Episode 61
Zeke was left speechless by the unexpected words of the commander.
“What nonsense is this guy spouting now?”
The Delphoa Knights were practically useless in battle. Without the long-range attacks from the mage division, they were nothing more than sturdy targets for enemy arrows. Knowing this, the fact that the commander had deliberately arrived late and was now causing a scene was beyond comprehension.
As Zeke stood there, bewildered, the commander, his face flushed with anger, shouted at the top of his lungs.
“I told you to scout, not provoke the enemy! Is that how they teach you in Valhalla?”
Zeke listened silently to the commander’s tirade. Andre, who had accompanied them as a supervisor, also watched the situation unfold without intervening, curious to see how Zeke would respond.
After the commander had vented his frustration, he turned to Andre and yelled, “Take your students and leave immediately! I’ll be reporting this to Valhalla!”
Andre was taken aback by the commander’s audacity but decided to wait and see how Zeke would handle the situation. He was here to assess Zeke’s capabilities, after all.
Zeke finally spoke, his voice calm and measured. “So, does this mean our cooperation with Delphoa is over?”
The commander was momentarily flustered. “W-what did you say?”
“If that’s the case, then we’re not officially deployed here, and I see no reason to follow your orders any longer.”
The commander’s eyes widened in disbelief as Zeke took a step closer. “From now on, we’ll conduct our operations independently. I’d appreciate it if you refrained from interfering.”
“W-what! This is Delphoa territory! Who do you think you are to—”
Andre stepped in, his voice steady. “The Black Nightshade is a registered continental threat. Both Zeke and I are officially recognized knights of the Draker family, which allows us to conduct independent operations with post-mission reporting.”
The commander broke into a cold sweat as the situation spiraled out of his control. He couldn’t easily retract his words now. Clenching his teeth, he shouted, “Fine! Do whatever you want with your mission!”
With that, he retreated with the mages to the rear. Although he had initially planned to withdraw his forces, it seemed he was staying put to keep an eye on Zeke’s actions.
This left Jorge and the 8th Knight Division in a difficult position. Without the mages, they couldn’t hope to breach the fortress, and they were at a loss for what to do on their own.
Zeke approached Jorge. “Commander Jorge, may I ask you something?”
Jorge tensed up. “W-what is it?”
“I’m curious if you have any desire to capture the Black Nightshade.”
Jorge hesitated before responding, “We may not be as skilled as the knights of the Draker family, but we are knights nonetheless. What knight would stand by while a villain terrorizes our people?”
The other knights clenched their fists in agreement, and Zeke could sense their sincerity.
“If that’s the case, I have a favor to ask,” Zeke said.
“A favor?” Jorge asked, intrigued.
“Yes. I plan to infiltrate the fortress and capture the Black Nightshade.”
Jorge was taken aback. “Without the mages’ help?”
“It seems the mages have little interest in capturing the Black Nightshade,” Zeke replied.
Jorge couldn’t argue with that. For years, the mage-led task force had only engaged in small skirmishes at the fortress, and the mages had always stayed safely at the rear, casting spells half-heartedly while Jorge’s knights bore the brunt of the casualties.
“If you assist me, we can rid Delphoa of the Black Nightshade today,” Zeke assured him.
Jorge and the other knights exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
“What do you need us to do?” Jorge asked.
As night deepened, the fortress was shrouded in silence. Suddenly, the 8th Knight Division, shields in hand, took their positions in front of the fortress. They drew their swords and began to strike their shields.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The loud clamor echoed through the mountains, stirring activity within the fortress. Following Zeke’s instructions, Jorge and the knights moved around, creating a ruckus.
Soon, mercenaries holding torches appeared atop the fortress walls.
“Have they lost their minds?” one of them shouted, unleashing a volley of arrows at the knights.
Twang!
The knights skillfully blocked the arrows with their sturdy shields. Years of skirmishes with the mercenaries had honed their shield techniques to perfection.
While the knights drew attention at the front, Zeke and his team moved stealthily to the rear of the fortress. They had already extracted information about a hidden passage leading inside.
Leading his team, Zeke approached the passage quietly. He scaled the fortress wall with agility, silently dispatching a mercenary and opening the gate.
Diego and Aster were impressed by Zeke’s efficiency.
“Zeke, you’re terrifying!” Diego whispered.
“Man, I should’ve stayed in school,” Aster muttered.
With various thoughts running through their minds, the team followed Zeke into the fortress.
Then, suddenly—
Thud, thud, thud!
A figure on horseback burst out from within the fortress. Zeke, enhancing his vision, recognized the rider’s face.
“The Black Nightshade!”
The face matched the wanted poster they had studied before the mission. Zeke turned to Andre. “I’ll pursue him. Stir things up inside and open the main gate. Once you send up the signal flare, the mages won’t hold out much longer.”
Andre nodded, and Zeke took off after the fleeing Black Nightshade.
Whoosh!
Outside the fortress, Zeke summoned Bucephalus. “Bucephalus, let’s catch him.”
Bucephalus, a legendary steed and king among horses, moved with incredible speed, galloping over the terrain as if it were flat ground. In no time, they were closing in on the Black Nightshade.
As Zeke drew near, the Black Nightshade turned and fired a crossbow bolt at him.
Twang!
