Episode 648
Arthur Draker looked at the young knight who had just called him “father” and spoke.
“So, how is Zeke Draker doing these days?”
A faint smile played on Arthur Draker’s lips as he mentioned Zeke’s name.
The knight in the white uniform hesitated for a moment before responding.
“He has left Atlas and is crossing the continent westward.”
Arthur Draker’s eyebrows twitched at the knight’s words.
“He’s traveling by land instead of using a portal?”
The knight nodded in confirmation.
“Yes, he’s moving overland, not through a portal.”
Arthur Draker fell into deep thought upon hearing this.
“Hmm, I expected him to come straight here after receiving my message, but he’s taking the long way around by land…”
Most people rarely defied his expectations.
But Zeke Draker was different.
‘Zeke, that boy has always been unpredictable.’
From the moment he was born, Zeke had been an “out-of-the-box” existence, defying Arthur Draker’s expectations, which is why Arthur had kept a close eye on him.
Initially, he thought Zeke was worthless, but at some point, Zeke began to show a completely different side, growing rapidly, making it necessary for Arthur to keep watch.
‘I know he inherited the legacy of the Elder Dragon. But there’s something else about him.’
The child destined to be a savior, whom Laura Agamemnon had tried to protect until the end.
When Arthur Draker first encountered the infant Zeke, he could have easily ended his life.
But he didn’t.
Perhaps he hoped this child might fill the last missing piece in his own life.
So he gave a name to the prophesied child Laura had hidden and brought him into the family.
That child, cursed with the name Zeke, grew up to become his greatest adversary.
Arthur Draker smiled, recalling Zeke charging at him with a sword, filled with hatred and anger.
“I don’t know what you’re planning, but… Zeke, come quickly. I’m waiting.”
He murmured, then turned to the knight.
“Continue to monitor Zeke Draker’s movements and report back to me.”
The knight bowed deeply in response to Arthur’s command.
Soon, Arthur Draker’s form shimmered and dissolved, leaving no trace behind.
The knight, left alone in the grave of swords, raised his head and looked at the Draker family sword embedded in the ground.
As he gazed at the sword, the air shimmered, and the landscape of the sword grave vanished.
Sssss—
The scenery around the young knight changed completely.
He now stood in a grand hall made of white marble, surrounded by hundreds of knights in white uniforms.
Before them stood a podium, and atop it was a massive sword statue.
The young knight who had stood before Arthur Draker rose and turned to the others, shouting.
“Our father has spoken!”
At his voice, the knights in white uniforms lifted their heads, focusing on his words.
He shouted again.
“Kill Zeke Draker! Prove that we are our father’s children!”
At the young knight’s words, a fiery determination ignited in the eyes of the uniformed knights.
He turned back to the sword statue, extending his hand.
“Slay the remnants of the old generation! Prove our existence as the true sons of the gods!”
As he finished speaking, those assembled behind him echoed his words.
“Prove it! Prove it!”
The frenzied chant reverberated throughout the hall.
Thud, thud, thud!
Zeke rode Bucephalus, crossing westward toward the Principality of Troy.
Though he could have reached Troy directly using the system portal, he deliberately chose the land route.
He wanted to scout locations to establish defensive lines and strategically place the mobile fortresses of the three demon princesses.
Having formed an alliance with the demon lords, he could summon their forces to the material world by expending karma, if he so wished.
However, since he still didn’t know Mephistopheles’ true intentions, he aimed to fortify defenses with the forces he had.
‘The north has the knights of Himonas and the barbarians, and with Alicia awakening Fenrir’s power, it should be sufficient.’
Alicia, who had awakened the power to grow stronger by consuming through the Wolf Fang Sword, was rapidly becoming more powerful.
Additionally, with the barbarians and the defensive mode of the Giant’s Tower, defending the north seemed feasible.
In the central region, they were quickly regrouping around Atlas.
The allied forces, once isolated by the beasts, had safely entered Atlas, and with the portal restored, they could procure supplies and stabilize quickly.
The three transcendent families, including Nirvana of Aten and Ishtar of the southern desert, as well as the Holy Kingdom, were all stepping up to support the central region and the central kingdom.
It was a situation that offered some reassurance. And at the heart of this stabilization of the central continent was none other than Mycenae.
Mycenae was the only city that had initially blocked the beasts’ entry and had the capacity to aid surrounding cities and kingdoms.
The presence of experienced commanders and knights familiar with fighting the beasts seemed to have made a significant impact.
Zeke was sending military supplies produced in the southern islands to Mycenae and Atlas to prepare for the next war.
While the situation was somewhat under control, the movements of the Celestials remained a concern.
‘No matter how thoroughly we prepare, we are powerless against the might of the angels descended by the Celestials.’
The Celestials of the heavenly realm, who had found a way to descend into the material world by exploiting twisted causality, intended to destroy this world, collect the accumulated karma, and create a new civilization.
And behind Arthur Draker stood Apollyon, the sun god, the pinnacle of the Celestials.
If they couldn’t stop Arthur Draker, who was essentially Apollyon’s avatar, no amount of preparation would prevent the end.
