Episode 498
With the explosion of the Bloodstone, a blinding light spread in all directions.
Yet, even as the searing light pierced his eyes, Zeke charged forward, sword in hand, aiming for the priest.
Boom!
The chaos vortex created by Levatein engulfed not only the Bloodstone but also the apostle possessed by the priest.
Crack!
The vortex spat out the apostle’s twisted body in a grotesque form.
In that moment, Zeke sensed something was amiss.
Abel, who had been lying on the altar, was nowhere to be seen.
“Could it be?”
He turned his head back.
Crunch! Munch, munch!
From below, he heard the sound of something being devoured.
Following the sound, he saw Abel, now awake, gnawing on the fallen body of Azitahaka.
Ramon, witnessing this from behind, was horrified.
“This is insane!”
He shouted as he approached the priest, whose body was contorted.
“Priest! Harvey West! What on earth have you done?”
But the apostle’s body, which the priest had possessed, was already disintegrating into dust.
Ramon Jimenez, looking at the scattering ashes, let out a furious cry.
“You damned bastard!”
Ramon Jimenez, usually the epitome of calm, tore at his clothes in a fit of rage.
Beneath his torn garments, the latest model of Hershion was revealed.
With a furious expression, he activated the Hershion, causing a magic circle to appear on its surface, lifting him into the air.
Whoosh!
Ramon Jimenez flew straight towards Abel.
Zeke also changed direction to follow Ramon.
But just then, something came hurtling towards Zeke.
Boom!
A ground-shaking punch.
Turning towards the direction of the attack, Zeke saw Tantalos hovering in the air, holding the heads of Arataso and Nevilos with his feet.
Zeke dismissed the summons of Arataso and Nevilos.
Swoosh!
Arataso and Nevilos, unable to regain consciousness, reverted to their sword forms.
Tantalos, unable to use his powers, was relying solely on his physical prowess, just as he had when Zeke first encountered him.
Zeke planted Levatein into the ground.
Swoosh―
The chaotic energy flowing from Levatein seeped into the earth, creating an even larger vortex.
If this continued, the very realm of chaos could be swallowed by the vortex and separated into another dimension.
Zeke raised a shadow and extended his hand.
“Caladbolg.”
With his words, the shadow coalesced into the form of a crude sword, which Zeke grasped.
The shadow sword Caladbolg, connected to his Shadow Armor.
Zeke had to face Tantalos using only his swordsmanship while maintaining the chaos.
He focused entirely, forgetting Ramon, Abel, and Azitahaka, concentrating solely on Tantalos.
“He’s a demon, but a formidable warrior.”
Through years of rigorous training, Tantalos had honed his skills.
Zeke could sense the traces of that arduous training in Tantalos’s punches.
Thus, he too needed to demonstrate the ‘sword’ he had honed.
Zeke adjusted his stance, closed his eyes, and initiated the Black Sword Technique.
Swoosh―
The shadows entwined around Zeke’s body moved in response to the Black Sword Technique.
In the depths of the abyss, having forgotten all senses and devoted himself solely to the sword, Zeke instinctively knew that Caladbolg was the most suitable sword for the Black Sword Technique.
Yet, he had refrained from using Caladbolg because he hadn’t fully understood its nature.
But in this situation, he couldn’t afford to delay its use any longer.
Swoosh―
Zeke felt as if Caladbolg had become one with him.
A literal union of sword and self.
At this moment, Caladbolg and Zeke were essentially a single entity.
Sensing the ominous energy emanating from Zeke’s Black Sword Technique stance, Tantalos raised his fighting spirit.
Rumble―
Even in the demon realm, it was rare to find a demon who could withstand Tantalos’s full power.
Yet this human had not only withstood his attacks but had also countered them, earning Tantalos’s admiration.
As a demon who lived for battle, Tantalos felt pure joy in facing a true warrior like Zeke.
Such joy in combat was a rarity, perhaps once in a century.
Determined to savor this battle to the end, Tantalos’s arms were enveloped in a swirling aura of power.
With arms outstretched, Tantalos began to descend towards Zeke from the air.
Rumble!
As he descended, Tantalos’s speed increased.
His body, blazing with energy, plummeted towards Zeke, fists clenched, creating a storm of power that roared wildly.
“Haaah!”
With a battle cry, Tantalos unleashed a double punch at Zeke.
The storm of power from his arms twisted and spun, forming an even larger tempest.
The sheer force contained within was immense, far beyond a mere punch.
Zeke opened his eyes, sword in hand.
Heart Sword.
To Zeke, it was both a power and not a power.
A gift from the Sword Saint Saturn Draker, but only after realizing it in the abyss could he truly wield it.
Thus, Zeke could use the Heart Sword’s power even within the chaos.
With the eyes of his heart, Zeke clearly saw the core of the storm unleashed by Tantalos.
He stepped forward, directly into the storm, and swung the shadow sword, Caladbolg, unleashing the Black Sword Technique.
Infinite Sword Art Special Form
Black Sword Technique
Black Dragon Emerges
Boom!
The shadow dragon from Zeke’s sword tore through the storm, devouring its core.
Boom!
The black dragon, undeterred, charged straight at Tantalos.
Roar!
With a mighty roar, the black dragon bit into Tantalos.
Crack!
The shadow power emanating from Zeke reacted with the black dragon, causing it to rampage wildly.
Caladbolg controlled these shadows, moving according to Zeke’s will.
Tantalos’s formidable body couldn’t withstand the Black Sword Technique’s power, and cracks began to appear on its surface.
Rumble―
Yet Tantalos didn’t retreat; instead, he advanced, delivering a powerful punch.
But then, Zeke emerged from the black dragon’s head.
Merged with the shadows, Zeke wielded Caladbolg, able to use the shadow’s power without the Shadow King.
