Episode 578
Crack!
To everyone’s shock, it wasn’t just Cain’s head that fell. His sword-wielding arm and the other arm were also severed into pieces, scattered across the ground.
In the blink of an eye, Liam had effortlessly sliced through Cain, as if toying with him, despite Cain’s fierce and powerful swordplay. Yet, Liam stood unscathed.
The sight of Cain, the strongest among the mercenaries, losing his head in an instant left the Breaker Mercenary Group, as well as Callum and the Brothers Mercenary Group watching from behind, utterly speechless.
Jayna, who had been reluctant to accept her defeat against Liam, turned pale.
“He wasn’t even using his full strength against us.”
Jayna and Fain realized that Liam’s skills surpassed those of a Blue Knight, reaching the level of a Red Knight.
Liam slowly approached the deputy leader of the Breaker Mercenary Group, who stood at the forefront of the group.
In a low voice, he asked, “Do you want to continue?”
The deputy leader, his face drained of color, shook his head vigorously. He dismounted immediately, knelt before Liam, and bowed his head.
“The Breaker Mercenary Group will follow the orders of the Stone Mercenary Group.”
With the deputy leader’s words, the other mercenaries also knelt before Liam without hesitation.
Liam silently looked down at the Breaker Mercenary Group, now bowing before him.
Thus, the birth of the Mercenary King, who unified the continent’s three major mercenary groups, was marked.
“Hmm.”
Zeke sat leisurely in his office at Terra, the headquarters located in Atlas, sipping tea and reviewing documents. Boris stood at attention before him.
As Zeke skimmed through the documents Boris had brought, he commented, “So, Liam has unified the three major mercenary groups… That’s good news.”
Boris nodded in agreement. “The news outlets are already abuzz, reporting the emergence of the continent’s first Mercenary King.”
Indeed, the fall of Jupiter Castle and the rise of the first Mercenary King were causing quite a stir across the continent. This was a result of Zeke’s deliberate dissemination of press releases, intended to divert attention from his own movements.
‘Liam made a name for himself as the Mercenary King in his past life. This time, with proper training as a knight, he’s gained fame even faster,’ Zeke thought, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
He set the documents aside and asked Boris, “What’s the situation at Jupiter Castle?”
“The immediate issues have been mostly resolved. Castro’s reputation was so poor that the citizens are actually welcoming the allied forces.”
“That’s a relief. Is Helen in charge on the ground? I wonder if the central kingdom’s nobles are behaving themselves.”
“Yes, the nobles from the central kingdom tried to seize the empire’s treasures found in the castle’s underground. But after nearly losing their heads to the Grand Duke of the North, they’ve quieted down.”
Zeke chuckled at Boris’s report. “The Grand Duke would do that, indeed. Is the Himonas Knights still at Jupiter?”
Boris shook his head. “No, after a few clashes with Count Batory, the Grand Duke of the North decided to settle things later and left for the north with the Himonas Knights.”
“The Grand Duke and Count Vlad… They don’t get along, do they? Personality-wise, they’re the worst match.”
Yet, in terms of abilities, the Grand Duke and Count Vlad might work surprisingly well together. With Alicia, who had awakened the power of the Wolf King Fenrir through the Langya Sword, and the brilliant strategist Count Vlad joining forces, the outcome could be unpredictable.
‘This could be interesting. I should arrange a meeting with those two.’
Boris continued his report to Zeke. “The Supreme Commander plans to reorganize the forces at Jupiter and then send the allied forces to the Thermo Pass.”
Zeke nodded at this. “The situation at the Thermo Pass must have calmed down somewhat.”
Boris nodded in agreement. “Yes, with the gate closed, they’re maintaining their position with only the summoned monsters and beasts.”
The forces of the Abyss, which should have maintained the gate, had been dismantled by Zeke, leaving them unable to receive additional reinforcements. In such a situation, it would be easier for the allied forces to join and resolve the situation.
Zeke stood up after listening to Boris’s report. “Good. Boris, take the intelligence unit and assist Helen at the Thermo Pass.”
“Understood, my lord.”
“Oh, and have you decided on a name for the intelligence unit?”
Zeke had planned to officially establish the intelligence unit and had left the naming to Boris, the unit leader.
Boris, who had been struggling to decide on a name, finally nodded. “Yes, we’ve decided after much deliberation with the members.”
“Glad to hear it. What’s the name?”
Boris’s eyes gleamed as he replied, “Nemesis.”
Zeke gave a lukewarm smile at the name’s significance. “For something you thought about for so long, it’s quite ordinary.”
Boris, eyes blazing, protested, “What do you mean, boss? Let me explain why we chose this name. In Thebea, Nemesis is an ancient word symbolizing the goddess of vengeance, embodying the concept of cause and effect…”
Zeke, waving his hand to cut off the lengthy explanation, said, “Alright, I get it. You put a lot of thought into it.”
Despite Zeke’s dismissive tone, Boris seemed satisfied. “We wanted to give it careful thought since it’s a newly established organization.”
“Fine, we’ll go with that for the intelligence unit’s name. By the way, what about the new recruit, Dmitri? The one from the 13th Room. Can he be trusted?”
“Yes, he was voted the second most desirable agent to work with when I was in the 13th Room.”
“I recall you were the first.”
“You remember correctly.”
”…Anyway. Are you planning to bring former 13th Room agents into Nemesis through Dmitri?”
