Episode 500
Zeke glanced at the message that appeared before him.
[You have absorbed a part of the divine body of the Dread God Azitahaka.]
[The incomplete restriction on the power of Flesh Consumption is lifted.]
[The power of Flesh Consumption has transformed into a new power under the influence of the Shadow King.]
[You have acquired the power of Devour.]
[By absorbing the divine body of a celestial being, part of the seal on the Sealing Stone is released. Current compression seal level: 55%.]
[You have gained 25,000 Karma Points.]
[You have obtained 1 Special Random Box.]
Absorbing Azitahaka’s body had transformed the power of Flesh Consumption into a new power, Devour, influenced by the Shadow King.
Zeke activated the power of Devour and glared at Abel.
The aura of the Dread God Azitahaka emanated from both Abel and Zeke.
Abel, momentarily taken aback, quickly regained his composure and nodded at Zeke.
”…Yes, I underestimated the limits of your power once and paid the price. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Rumble!
Abel extended his hand, and a gaping mouth appeared in the air, spitting out a cursed relic engraved with demonic symbols. It was Azitahaka’s relic that Ramon had possessed.
As Abel gripped a dagger, Azitahaka’s severed arm on the ground began to stir.
Crack!
The arm attempted to rise, but Zeke tried to suppress its movement using Azitahaka’s power. However, Abel’s control was stronger, making it impossible for Zeke to stop it.
From the arm animated by Abel’s power, pustules began to swell and burst, releasing grotesque creatures.
Zeke recognized them immediately.
‘The Beasts of Flesh Consumption.’
He recalled how Azmoon had transformed chimeras into external species using Azitahaka’s sword.
Screech—
The monstrous creatures, unrecognizable as anything from the natural world, lunged at Zeke with razor-sharp teeth, emitting terrifying cries.
Some resembled insects, others had human-like forms with numerous tentacles, and many were indescribable in shape.
Abel smiled as he watched the Beasts of Flesh Consumption emerge from Azitahaka’s arm.
“Hideous as they are, they seem more than capable of dealing with you, Zeke.”
At Abel’s command, the beasts charged at Zeke.
Screech—
Zeke swung his sword, Levatein, at the oncoming beasts.
Boom!
The Beasts of Flesh Consumption were swept away by Zeke’s attack, only to regenerate and charge again, empowered by the Dread God’s power.
The power of reversal that restored the beasts was different from Zeke’s own power of immortality but had a similar effect, allowing them to keep attacking without dying.
Abel watched Zeke, surrounded by the beasts, with a satisfied smile.
“You look quite at home, wrestling with these vermin, Zeke.”
Zeke defended himself with Shadow Armor, slashing at the creatures. He switched to the holy sword Ascalon, invoking the power of Purification.
Hummm—
Golden energy enveloped Ascalon.
Zeke unleashed a strike imbued with Purification at the external species.
Boom!
The golden wave radiated from Zeke’s sword, causing the beasts to writhe in agony before their bodies burst and disintegrated.
Zeke extended his shadow toward the disintegrated beasts.
Ssssh—
However, even the Beasts of Flesh Consumption couldn’t be absorbed by Zeke’s shadow.
‘Damn it!’
Then, an idea struck Zeke.
‘What about the new power of Devour?’
As he hesitated, the disintegrated bodies regenerated and charged at him again.
Screech—
Zeke activated the power of Devour against the charging beasts.
Ssssh—
A shadow rose, splitting open to reveal a massive mouth, larger than the one created by Abel’s power, filled with unfathomable darkness.
Crunch—
The power of Devour consumed the Beasts of Flesh Consumption in one gulp.
Crunch! Crunch!
Horrific sounds echoed as the beasts were devoured by the power of Devour.
A message appeared before Zeke.
[The power of ‘Devour’ craves more prey.]
[Devour constantly seeks prey and grows.]
[If not controlled, Devour may consume its owner.]
A terrifying power that could consume anything, but if not properly controlled, could even devour its master.
It felt different from the power of Flesh Consumption or the Shadow King.
‘It’s a power that literally devours endlessly.’
Zeke deactivated the power of Devour after consuming all the Beasts of Flesh Consumption.
Yet, the power seemed unsatisfied, reluctant to retreat.
Only when Zeke forcibly severed the power did the massive mouth close, and the shadow returned to normal.
Zeke realized he must be cautious with the power of Devour.
‘This power doesn’t seem to originate from Azitahaka. The power of Devour… I still don’t fully understand it.’
With the Beasts of Flesh Consumption devoured by Zeke’s creation, Abel frowned.
In their standoff, Zeke glanced at the sky. The light of the blood moon was fading.
Zeke spoke to Abel.
“Abel, you won’t be able to summon Azitahaka’s true form into this world.”
Abel glanced at the sky and chuckled.
“Zeke, you’re mistaken.”
Rumble!
The power of the Dread God surged from Abel’s body.
“Ramon sought to summon Azitahaka to absorb the blood of the Draker and host the Demon King within himself.”
Reacting to Abel’s power, Azitahaka’s arm floated into the air.
Crack!
The arm shrank as it flew, becoming small enough for Abel to grasp and devour.
Crunch! Crunch!
Abel chewed and swallowed Azitahaka’s flesh, looking down at Zeke.
“Unlike Ramon, I possess the heart of the Light Dragon, granting me immortality, and now I wield the power of the Dread God.”
