Episode 512
“Emergency!”
As a massive horde of monsters surrounded Mycenae Castle, chaos erupted at Agamemnon Castle.
All the key figures of the Agamemnon family, including Hades, gathered. The Black Sword Knights stationed at the castle, along with the knights from Turne, the sorcerers of Ishtar, and the assassins of Salmak, all entered a state of high alert.
Vroooom!
The portal magic circle installed in Agamemnon Castle activated, and Duke, Owl, and Andrei emerged with grave expressions.
Cloné bowed to Duke.
“Welcome, Sir Duke.”
“Let’s skip the formalities for now.”
Waving his hand dismissively, Duke ascended the central tower of Agamemnon Castle with Cloné.
In the central tower, Hades, along with the head of the Agamemnon family, Rufus, and others like Farrell, Yellin, Reina, and Shadia, were gathered.
Duke bowed first to Hades and Rufus.
“It’s been a while.”
Given the circumstances, Rufus and Hades wore grim expressions.
Hades, gritting his teeth, spoke up.
“Damn it, where did these demon bastards come from all of a sudden…?”
In truth, Duke had somewhat anticipated this situation.
With Zeke actively working to prevent the Demon King’s resurrection, it wasn’t surprising that those trying to revive the Demon King would attack Mycenae, Zeke’s stronghold.
Duke turned to Rufus.
“Master Rufus, how long can Mycenae Castle hold against those monsters?”
Already clad in full plate armor, Rufus answered promptly.
“With that kind of force, it would be difficult to hold out for more than a week.”
Even though Mycenae was one of the most fortified cities, Rufus remained realistic. They couldn’t predict how many more monsters might emerge from the gate, nor could they easily gauge the power of the demons leading them, so he conservatively estimated the duration.
Duke nodded and then turned to Farrell.
“Have you managed to contact Zeke?”
Farrell, looking tense, replied.
“I reached out to Rick, who went to Thebea with him, but he’s currently on a solo mission in the palace’s underground, making communication difficult.”
Hades, overhearing this, exploded in frustration.
“Damn it, why is that guy always so busy? Tell him to get here quickly!”
Duke calmed Hades and asked him another question.
“Hades, when can we expect the supply of enhanced armor for the knights?”
Hades furrowed his brow, calculating in his head before responding.
“Ugh, the Herseion of the Black Spirit Corps can have the new magic circuits applied immediately. The standard models haven’t arrived from the southern islands yet. They said it’s almost done, but…”
“Until we can contact Zeke, we must hold out here. Hades, please start with the enhancements for the Black Spirit Corps. I’ll notify Atlas to send the Black Spirit Corps here as soon as possible.”
“Troublesome, but understood.”
Though his response was tinged with reluctance, it was unusual for the dragon Hades to be so receptive to a human like Duke.
Duke turned to Cloné.
“Cloné, contact the southern islands and relay the message to Kay. Urge the dwarves to expedite the production of the enhanced armor and send it here quickly.”
“Understood.”
Duke was preparing for a long-term defense to hold off the monster horde until Zeke arrived.
Just then, Felix burst in urgently.
“Sir Duke! We have visitors at the castle. They claim to be here to honor an agreement with our lord!”
Duke, surprised by Felix’s words, asked back.
“An agreement with Zeke? Where are they from?”
“Uh, they said they’re from a place called Highlander, which I’ve never heard of.”
Though Felix had never heard of it, Duke recalled Zeke mentioning the Highlanders before—a secretive group that hunted demonic beasts and maintained the balance of the material world. Their skills were said to rival those of any knight.
“Felix, bring them in.”
“Yes, sir!”
Soon, under Felix’s guidance, Adnan and Bodmir appeared.
Adnan pulled out a letter from his coat and handed it to Duke. The seal of Zeke was stamped on the envelope.
Adnan spoke slowly.
“We’ve come to assist in accordance with the agreement with Sir Zeke Draker.”
Duke opened the letter and read it. It instructed him to accept the Highlanders’ help in the battle against the demons, as they were experts in such matters.
Duke tucked the letter away and bowed.
“Thank you for your assistance. I am Duke Draker.”
Adnan bowed in return.
“It’s an honor to meet the Knight of the Tempest in person. I am Adnan, and this is Bodmir.”
Bodmir, standing behind, grinned.
“Pleasure to meet you, knights.”
Just as Adnan and Bodmir finished their introductions, an air raid siren blared throughout the city.
Adnan’s expression shifted.
“It seems we don’t have the luxury for pleasantries, Sir Duke.”
He looked at Duke.
“Please guide us to the most vulnerable point in the city’s defenses.”
Vroooom!
With a flash of light, Zeke appeared.
‘This place is…’
Using the system portal, Zeke had arrived at the location of the main boss. He surveyed his surroundings.
A vast underground sewer stretched out like a labyrinth.
Zeke gazed into the depths of the sewer with a calm demeanor.
A distant, eerie sound echoed, as if he were inside the belly of a giant beast.
Zeke immediately summoned his shadow spirits.
Sssshhh—
Hundreds of shadow spirits materialized, their forms indistinct.
These were the very shadow spirits created by absorbing the lost souls from Azitahaka’s censer.
Zeke commanded the shadow spirits.
