Episode 597
Rumble!
Soma staggered as a powerful shock hit him, causing the massive beast he controlled to writhe.
“What on earth?”
Soma had assumed that nothing other than the Kraken guarding the Storm Fortress could deliver such a blow to his giant beast.
Yet, as if mocking his assumption, another whirlpool surged from the depths, crashing into the creature with a spray of water.
Rumble!
Realizing something was amiss, Soma activated a prepared spell, linking his senses with the beast.
Buzz—
Connected to the creature, Soma felt as if he had become the giant beast himself.
Rumble!
Feeling like a colossal sea serpent, Soma scanned the ocean depths to identify the source of the attack.
“I can’t see anything.”
He wondered if another sea monster was lurking, but there were no signs.
Then, he sensed another massive whirlpool rushing toward him.
Soma quickly maneuvered the beast, raising the scales that covered its body.
Vrrrrr!
Thousands of scales on the creature’s body vibrated, shaking the entire ocean.
The waves created by the vibrations dispersed the approaching whirlpool.
Vrrrrrr—
As the vibrations intensified, the ocean churned violently.
Even the mighty Kraken, guardian of the Storm Fortress, couldn’t withstand the ultra-vibrations and succumbed, its tentacles curling as it was poisoned and met its end.
Soma, spreading the vibrations through the beast, focused his senses to locate the attacker.
At that moment, something flickered near the translucent sphere where Soma was.
“What is that?”
Sharing senses with the beast, Soma saw something rapidly approaching his forehead and braced himself.
Then he realized what it was.
“Zeke Draker!”
Zeke was charging toward the giant beast, wielding the Levatein.
Whoosh!
Power surged from Zeke’s sword, and he immediately slashed at the giant beast.
A powerful dragon-slaying technique, imbued with the will to pierce, unleashed a sharp vortex aimed at the creature’s forehead.
Soma swiftly moved the beast as soon as Zeke’s sword swung.
Rumble!
The serpent-like beast dodged Zeke’s strike and focused its ultra-vibration attack on him instead.
Crash!
The will to pierce and the ultra-vibrations collided, causing a massive underwater explosion.
Rumble!
The shockwave shot upward, breaking through the thick ice on the surface.
Crack!
Shadow summons and external beasts fighting on the ice were swept away by the shockwave.
Zeke’s summons, thanks to his quick thinking, transformed into shadows and relocated, but the external beasts were hit directly, their bodies torn apart.
Crash!
The shattered bodies of the external beasts sank into the ocean.
The shockwave from Zeke and the beast’s clash lingered underwater, preventing the beasts’ remains from regenerating and causing them to disintegrate.
The intense shock severed Soma’s mental link with the giant beast.
Though he couldn’t control it as his own body, he broke into a cold sweat, extending tentacles in all directions to find Zeke’s trace.
“There’s no way he survived that attack…”
But then—
Tap, tap!
Soma turned his head to see Zeke Draker staring at him from outside the translucent sphere.
“You…!”
Soma raised his tentacles to fend off Zeke.
But Zeke was faster.
With a swift strike of Levatein, he shattered the sphere containing Soma.
Crash!
As the top of the sphere broke with a loud crack, seawater rushed in.
Panicked, Soma tried to reestablish his link with the beast through magic, but Zeke was already inside.
Before the spell could fully activate, Zeke lunged at Soma.
Slash!
Soma’s leg was torn apart.
“Aaargh!”
Soma screamed, glaring at Zeke.
Though the spell failed, the partial connection with the beast remained. Soma willed tentacles to rise and ensnare Zeke.
Zeke, donning Shadow Armor, blocked the tentacles and glared at Soma.
“We have some things to discuss.”
Zeke bound Soma with Solomon’s Chains.
Then he sent a surge of light through Soma’s body.
Zap!
“Aaargh!”
Since receiving the title of
It affected not just the body but the soul and mind, making it inescapable.
Soma, the Black Stage’s intelligence officer, was accustomed to torture and pain, yet he trembled under Zeke’s electric assault.
Zeke dragged Soma out of the translucent sphere.
Then he unleashed the Elemental Sword’s water field on the now-empty beast.
Crash!
A massive whirlpool formed around the beast, grinding it from head to tail.
Rumble!
Not only the giant beast but also the external beasts that had fallen into the sea were sucked into the whirlpool.
Zeke swiftly ascended to the surface.
Crash!
Breaking through the ice, Zeke emerged onto the deck of the original ship with Soma in tow.
Thud!
Bound by Solomon’s Chains, Soma was thrown onto the deck by Zeke’s indifferent demeanor.
“Ugh!”
At that moment, Richmond and Bane approached Soma.
Soma flinched as the high-level monster, Arch Lich, drew near.
Richmond looked at Zeke and asked, “Master, what should we do with this one? Shall we strip him to bones and make him a skeleton?”
Bane, examining Soma, chimed in, “How about freezing him solid and turning him into an ice ghoul?”
Zeke shook his head at Richmond and Bane.
“Not yet. There’s something I need to find out from him.”
Richmond and Bane clicked their tongues in disappointment.
Ignoring them, Zeke approached Soma.
“Soma, it’s both a pleasure and a disappointment to see you here.”
