Episode 489
“The Messenger of the God of Chaos?”
Zeke pondered over the title Do’ol had used to refer to him.
He looked at Do’ol and spoke, “A cursed existence, you say. The other Four Fiends never mentioned it like that.”
Do’ol let out a groan in response.
”[…I seek eternal rest.]”
“Fallen Nephilim. Wasn’t it you who chose this life?”
Do’ol took a deep breath before replying, “[Once, I believed an eternal life was a blessing, not a curse.]”
His eyes filled with regret, Do’ol continued, “[But that was a delusion. In the end, we were nothing more than slaves and playthings for the Celestials.]”
The Nephilim were avatars of the Celestials, acting as their earthly agents. Though they played the role of living gods, they were no different from the mortals they looked down upon. To escape the shackles of mortality, they chose the curse of eternity themselves.
Zeke looked at Do’ol and asked, “The power of shadows I possess—do you mean to say it’s the power of the God of Chaos?”
Do’ol nodded weakly, “[Only the power of the God of Chaos can free one from the curse of the Celestials.]”
Zeke recalled how he had absorbed the souls of Gungi and Docheol completely. Unlike them, Do’ol wished for Zeke to absorb him and end his existence.
Zeke met Do’ol’s gaze and nodded. “I will grant your wish.”
The shadows at Zeke’s feet began to ripple, spreading towards Do’ol and slowly engulfing him. The massive form of Do’ol sank into Zeke’s shadow.
With his black eyes fixed on Zeke, Do’ol spoke, “[Apostle of the God of Chaos, never trust the Celestials.]”
Zeke nodded at Do’ol’s words. “There’s no reason to trust the fallen Celestials.”
Do’ol shook his head. “[I don’t mean them.]”
Zeke furrowed his brow. “Not the fallen Celestials?”
As Do’ol was nearly submerged, he left one last message, “[Those above, not below… they are the ones…]”
Before he could finish, Do’ol vanished into the shadows.
Zeke pondered Do’ol’s final words. “Those above, not below?”
It seemed to refer to the Celestials beyond the fallen ones, those residing in the heavenly realms. According to the scriptures, unlike the fallen Celestials, they had not succumbed to corruption and were deemed worthy to dwell in the eternal golden palaces of the gods.
“And yet, they supposedly no longer interfere with the mortal realm…?”
The thought was unsettling, but coming from a Fiend like Do’ol, Zeke couldn’t fully trust it.
Just then, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[You have devoured a Chaos-corrupted Fallen Aberration.]
[Your stamina, mental strength, and mana are replenished.]
[You have absorbed the bloodline ability of the Aberration and gained the power ‘Enhancement.’]
[You receive 1,500 Karma Points as a reward.]
[You receive a special random box as a reward.]
Having absorbed Do’ol, Zeke acquired the power of Enhancement. It seemed that the Nostra Family’s ability to enhance bloodline powers was thanks to Do’ol’s power.
“Without Do’ol, their production of enhancers will be disrupted.”
Satisfied with this gain, Zeke summoned Bucephalus and prepared to leave, carrying the unconscious Yellin on his back.
He then transformed into an elf using polymorph and summoned the higher spirits of fire and earth.
“Destroy this place completely. But be careful not to collapse the ground.”
Ignis and Noes nodded at Zeke’s command.
With a roar—
The fire and earth spirits began to burn and demolish the secret base.
Watching for a moment, Zeke then left the underground base with Yellin, riding Bucephalus.
Splash!
“Ugh!”
Howard gasped as cold water splashed over him, bringing him back to his senses.
He looked around in bewilderment, spotting a figure seated across from him.
Howard’s face turned pale as he recognized him.
“Z-Zeke Draker…?”
The man he thought dead, Zeke Draker, was alive and sitting right in front of him.
As Howard sat there in shock, memories of the events at the Nostra Family’s secret base flooded back.
The unexpected betrayal by Ishtar.
He had thought Kali had conspired with Ishtar to betray him, but he realized now how wrong he had been.
With disbelief, Howard looked at Zeke and asked, “Was this all your plan?”
Zeke rose slowly and approached Howard, looking down at him.
“Yes, my sister and I joined forces to catch the rat gnawing at the Draker family.”
The idea that Zeke and Kali were allies was something Howard couldn’t fathom.
Power was not something to be shared, even among blood relatives, so the thought of them joining forces had never crossed his mind.
“How could you… form an alliance over the head of the family…?”
“The next head of the family will be my sister, Kali.”
Howard’s eyes widened at Zeke’s words.
He couldn’t believe that Zeke Draker, who possessed greater power, would relinquish the position of head to Kali.
Zeke leaned in closer to Howard and spoke.
“We’ll handle things from here, so don’t concern yourself. Now, let’s hear your story.”
Howard trembled with fear as he looked at Zeke.
“Z-Zeke… no, Sir Zeke! There must be some misunderstanding. If you could just release me and we could talk this over…”
“Misunderstanding? You mean to say it was a misunderstanding when you lured me into the memorial space to assassinate me?”
Howard had shared all the assassination details with Kali, thinking they were on the same side.
Naturally, Zeke was aware of everything.