Zeke deflected the arrow with his dragon-scale armor. Drawing Bahamut, he closed in on the Black Nightshade and swung his sword.
Crash!
The weight of Bahamut, imbued with Zeke’s strength, knocked the Black Nightshade off his horse.
Whoosh!
Zeke dismounted and approached the fallen Black Nightshade. “In a hurry to go somewhere?”
The Black Nightshade quickly got to his feet, drawing a serrated sword. As an outlaw, he wielded an unusual weapon, relying on unorthodox techniques.
Unfazed, Zeke adjusted his grip on Bahamut and taunted, “Come at me.”
Whoosh!
The Black Nightshade lunged low, swinging his serrated blade.
Clang!
Zeke’s sword, charged with his power, deflected the attack. The Black Nightshade winced, his wrist stinging from the impact.
“You’re not from Delphoa. Who are you?” he demanded.
Zeke replied calmly, “Does it matter?”
The Black Nightshade spat something at Zeke.
Ssssh!
A cloud of venomous sand flew toward Zeke’s face.
[Desert Scorpion venom detected.]
[Immune due to the Hundred Poisons Immunity trait.]
The venom, used by desert assassins, could paralyze on contact. True to his outlaw nature, the Black Nightshade had many tricks up his sleeve.
Zeke brushed off the sand and advanced slowly. The Black Nightshade was startled by Zeke’s immunity to his poison.
“Where are you from? The Sandlands? Or the southern border?”
“You’re quite curious,” Zeke remarked, showing no intention of answering as he swung his sword.
Crash!
The Black Nightshade, overwhelmed by Zeke’s strength, lost his balance and tumbled to the ground.
“If he’s registered as a continental threat, he should be at least a Blue Knight level. Is he hiding his true strength?”
Zeke approached the fallen Black Nightshade cautiously.
Then—
Swish, swish!
Hidden projectiles shot toward Zeke. Dozens of tiny needles, nearly invisible, rained down on him.
Protected by his dragon-scale armor, Zeke deflected the needles but pretended to be hit.
“Ugh!”
As Zeke staggered back, the Black Nightshade sprang to his feet, adopting a completely different stance.
Vwoom!
An aura blade surged from the Black Nightshade’s sword. He had indeed been concealing his true abilities.
Zeke recognized the technique immediately. “Imperial swordsmanship. From the intelligence division, no less.”
Whoosh!
The Black Nightshade charged at Zeke, aiming to slice his throat with a swift strike.
Just as the blade was about to touch Zeke’s neck, a crackling sound filled the air.
Zap!
The Black Yacha was overwhelmed by the electric shock coursing through his body.
“Argh!”
Zeke had activated an electric skill on his sword, Bahamut, and plunged it into the Black Yacha.
Zap!
The Black Yacha convulsed on the ground, electricity sparking off him. The mask that had concealed his face burned away, revealing his true features.
“He’s younger than I thought,” Zeke mused, slowly getting to his feet.
But something was wrong with the Black Yacha. He was foaming at the mouth, eyes rolled back, body shaking violently.
“Damn it!” Zeke cursed, momentarily forgetting how ruthless the Empire’s intelligence agents could be. He quickly pulled out an antidote potion and poured it into the Black Yacha’s mouth.
“Ugh!”
Fortunately, the poison hadn’t fully spread, and the antidote neutralized it. Zeke followed up with a healing potion, forcing it down the man’s throat.
As the Black Yacha, now forcibly revived, tried to bite his tongue, Zeke dislocated his jaw to prevent it.
“Ugh…”
Zeke looked at him and said, “I’m curious why an intelligence agent is causing chaos in Delphoa under the guise of a public enemy.”
At the mention of the intelligence agency, the Black Yacha’s face turned pale. His identity as a secret agent was top secret. He needed to end his life quickly.
Zeke shook his head knowingly. “You don’t get to die just because you want to. Tell me something worthwhile, and maybe I’ll let you.”
Despair filled the Black Yacha’s eyes as he realized Zeke was a professional in this dark art.
Dragging the paralyzed man into a nearby cave, Zeke drew a dagger. “You’re probably used to conventional torture.”
He charged the dagger with electricity. “But this will be a first.”
Zap!
Zeke repeatedly cut into the Black Yacha with the electrified dagger, healing him with potions only to start again. Death was not an option, and whenever he seemed about to lose consciousness, Zeke revived him with another potion.
It was hell.
Eventually, the Black Yacha couldn’t withstand the interrogation any longer and surrendered.
“Ready to talk now?” Zeke asked.
The Black Yacha nodded. Once Zeke reset his jaw, he moved it a few times before speaking slowly.
“What do you want to know?”
“Let’s start with who you are and what you were doing here.”
The Black Yacha hesitated, glancing at the electrified dagger, and broke into a cold sweat before speaking again.
“I’m an agent from the Empire’s Intelligence Bureau, Section 13.”
“Section 13? I thought the Bureau only had up to Section 12. So there’s a special section for undercover agents like you.”
The Black Yacha was shocked. Very few within the Empire even knew about the twelve sections.
Zeke pressed on relentlessly. “So, what were you doing here, agent?”
The Black Yacha replied, “Conducting an experiment.”
“An experiment? What kind?”
He took a deep breath and said, “An experiment on stimulants.”