Episode 430
The Butcher Emperor, Ajitahaka.
A name cursed and erased from human history.
Among the demonkind, however, Ajitahaka’s infamy was legendary. This was because he summoned demons, drained their blood, and devoured their flesh.
Ajitahaka was the emperor of an ancient empire on the Eastern Continent, wielding immense power and authority.
Even the Blood King Caligula, ruler of Shambhala, was but a firefly before the moon compared to Ajitahaka.
Ajitahaka possessed a formidable bloodline ability: the power to absorb the strength of those he consumed.
With this ability, he devoured countless powerful beings, transcending human limitations.
Having surpassed the bounds of humanity, Ajitahaka aspired to become a “Constellation” himself.
In his quest, he sought the power of fallen Constellations, consuming demons to absorb their strength.
Thus, Ajitahaka’s notoriety spread even to the demon realm, and he gained powers surpassing those of a Constellation, despite being human.
Yet, Ajitahaka was not satisfied. He aimed to ascend even higher by absorbing fallen Constellations.
The one who halted the seemingly unstoppable rampage of the Butcher Emperor was none other than Ajitahaka himself.
In his attempt to summon and absorb the power of a fallen Constellation, he lost his physical form, and his soul was trapped in the “Isolation Realm,” a prison of the abyss.
With Ajitahaka, the closest a human had come to becoming a Constellation, gone, his empire quickly crumbled.
Peace returned to the Eastern Continent, long oppressed by Ajitahaka’s might, and the fearsome emperor was forgotten, erased from history by those who had suffered under his reign.
Now, Azmoon wielded a sword imbued with Ajitahaka’s power, leaving Rofocale stunned.
Rofocale had known that Azmoon was allied with Ramon Jimenez and received his support, but he never imagined Azmoon would summon the power of the Butcher Emperor.
Azmoon swung the grotesquely transformed sword of Ajitahaka at a lower demon.
Kaaaah!
The sword, infused with Ajitahaka’s power, morphed and devoured the demon’s upper body in an instant.
Crunch!
With a loud noise, the demon’s body, now missing its upper half, fell to the ground.
Rofocale clenched his teeth at the sight.
“Ajitahaka’s power… So that’s why Azmoon dared to betray me.”
Ajitahaka, who devoured demons whole to absorb their power, was a being beyond human.
For Rofocale, a demon, facing such a power was a mismatch.
Rofocale, holding the chains that bound Zeke, retreated.
Clang!
As the chains fixed to the ceiling and floor separated, Zeke’s bound body fell to the ground.
Rofocale pulled Zeke towards him with the chains and quickly activated a barrier.
Rumble—
As the barrier activated, black lightning shot from the ceiling towards Azmoon.
Crackle!
While the black lightning held Azmoon at bay, Rofocale attempted to escape the hall with Zeke.
“Stop him!”
The palace guards, infected by the demonic parasite, charged at Azmoon on Rofocale’s command.
Azmoon, wielding Ajitahaka’s sword, advanced towards Rofocale.
But Rofocale’s magic was faster.
Ssssh—
A black mist enveloped Rofocale and the chained Zeke, whisking them away from the hall.
Boom!
Azmoon swung his sword fiercely at the escaping mist, but it had already vanished from the hall.
Azmoon’s eyes flashed red as he realized Rofocale had escaped.
He turned the sword towards the palace guards.
Crunch!
The guards, repeatedly rising, were left as quivering, bitten bodies on the ground.
Then, as Azmoon unleashed the sword’s power, a massive maw appeared, devouring the writhing bodies of the guards.
Crunch!
With the horrific sound of bones breaking, the demonized guards vanished without a trace.
The sword, having consumed its fill, returned to its original form.
Azmoon clutched his wrist, gritting his teeth in pain.
He rolled up his sleeve to reveal black veins bulging on his wrist.
“I’ve used the sword’s power too much.”
Ajitahaka’s power was potent, but the more it was used, the more it consumed the user’s body.
If not careful, one could become a monster, driven solely by the hunger for flesh.
Azmoon glared at the sword before steadying himself. As he opened the hall’s doors, the knights of Magalgung, who had been waiting, entered.
He shouted to them, “The acting regent has escaped! His true identity is a demon! He must still be somewhere in this palace. Find him and retrieve Zeke Draker!”
At Azmoon’s command, the knights of Magalgung quickly dispersed throughout the palace.
“Damn it! Why did Ajitahaka have to show up now?”
Rofocale cursed as he fled to his secret hideout.
He hadn’t received any power from his master, the “Squelching Pit of Darkness,” to counter Ajitahaka’s power, so he had no choice but to flee.
“Even my master might not be able to withstand the Butcher’s power…”
In his secret hideout, Rofocale quickly pondered his next move.
He needed to escape and evade Azmoon’s pursuit to carry out the orders from the Squelching Pit of Darkness.
He glanced at Zeke, who lay bound on the floor.
“I need to take him to the place of the contract.”
Zeke Draker was a figure of much rumor among the fallen Constellations.
Rumors in the demon realm spoke of him defeating not only high-ranking demons but also powerful fallen Constellations.
The Squelching Pit of Darkness planned to subdue Zeke’s soul, make him a servant, and descend into the physical realm through him.
If it could perfectly descend into the physical realm using Zeke Draker’s body, it believed it could claim the realm for itself.
Rofocale opened a box he had prepared and took out an egg containing a parasitic creature.
“If I implant this in Zeke Draker’s body, he won’t be able to defy my orders.”
He carefully held the egg, ready to implant it in Zeke’s body, and closed the box.
But then, he sensed something amiss.