Howard’s eyes darted around, searching for a way out of this predicament.
“Sir Zeke, I admit I was disrespectful to you. But these are turbulent times. You must consider the practical benefits.”
“Are you suggesting that sparing your life is practical?”
Sensing a glimmer of hope in Zeke’s response, Howard’s eyes lit up.
“Sir Zeke, with Arthur Draker’s death, both the Draker family and the entire central continent are in chaos. If you trust me, I can help bring everything on the continent to its knees before you.”
Howard watched Zeke’s reaction closely, ready to exploit any opening to save himself.
Zeke looked down at Howard and nodded.
“Hmm, the entire continent, you say. An enticing proposition.”
Seeing Zeke’s positive reaction, Howard felt a surge of triumph.
‘It seems I was right about him aiming for something beyond the Draker family.’
Every human harbors desires.
If Zeke Draker was willing to forgo the position of head of the Draker family, it meant his ambitions lay beyond that.
Aiming to seize control of the entire central continent.
Howard had probed Zeke, suspecting he might be pursuing the dream Arthur Draker couldn’t achieve, and Zeke’s reaction confirmed it.
Zeke placed a hand on Howard’s shoulder and spoke.
“So, how do you plan to bring the entire continent to its knees before me?”
Howard’s eyes darted as he began to speak.
“I have connections. Nobles from the central region and high-ranking officials from the central kingdom are all closely tied to me. By leveraging them…”
“Nobles from the central region and high-ranking officials from the central kingdom, you say.”
Zeke tilted his head, his expression indifferent.
“If that’s all you have, I’m disappointed, Howard. Have you forgotten which family I belong to?”
Howard’s posture shifted as he was struck by realization.
“The Agamemnon family.”
A family at the heart of the central nobility, wielding significant influence even in the central kingdom.
Since the curse on the family had been lifted by Zeke, Mycenae had been flourishing, and the Agamemnon family’s influence was growing.
Realizing his trump card was useless, Howard’s eyes wavered.
“W-Wait! Sir Zeke! The wealth of experience I’ve accumulated, the strategies I’ve honed on the battlefield against the Murk Empire, are invaluable!”
Zeke nodded at his words.
“Ah, yes. That too.”
Zeke gripped Howard’s shoulder tightly.
The pain was excruciating, as if his shoulder would shatter.
“War hero Howard. But in truth… wasn’t it quite different?”
Howard felt as if his heart was being shredded by Zeke’s cold gaze.
“S-Sir Zeke.”
“In reality, you leaked information to the Murk Empire to save your own skin. But General Saladin, believing no commander would betray their own army, chose a different path, and by sheer luck, you avoided confrontation and were hailed as a war hero.”
Howard’s teeth chattered.
It was a secret he had kept hidden for so long, eliminating anyone who knew or sending them far away to ensure it remained buried.
For 25 years, no one had known this secret, and he couldn’t fathom how Zeke had uncovered it.
Zeke looked at Howard and spoke.
“Howard, there’s only one way for you to keep your life.”
Crack!
Zeke shattered one of Howard’s shoulders and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
“Spill the names of your rat friends. Every last one of them.”
The power of the Blood King surged, binding Howard’s very soul.
“Ughhh—”
Howard trembled in terror, drooling as he spoke.
His face was ashen as he pleaded with Zeke.
“I-I’ll talk! Just please, have mercy…”
Zeke looked down at him with indifference.
“You will find no mercy, Howard. Live the rest of your life in regret and pain.”
With those words, Zeke left the interrogation room.
Outside, Boris bowed his head to him.
“Good work, boss.”
“He’s scared out of his wits. He’ll talk. Get his testimony and prepare him as a witness for the upcoming trial.”
“Understood.”
Leaving the rest to Boris, Zeke ascended to the surface.
He was currently at the newly established headquarters in Atlas, known as ‘Terra.’
A teleportation circle connected to Mycenae was inscribed there, allowing travel between Mycenae and Atlas at any time.
Without the power of Hades, the dragon, and Zeke’s resources, installing a teleportation circle directly at the base would have been impossible.
As Zeke emerged from the underground, Duke shook his head and shouted.
“You foolish apprentice!”
Zeke hadn’t shared his plan with Duke or the Black Sword Knights.
Only Kali, Helen, and the Sword King were in on it.
Zeke bowed his head to Duke.
“Master, you’re here.”
“You’re going to give me a heart attack.”
“I’m sorry if I startled you. To deceive a snake like Howard and his rats, I had to deceive everyone.”
Duke calmed his initial anger and nodded.
“Well, you’re right. As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters.”
Just as it seemed the conversation was over, Duke lowered his voice and spoke to Zeke.
“Baron wants to see you.”
Baron Draker, the head of the Draker intelligence unit, the Black Stage.
He was known as Arthur Draker’s confidant and the one who witnessed his final moments.
Zeke realized that Baron had likely seen through his faked death from the start.
“So, he reached out after we caught the rats.”
He suspected Arthur Draker’s death was no accident.
Zeke asked Duke, “Where is Baron Draker now?”
His eyes gleamed with determination.
“I need to hear what he has to say.”