Episode 553

“The angels, heralds of the apocalypse. If they awaken, the world will be erased?”

A brilliant flash of light shot towards Zeke from all directions.

Harvey West turned to Zeke and said, “If you want to hear the full story, follow me.”

With a snap of his fingers, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse appeared behind him. They rode through the air, drawing the spears of light away.

Though Zeke couldn’t shake his suspicion, he knew he needed to understand the sudden appearance of these angels. He decided to follow Harvey West through the gate he had conjured, while the Horsemen distracted the tower.

As Zeke stepped through, he found himself in a typical suburban home.

The kettle in the kitchen was still steaming, as if someone had just been boiling water.

Looking out the window, Zeke could still see the angel hovering in the sky, with the Horsemen diverting its attention.

“You might want to step away from the window,” Harvey West advised. “I’ve set up a barrier, but this entire city is practically its domain.”

Zeke watched as Harvey West casually poured tea into a cup and gestured for him to sit at the table.

“Have a seat.”

Zeke, still wary, took a seat opposite Harvey, who placed a cup of tea in front of him.

“I heard you like tea. This is a new blend for me too, so I hope it suits your taste.”

Zeke lifted the cup, inhaling the fragrant steam. It was a type of herbal tea, reminiscent of mint but more soothing.

After savoring a sip, Zeke set the cup down and asked, “What do you mean by the world being erased? How is this different from the apocalypse with the demon king’s descent?”

Harvey West took a sip of his own tea before answering, “Erased is exactly what it sounds like. This city, too, has been erased by the constellations.”

Zeke recalled the fragments of forgotten time—eras completely wiped from history by the constellations. Countless civilizations had vanished in this way.

“Are you saying the constellations send the angels of the Zodiac to deliberately erase civilizations? Why?”

Harvey West met Zeke’s gaze. “Because that’s how they achieve what they desire.”

Zeke struggled to comprehend. “Zeke Draker, do you still not see?”

Harvey West’s red eyes gleamed as he continued, “Our world is nothing more than a plaything for the constellations. We are puppets, moving at their whim. The end of our world is determined by the celestial beings who killed the primordial light and divided its power among themselves.”

Harvey paused, then resumed, “The primordial light is gone, but the power of the apocalypse it left behind still exists. The constellations use that power to manipulate our world, exploiting us to maintain their ‘perfect world.’”

Zeke’s eyes widened as he realized the implications. “Harvey West… Is your goal to resurrect the demon king and dismantle the order created by the constellations?”

Harvey nodded. “Exactly. Only by destroying their oppressive order can our world truly be free.”

He continued, “King Solomon, the first irregular and god-slayer, accepted the demon king’s power for a reason. He knew the truth and sacrificed himself to break the stagnant wheel of fate.”

Zeke’s mind reeled. Everything he believed about the world’s order was being turned upside down.

“Solomon, the forsaken savior, sought to save all mortals. He willingly embraced the demon king’s power to challenge the constellations’ order. But his attempt failed, and the demon king’s soul was sealed. Those who sided with him were cast into the demon realm, while the victorious constellations created their perfect world in the heavens.”

Zeke had always thought of the celestial realm as a quarantine zone, isolated from the mortal world. But if Harvey’s words were true, the reality was quite different.

The mortal world was the true quarantine, a farm producing karma for the constellations. The demons of the underworld tempted humans to claim their souls, but the constellations didn’t need to. They had already established a stable system to harvest karma from the mortal realm.

Zeke realized why Mephistopheles had refused the demon king’s descent. “He intended to take over the farm created by the constellations, not destroy it.”

By severing the connection between the celestial and mortal realms, he could become the new manager, exploiting the karma for himself—a truly demonic plan.

Zeke saw himself as a puppet caught between the demons and the constellations.

“How absurd,” he thought, a bitter laugh escaping him.

He had always dreamed of freedom, but the world had never granted mortals such a luxury.

Invisible chains and cultivation.

Zeke felt a deep-seated anger boiling within him at the cruel truth.

His eyes transformed, glowing with a golden hue.

Outside, the sound of clashing light spears echoed.

The Four Horsemen battled the spears in the sky, their swords clashing with the radiant projectiles, scattering white light across the city.

The shimmering light fell like snow, even settling on the window of the house where Zeke and Harvey sat.

