Episode 589
“What? Using Zeke as bait?”
Nabu looked at Ivan with disbelief etched across his face.
Ivan nodded solemnly. “In our current situation, the only one who meets the criteria to be the vessel for the Demon King is Zeke Draker. There’s no one else.”
Nabu had feared this might be the case, but he hadn’t expected the leader to actually consider using Zeke.
The leader spoke slowly, “Calling Zeke Draker merely ‘bait’ doesn’t do him justice. He is one who defies fate, the only variable capable of breaking the wheel.”
He glanced at Nigel and Nabu. “With Zeke Draker as the Demon King’s sole vessel, even Arthur Draker and the celestial beings will have no choice but to take notice. We will seize the moment when the Demon King descends into his body to shatter this endless cycle of evil.”
Nigel gripped her sword tightly. “You fiend!”
She glared at the leader, her voice seething with anger. “Is this why Zeke returned? Was it all for this?”
Since connecting with Zeke’s soul, Nigel had regained her past life’s memories. She knew the trials Zeke had endured, the despair and pain he had lived through. After such a tragic death, he had been given a new life, striving tirelessly to avoid repeating the same failures. The thought of his fate being decided by others once more ignited a fury she couldn’t contain.
The leader, his face hidden beneath his robe, continued, “I am merely fulfilling my duty.”
Nabu, grinding his teeth, retorted, “I don’t know what cursed duty that is, but if it means sacrificing Zeke Draker, I will never support it.”
As Nigel and Nabu’s hostility became palpable, the leader extended his hand toward them.
Crackle!
Suddenly, a backlash of karma-induced causality began to ripple through their bodies.
Nabu shouted at the leader, “Ha! Are you seriously trying to ascend us to immortality right now? Leader, have you lost your mind?”
Despite his doubts, Nabu had never questioned the leader’s intentions. But now, the leader’s actions had clearly crossed a line.
Ivan approached the leader, “We need their strength to stop Arthur Draker.”
The leader’s red eyes glinted from beneath his robe. “If they are to hinder the fracture that will break the wheel of fate, it’s better to eliminate them now. This has been a long-prepared plan.”
Ivan shook his head. “They have been at the forefront of maintaining the balance of the world. If you speak to them sincerely, they will understand your intentions.”
As the leader, Nigel, and Nabu stood at an impasse, a previously silent figure, Manna, slowly opened his eyes and spoke, “Please, listen to my words for a moment.”
He twirled his prayer beads, “I sense a presence filled with hostility rapidly approaching this place.”
Nabu’s eyes widened in alarm at Manna’s words. “Arthur Draker! He’s coming!”
Hearing this, Ivan turned to the leader, “This is not the time for this.”
The leader nodded at Ivan’s words and slowly lowered his hand.
The backlash of causality that had been affecting Nigel and Nabu subsided.
Ivan addressed Nigel, Nabu, and Manna, “We need to fortify the castle before they arrive. With the High Table diminished, there’s much to do. Help me.”
Manna quietly bowed his head in agreement, and though Nabu glared at the leader, he eventually nodded.
Finally, Nigel sheathed her sword, her voice sharp, “For now, I’ll follow your lead. But if I see even a hint of you using Zeke…”
Rumble!
A storm of energy surged from Nigel’s body.
She spoke with a voice filled with deadly intent, “I will stop you with every ounce of my soul’s power.”
“Ugh!”
Lilith groaned in distress, her eyes fixed on Zeke.
Having released her seal to gain control over her soul form, Zeke wore a calm expression.
He looked at Lilith and said, “You brought me here to absorb my soul, didn’t you?”
Lilith had planned to seduce Zeke and absorb his soul, knowing he was the heir to the Arrogant Savior.
But as Zeke saw through her plan, Lilith shook her head with a pitiful expression. “Great Lord, you misunderstand. I never intended such a thing.”
Despite having absorbed some of Zeke’s soul power, Lilith shamelessly denied her actions.
Her ability to do so was thanks to her unique power of ‘Enchantment.’
In the demon realm, many could seduce or control others, but most affected the mind forcibly.
Lilith’s power, however, worked directly on the soul, making her irresistibly charming.
Even celestial beings, who were supposed to be above such things, often turned a blind eye to her misdeeds and fell for her.
The only one who had resisted her enchantment and imprisoned her was the Arrogant Savior.
Though he had been captivated by her, he was strong-willed enough to make the ultimate decision when her evil and greed grew too great.
Zeke looked at Lilith and said, “I’ve seen what you’ve done through the Arrogant Savior’s memories.”
Lilith’s expression changed at his words. “You came here knowing everything?”
“The Arrogant Savior’s memories aren’t complete, so I wasn’t sure. But I had to confront it to find out.”
Zeke had deliberately walked into the trap to reclaim the Arrogant Savior’s memories and the divine power within Lilith.
When Lilith absorbed Zeke’s power, he used the system to forcibly connect to her seal and analyze her soul form.
This was possible because a part of the Arrogant Savior’s soul was mixed with Lilith’s.