Boris nodded. “Currently, the organization is mostly composed of members from Salmak and Six, so we’re focused on combat personnel. While the information from the Thieves’ Guild and Red Eye is excellent, they’re still external sources. Relying solely on their information limits our intelligence activities, so we need experienced individuals in this field.”
Zeke nodded at Boris’s explanation. “Understood. Handle it as you see fit.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Alright. You may go.”
Boris bowed and left the office after completing his report. Zeke remained seated, lost in thought for a moment, before pulling out a mirror from his pocket.
Wooong!
As he channeled energy into the mirror, the reflected light projected a magical image onto the glass wall of the office.
Having absorbed the powers and knowledge of Satan, Zeke had become more adept at handling karma, allowing him to use his powers in various ways.
Soon, the face of Naboo, the Sage of Stories, appeared on the glass wall.
―“Hey, Zeke!”
The sage greeted Zeke with a voice that seemed unusually cheerful.
“You seem to be in a good mood?”
Naboo, leisurely fanning himself, replied, ―“Ah, I’ve finally escaped Nigel’s clutches and returned home.”
It seemed Naboo had finished helping Nigel clean up the Forest of the Forgotten.
Naboo waved his fan gently and said, ―“Looks like things are settled on your end too. Isn’t the Abyss destroyed now?”
“Though we missed Harvey West, that’s essentially the case. We’re still tracking down the remaining stragglers.”
―“Haha, then you can finally relax. There shouldn’t be anyone else with the delusional ambition to summon the Demon King.”
Zeke shook his head at Naboo’s words. “I’m afraid that’s not the case.”
Sensing something ominous, Naboo asked in a low voice, ―“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember the black star that was stolen from beyond the Giant Mountains?”
―“I remember. Wasn’t that the work of the Abyss?”
“It was Arthur Draker’s doing.”
Naboo’s eyes widened at Zeke’s revelation.
―“Are you saying your deceased father came back to life and took the black star?”
“It’s complicated, but… Arthur Draker isn’t dead, and he’s not my father.”
―What?
Naboo’s jaw dropped at the unexpected information. He straightened up and leaned closer to the mirror, asking Zeke, ―“Are you saying the destruction of the Abyss isn’t the end?”
Zeke nodded. “Harvey West wasn’t the real issue. At the center of all these schemes is none other than Arthur Draker. It’s him.”
Naboo let out a deep sigh from beyond the image.
With a serious expression, he asked Zeke, ―“Who else knows about this?”
“For now, I’m the only one aware. The lords of the Demon Realm might know.”
―“The lords of the Demon Realm, huh. If Arthur Draker’s goal is to summon the Demon King like the Abyss, that’s certainly possible.”
Naboo frowned, realizing the situation had become more complicated.
Watching Naboo’s reaction, Zeke asked, “Sage, how much do you know about the leader of the Highlanders?”
Naboo’s expression shifted subtly at Zeke’s question.
“The leader, you say. Well, I’ve observed for centuries, but even I don’t know much.”
“How did you first meet the leader, Elder?”
“Hmm, that was quite some time ago. When I attained enlightenment as a sage and ascended, the leader appeared before me.”
“In a spiritual form?”
“Yes, you could say that. The leader asked if I could assist in maintaining the world’s balance before moving on to a higher dimension.”
“Why did you accept that proposal?”
Nabu scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
“Highlanders like me, who remain in the physical realm, have achieved transcendence but still have attachments to this world. Otherwise, we would have already moved on to higher dimensions.”
At this, Zeke thought of the great sorceress Hoshgar. Even as she departed for a higher dimension, she left her spirit behind in her mansion, worried about the future. Her message reached Zeke a thousand years later.
‘If she had found a way to let go of her attachments, would she have simply left?’
Though the reasons were unclear, the Highlanders had their motives for staying in the physical realm, bound by a contract with the leader and subject to karma’s constraints.
‘The Great Sage. Truly, the one most attached to this world. He remains here, refusing rest, to correct his past mistakes and errors.’
The Great Sage was undoubtedly seeking others like him, transcendent beings with similar attachments, to bind them to the physical realm and find a way to break the wheel of fate.
Nabu looked at Zeke and asked, “Are you doubting the leader’s identity?”
Zeke shook his head at Nabu’s question.
“Not at all. It’s just that I’m concerned. We desperately need the Highlanders’ help to face Arthur Draker, but if the leader continues to shroud himself in mystery, it could lead to trust issues.”
Nabu nodded in understanding.
“The leader is indeed a person of many mysteries. But… from what I’ve seen over the years, he’s someone you can trust.”
“You believe his intentions are good?”
“Yes, though not all good intentions lead to good outcomes, it’s clear that the leader is committed to protecting this realm.”
Zeke nodded at Nabu’s words. “I understand what you’re saying.”
Nabu clapped his fan against his palm. “I see what you’re worried about. Hmm, I’ll convene the other Highlanders and discuss this issue with the leader. If the intruder truly is Arthur Draker, he might target the last remaining Black Star as well.”
“Thank you, Elder.”
“No need for thanks. It’s I who should be grateful. Zeke, always be cautious.”
With a nod, Zeke ended the communication with Nabu and quietly stared at the glass wall that had returned to its original state. His reflection stared back at him.
As he gazed at his reflection, Zeke retrieved a painting from his inventory, one that Karus had painted while thinking of him. The painting floated gently beside his reflection on the glass wall.
The canvas, filled with endless black shadows, stirred an indescribable emotion within Zeke.
‘What lies within that darkness?’
Zeke spent a long time contemplating his reflection and the shadowy painting beside it.