Episode 461
“What do you mean, my master has been captured?”
Zeke couldn’t believe what he was hearing from Nabu, the sage of the story, and asked again.
In the current world, there was virtually no one who could pose a threat to his master, Nigel.
Unless all the black knights of the continent banded together to trap and launch a full-scale attack on her, the idea of Nigel being captured was almost unimaginable.
Nabu quickly responded to Zeke’s question.
—“Crackle— Demons! And not just any, the highest rank!—”
Nabu’s words were interrupted by static, as if the connection was poor.
Zeke shouted into the mirror, maintaining the power of amplification.
“Are you saying a high-ranking demon took my master?”
—“Crackle— The Abyss!— Crackle— Ritual during the eclipse— Crackle—”
The noise intensified, and soon Nabu’s face vanished from the mirror.
Zeke tried to reconnect using the power of amplification, but the signal wouldn’t return.
“The Abyss is planning a ritual during the eclipse? Could it be the second baptism of Ramon Jimenez…?”
Though he couldn’t be certain, Zeke understood that the situation was dire.
He stood up from his seat.
“I need to return to the central continent immediately and stop them. If not… the signs of the apocalypse will resurrect the Demon King.”
The next day, Zeke explained the situation to Serazad and decided to use the royal portal to travel to the Republic of Dortha.
Thanks to her understanding of the urgency, Zeke, along with Hades, Yelin, and Hamel’s Raven Squad, soon stood before the royal portal.
Serazad, with a hint of regret, bid farewell to Zeke and his companions.
“I had planned a month-long celebration in your honor. Yet, you leave so abruptly.”
“Thank you for your gracious hospitality, Your Majesty. Once this urgent matter is resolved, I will return to the palace to share the stories we couldn’t finish.”
Serazad nodded at Zeke’s words.
“I’ll look forward to it. Here, take these gifts from me without hesitation.”
At her command, slaves appeared and began stacking dozens of boxes into the portal.
The boxes were filled with precious silks, ceramics, and crafted goods from the East.
Zeke was taken aback and waved his hands in refusal.
“Your Majesty, your hospitality alone is more than enough.”
“It is customary to take gifts after meeting the Sultan, even if only as a formality. These may not mean much to me, but I hear they hold great value on your continent. Take them and spread the grandeur and revival of the Murk Empire.”
Zeke nodded at Serazad’s words.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Though it may not be much in return, please accept this.”
Zeke handed her a small box. Serazad opened it with curiosity, finding a bundle of raven feathers inside.
“I’ve heard that in the Eastern Continent, phoenix feathers are said to ward off evil and bring good fortune. I offer these with wishes for your and the empire’s well-being.”
Serazad looked pleased with the gift of raven feathers.
“Such a precious gift. Thank you. Perhaps you should stay here and marry me…”
Zeke pretended not to hear Serazad’s words and quickly led his companions onto the portal.
Soon, the magic circle of the portal began to glow.
Though different in design from the central continent’s portals, it seemed to operate similarly.
A brilliant light emanated from the portal, obscuring Zeke and his companions from view.
And so, with the enthusiastic farewell of the Sultan and ministers of the Murk Empire, Zeke and his party left the Eastern Continent.
Vroooom!
With the portal’s light, Zeke and his companions arrived at the portal terminal in the Republic of Dortha.
“Whew…”
Being a long-distance portal connecting continents, everyone except Zeke looked pale from motion sickness.
Even Hades, a dragon, struggled to hold back nausea, but Zeke remained unfazed.
“Ugh… Whew. Zeke, are you feeling okay?”
Hades asked, and Zeke replied with a calm expression.
“Yes, I’m fine. It seems everyone else is quite affected by the motion sickness.”
Having traveled through time and even crossed dimensions, a long-distance portal was nothing to him.
Zeke arranged for his travel-weary companions to rest at a luxury hotel in the Republic of Dortha.
Once they recovered, they would take the portal to return to Mycenae.
After sending off the others, Zeke stayed at the terminal, heading to the VIP lounge to try reconnecting with Nabu using the power of amplification.
—Crackle
The screen flickered, possibly due to the closer distance compared to the Eastern Continent.
Eventually, the connection was reestablished, and Nabu’s face appeared.
—“Damn! Oh, it’s working!”
Nabu cheered as the connection with Zeke was restored.
—“Where on earth are you? Why was the connection so bad?”
Zeke held the mirror and explained.
“I was in the Eastern Continent. I just arrived in the Republic of Dortha via portal.”
Nabu slapped his forehead in disbelief.
—“The Eastern Continent? Good grief. That’s quite a distance. Wait, even the Republic of Dortha isn’t easy to connect to. How did you…?”
“I’ll explain later. First, please update me on the situation. Did the Abyss really summon a demon to capture Master Nigel?”
Nabu briefly outlined the current battlefield situation.
A horde of beasts and monsters had appeared west of the Forest of the Forgotten, and Highlanders were dispatched to hold them back.
During this, a high-ranking demon emerged, and Nigel went to confront it, leaving only a cryptic message before disappearing without a trace.
“Even if it’s a high-ranking demon, it’s hard to believe Master would be defeated…”
Nabu frowned and replied.