Using a power that wasn’t a power, Zeke was the strongest within the chaos.
“Graaaah!”
With a battle cry, Tantalos launched a perfect punch at Zeke.
A punch refined through hundreds of thousands, even millions of repetitions.
Zeke met Tantalos’s punch with Caladbolg, unleashing his full power.
Full Power Technique
Double Spell
Will of Destruction
A full power technique imbued with the will to destroy Tantalos’s powerful body.
Crash!
The sound was like a thunderclap.
Hit directly by the full power technique, Tantalos was sent flying, crashing into the demon statue.
Rumble!
The platform and altar supporting the demon statue crumbled.
Crash!
The altar meant to summon Azitahaka was completely destroyed.
Zeke retrieved the floating Levatein and approached the collapsed platform.
Amidst the debris, he found Tantalos’s body, breaking apart.
The steadfast and mighty demon slowly opened his mouth, looking at Zeke.
“It was a pleasure, mighty warrior.”
With those words, Tantalos’s body crumbled into sand and vanished.
Zeke sensed that Tantalos’s summoning had been canceled.
“A top-tier demon. An incredibly formidable opponent.”
He recalled Tantalos’s overwhelming power.
He realized once more the necessity of preventing top-tier demons from being summoned to the mortal realm.
Whistle!
Suddenly, Zeke felt dizzy and closed his eyes.
The prolonged use of chaos had taken a mental toll, causing a backlash.
After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.
The gray vortex was gradually fading, revealing the faint outline of the red moon.
Zeke felt the power of his abilities returning.
“I must end this battle before the red moon fully emerges.”
Determined to maintain the chaos, Zeke gripped Levatein tightly and focused his mind.
Then he turned and swiftly moved towards where Azitahaka’s body had fallen.
“Abel, stop this at once!”
Ramon Jimenez descended towards Abel, who was devouring Azitahaka’s body.
He grabbed Abel and flung him aside.
Crash!
With a rough gesture, Abel was slammed into the ground.
After a moment, Abel staggered to his feet.
”…Zeke Draker… kill…”
Abel continued to mutter his grudge against Zeke Draker, who had killed him.
Ramon, his face still twisted with anger, reached out to bind Abel with his magic.
Vroooom!
Just as the binding spell was about to take hold, Abel’s body reacted, rejecting the magic.
Crackle!
Ramon Siemens frowned at the sight of the magic resistance inherent in a pureblood Draker.
“Abel! Obey my command! It’s crucial that I fully inherit the power of Azitahaka!”
Abel clutched his head in agony, the words echoing in his mind.
“Obey… the command… obey the command…”
Staggering, Abel repeated Ramon’s words, his voice a mere whisper.
Watching him, Ramon shouted irritably, “You worthless wretch! Just like your lowly mother! If you have any sense, stay still and become my nourishment!”
To Ramon, Abel was nothing more than an empty shell, a body devoid of a soul.
That was true—until just moments ago.
But now, something strange was happening within Abel.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The heart of the light dragon Zeus, implanted within Abel, began to beat wildly.
The flesh and blood of the malevolent god he had just consumed spread through his veins.
Priest Harvey West had claimed Abel was merely a shell, a vessel of repeated memories.
But that wasn’t the case.
”…Lowly mother… my mother…”
With each heartbeat, different words spilled from Abel’s lips.
Ramon Siemens, oblivious to this change, looked up at the sky.
The gray vortex was fading, revealing the blood moon.
He could feel the power of Azitahaka returning to him.
Ramon reached out toward the scattered remains of Azitahaka, clutching the divine relic.
Rumble!
He intended to restore Azitahaka’s incomplete form with his power.
Vroooom!
The power of ‘Reversal,’ one of the abilities granted by the malevolent god Azitahaka, activated.
Sizzle—
Reversal rejects everything, even time itself.
Ramon sought to perfect Azitahaka’s form by reversing it.
As the chaos vortex weakened, Ramon’s power grew stronger.
Rumble—
Azitahaka’s body began to respond, bit by bit.
Ramon’s eyes gleamed with ecstasy.
‘It’s happening. Soon, I’ll be the ruler of this continent…’
Vrooom—
But then, suddenly, Ramon felt Azitahaka’s power dissipate.
“Reversal… why?”
He looked to the sky, but the blood moon was clearer than before.
Ramon couldn’t fathom why this was happening.
And then it happened.
Thunk!
A sharp sensation pierced Ramon Siemens’ side, and he looked down in disbelief.
Somehow, Abel was holding a sword.
The ominous, crimson blade had pierced through Ramon’s armor, Herseion.
The cursed sword Zahhak.
It was the sword and armor of Siemens Apollyon, etched into the heart of the light dragon Zeus.
Ramon stared at Abel in disbelief.
“This… this is…”
Abel slowly raised his head.
The eyes of the red light dragon shone brightly.
He looked directly at Ramon and spoke.
“My mother was not lowly. She was mad, but not lowly.”
His voice rang clear, just as it had in life.
Ramon, gasping for breath, gripped Abel’s shoulder, unable to believe what he was witnessing.
He could feel it—the power of Azitahaka emanating from Abel.
“This… this can’t be…”
Drip!
Blood flowed from Ramon’s body.
Without Azitahaka’s power, he couldn’t reverse his wound.
He clung to Abel’s arm.
“A-Abel, listen to me…”
Abel looked down at Ramon Siemens and spoke.
“You haven’t changed at all since I was a child.”
Ramon stared at Abel, his face pale.
Abel, with cold eyes, continued.
“I will no longer follow your orders, Ramon Siemens.”
“You… you bastard!”
As Ramon screamed in a fit of rage, Abel swung the sword.
Thunk!
Ramon’s head fell to the ground.