Episode 499
Ramon’s headless body collapsed to the ground with a thud.
His face, now rolling on the floor, was twisted in a grotesque mix of rage and disbelief.
Only in his final moments did he realize the truth.
Harvey West, the priest of the Abyss, had deceived him.
The plan was to resurrect Abel using the power of Ajitahaka and then eliminate Ramon.
But by the time he understood, it was already too late.
Ramon, who had dreamed of ruling the continent, met an unexpected death at the very moment of his ambition.
Abel gazed down at Ramon’s fallen face.
His mind felt foggy, as if he had been asleep for a long time.
Yet, one thing was clear.
He could feel an unprecedented power coursing through his body.
The power Ramon Siemens had hidden for so long had somehow flowed into him.
Rumble—
Abel slowly turned around.
Ajitahaka, now only a fragment of its former self, conveyed something to Abel.
He accepted the will of the malevolent god that seeped into his mind.
He nodded slowly.
“So that’s how it is.”
Ajitahaka had chosen Abel Dreiker, not Ramon Siemens, as its avatar.
In his human days, Ajitahaka had been known as the Emperor of Carnage, displaying unimaginable madness.
To wield such power, one needed a comparable madness.
Abel, who had maintained his twisted mind even within the heart of the dragon, was more than suitable to become Ajitahaka’s avatar.
Rumble—
The blood-red moon rose more vividly in the sky.
Abel felt Ajitahaka’s power flowing into him more strongly.
He invoked another power he had gained.
The power of Carnage.
Suddenly, the ground split open, revealing a monstrous mouth lined with sharp teeth.
The mouth Abel had created moved towards Ramon’s fallen body and head.
And then, it opened wide and swallowed Ramon whole.
Through the power of Carnage, Abel absorbed Ramon’s memories and abilities.
As he sifted through Ramon’s memories, he nodded with a cold gaze.
“So that’s how it was.”
Though he appeared calm, a deeper madness flickered in Abel’s eyes than ever before.
Whoosh—
At that moment, Abel sensed an ominous presence behind him.
He turned slowly to look.
In the hellish heart of the dragon, he had maintained his identity through unbearable anger and hatred.
And the target of those emotions stood right before him.
Abel spoke with a leisurely voice, holding Zahhak.
“It’s been a while.”
He smiled, his expression more radiant than before.
“Zeke, I’ve really missed you.”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Zeke’s heart pounded wildly.
Holding Levatein, he stared at Abel in disbelief.
‘How did this happen?’
He had thought Ramon Siemens was up to something to reclaim Ajitahaka’s power and resume its descent.
But what had transpired here far exceeded Zeke’s expectations.
Abel had been resurrected.
And after killing Ramon Siemens, he used Ajitahaka’s power of Carnage to consume him.
The worst possible scenario had unfolded, one he hadn’t anticipated.
Abel, holding Zahhak, spoke to Zeke.
“It’s been a while.”
Zeke looked at Abel’s terrifying smile, a sight he had long forgotten.
Abel spoke to him.
“Zeke, I’ve really missed you.”
Rumble!
Before Abel could finish speaking, Zeke charged at him with Levatein.
Boom!
A fierce strike flew towards Abel.
Abel swung Zahhak lightly.
Boom!
A crimson aura surged, neutralizing Zeke’s attack.
As their strikes collided, a cloud of dust rose.
Zeke didn’t stop and continued towards Abel.
But then, Abel emerged from the dust cloud first, swinging his sword at Zeke.
Boom!
Zeke raised Levatein to block Abel’s attack.
Crash!
Emerging from the dust cloud, Abel was now clad in the ancient crimson armor of Hersion.
Zeke had retrieved it after Abel’s death and handed it over to Fainan and Golin for study, yet here it was, back on Abel’s body.
‘Is it a weapon engraved on the soul?’
Wearing the Hersion of Siemens Apollyon, Abel swung his sword boldly at Zeke.
Boom!
With each swing, a crimson aura exploded.
Zeke swung Levatein to block it, but maintaining the chaos aura for so long was taking a toll on his mind and body.
Abel looked at Zeke and spoke.
“Are you alright, Zeke? It’s a shame to see you staggering during our long-awaited reunion.”
Zeke glared at Abel, who seemed to be enjoying himself, and tightened his grip on his sword.
‘Was Abel’s resurrection and Ramon Siemens’ death a plot by the Abyss?’
Ramon Siemens had intended to absorb Abel’s body using Ajitahaka’s power and summon the sealed demon king into himself.
From the Abyss’s perspective, Ramon was a threat that could turn against them at any moment.
Harvey West, the priest of the Abyss, had succeeded in eliminating Ramon and turning the situation to their advantage.
Zeke shuddered at the Abyss’s foolish decision as he watched Abel approach.
‘To kill Ramon and awaken the worst madness in Abel… they’re insane.’
From the Abyss’s standpoint, having Abel rampage across the continent, escalating the flames of war, was more favorable for the demon king’s resurrection.
In his past life, Abel had been at the center of every war.
Zeke recalled the horrific atrocities Abel had committed as the head of the Dreiker family, leading the continent into the Third War.
The Knight of Madness, Abel Dreiker.
He had returned.
Whirl—
The gray whirlwinds in the sky subsided.
Facing Abel, who had gained Ajitahaka’s power, Zeke couldn’t maintain the chaos aura indefinitely due to the mental strain, and the walls of the gray domain began to crumble.
Whoosh—
The blood-red moon was now fully visible.
Rumble—
The scattered body of Ajitahaka reacted to the revealed moon.
Ajitahaka’s eyes moved.
Screech—
Simultaneously, a strange sound emanated from Ajitahaka’s body.
Following that sound, spirits and demons emerged from beyond the walls of the chaos aura.