Zeke, his eyes blazing, turned to Harvey West. “If what you say is true, then the real enemy of the mortal realm is the constellations.”

Harvey nodded. “Indeed. They are the ones we must truly eliminate.”

Though Harvey’s story seemed close to the truth, Zeke still found it hard to trust him completely.

Sensing Zeke’s doubt, Harvey said, “You still don’t believe me. Fine. Let me reveal the hidden truth.”

He pointed to the angel hovering above. “How do you think I cultivated the angel’s fragment?”

Zeke was puzzled by the sudden question. “Why should I care about your vile experiments?”

“It was a necessary sacrifice to break the wheel. I could cultivate the angel’s fragment because of my own flesh and blood.”

Zeke narrowed his eyes. “Are you saying you used the power of the Draker lineage to cultivate the angel’s fragment?”

Harvey shook his head. “The Draker bloodline is special. It harbors all kinds of power, even the strength of dragons, granting it the potential for immortality.”

He posed another question to Zeke. “Why do you think the Draker bloodline possesses such unique power?”

“If you’re going to keep spouting nonsense, I’d rather take your head. Your arrogant savior’s soul might be of use to the mortal realm.”

“Impatient as ever, Zeke Draker. Listen well. The Drakers were created that way from the start.”

Zeke frowned, confused by the cryptic statement. “What do you mean?”

Harvey paused before speaking again. “The Drakers are Nephilim left behind by the constellations in the mortal realm.”

“What?”

Zeke’s expression grew more serious.

Nephilim were ancient beings created from divine blood, avatars and agents of the constellations.

Zeke couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you saying the Draker lineage was created by the constellations?”

“They wanted to better control the beings of the mortal realm for their amusement. But the existing Nephilim weren’t enough. So they chose humans, the most ambitious of all creatures, to create Nephilim that could blend in.”

Nephilim designed to effectively control the mortal realm.

The constellations’ plan worked perfectly.

Unaware of their true nature, these Nephilim exhibited superhuman abilities, forming groups and leading them as rulers.

Over time, even stronger individuals emerged, revered as kings, allowing them to establish vast cities that encompassed humans and other races alike.

That city was Carcosa, the most beloved by the constellations.

Solomon, the king of Carcosa, was a descendant of the Nephilim, bearing the most potent divine blood within him.

Ordinarily, Nephilim were bound by instinct to obey the commands of the Celestials.

But Solomon was different.

He encountered the god of chaos sealed within the name of the goddess Theia, becoming an irregularity that surpassed the limits of a Nephilim. He forged a pact with an Elder Dragon, awakening the power of the immortal, and embarked on the path of a god-slayer.

Harvey West continued the tale.

“Solomon was the ideal agent and avatar the Celestials desired most. Yet, it was precisely because of this that he strayed from their destiny, much like they once killed the primordial light that created them.”

Thus, the Draker lineage, descended from Solomon, inherited both the Celestials’ authority and the power of immortality.

Listening intently, Zeke realized that the Draker clan’s aura blessing and pureblood awakening were rituals to unlock the Nephilim’s power.

Zeke turned to Harvey West and asked, “So, you’re saying that because you were one of the first Nephilim created by the Celestials, you could cultivate angelic fragments with your flesh and blood?”

Harvey West shook his head. “Not exactly one of their original creations, but through ancestral regression, I possess the full power of a Nephilim. That’s how I was made.”

Zeke’s eyes widened in shock. “Harvey West was also a created being?”

The abyss, which had conducted countless horrific experiments to create vessels for the demon king, had been led by Harvey West for centuries. It seemed almost inevitable that he, too, was a product of such creation.

Zeke frowned at Harvey West. “Creating test subjects, only for those subjects to create more… What do you people in the abyss think life is?”

Harvey West gave Zeke a chilling smile. “Zeke Draker, you’re mistaken. The abyss didn’t create me.”

Zeke’s expression shifted. “If the abyss didn’t create you, then who did?”

Harvey West narrowed his eyes. “Someone capable of creating beings like me. The only transcendent among humans… Who do you think it is?”

Zeke’s face turned rigid. “Could it be?”

Harvey West’s gaze sharpened. “The leader of the Highlanders. He created me. And he was once…”

He paused, then continued, “Known as the Great Sage.”