Episode 634
Zeke grasped the control crystal of the Ark, channeling his energy into it.
A deep hum resonated as a golden aura flowed from his body into the crystal.
Instantly, the entire Ark was bathed in a golden light, radiating a purifying energy.
The purifying force spread across the skies of Atlas, causing the monstrous creatures touched by the golden aura to emit black smoke and screech in agony.
Smaller beasts couldn’t withstand the aura’s power, bursting apart or plummeting to the ground, trailing dark ichor. Winged creatures, slightly larger, either fled the skies above Atlas or descended rapidly to the ground.
However, those that had infiltrated the city of Atlas found themselves facing the Guardians waiting below.
From atop the city walls, Hercules unleashed a volley of orichalcum arrows at the beasts.
Even a mere graze from these arrows, imbued with purifying power, was enough to obliterate the creatures.
Soon, the streets of Atlas were littered with the corpses of the fallen beasts, but not for long.
Within the defense mode’s range, the bodies were swiftly absorbed into the shadows, converting into karma points for Zeke, fortifying the defensive barriers.
With this newfound strength, Zeke considered reinforcing other defense zones remotely.
He quickly checked the list of areas linked to the defense mode.
―Defense Zone List―
Zeke decided to bolster the defenses of the Fortress of Atrahasis in Mycenae, the Tower of the Giants in the Barbarians’ domain, and the Tower of Infinity in Nirvana.
Soon, thick walls and magical cannons were installed in the designated zones, repelling the invading beasts.
The magical cannons, installed in the defense zones, swiftly eliminated the approaching creatures, each defeat adding to Zeke’s karma points.
With the amassed points, Zeke enhanced the strength of the Shadow Legion and the Guardians, granting them new skills.
Once the defense mode had stabilized the situation, Zeke infused the purifying power with the authority of complete restoration, spreading it across Atlas.
The golden light healed the wounded citizens, knights, and soldiers of Atlas. Minor injuries vanished instantly, and damaged bodies were restored to their original state.
The sudden restoration of strength left everyone in awe of the miracle.
“It’s a miracle.”
“The gods have sent their messenger to save us.”
To those who had been in despair, the golden Ark appeared as a divine envoy sent to rescue them.
With the situation in Atlas somewhat stabilized, Zeke directed the Ark towards the colossal beast harboring the cocoon of an angel.
As the Ark approached, the giant beast reacted defensively, undergoing another transformation.
New creatures emerged from the beast’s body, resembling massive starfish, their sharp teeth bared as they attempted to latch onto the Ark.
At that moment, the Ark’s side opened, revealing a long magical cannon.
The cannon unleashed a powerful beam, slicing through the attacking creatures.
The beasts disintegrated into ash before they could even reach the Ark.
The Ark, firing its magical cannons in all directions, steadily advanced towards the whale-like giant beast.
In response, the beast extended its tentacles, attempting to ensnare the Ark.
Zeke placed his hand on the control crystal, summoning the power of the Holy Spirit.
Electricity crackled across the Ark, sending a fierce current towards the approaching tentacles.
The electric surge traveled along the tentacles, reaching the beast’s main body.
The beast let out a pained roar, but Zeke’s assault was far from over.
He retrieved an elemental stone of ice from his inventory.
Placing the stone on the control device, the Ark recognized it, displaying a message.
[The Ark has detected an Elemental Stone.]
[Linking the Elemental Stone with the Ark’s main cannon.]
The stone began to glow with a blue light, and Zeke issued a command to the system.
“System, target the main cannon.”
The Ark’s front opened, revealing a crystal cannon crafted from orichalcum and fairy stone.
[Targeting the main cannon at the objective.]
The crystal cannon locked onto the cocoon at the center of the giant beast.
Zeke, seeing the cocoon clearly through the Ark’s linked vision, shouted his command.
“Fire the main cannon!”
The elemental energy surged into the crystal, amplified through the orichalcum.
Sensing the impending danger, the giant beast began to retreat from the skies of Atlas.
But the Ark’s main cannon was faster.
A beam of blue light shot forth from the crystal, freezing the tentacles it touched, shattering them into pieces.