The spirits and demons bowed their heads to Abel, as if pledging their allegiance to him.
Seeing this, Abel smiled and spoke.
“Continuing the legacy of the Emperor of Carnage, Ajitahaka, and establishing a new empire doesn’t sound so bad.”
Abel’s body slowly rose into the sky.
He looked down at Zeke and spoke.
“Do you know what one of the common traits of mythical heroes is, Zeke?”
Abel spoke in a voice full of benevolence.
“Resurrection. Immortality. Zeke, I have finally met the conditions to become a hero of this era.”
Abel had indeed died, and his soul had left his body.
But in truth, a part of Abel’s soul had been dormant in the heart of Zeus, and the priest had kept this a secret.
Thus, with only the priest knowing the secret, Abel’s soul had been gradually recovering within the heart of the dragon. Then, his body devoured Ajitahaka’s body, gaining its power, and through the power of reversal, he regained his original spirit.
Rumble!
The resurrected Abel was far stronger than before.
The incomplete heart of the dragon had fully settled, and with the power of the malevolent god, he had surpassed human limits.
Abel spoke to the demons and grotesque spirits that had fully revealed themselves.
“Tear everything apart and devour it.”
Boom—
The demons and spirits charged towards Zeke.
Screech!
They swung their sharp teeth and claws, trying to tear Zeke apart.
Zeke switched his sword to the holy sword Ascalon and unleashed the holy aura.
Whoosh!
The holy aura, imbued with the primordial light, flowed from Zeke’s sword.
He unleashed a barrage of light towards them.
Boom!
The light struck everywhere, shattering the bodies of the demons and spirits.
Zeke immediately tried to absorb them with shadows.
But the shadows couldn’t absorb them.
There was only one explanation for this.
‘Could it be… are they human?’
The shadows could only absorb beings corrupted by demonic energy or wraiths.
Surprisingly, the demons and spirits belonged to neither category.
Zeke recalled the experimental subjects of the Nostra family, who had turned into monsters due to enhancers.
Abel, commanding enemies that couldn’t be absorbed by shadows, was the most troublesome foe for Zeke.
Whirl—
The shattered spirits and demons were restored to their original forms through Abel’s power of reversal.
Abel looked at Zeke with a relaxed expression and spoke.
“Use more of your strength, Zeke.”
As he raised his hand, a massive mouth appeared in the air.
The mouth opened wide, and more spirits poured out from within.
Abel was becoming increasingly adept at wielding Ajitahaka’s power.
Zeke, facing the relentless onslaught of spirits and demons, felt a growing fatigue.
When facing the demonic beasts and their kin, Zeke had always replenished his strength by absorbing their shadows, no matter how many enemies there were. But now, unable to do so, fatigue hit him twice as hard.
“Damn it…”
Just then, something caught Zeke’s eye.
The body of the fiend god, Azitahaka.
If Azitahaka had transcended human limits to become a celestial being, Zeke could absorb him.
Without hesitation, Zeke retrieved an Elemental Stone of Ice from his inventory.
He activated its power, unleashing a storm of icy winds around him.
The spirits and demons charging at him froze solid in their tracks.
Seizing the opportunity, Zeke wielded Ascalon and activated his spirit form.
Slipping into the dimensional rift, he moved towards Azitahaka, evading Abel’s gaze.
As he emerged at his destination, something came hurtling towards him.
Abel’s black flames were aimed directly at Zeke.
Boom!
Zeke quickly donned Theia’s Hershion and activated a plasma shield to block Abel’s attack.
Abel shouted at him, “Zeke! What are you doing? It’s been so long since we last met! Shouldn’t we clash more fiercely?”
Ignoring Abel’s arrogant taunts, Zeke extended his shadow towards the severed half of Azitahaka’s head.
The shadows surged from Zeke’s body, enveloping Azitahaka’s head.
Sensing something ominous, Abel felt a chill run down his spine.
“Zeke Draker! What are you planning now?”
In that moment, a massive black lightning bolt erupted from Abel’s body.
It was ‘Divine Punishment,’ a power of the Light Dragon Zeus that he had never used before.
The black lightning gathered around the Zahhak he raised.
Abel unleashed the power towards Zeke.
Boom!
With a deafening roar that seemed to split the sky, the black lightning struck Zeke.
Zeke fortified his plasma shield and maximized his Shadow Armor.
Boom!
Yet, the power of Zeus, once the mightiest dragon before Bahamut, was too much for the Shadow Armor to withstand.
“Ugh!”
As the divine punishment seeped in, Theia’s Hershion reacted strangely.
Crackle—
The Hershion’s activation ceased, reverting to its original form.
Even the Shadow Armor, which had formed a protective barrier, began to distort under the divine power.
Abel watched Zeke with a triumphant shout.
“Zeke! Behold! I have reclaimed my true power!”
Drunk on his own strength, Abel drew even more power from Zeus’s heart.
Boom!
Ultimately, the Shadow Armor succumbed to the divine punishment and crumbled.
The area struck by the black lightning was utterly scorched and devastated.
Rumble!
Where Zeke had stood was now a deep, blackened crater, its depths unfathomable.
Abel looked on with a satisfied smile.
“Zeke, you can’t go down this easily. You owe me the pleasure of a greater challenge.”
Descending to the charred ground, he searched for any trace of Zeke.
As he peered into the crater, Abel sensed something amiss.
“Azitahaka’s head?”
It was then.
Swish—
Black blades shot up from the ground.
Abel quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the blades.
The earth trembled as Zeke, shrouded in shadows, emerged.
Abel’s manic grin returned at the sight of Zeke still alive.
But it vanished just as quickly.
Rumble!
From Zeke’s body, the same power as Azitahaka’s emanated.