Chapter 544
Zeke and the monstrous knights stood facing each other, mirroring each other’s stances as if they were reflections in a mirror. Both sides were poised, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Zeke observed the knights, noting how their postures were flawless, as if they had been lifted straight from a dragon-slaying manual at the academy. There was no awkwardness, no hesitation in their movements.
Raising his sword, Ascalon, Zeke prepared himself. The knights charged first, their swords slicing through the air with the precision of seasoned dragon slayers.
Whoosh—
Their attacks came swiftly, but Zeke parried with ease, deflecting their blows and advancing with a surge of gravitational force.
Rumble—
The intense gravity pressed down on the knights, momentarily halting their movements. Seizing the opportunity, Zeke summoned the purifying power within Ascalon.
A golden aura enveloped him, radiating from the sword and wrapping around his entire body. With a swift motion, he unleashed a powerful strike towards the knights.
Dragon Slayer Technique
Holy Spirit Art
Light Break Slash
The concentrated golden aura shot forth like a blade, slicing through the knights’ torsos in an instant. The severed bodies disintegrated into black smoke, purified by the power of the great cleansing.
Zeke intensified the purifying force, and the parts of the knights touched by the aura crumbled to ash. But then, something unexpected happened.
A priest standing on a platform raised his hands, releasing a violet aura that enveloped the knights. Tendrils sprouted from their severed bodies, reattaching and regenerating the lost parts with organic matter.
Boom!
The knights reformed, more monstrous than before, and Zeke gritted his teeth. “An immortal beast with the power of demons, outsiders, and chimeras…”
These knights possessed the combined strength of every creature Zeke had ever faced. They resumed their dragon-slaying stances and closed in on him.
Zeke glanced at the priest, who seemed content to stay in the background, merely supporting the knights. It was odd that someone who saw Zeke as a thorn in his side would hold back.
‘What is he waiting for?’
A suspicion crept into Zeke’s mind that the priest had lured him here deliberately. But no matter the trap, Zeke was determined to end this war by defeating him.
He drew Levatein, driving it into the ground and unleashing its chaotic power.
Rumble—
The ultimate power to nullify divine abilities spread from Levatein, distorting the space around them.
Zeke maintained the chaos field, reaching into the shadows to form a sword of darkness—Caladbolg.
With Caladbolg in hand, Zeke assumed a dragon-slaying stance. In the chaos field, where powers were nullified, only pure swordsmanship mattered.
He focused, channeling his inner strength into Caladbolg, and launched a devastating attack.
Infinite Sword Technique
Black Sword Art
Black Dragon Emerges
A shadowy dragon erupted from Caladbolg, roaring as it engulfed the knights, tearing them apart in a storm of destruction.
Rumble—
The black dragon’s rampage extended to the platform, consuming everything in its path. The knights’ bodies were shredded, unable to regenerate within the chaos field.
Zeke summoned the power of the soul, one of the few techniques usable without divine abilities, and directed it at the shattered knights.
Soul Technique
Triple Spell
Will of Annihilation
His attack carried the intent to obliterate every last remnant of the knights. The will of annihilation swept through, reducing their remains to ash.
The black dragon, infused with the will of annihilation and Zeke’s inner strength, obliterated the enemies completely.
As the storm of power subsided, the devastated battlefield lay bare. The hundreds of knights were gone, leaving Zeke standing alone, Caladbolg in hand.
With Levatein still embedded in the ground, the chaos field remained active. Zeke searched for any trace of the priest.
‘He can’t be dead so easily.’
The priest, Harvey West, had kept the shadows of the continent alive for centuries. With the chaos field preventing escape, Zeke intended to end their enmity here.
Just then, a shadow rose before him, revealing a figure cloaked in mystery. At first, Zeke thought it was the priest, but it wasn’t.
The figure was shrouded in a robe, face hidden beneath a deep hood. Yet, something about him felt familiar.
‘The one who killed Abel?’
The mysterious figure who had taken Abel’s heart, causing his death, now stood before Zeke.
‘Could he be allied with the abyss?’