The amplified power of the elemental stone, combined with the Ark, exceeded Zeke’s expectations.
The tentacles, frozen solid, ceased all movement.
The blue light continued its path, piercing through the beast’s protective barrier.
The main cannon’s target was the cocoon attached to the giant beast.
Zeke intended to freeze and destroy the cocoon before the angel of doom could hatch.
The beast desperately tried to close its shell to block the freezing light, but the cannon’s speed was unmatched.
Before the shell could fully close, the blue light froze the beast’s interior.
Though the shell managed to protect the cocoon, the areas directly hit by the light were frozen and necrotized.
The frozen shell fragments broke away, plummeting to the ground.
The giant beast, now missing half its shell and its protective barrier, staggered, unable to maintain its balance.
Zeke prepared for a second strike.
He retrieved a drum and horn from his inventory, items imbued with the power of Gusion, the relentless arbiter of the demon realm and leader of the Tuma tribe.
Gusion’s authority, befitting the leader of a tribe that worships battle, was formidable.
The drum could summon earthquakes and magma, while the horn could call down meteors.
Zeke had enhanced these items with the Ark, allowing their use in any large-scale battlefield.
He linked the drum and horn to the Ark’s system.
The power of the artifacts, amplified by the Ark, unleashed a red aura.
An earthquake shook the ground where the beasts gathered, followed by magma erupting from the fissures.
It wasn’t just any magma.
Summoned from the treacherous depths of the Abyss, the magma of the demon realm engulfed the monstrous beasts.
Screeeeech!
Even creatures with the power of otherworldly beings couldn’t regenerate once the infernal magma consumed them, melting away into nothingness.
Sizzle!
Magma erupted like fountains from all directions, flowing like rivers, causing the beasts to panic and scatter in a desperate attempt to escape.
But waiting for them was the undead legion, unyielding and relentless.
Clatter! Clatter!
The undead swung their bone swords at the beasts fleeing the magma.
Thwack!
Unlike ordinary human soldiers, the undead could regenerate and continue fighting as long as they had magic to sustain them.
Within the defense zone, the undead legion received a steady supply of magic from Zeke, allowing them to resurrect endlessly.
They had truly become an army of the undying.
As the beasts found themselves trapped between the magma and the undead, an ominous change unfolded in the sky.
Rumble!
The sky turned a deep crimson, and a blinding light flashed, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
Soon, meteors engulfed in flames began to rain down from above.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The massive meteors crashed into the beasts’ territory, crushing them before they could even mount a defense.
The fragmented remains of the creatures tried to reassemble, but as they writhed and merged, magma surged from the ground, dissolving them completely.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Even the colossal beast hovering in the air couldn’t evade the fiery meteors.
Crack!
Its protective barrier shattered, and half of its shell was blown away, leaving it defenseless against the onslaught.
Kaboom!
A meteor struck the remaining shell, triggering a massive explosion.
Unable to withstand the impact, the giant beast plummeted to the ground.
Crash!
As the earth split open with the eruption of magma, the fallen beast crushed the creatures beneath it, leaving them no chance to escape.
Crumble—
The fallen giant extended its tentacles, attempting to erect a temporary barrier against the falling meteors.
Boom! Boom!
But stopping the fiery, explosive meteors from all sides was no easy task.
From the floating ark, lightning bolts continued to strike down, while magic cannons on the fortress walls fired relentlessly at the beasts.
Though a massive black portal in the sky kept spewing out more creatures, they were often obliterated by the ark’s magic cannons before they could fully emerge.
To the beasts invading Atlas, Zeke and his ark were nothing short of a cataclysm.
Yet, even amidst the chaos, the giant beast remained steadfast in its mission to protect and hatch the cocoon.
Crack! Crack!
The cocoon, now over ten meters tall, pulsed more vigorously than before, signaling that the hatching was imminent.
And then it happened.
Vwoooom!
Two glowing swords appeared before the cocoon.
Zeke emerged from the shadows, leading with the floating swords, his eyes sharp and focused on the pulsating cocoon.
In unison, the two swords blazed with light and flew toward the cocoon.