug Rahim brought was manufactured here.
After pondering for a moment, Zeke spoke to Boris.
“I’m going to the palace tomorrow to confront Abel.”
Boris’s jaw dropped at his words.
“Boss, what reckless plan are you hatching now?”
“Call it reckless if you want. It’s like walking into Azmun Barrios’s trap with my eyes wide open.”
“And you’re doing it knowingly?”
“If I don’t, we can’t catch Abel. We need to draw him out, no matter what.”
Zeke spoke firmly, then glanced around before giving Boris a telepathic command.
Boris’s face turned even paler upon receiving the order.
“Boss, what exactly are you planning to do in Rom?”
“If we don’t shake things up, the snakes will stay hidden. Remember, Boris, until I give the signal, our movements must remain undetected.”
Boris nodded solemnly at Zeke’s words.
“Understood, boss.”
Facing the traps set by Azmun and Lofocale, Zeke meticulously laid his own snares, waiting for the prey to take the bait.
‘Let’s see who falls deeper into the trap.’
Thud, thud, thud!
A carriage sped towards the palace in Rom, surrounded by knights from the Magal Palace, with Azmun Barrios leading the way.
Azmun Barrios drove the black security carriage into the palace.
Boom!
The palace gates opened, and Azmun pulled the shrouded mobile prison towards the throne room.
Dozens of knights from the Magal Palace followed the carriage.
As the throne room doors opened, the palace guards stood in formation, and Abel sat on the throne.
Beside Abel stood Lofocale, disguised as a human under a robe.
Azmun knelt before Abel, bowing his head.
“Your Majesty! I, Azmun Barrios, have captured the empire’s criminal, Zeke Draker, and brought him before you!”
At the mention of Zeke Draker, Abel, seated on the throne, suddenly lifted his head, drooling and grinding his teeth.
“Zeke, Zeke Draker…”
Lofocale, prepared for this, brought a bowl of fresh blood to Abel’s lips.
Abel greedily drank the blood, managing to suppress his madness, and gestured towards Lofocale.
“Bring in the criminal, Zeke Draker!”
At Lofocale’s command, Azmun pulled away the cloth covering the mobile prison.
Rumble!
Inside, Zeke was bound in chains, kneeling with his head bowed.
Seeing this, Abel suddenly stood up, shouting in excitement.
“Zeke! Zeke Draker!”