Episode 545

“No, that’s not Master Kaishir.”

Zeke peered into the essence of the being that wore the guise of Kaishir, who was staring back at him.

As a transcendent, Zeke could see through the soul’s essence without needing any special powers.

The entity resembling Kaishir bore a likeness to him, but there was an unsettling difference from the essence Zeke had encountered when he met spirits before.

“Not Master, but… it definitely used the Elemental Sword.”

The Elemental Sword was an ultimate technique that only Kaishir, a half-blood of the Fairy King and a great sage, could wield. Zeke was the sole disciple to whom this ultimate skill had been passed down.

He had never heard of anyone other than himself using the Elemental Sword. Kaishir himself had said as much.

Just then—

A soft hiss filled the air as a white mist emanated from the sword of the Kaishir-like figure facing Zeke.

The sword created ripples, unleashing a torrent of water energy toward Zeke.

Roaring like a waterfall, the gentle waves gathered momentum and cascaded down upon him.

Zeke raised his sword to meet the oncoming deluge.

With a resonant hum, Zeke countered the water energy with a field of wind.

A fierce storm erupted from Zeke, swirling around the waterfall and reversing its flow.

The waterfall surged upward, scattering into droplets that rained down within the cavern.

In the distorted space of the chaos field, the raindrops refracted into a dazzling array of rainbow colors, creating a fantastical scene unseen in the physical realm.

As Zeke and the Kaishir-like entity faced off, a priest of the Abyss spoke from behind them.

“Zeke Draker, I never imagined you possessed the power of the Hero King as well.”

Zeke was a being who had acquired the power of dragons, immortality, and now, the legendary strength of the Hero King.

The priest stepped forward, addressing the Kaishir-like entity.

“I thought I had gauged all your powers, but I see I underestimated you.”

Zeke replied, “I’m the only one who inherited the Hero King’s Elemental Sword. If there’s another who can manifest it, there’s only one possibility.”

After pondering the entity’s nature, Zeke reached a conclusion, his eyes sharpening.

“The Hero King’s homunculus, who fought the Demon King.”

A war machine that had terrified the dark elves in the inverted tower, a replica of the Hero King who had fought the final battle against the Demon King in his stead.

This being had crossed the ages to stand here now.

The priest nodded at Zeke’s words.

“The greatest weapon left by the great sage. Zeke Draker, you’re much closer to the ‘endgame’ than I anticipated.”

Zeke furrowed his brow at the priest’s words.

“Is this ‘endgame’ you speak of the advent of the Demon King?”

The priest shook his head.

“Zeke Draker, though you are near the endgame, you are not permitted to participate. It’s time for you to leave this stage.”

With a gesture, the priest set the Kaishir homunculus in motion once more.

Zeke stood ready, sword in hand, facing the homunculus.

“If the system activates, I might be able to connect to the homunculus’s mind and restrict its actions.”

But if he dispelled the chaos field, the priest might escape or use other powers.

Zeke needed to subdue the homunculus with his own strength and capture the priest.

Only then could he absorb the soul of the arrogant savior and elevate his divinity.

“The longer this drags on, the worse it is for me.”

Zeke suspected the priest was plotting something.

He needed to defeat the homunculus before the priest’s trap could spring.

Quickly, Zeke retrieved a healing potion from his subspace pouch, swallowed it, and donned the Hersion.

The Hersion, a gift from the goddess Theia, had been modified by Hades to operate on its own power, independent of Zeke’s, in the chaos field where powers were restricted.

With a rustling sound, the Hersion enveloped Zeke, and he activated the built-in magic to generate plasma.

The blue plasma crackled around Zeke and shot toward the homunculus.

The homunculus retreated, assuming a different stance.

A gravitational field emanated from its sword, releasing waves of gravity.

The gravity waves collided with Zeke’s plasma, neutralizing each other.

The plasma and gravity waves tangled, creating turbulent ripples.

Zeke charged forward, enduring the onslaught with the Hersion, and reached out toward the homunculus.

Chains of Solomon shot from Zeke’s hand.

Caught off guard, the homunculus was ensnared by the chains.

With a clank, the chains wrapped around its sword-wielding arm and shoulder, immobilizing it.

Zeke didn’t hesitate, rushing forward to strike the homunculus with his sword.

The blade, imbued with his spirit, descended upon the homunculus.

The secret technique of the Infinite Sword Art.

First Form: Sun and Moon Slash.

A strike that could cleave even the sun and moon tore through the homunculus.

At the last moment, the homunculus twisted, and Zeke’s intended target, its neck, was missed. Instead, its right shoulder was severed.

A grating sound emanated from the bisected homunculus.

But then—

As the homunculus’s body split, something inside erupted.

Shards exploded from the wound, embedding themselves in Zeke.

“Ugh!”

Zeke was caught off guard by the sudden barrage of fragments.

Realizing their nature, his shock deepened.

“Adamantium?”

The shards were adamantium, known as the god-slaying metal.

The fragments pierced through the orichalcum Hersion and lodged in Zeke’s body.

He felt the shards burrowing deeper into him.

“Damn it!”

