Episode 572
Batori looked at Zeke with an incredulous expression.
“Are you saying Arthur Draker is trying to resurrect the Demon King and summon the demons of the underworld to our realm?”
“You’ve got it right.”
Batori clenched her teeth, glaring at Zeke.
“Zeke Draker, do you take me for a fool?”
Zeke met her gaze with unwavering eyes.
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
The steadfastness in Zeke’s eyes helped Batori rein in her anger.
“It seems the Empire hasn’t been informed. The alliance wasn’t formed just to conquer the Empire. It’s to prevent the descent of the Demon King and the underworld.”
Though unexpected, Zeke had no reason to lie, given his power to subdue Batori and the Dracula Knights. Assuming Zeke’s words were true, Batori calmly analyzed the situation.
Inheriting the Red King’s wisdom, Batori quickly grasped the core of Zeke’s message.
“Are you saying Arthur Draker’s kidnapping of the guardian dragon is related to this?”
Zeke nodded.
“Yes, while the world believes the dragons started a liberation war, the truth is different. Demons possessing dragon bodies attacked our realm, and they tried to bring the Demon King into the body of Bahamut, the mightiest dragon.”
Batori stood up in shock.
“Are you saying they’re trying to possess Eos with a demon’s soul?”
Zeke shook his head.
“We don’t know Arthur Draker’s exact plan yet. Unlike a thousand years ago, methods to summon demons in their full form have been developed. Using the few remaining dragon bodies to summon demons is inefficient.”
Batori clenched her fist.
“Whatever the reason, it’s not just a trophy. We must rescue Eos from him.”
“The bond with the guardian dragon is impressive. Is that why the Dracula Knights show such loyalty?”
Batori spoke slowly in response to Zeke’s observation.
“Basarab has been the home of Eos, our guardian dragon, for a long time. After the liberation war, fear of dragons spread across the central continent, so Eos remained hidden. But to us, Eos is a benevolent mother and a guardian deity. We respect and follow her, which is why we’ve kept her existence a secret.”
Zeke could sense the deep affection and bond Batori had for Eos.
“They say dragons loved humans the most. It seems humans loved dragons just as much.”
Bahamut and Terracan Draker also shared a deep bond that transcended their species.
Zeke, possessing the hearts of an Elder Dragon and Bahamut, could understand the bond between Eos and Batori.
Zeke spoke to Batori.
“I understand your feelings, Count. But we must consider the possibility that the guardian dragon might already be dead.”
Batori pounded her chest, where her armor, Hershion, lay.
“This Hershion was crafted by Eos herself. As long as its light remains, Eos is alive.”
“Are you saying the guardian dragon and Hershion are connected?”
Zeke pondered this and approached Batori, examining her armor closely.
“Count, forgive me for this.”
“What?”
Zeke reached out, connecting to the system within Batori’s Hershion, and opened its central power core.
With a hiss, the central part of Hershion opened, revealing a radiant red gem.
Zeke looked at it in surprise.
“A Dragon Heart? Eos must have loved your family deeply to place her bones and heart here.”
Batori was even more shocked. She had inherited Hershion from the Red King and learned its use from Eos, but she hadn’t known it contained a Dragon Heart.
Zeke placed his hand over the Dragon Heart, which vibrated as if resisting his touch.
“Don’t resist. I’m trying to find your master.”
Zeke used his dragon energy to neutralize the heart’s resistance and connected it to the Akashic Code through the system.
The Dragon Heart and Hershion pulsed with a red aura.
Information about Eos flowed into Zeke’s mind.
After absorbing the information, Zeke stepped back, exhaling.
Hershion closed, returning to its original state.
Batori, wary, took a step back and questioned Zeke.
“Zeke Draker… who exactly are you?”
“I’m just me. Nothing more. But.”
He spoke gravely to Batori.
“Eos’s condition is worse than I thought. Her mind is being corrupted. She might lose her consciousness.”
Batori, alarmed, stood up again.
“What do you mean? How can we…?”
“Calm down. With Hershion, we can pinpoint Eos’s location. But you must trust and help me, Count.”
Batori studied him for a moment before nodding.
“Very well. If it means saving Eos, I’ll cooperate. But if you try anything suspicious, I’ll have your head on a pike.”
“Spoken like a true heir of the Thorn King.”
Just then, Zeke looked up, sensing something.
“Hmm?”
He dashed out of the tent, sensing a disturbance from Jupiter Castle.
The energy enveloping the canyon had delayed his senses from detecting the anomaly.
A rumbling sound echoed.
The energy surging from Jupiter Castle was something Zeke had encountered in the underground labyrinth of Siemens.
“The Sentinel of the Apocalypse.”
Zeke turned to Batori.
“It seems Castro has meddled with something he shouldn’t have.”
He rose into the air, issuing a command to Batori.
“Count, head to Jupiter Castle and evacuate the citizens immediately.”
Zeke’s expression was grim as he continued.
“Otherwise, everyone in the castle will perish.”
The gates of Jupiter Castle, which had been tightly shut, opened.
The Black Spirit Squad, waiting for Boris’s signal, saw the open gates and sent a signal to headquarters.
A wizard named Zeros launched a magical signal into the sky.