Through this, Zeke could decipher Lilith’s seal and even subjugate her soul form.
Zeke examined the strings of code before him, focusing on a particular section.
It was the forced contract between Lilith and the Arrogant Savior’s followers.
Seeing Zeke read that part, Lilith’s face hardened.
‘If this continues, I’ll lose everything.’
She activated her enchantment to its fullest.
Her power, which acted directly on the soul, was something no celestial could outright reject.
And now, having absorbed Zeke’s power, she could wield it at its maximum.
She spoke to Zeke, her voice filled with enchantment, “Great Lord! Please, listen to me.”
Despite her desperate plea, Zeke ignored her, concentrating on the code.
Lilith was bewildered by his lack of response, even with her power at its peak.
‘How is this possible?’
Zeke, unfazed by Lilith, turned to Shamos beside him.
“Shamos.”
Startled by his name, Shamos looked up at Zeke.
“Great Lord.”
“You brought me here.”
Shamos clenched his teeth at Zeke’s words.
Though he had acted under Lilith’s orders, he couldn’t deny he had led Zeke into a trap.
He knelt before Zeke. “I won’t make excuses. Please, take this wretched life of mine.”
Prepared for the annihilation of his soul, Shamos entrusted his life to Zeke.
Zeke looked down at Shamos, then raised his hand toward the strings of code.
Vroom!
As he gestured, the contract’s text began to erase.
Lilith screamed in panic, “No, stop!”
The contract had been her only means of exerting power even while imprisoned.
Without it, she would be trapped here forever.
As Lilith lunged at Zeke, chains of Solomon shot up from the ground, binding her.
She shouted at Zeke, “Great Lord! Why do you do this to me?”
Ignoring her cries, Zeke addressed Shamos, now free from Lilith’s contract.
“You said you’d entrust your life to me, so I shall take it. Shamos, find the Arrogant Savior’s former followers scattered across the demon realm. I will rule over them.”
Rumble!
The aura of an absolute ruler emanated from Zeke, bringing tears to Shamos’s eyes.
‘He is our true master!’
Shamos approached Zeke, kissing his feet and pledging his loyalty.
Only then did Zeke turn to the chained Lilith.
She pleaded with him, her voice and eyes filled with desperation, “Great Lord… please…”
In a voice devoid of any emotion, he spoke to Lilith.
“I once considered making you my subordinate. But after seeing the countless disasters you’ve caused in the memories of the arrogant savior, I realized that was impossible.”
“Please, give me a chance! I swear my loyalty to the great lord! I’ll do anything you desire, just please!”
Zeke shook his head, his expression cold and unyielding.
“You should have considered the price when you tried to absorb my soul.”
Sssssss—
A shadow rose from beneath Zeke’s feet.
Bound in chains, Lilith screamed as the shadow advanced toward her.
“No, no! Please, no!”
The shadow engulfed Lilith in an instant, despite her desperate struggle to escape.
Zzzzzzz—
As Lilith was absorbed by the shadow, Zeke felt the divine essence of the arrogant savior, which had resided within her, return to him.
Vroooom!
With Lilith’s own power now added to his, Zeke’s understanding of the savior’s might deepened. He felt more at ease wielding its authority and domain, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
“Now, then…”
Zeke extended his hand.
The shadow surged upward, forming a distinct shape.
Rumble—
A shadowy spirit, resembling Lilith with black wings on its back, emerged. Zeke had transformed Lilith’s soul into a shadow familiar.
[<Corrupted Temptation’s Fall> Lilith’s corrupted soul has transformed into a shadow spirit.]
[The shadow spirit ‘Lilith’ submits to the immortal.]
[The elevated rank of the submissive shadow spirit surpasses the limits of a shadow spirit.]
[The shadow spirit ‘Lilith’ becomes the shadow guardian ‘Lilith’ and is registered as the user’s guardian.]
Though Lilith had been a malevolent being, her soul was powerful enough to be granted divinity, which is why she became a shadow guardian like Caligula.
Lilith prostrated herself before Zeke and spoke.
[Bound to the great lord, I have become a completely new entity. As a guardian, I will serve only the lord with unwavering loyalty.]
Zeke looked at the guardian Lilith, now fully subjugated to him, and smiled with satisfaction.
Nodding, Zeke rose from his seat.
Behind him, Shamos and the newly appointed guardian Lilith followed.
As they opened the door and stepped out, they were met with a surprising sight: all the castle’s servants had gathered, bowing their heads, waiting for Zeke to emerge.
As Zeke had anticipated, not only Shamos but all the servants in the castle were followers of the arrogant savior.
Freed from their pact with Lilith by recent events, they had gathered to pledge their loyalty to Zeke, their liberator.
As Zeke walked among them, the servants knelt in time with his steps.
They prostrated themselves, bowing their heads to the ground, swearing their allegiance to him.
Having absorbed everything of the arrogant savior, Zeke accepted their vows of loyalty with ease.
When all the servants had pledged their fealty, applause echoed from the far end of the corridor.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
From the shadows, Mephistopheles emerged.