Rumble—
“Why would I need to summon Azitahaka’s true form?”
Zeke nodded at Abel’s words.
“Indeed, you don’t need to summon Azitahaka’s true form.”
Zeke watched as the blood moon continued to fade, nearly disappearing.
“But Abel, are you aware of this?”
Zeke turned his gaze to Abel and continued.
“Karma does not permit the direct use of a celestial’s power.”
Abel furrowed his brow at Zeke’s words.
“What nonsense is this…?”
Crackle!
Suddenly, a powerful spark erupted from Abel’s body.
“Argh!”
The backlash of causality, held at bay by the blood moon’s power, began to affect Abel.
“Argh!”
Abel felt as if his body was being torn apart.
Karma’s law recognized Abel as a threat to the world’s order.
Zeke watched Abel, writhing in the backlash, and raised his sword.
‘This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.’
Summoning Azitahaka had required an enormous amount of bloodstones.
Attempting to bring a celestial-level Dread God into the world and wield its power fully was bound to have severe repercussions.
Zeke had been waiting for this moment of backlash to strike Abel.
Hummm!
Zeke wielded the shadow sword Caladbolg, preparing for his ultimate technique.
Feeling one with Caladbolg, he leaped into the air.
Abel, still ensnared by the backlash, couldn’t move properly.
“Argh!”
Crackle—
Abel, seeing Zeke charging at him, raised Zahhak.
The aura of the Light Dragon gathered around Zahhak.
The power of Divine Retribution enveloped Abel, creating a massive storm.
“Zeke! I won’t fall so easily! If I can kill you, this pain is nothing!”
Zeke pierced through Abel’s cries, extending his sword.
He prepared to unleash the final chapter of the ultimate technique taught by his master, Nigel: the Triple Spell.
Hummm!
Caladbolg vibrated with a low hum.
Zeke thrust his sword toward the storm of Divine Retribution.
Then, he activated his mind sword and simultaneously triggered the Triple Spell.
Ultimate Technique
Triple Spell
The Will of Nullification
It was the technique Nigel had once used on Zeke.
Zeke’s mind sword cleaved through the storm of Divine Retribution, and the Will of Nullification seeped into Abel.
Hummm—
Abel felt no change in his resolve to resist.
But then, it happened.
Suddenly, a torrent of black blood erupted from his mouth.
“Gah!”
Blood streamed from his nose and eyes as well.
The intent to incapacitate was meant to leave its target defenseless.
Abel, who had been using the power of a mighty constellation to fend off the backlash of causality, found all his resistance stripped away as the intent took hold.
Exposed to the absolute retribution brought by the law of karma, Abel’s body began to crumble.
“Ugh!”
Wracked with pain, Abel lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
With a thunderous crash, he fell into the debris of the shattered platform.
“Ugh!”
As he continued to bleed, Abel realized his body was disintegrating completely.
He hadn’t anticipated such dire consequences from absorbing Azhdahak’s power and directly accepting his authority.
Ramon or the priest might have had a contingency plan, but Zeke’s interference rendered it useless.
Zeke approached slowly, wielding Caladbolg.
Crackle, crackle!
The backlash of causality swirled around Abel’s disintegrating form.
Zeke looked at Abel and spoke.
“Abel, our cursed fate ends here. This time, stay buried in hell and don’t crawl back out.”
Abel, glaring at Zeke, reached for Zahhak.
“Damn it… That’s my line, Zeke Draker. You… of all people…”
Before Abel could finish, Zeke moved to strike him down.
Boom!
Suddenly, an explosion erupted near Zeke’s face, forcing him to retreat.
‘What the…?’
When he looked up, a man in a suit and mask stood before Abel.
The head of the Nostra family had made his appearance.
“Hmph, Harvey always leaves a mess behind,” the boss muttered, pulling a vial from his coat and spraying its contents over Abel.
Ssssss—
The liquid turned to mist and enveloped Abel, miraculously calming the backlash of causality.
Zeke glared at the boss with narrowed eyes.
“Now, now, don’t look at me like that. I’ve got a stake in this too, you know. Can’t just sit back and do nothing.”
With a snap of his fingers, the ground rumbled, and chimeras emerged from below.
The boss turned to Zeke.
“Zeke Draker, you’ve been quite the nuisance. I’ll be sure to collect on this debt later.”
He grabbed Abel’s shoulder, preparing to teleport away.
Realizing their intent, Zeke quickly hurled something at Abel.
Thud!
A dagger made of adamantium, crafted from the Tears of the Goddess Theia, embedded itself in Abel’s heart.
“Damn it!”
With a curse, the boss and Abel vanished.
Zeke clenched his teeth, staring at the spot where they had disappeared.
‘Missed him again…’
He hadn’t anticipated the boss’s sudden appearance and failed to respond in time.
Zeke steadied himself, facing the chimeras that now advanced on him.
Exhausted from the prolonged battle, he felt dizzy with fatigue.
“Huff, huff.”
But he couldn’t afford to fall now. Gritting his teeth, he raised his sword against the oncoming chimeras.
Just as he was about to collapse, it happened.
Thud!
A knight in black armor leaped from the sky, slicing through the chimeras in an instant.
Zeke’s eyes widened in shock as he shouted.
“Master Duke!”
Duke Draker, wielding the power of the Black Knight, had arrived on the battlefield.