Clonay, leading the Black Spirit Squad, gestured in response to the signal.
“Push into the castle and secure a gate. Establish footholds one by one…”
But something felt off.
They expected chaos inside the gates due to the spy team’s efforts, but it was eerily quiet.
Clonay turned to Felix beside him.
“Felix, take a few men and find out what’s happening.”
“Boss, why do I always get the dangerous jobs…?”
“Want a beating, or will you just go?”
Grumbling, Felix took Diego and Aster with him into the castle.
“Hmm?”
Surprisingly, there were no knights or soldiers guarding the walls.
Diego tilted his head, puzzled.
“Something’s not right, yo?”
Aster nodded in agreement.
Just then, a few soldiers ran towards them, screaming in terror.
Diego and Aster prepared to draw their swords, but Felix raised a hand to stop them.
“Hold on.”
One soldier, pale as a ghost, foaming at the mouth, grabbed them and shouted.
“Run! We have to get out of here!”
The other soldiers, equally terrified, fled without looking back. Soon, mercenaries and soldiers began pouring out.
Felix and his companions sensed something was amiss inside the castle.
“We should report back to the boss…”
At that moment, a monstrous roar echoed throughout the castle.
The three looked up towards the source of the sound. It was the tallest tower of Jupiter Castle, and something was climbing it.
Felix gaped at the sight.
“What the hell is that?”
A massive black cocoon with multiple arms was scaling the tower.
Diego, enhancing his vision, looked at the cocoon and shouted in shock.
“Wow! There are people stuck all over that cocoon, yo!”
The cocoon, using its tendrils, had captured mercenaries, soldiers, and knights, climbing the tower to consume them.
Instinctively seeking the highest point, the cocoon extended its tendrils in all directions.
With a slithering sound, hundreds of tendrils stretched between the tower and the walls.
At the center, the cocoon curled up as if incubating an egg, settling into place.
Moments later, small protrusions began to sprout from the tendrils extending from the cocoon in all directions.
Rumble—
The protrusions quickly grew, swelling like fruit on branches, hanging heavily.
As they reached a certain size, the fruits burst open, releasing a viscous fluid along with something else.
Screech!
From hundreds of these fruits emerged monstrous creatures, each with six arms and six eyes, a terrifying sight to behold.
The beasts, which had been hanging from the tendrils, began to descend the walls and towers.
Screech!
With the commander missing, the soldiers, knights, and mercenaries hidden throughout the fortress found themselves under attack by these monstrous creatures.
“Aaah!”
The creatures, with shells as hard as crustaceans, spat out acidic mucus. The knights managed to fend them off with their aura, but the regular soldiers and mercenaries struggled to respond effectively.
“Argh!”
Felix turned at the sound of a scream nearby. A mercenary, drenched in acid, writhed in agony before tumbling off the wall.
The tendrils quickly gathered the fallen mercenary’s body, delivering it back to the cocoon. The cocoon seemed intent on devouring every living thing within Jupiter Fortress, greedily directing its tendrils and beasts to bring in more prey.
Even the renowned Breaker Mercenary Corps, known for their bravery, abandoned their weapons and fled, unable to stand against the onslaught of tendrils and beasts.
Thud, thud, thud!
With the commander gone, hiding was no longer an option. More and more soldiers and mercenaries fled the fortress, trying to escape the creatures.
The knights, seeing the fleeing soldiers, brandished their swords and shouted, “Follow orders! Or face death!”
Caught between the monstrous creatures behind them and the knights’ swords ahead, the soldiers hesitated, unsure of what to do.
Jupiter Fortress descended into chaos in an instant.
Watching the pandemonium unfold, a thought suddenly struck Felix.
“Even the knights can’t handle this. Wait, what about the citizens of Jupiter?”
Having witnessed the horrors Abel unleashed in Rome, Felix couldn’t stand by and watch innocent citizens suffer.
He turned to Diego and Aster. “Diego, Aster. I’m going inside to help the citizens escape. You two get out and inform the captain of the situation.”
Nodding, Diego and Aster wasted no time, sprinting towards the gates.
Felix, on the other hand, dashed into the fortress.
Growl—
As Felix made his way inside, the beasts lunged at him from all sides.
Slash—
Drawing on the swordsmanship he learned from Baord, the Arch Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Felix swiftly cut down the beasts.
His body was now clad in the special Hershion armor of the Black Spirit Corps.
Extending his left hand, a gauntlet unfolded, forming a shield.
“Haah!”
With the Arch Paladin’s shield technique, Felix blocked the incoming tendrils and sliced through them with his sword.
Screech!
Acidic liquid splattered everywhere, but to Felix, protected by the Hershion, it was no more than a light drizzle.
He pushed further into the fortress, heading towards the city center of Jupiter.
There, he saw a group of citizens banding together, wielding whatever they could find as weapons, desperately trying to fend off the beasts.
Felix rushed to their aid.
Crash!
He swung his shield, sending the beasts flying, and cut down the tendrils with his sword.
Sizzle—
The acidic liquid corroded the surrounding walls and wooden planks, smoke rising from the damage.
The sudden appearance of a knight startled the citizens of Jupiter.
Felix shouted to them, “I’ve come to rescue you! We need to get out of here, follow me!”