But that didn’t make sense. The priest had invested too much in Abel as a vessel for the demon king. He wouldn’t have killed him.
Zeke suspected another force had allied with the abyss, and their partnership was recent. The appearance of Abel’s killer here supported that theory.
The priest emerged behind the mysterious figure, addressing Zeke.
“Zeke Draker, you won’t leave this place alive.”
Zeke raised his sword, replying, “You’re saying what I was about to.”
His inner strength surged, and he charged at the priest, ready to strike.
Whoosh—
The mysterious figure intercepted, clashing swords with Zeke, sending shockwaves through the air.
The impact reverberated through Caladbolg, forcing Zeke to retreat and assess his opponent—a slender man with formidable power.
‘His strength is no ordinary thing.’
He was at least as skilled as a black knight, yet Zeke couldn’t place him among the known warriors of the continent.
As Zeke pondered, the mysterious knight attacked again, swinging his sword down from above.
Zeke met the strike with his own blade.
Clang!
As swords clashed, a powerful shockwave rippled through the air.
This was a pure duel of blades, untouched by any celestial powers.
In that moment, the mysterious knight facing Zeke suddenly surged forward with renewed strength.
Rumble—
Zeke felt the knight’s sword grow heavier in an instant.
He tried to deflect it to the side and counterattack.
But to his surprise, the knight’s sword flowed like water, slipping off Zeke’s blade and swiftly changing direction to strike his shoulder.
Slash—
The graceful arc of the sword left a wound on Zeke’s shoulder.
Drip, drip!
With his powers restricted, Zeke’s wound didn’t heal immediately, and blood began to flow.
He winced at the pain radiating from his shoulder.
“This is… unfamiliar.”
Since gaining his immortal body, Zeke had rarely experienced injuries that didn’t heal instantly, and he had never felt his stamina wane.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t felt pain before, but it had been a long time since he’d suffered a physical wound like this.
If not for his previous experience in the inverted tower where his powers were limited, he might have been quite flustered by this situation.
But Zeke was prepared for such scenarios, having activated his Chaos Mode.
He reached into the spatial pouch he kept close and retrieved a healing serum he had prepared in advance, injecting it into his arm.
Hiss—
The serum, crafted by the Nagas, rapidly healed Zeke’s wound.
It also had a potion-like effect, restoring some of his lost stamina.
“Haah…”
Zeke steadied his breathing and gripped his sword once more.
Though Zeke’s mastery was superior, the opponent’s swordsmanship seemed more refined, demanding his full concentration.
Sizzle—
Harnessing the power of his Chaos Mode, Zeke enveloped himself in the energy of his enhanced body and charged at the enemy.
Whoosh!
Zeke’s Caladbolg, empowered by Chaos Mode, flew towards the mysterious knight.
Once again, the knight deflected his attack with a fluid, wave-like motion.
Zeke parried the blow and retreated, a look of bewilderment crossing his face.
“This technique…?”
From the start, Zeke had sensed something strangely familiar.
His attacks seemed to be deflected effortlessly, as if they were being repelled.
Yet, this sensation wasn’t entirely foreign to him.
Rumble!
The mysterious knight seized the momentum, launching a series of strikes at Zeke.
Crash, crash, crash!
It felt like a massive wave was crashing down upon him.
Zeke couldn’t help but be astonished by the technique the knight was using.
“Elemental Sword, Domain of Water… Wave Blade?”
It was a technique Zeke had learned from the Hero King, a skill only he was supposed to wield. Yet, here was this mysterious knight using it.
As the wave-like attack surged towards him, Zeke took a step forward.
His sword imbued with the power of water, he countered the incoming Wave Blade with his own technique.
Elemental Sword
Domain of Water
Reverse Wave Blade
The force of the wave reversed, crashing back towards the mysterious knight and the abyssal priest.
Crash, crash, crash!
The overwhelming wave gradually subsided.
Standing in the center, guarding the abyssal priest, was the knight.
As the knight’s hood fell away, Zeke’s eyes widened in shock.
“Master Kaishir…?”
Incredibly, the mysterious knight bore the face of Kaishir, the Hero King and master of the Elemental Sword.