—“They targeted our High Table’s weakness. If we use our full power, we risk transcending and being pulled into the Celestial Realm.”
Zeke recalled what he had learned about transcendence from the spirit of Nirvana’s founder, Hoshgar.
“So, you’re saying… if the High Tables reveal their true power, they might transcend and ascend to a higher dimension due to the limits of causality?”
—“Oh, you catch on quickly. Yes, that’s right. Somehow, the Abyss found a way to lower the karma threshold to break the leader’s covenant.”
The High Tables, having surpassed human limits, possessed power that couldn’t remain in the current world.
Like the Hero King Kaishir, who went to the Fairy Realm, or Hoshgar, who transcended to a higher dimension, the High Tables were meant to leave the current world.
The law of karma guides overly powerful beings’ souls to higher dimensions to maintain the balance of the current world.
Thus, the High Tables made a covenant with the Highlander leader to avoid the eyes of the karma law, living only as mediators without revealing their power to the world.
Now, the sages of the High Table faced the risk of transcending to the Celestial Realm if they weren’t careful.
Zeke spoke to Nabu through the mirror.
“We need someone who can act without exceeding the limits of karma.”
—“Exactly, that’s why I kept trying to contact you.”
“But why are they attacking the Forbidden Forest of the Forgotten? I remember they only used the monsters there to form an army.”
—“The invaders this time are beasts we’ve never seen before. They seem to have brought them from outside.”
Zeke tilted his head at Nabu’s words.
“Is there a reason to attack the Forest of the Forgotten, even bringing in beasts from outside?”
Crackle—
The connection weakened again, causing the screen to flicker and noise to rise.
—“Crackle— The Abyss is looking for something here— Crackle—”
Before finishing the sentence, Nabu’s face disappeared from the mirror.
Zeke stared at his reflection in the mirror, biting his lip.
“The Abyss is searching for something… It must be something crucial for the second baptism during the eclipse, hidden in the Forest of the Forgotten.”
Given the impending second baptism, the fact that they attacked the Forest of the Forgotten, guarded by Highlanders, and even deployed a high-ranking demon, suggested something very important was there.
Zeke stood up.
“Whatever it is you’re after, you won’t get your hands on it.”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The powerful impact reverberated through the stone walls, shaking the entire temple.
The apostles of the Abyss watched in fear as Abel, transformed into a dragon-human hybrid, pounded the walls with his fists, roaring.
“Raaaargh!”
After a while, Abel turned his head, glaring at the apostles of the Abyss with eyes filled with madness.
Grrrr—
With crystallized scales covering his body, Abel looked like a monstrous creature.
As Abel charged, the apostles simultaneously extended their hands.
Sssss—
Black mist rose from their hands, wrapping around Abel’s charging form.
“Raaaargh!”
Abel struggled fiercely against the dark mist that bound his body, his resistance palpable.
The apostles, overwhelmed by Abel’s strength, stood their ground with difficulty, cold sweat trickling down their faces.
Grrrr!
In a sudden burst of defiance, Abel broke free from the mist’s grip, his sharp claws extending as he lunged toward the apostles.
Kaaaah―
But just as abruptly, Abel’s body halted in mid-air.
Wooooom―
A powerful vibration enveloped him, immobilizing him completely.
The apostles, still sweating, finally managed to step back, relief washing over them.
Through their ranks, a priest in a faded, worn ceremonial robe approached Abel, who was suspended in the air. With a steady hand, he reached into Abel’s left chest.
Crunch―
The priest extracted a pulsating heart, its surface stained black.
“So, this is the limit of the Blue Knight’s heart,” he mused, tearing the heart away and incinerating it.
He gestured to the apostles behind him, who promptly brought someone forward.
A knight clad in full plate armor, eyes vacant, followed the apostles’ lead.
One of the apostles addressed the priest. “This is the captain of the Imperial Guard from the Rom Empire. We acquired him through a deal with Castro Pollock.”
Castro Pollock, amassing forces in Jupiter, had reached out to the abyss to counter Leo and Carus.
The priest nodded, approaching the subdued captain. His hand passed effortlessly through the armor, reaching the left chest.
“Uuuugh―”
Though the captain’s mind was subdued by the apostles, a groan escaped him, sensing the danger.
But resistance was futile. The priest withdrew his hand, revealing a vibrant heart.
“A Red Knight’s heart,” he remarked, carrying it over to Abel.
He placed the heart into Abel’s empty chest cavity. As the heart settled, Abel’s chest wound began to heal rapidly.
With the heart now inside Abel, the captain’s limbs started to tremble uncontrollably. Soon, he collapsed to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut, black blood oozing from his eyes, ears, and nose.
Meanwhile, Abel’s body, once covered in crystallized scales, began to stabilize.
Crunch―
The crystals fell away, clattering to the ground. Abel’s wild eyes gradually calmed, and he lost consciousness.
As the priest withdrew his hand, Abel dropped to the floor, and the apostles rushed to support him.
At that moment, one of the apostles approached the priest. “We’ve received word from the unit dispatched to the forest.”
The priest’s eyes, hidden beneath his robe, gleamed with interest.
The apostle continued slowly, “They’ve found traces of the Black Star within the forest.”