‘We must eliminate Arthur Draker and ensure the Celestials cannot interfere with the material world.’
With this resolve, he pressed on toward his destination.
Upon reaching the Principality of Troy, Zeke dismounted and gazed at the forested mountain.
It was the entrance to the mountain range leading to the Giant’s Mountains in the north.
Zeke retrieved the key left by Arthur Draker from his inventory.
He read the karma data embedded in the key.
―Final Scenario (Temple of ???)―
[Find the Temple of the ??? Celestial.]
[Scenario Reward: Bestowal of Celestial Power]
A map appeared alongside the message.
‘This way.’
The map indicated a location left by Arthur Draker.
Zeke began climbing the mountain toward the marked location.
Whoosh—
Zeke, who had surpassed the level of a Grand Master, moved with a speed incomparable to ordinary knights.
In no time, he traversed the dense forest and reached the location marked on the map.
‘What is this?’
As he neared the marked location, Zeke sensed an unusual energy.
When he tried to advance further, he felt an invisible barrier instinctively blocking him.
It was a unique domain, similar to what he had felt when encountering a divine beast.
Ordinary people would have unconsciously veered away, unable to perceive the domain’s barrier.
Zeke reached out toward the barrier blocking him.
Crackle!
A powerful repulsion tried to push his hand away.
Zeke quietly murmured.
“Raven.”
Immediately, the phoenix Raven appeared on his shoulder.
Rumble!
Now as large as an eagle, Raven spread its wings and approached the domain’s barrier.
Buzz!
Raven’s wings turned white as it began absorbing the power forming the barrier.
Crackle!
As Raven absorbed the domain’s power, the repulsion blocking Zeke weakened.
Zeke waited for a moment, then slipped through the gap in the barrier.
Sssss—
Inside the domain, Zeke’s eyes widened at what lay hidden within.
‘This is…’
It was the very cave he had seen in Rex’s memories.
‘Arthur and his group had set up a base camp here before exploring the dungeon.’
Zeke examined the path leading up from the cave.
The location marked on the key’s map pointed precisely to that spot.
Zeke and Raven ascended the path above the cave.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Zeke reached the top and was astonished by the sight before him.
A colossal cave unfolded before his eyes.
At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke.
[You have arrived at the designated location.]
[Karma data is being updated.]
[Uninterpretable message is being decoded.]
The question marks from the previous message were decoded and reappeared before him.
―Final Scenario (Temple of the Twisted Celestial)―
[Find the Temple of the Twisted Celestial.]
[Scenario Reward: Bestowal of Celestial Power]
‘Temple of the Twisted Celestial?’
Zeke’s eyes filled with questions as he read the message.
The term “Twisted Celestial” was new to him.
Even in the apocrypha, such an expression did not exist.
‘Twisted Celestial… Could it be related to the twisted causality?’
Given the circumstances, the dark matter creating the twisted causality seemed linked to Apollyon, the sun god.
In past memories, Zeke had witnessed Arthur Draker obtaining a new heart from dark matter in the Temple of the Twisted Celestial and being resurrected.
“So, the Sun God Apollyon is a twisted constellation, is he?”
Zeke figured he’d have to venture inside to find out for sure.
After sending Raven, perched on his shoulder, back to the dimensional boundary, Zeke slowly made his way into the gaping maw of the enormous cave, which resembled the jaws of a monster.
Having explored countless dungeons in his past life, navigating the cave’s depths posed little challenge for Zeke.
“Nothing out of the ordinary so far.”
He had been walking for a while when he suddenly heard an unsettling noise from deeper within the cave.
A low, rumbling growl echoed through the cavern.
Zeke immediately drew his sword, Levatein, and stood on guard.
Soon, he saw something approaching from the opposite direction.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A beast, similar in appearance to the Outsiders he had seen in Rex’s memories, emerged from the shadows.
The creature, sensing the presence of an intruder, craned its neck and scanned the cave. Tentacles sprouted from its body, writhing and reaching out in all directions as if they had minds of their own.
“No need to make a fuss.”
Zeke decided to take down the beast quietly, gathering his strength in silence.
Shadows began to stretch out from beneath his feet.
As the shadows reached the beast’s feet, Zeke clenched his fist.
In an instant, black blades shot out from the shadows, piercing the creature’s body.
With a swift, decisive strike, the blades sliced through the beast’s tough hide, severing its head before it could even react.
The creature’s body, impaled by the shadowy blades, seemed to dissolve into the darkness.
Zeke glanced at the karma points he gained from absorbing the Outsider beast and was taken aback.
“The points are much higher than those from regular beasts. Have they been lingering in this temple for so long that they’ve changed somehow?”
Having dealt with the Outsider beast quietly, Zeke pressed further into the cave.
More beasts appeared along the way, but he dispatched them in the same silent manner, quickly making his way deeper inside.
Eventually, he came upon a corridor built in the orcish architectural style he had seen in Rex’s memories.
“Strange, there are no beasts here.”
As he walked slowly down the familiar corridor, a massive door loomed before him.
The emblem of the sun and sword.
It was the very place where Arthur Draker had been resurrected in his past memories.