“Search every corner of this place.”
He intended to use the shadow spirits to locate the main boss and Abel.
Zeke sent the shadow spirits ahead and began to explore the sewer, slowly moving deeper inside.
Judging by the construction style, the materials of the bricks, and the patterns, it seemed to be a place built during the Seven Kingdoms era, before the Golden Age.
‘It’s remarkable that a place over a thousand years old remains so intact.’
As Zeke walked along the sewer, he realized the path was too complex and tangled like a maze, making further exploration on his part meaningless. He stopped in his tracks.
He then pulled a chair from his inventory, sat down, and shared his vision with the shadow spirits.
The sight of hundreds of shadow spirits flooded into his mind at once.
For an ordinary human, such an influx of information would have been overwhelming, but Zeke, who could even access the Akashic Records, handled it with ease.
As he shared the vision of the shadow spirits, Zeke noticed something peculiar.
‘There are no enemies in sight.’
If this was indeed the location of the main boss, there should have been other minions guarding the place, yet the sewer was devoid of any guards.
Not only were there no enemies, but there were no signs of life—no rats, no insects.
‘Is it possible for such a vast underground sewer to be completely devoid of rats or insects?’
It was an incredibly unnatural space, devoid of reality.
Then, Zeke noticed something strange in the vision of a shadow spirit he had sent eastward.
At the end of the sewer, a massive wall had something inscribed on it.
‘Is that… a magic circle?’
It appeared to be an ancient magic circle, not a typical one.
Zeke commanded the shadow spirit to approach the magic circle.
As the shadow spirit neared the wall, a massive plasma spark erupted.
Crackle—
The power was strong enough to instantly obliterate the shadow spirit.
‘A space where even a spectral shadow spirit cannot approach…’
Zeke stood up and immediately activated the portal.
The shadow spirit had provided him with the most precise coordinates.
The system portal’s light flashed, and Zeke arrived at the wall with the magic circle.
With ample karma points, he could use the system portal freely, making movement much easier than before.
He dismissed the shadow spirits and cautiously approached the wall with the magic circle.
Reaching out his hand toward the wall, he was met with another plasma spark.
Crackle—
He considered calling upon Raven to devour the barrier, but then he noticed something different about this barrier compared to the one blocking the space earlier.
‘This feels more magical, or perhaps more like a strong shamanistic aura. There’s immense magical energy emanating from here. Could this magic circle be the reason for the high mana density in Thebea Palace?’
Zeke decided to approach the magic circle with more caution.
He first attempted to dispel the barrier using his dispel skill, but it was ineffective.
As he pondered various methods, Zeke drew the holy sword Ascalon.
He then activated the power of spiritualization.
Sssshhh—
Zeke’s body transformed into a spirit, transcending the material realm.
Surprisingly, as the dimensional layer shifted, the appearance of the wall with the magic circle changed entirely.
‘A mirror?’
Just moments ago, it had seemed like a solid wall, but now, in another dimension, it appeared as a massive mirror affixed to the surface.
Zeke approached cautiously, but the plasma shield remained inactive.
“Could it be that the entrance is only visible from another dimension?”
He moved closer to the mirror embedded in the wall and reached out to touch it.
To his surprise, his hand slipped through as if it were a passage filled with liquid mercury.
A soft hum resonated around him.
Soon, the time for his spectral transformation would end, and he would be forced back to the physical realm, unable to see this space any longer.
“Guess I have no choice but to dive in.”
Zeke plunged his body through the mirror.
A deep, resonant hum enveloped him as he entered the world beyond the mirror.
It was as if he were submerged underwater, with a constant droning sound echoing in his ears.
Squinting slightly, he peered ahead.
“What is this?”
The world inside the mirror seemed frozen in time. Dust particles hung suspended in the air, and there was barely any movement in the atmosphere.
Then, as his spectral state dissipated, the scenery shifted once more.
Colors drained away, leaving everything bathed in a bluish-gray hue.
Simultaneously, the walls pulsed like a living organism, and the floor was coated with a sticky organic substance.
“What is this place?”
Zeke felt a strange familiarity, reminiscent of where he had faced the minions of the final boss.
But there was one key difference: everything was reversed, as if the world were a mirror image of reality.
“A world with reversed sides… Could this be another dimension?”
Zeke remained on guard, attempting to summon Raven.
Yet, unlike usual, Raven did not appear on his shoulder.
As a divine creature, Raven could traverse dimensions. His absence suggested this was no ordinary dimension.
“A perfect place for a cursed being to hide.”
Zeke gripped Ascalon, scanning the area for any sign of the final boss.
Just then, he sensed something suspicious behind him.
He spun around, ready to strike, and unleashed his holy energy.
But to his shock, the light failed to manifest.
A brief spark flickered before vanishing, as if light itself was forbidden here.
Caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, Zeke was startled when something emerged from the depths.
A monstrous arm lunged at him with a screech.
With a thunderous crash, Zeke was hurled against the wall.
Despite the immense force, the wall remained intact, as if he were embedded in flesh.
Disgusted by the sensation, Zeke grimaced and struggled to rise from the sticky organic mass.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He looked up at the sound of the ground shaking, only to see a creature with long arms revealing itself.