Soma looked at Zeke and replied, “The feeling is mutual, Sir Zeke.”
Zeke pulled a chair from his inventory and sat down.
Manipulating shadows, he forced the kneeling Soma to sit upright.
With a table and a cup of tea prepared, Zeke leisurely sipped his tea and spoke to Soma.
“If I recall, Baron swore loyalty to me. How should I interpret your presence here?”
Soma clenched his teeth before slowly speaking.
“Our true master is only one, the head of the Draker family.”
“Then your master should be Kali Draker. She’s the head of the Draker family.”
Soma smirked and replied, “Kali Draker is not the true head. The true head of the Draker family is…”
“Arthur Draker?”
Zeke interrupted Soma’s words.
Simultaneously, he gripped the chains and sent a jolt of electricity through them.
Zap!
“Ugh!”
As the electricity coursed through him, Soma writhed in agony, unable to speak further.
Zeke looked at the gasping Soma and continued.
“The current head of the Draker family is Kali Draker. That’s an undeniable fact.”
With cold eyes, he addressed Soma.
“Arthur Draker, who faked his death and relinquished his position, is no longer the head. If you continue to call him the head, you’ll be charged with treason.”
Soma lifted his head and began to laugh maniacally.
“Heh heh heh.”
Bound by chains, Soma slowly rose.
Looking down at Zeke, he declared, “The only true master of the Draker family is Arthur Draker. Only him. Zeke Draker, stop this futile resistance and swear loyalty to your master once more.”
Zeke pointed a finger at Soma and slowly lowered it.
Rumble!
A field of pressure descended upon Soma.
“Ugh!”
Soma, who had risen defiantly, couldn’t withstand the pressure and was forced to kneel again.
Zeke looked at Soma and asked, “Was it Arthur Draker who infused the Black Stage with the power of the external species?”
Soma, enduring the pressure, lifted his head and replied, “Our master gave us… an opportunity. A chance to receive the Draker name through baptism.”
The Black Stage was part of the Draker family but couldn’t bear the Draker name.
And so, Arthur Draker bestowed his name upon those among the dark legion who had successfully undergone the baptism, marking them as part of his legacy.
“My name is Souma Draker. A member of the Draker lineage and a pioneer of the new world order.”
Souma’s eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity.
Crack!
His body twisted and contorted, tentacles slipping through the chains of Solomon.
Swoosh!
The tentacles shot towards Zeke, and Souma shouted with venom.
“Die, Zeke Draker!”
But just as the tentacles were about to reach him, they halted abruptly in front of Zeke.
Souma’s eyes widened in disbelief.
‘What is this…?’
The tentacles closest to Zeke began to wither and decay, crumbling away.
“Ugh!”
The tentacles had entered the domain of Zeke’s power of decay, unable to withstand its force, they succumbed to necrosis. Despite the foreign power within them, as organic matter, they couldn’t escape the decay’s grasp.
The power of decay crept along the tentacles, reaching Souma’s core.
“Aaaargh!”
The decay spread rapidly through Souma’s body. Unlike the tentacles, his core was caught in a cycle of decay and regeneration, endlessly rotting and healing.
Souma writhed in agony, bound by chains, unable to escape the relentless pain.
“Ughhhh!”
Zeke watched Souma’s torment with a calm demeanor.
“You don’t have to speak if you don’t want to. I merely guide you through fair suffering. I won’t force you.”
Even as he spoke, Souma’s body continued its cycle of decay and regeneration. The excruciating pain was wearing down his endurance and willpower.
Eventually, Souma, gasping for breath, looked at Zeke.
Zeke, still sipping his tea, appeared utterly unbothered.
In less than thirty minutes, Souma’s resolve crumbled.
“I-I’ll talk. Just please, stop this…”
“For a so-called pioneer of a new world, your patience is lacking.”
Zeke intensified the power of decay, waiting patiently until Souma’s body was on the brink of collapse.
“Ughhhh!”
Souma, bound by chains, began to convulse, unable to endure any longer.
Seeing this, Zeke lowered his hand, reducing the power of decay.
“Hah, hah…”
Though not entirely free from decay, the lessened pain allowed Souma to regain some composure.
Zeke regarded him coolly.
“Ready to talk now?”
Souma shivered under Zeke’s emotionless gaze.
‘He’s far more terrifying than I imagined.’
Only now did he understand why Harvey Draker couldn’t hide his fear when speaking of Zeke.
Zeke addressed Souma again.
“What is Arthur Draker’s true goal? It can’t be just to summon the Demon King.”
Souma clenched his teeth, then slowly began to speak.
”…The master seeks to open a new world.”
“A new world?”
Souma’s eyes glinted with madness as he looked at Zeke.
“Yes. A completely new order, different from now. The Demon King is merely a precursor.”
Zeke pondered Souma’s words before rising from his seat.
He looked down at Souma and spoke slowly.
“Perhaps you haven’t suffered enough.”
At Zeke’s cold words, Souma flinched and quickly spoke up.
“I-It’s true. That’s the master’s goal…”
But the power of decay began to seep into Souma once more, more intense than before.
“Ughhhh!”
Zeke watched Souma’s suffering with a cruel smile.
“Don’t worry. You won’t die until you’ve told me everything. I’ll make sure of it.”