Zeke hadn’t anticipated the homunculus would be filled with adamantium shards, and he retreated in dismay.

Even with his divine status, Zeke was vulnerable to the god-slaying metal.

Weakened by the shards, Zeke could no longer maintain the Hersion.

With a rustle, the Hersion deactivated, leaving Zeke exposed.

His body was riddled with wounds from the adamantium shards, and blood flowed freely.

At that moment, the priest behind the homunculus moved.

“Immortal dragonslayer, your immortality ends here.”

Raising his hand, the priest summoned a spear of adamantium.

Black tendrils emerged from the priest, grasping the spear and hurling it at Zeke’s heart.

The spear sliced through the air, aiming for Zeke’s heart.

At the last moment, Zeke twisted, diverting the spear’s path.

With a sickening thud, the spear pierced through Zeke’s chest.

“Argh!”

Though it missed his heart, the spear had gone clean through, protruding from his back.

Zeke staggered, black blood spilling from him.

The priest extended his hand.

From the ground, shadows writhed, and abyssal creatures resembling outer gods emerged.

The priest commanded the creatures.

“Kill him. Drag him into the Abyss.”

With an adamantium spear lodged in his chest, being dragged into the Abyss, a grave of dimensions, would mean certain annihilation for Zeke.

He tried to pull out the spear, but the shards embedded in his body hindered his efforts.

“If it comes to this… I have no choice but to dispel the chaos field.”

Disabling the chaos field would restore his powers, offering a chance to heal.

Resolute, Zeke reached for the Levatein embedded in the ground.

But then, the one-armed homunculus charged at him.

With a roar, it unleashed a gravitational field, pinning Zeke to the ground.

“Ugh!”

The abyssal creatures summoned by the priest closed in on Zeke.

The monstrous creatures loomed closer, their grotesque faces suggesting they might devour Zeke and drag him into the abyss at any moment.

Zeke struggled to muster the strength to grasp Levatein, but the divine-killing stones embedded in his body sapped his power, leaving him helpless.

Crackle, crackle, crackle—

The beasts finally seized Zeke, and beneath him, the ground opened into the maw of the abyss.

Like sinking into a swamp, Zeke and the creatures holding him began to be sucked into the darkness.

Hovering above, the priest watched Zeke with a cold gaze. “Your power is wasted, but with the end so near, I can’t afford any more interference. Vanish into the eternal void, Zeke Draker.”

The abyss’s darkness coiled around Zeke, ready to swallow him whole.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Suddenly, a crack tore through the chaotic space, and something forced its way in.

The priest turned to the source of the disturbance. “What is that…?”

To his astonishment, it was Zeke’s summoned creature, Caligula.

Thud, thud, thud—

Caligula spread its four arms wide, suspending a fist-sized black orb in the air.

The orb spun rapidly, then shot toward the creatures holding Zeke.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

Caligula’s orb pierced through the monsters’ bodies.

Alarmed, the priest shouted, “Homunculus! Stop that creature!”

A one-armed homunculus immediately turned and charged at Caligula.

Rumble!

The homunculus lunged, unleashing a field of gravitational force to crush Caligula.

But Caligula, refusing to be subdued, opened its robe, releasing shadows from within.

These spectral minions moved freely, unaffected by gravity, and rushed toward the homunculus.

Screeeeech—

The wailing of the specters echoed, causing the homunculus’s eyes to flicker.

Creak!

The homunculus froze, its body stiffening as if the specters’ cries had disrupted its functions.

Seeing this, the priest extended his hand, conjuring another black portal.

More abyssal creatures emerged, charging at Caligula.

Roar!

Caligula unleashed its power, breaking free from the gravitational field.

Forged from the soul of a blood king, Caligula’s strength was unmatched by ordinary summons, and the weakened gravitational field couldn’t hold it.

Rumble!

Caligula soared into the air, creating another orb and launching it downward.

The orb split into countless tiny beads, raining down like a storm.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

The abyssal creatures struck by the beads were torn apart, scattering in pieces.

The priest realized that the abyssal creatures alone couldn’t stop Caligula.

“I must deal with Zeke Draker first.”

He turned to where Zeke had been, expecting him to be sinking into the abyss, but Zeke was nowhere to be seen.

“Could he have already sunk?”

For a moment, the priest entertained a hopeful thought, but shook his head. If that were the case, the connection with his summon would have been severed, and Caligula wouldn’t be able to maintain its form.

Just then, the entire space began to ripple.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Zeke reappeared near Levatein, where the chaos had been swirling.

He gripped Levatein with both hands, harnessing the power of the chaos.

Crackle, crackle, crackle—

The chaotic energy distorting the space began to dissipate.

The priest clenched his teeth and raised his hand. “I won’t let you!”

To destroy the immortal Zeke, the attack had to occur within the domain of chaos that nullified his powers.

The priest had been stalling, luring Zeke into unleashing the chaos.

Before the chaos fully dissipated, the priest extended his hand toward Zeke.

A longer, sharper adamantium spear materialized.

With a sweeping motion, the priest hurled the spear, spinning it fiercely toward Zeke.