A chill ran down his spine, as if a cold wind had brushed past him.
Rofocale slowly turned his head.
Zeke Draker, who had been bound in chains moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.
“How did he break free of the soul chains…?”
Clang!
Before he could finish his thought, a chilling sound echoed as white chains shot up from the ground.
Crunch!
Solomon’s chains wrapped around Rofocale’s body.
“Ugh!”
Bound by the soul-sealing technique, Rofocale struggled, but there was no escape.
Zeke approached the fallen Rofocale.
He reached out, and the black chains scattered on the floor rose into the air, drawn into Zeke’s hand.
Clang!
Holding the black chains, Zeke spoke to Rofocale.
“Did you really think you could bind me with this? How laughable.”
Having mastered the soul-sealing technique, Zeke could easily manipulate soul chains, making his escape a simple task.
Moreover, the time Rofocale and Azmoon spent fighting had given him the opportunity to break free.
Bound by Solomon’s chains, Rofocale’s eyes darted around as he looked at Zeke.
Zeke stored the black chains in his inventory and activated his holy light device.
Crackle!
Lightning of light coursed through Rofocale’s body.
“Ugh!”
“Where is the real Abel?”
Despite Zeke’s question, Rofocale gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Zeke, finding it amusing, activated the holy light device again.
Crackle!
The secret room flashed with lightning.
“Argh! Ugh!”
Rofocale, overwhelmed by the continuous pain, found himself unable to speak.
Zeke looked down at Rofocale, then shook his head.
“For all your bluster, you have some backbone. Not that I want to praise you.”
With more time passing than he had anticipated, Zeke didn’t want to waste any more time here.
He placed his hand on Rofocale’s head and activated the Wisdom of the Dragon.
Vroom!
In an instant, countless karma data, including Rofocale’s memories, unfolded before Zeke’s eyes.
Using the Eye of the Sage, he selectively reviewed the data.
Through the karma data, Zeke found Abel’s location.
He muttered as he looked down at Rofocale.
“So, you separated Abel from Jimenez and held him hostage.”
Boldly, Lopocale had been exploiting the fact that Abel’s body was of utmost importance to Ramon Ximenez. Under the guise of management, Lopocale stayed by Abel’s side around the clock, effectively blocking any approach from Ximenez’s side.
To Ramon Ximenez, Lopocale’s actions must have seemed like a significant threat.
“So that’s why you tried to use Azmun to kill Lopocale and reclaim Abel’s body,” he mused.
Lopocale, trembling and in pain, spoke to Zeke. “Z-Zeke Draker… join forces with me. Together, you could become the ruler of this continent. I promise you…”
Zeke summoned his holy light once more.
Crackle!
White currents surged over Lopocale’s body, and his eyes rolled back as if he might faint.
Zeke looked at him and said, “If you’re talking about offering my body to your master to dominate the material world, forget it. Your master doesn’t have that kind of power.”
The Pit of Clinging Darkness wasn’t among the stronger constellations. It survived by aligning with more powerful ones, offering advice and receiving protection, but it lacked any formidable powers of its own. Compared to the likes of the Blood and Madness Rider or the Black Serpent in the Mouth, it was a lesser constellation, making Lopocale’s proposal laughable to Zeke.
Zeke, having gained all he needed, looked at Lopocale with cold eyes. “You don’t have any real abilities, and you’re just waiting to stab someone in the back. I see no reason to keep you alive.”
At Zeke’s words, Lopocale panicked and shouted, “W-wait! Z-Zeke Draker! No, Lord Zeke! Please, hear me out…!”
Vroooom!
Zeke gripped the chains and donned Agamemnon’s mask, channeling the power of purification.
A golden aura seeped into Lopocale’s body.
“Aaaaargh!”
The agony was incomparable to the holy light, and Lopocale screamed in torment. As his soul began to disintegrate, he instinctively fled from the apostle’s body.
Hissss—
The black smoke that emerged from the body coalesced in the air. This smoke was essentially Lopocale’s true form. Desperate to escape, he knew he could find a new body, but if his soul was destroyed, his very existence would be scattered into nothingness.
But Zeke wasn’t about to let that happen.
Clang!
Solomon’s chains, capable of binding even souls, transformed into smoke and ensnared the fleeing Lopocale.
Simultaneously, Zeke’s shadow flickered.
Solomon’s chains dragged Lopocale’s essence toward Zeke’s shadow. Despite Lopocale’s fierce resistance, it was futile.
Zeke’s shadow, now grown larger, devoured Lopocale’s true form, which was bound by Solomon’s chains.
Hissss—
As Lopocale’s soul was absorbed into the shadow, a message appeared before Zeke.
[“You have absorbed the soul of the mid-level demon Lopocale, a servant of the ‘Pit of Clinging Darkness.”]
[“Your depleted health, mental strength, and mana are replenished.”]
[“You have absorbed the demon’s abilities and acquired the A-rank skill ‘Smoke Form.”]
[“As a bonus reward, you receive 1,500 Karma Points.”]
Zeke examined the newly acquired skill, Smoke Form.
“A skill that allows you to temporarily turn your body into smoke to evade attacks,” he noted.
It seemed this was the power Lopocale had used to escape from Azmun earlier.
After gathering anything useful from Lopocale’s secret hideout, Zeke sent a message to Richmond. He had previously summoned Richmond and placed him with Boris’s group.
Zeke relayed the true location of Abel to Richmond and then drew Bahamut.
“Now, it’s time to really have some fun.”
Vroooom!
Bahamut roared in response to Zeke’s words, and with a massive explosion, Lopocale’s secret hideout was utterly destroyed.