Episode 657
“Kill them all!”
Zeke scanned his surroundings, trying to make sense of the chaos. The air was thick with the roar of battle cries and the clashing of weapons.
Boom!
A magical cannon fired a shell at the sturdy walls of Himonas. As Zeke traced the trajectory, he realized it was from the Rom Empire.
“I haven’t seen those in a while.”
Just then, the shell exploded against the wall, scattering debris everywhere.
Through the breach, enemy soldiers began to climb. Northern knights rushed to meet them, shouting as they charged.
“You imperial dogs!”
With a fierce northern curse, a claymore came crashing down on the invaders.
Zeke watched, astonished.
“Imperial hounds?”
Clang!
The northern knights’ powerful strikes were met by the hounds’ defenses. The Rom Empire’s hounds were equipped with artifacts forged through dark magic, giving them an edge over the northern knights who fought with sheer physical might.
The hounds blocked the knights’ swords with shields strapped to their wrists, then countered with swift stabs to their sides.
“Ugh!”
The hounds’ blades, enchanted with various spells, pierced the thick monster-hide armor of the northern knights. Even a graze from the poisoned blades caused flesh to rot.
Zeke sensed a blade coming at him from behind.
Clang!
He swiftly parried the hound’s sword with his own, Gram. Instinctively, he shifted into a northern fighting stance, deflecting the attack and slicing at the hound’s legs.
The hounds’ armor was concentrated on their upper bodies, leaving their lower halves vulnerable.
Zeke reached for his dagger, plunging it into a gap in the fallen hound’s armor. The hound let out a final groan as its life ended.
Zeke confirmed the kill with a precise stab to the heart, then glanced at his attire.
“This is…”
He was dressed as he had been during his time in Himonas as Zeke Murray.
Quickly assessing the situation, he realized, “I’m not truly back in my past life. This must be a memory buried deep within me.”
In his past life, Zeke hadn’t been able to participate in the final battle at Himonas. He had been sent elsewhere at the request of Alicia, the Northern Grand Duke.
He had believed the fortress would hold until his return, but he was gravely mistaken. The mad emperor’s relentless forces besieged Himonas, and Alicia, true to her northern knight’s honor, took her own life in the end.
Failing to protect Alicia was one of Zeke’s deepest regrets from his past life.
He realized he was in a realm created by the twisted constellation’s influence, delving into his own subconscious.
“But why this moment?”
Himonas was the place he had considered home, the longest he had stayed anywhere in his past life. It was the first thing he thought of after his return, hoping to prevent Alicia’s death this time.
To Zeke, Himonas was a sanctuary, a place that had given him a new life. Even when he was cast out by his family, became a hitman for the cartel, or trained as a Highlander under Nigel in the Forgotten Forest, he never felt at home.
Before coming to Himonas, he was tormented and lonely. It was there, on a mission to hunt beasts, that he first met the northern knights and Alicia.
Alicia, with her powers of a grandmaster, had already transcended human limits. She was the only one who had reached out to him sincerely in his wretched past life.
When she extended her hand, he broke his oath to his master and headed north.
Life in the north wasn’t filled with warmth or happiness. The Rom Empire’s invasion had already begun, and every day was a battle.
Yet, Zeke never regretted choosing the north. It was the first place where he could relax with comrades, trust his back to them, and respect his superiors.
“The only place I considered a refuge… and I’m back at the moment it fell.”
Zeke watched the destruction of Himonas with a heavy heart. Though these were memories of a past life, they felt vivid and painful.
He turned his gaze to the tower rising above the walls.
“Alicia is there.”
Determined, Zeke began to run toward the place where he had failed to protect his liege in his past life.
Boom!
Once more, the empire’s magical cannon shook the entire wall.
Rumble!
Debris rained down with a deafening crash.
“Huff, huff.”
Without his powers or the system interface, his movements felt sluggish, as if he were truly back in his past life.
Catching his breath, he climbed the wall.
Imperial knights appeared, blocking his path.
Thud!
Zeke steadied himself, eyeing the knights in their crimson armor. Their stance was familiar.
“Dragon Slayer technique?”
These knights were none other than the Draker knights. In his past life, Abel Draker had surrendered his house to the empire, and his knights were conscripted.
Seeing the Draker knights in Rom Empire armor charging at him, Zeke gritted his teeth and charged forward.
Whoosh!
The knights’ aura-infused swords aimed for Zeke’s head.
Zeke channeled mana into Gram, converting it into aura.
Whoosh!
The clash of auras sent ripples through the air.
In his current state, without his divine power, even deflecting a single blow from a blue knight was a struggle.
“If I face them head-on, I’ll be at a disadvantage.”
Zeke calmed his breathing, relaxing his body.
He angled Gram, guiding the knight’s sword to strike as he wished.
Clang!
As the knight’s sword came at him, Zeke deflected it and unleashed his full strength.
Swoosh—
Zeke’s blade, imbued with his will, sliced through the knight’s armor at the waist.
“Ugh!”
The Draker knight in imperial armor fell with a final cry.
More knights raised their swords, charging at Zeke.
He steadied his breath, focusing his concentration.
“Just because I’m in the past doesn’t mean I have to use only past techniques.”
He executed Duke’s Gale Technique, a move he hadn’t learned in his past life.
The Gale Technique relied on physical strength rather than aura, making it feasible for past Zeke to use.
Dodging with phantom steps, Zeke slipped into their blind spots, simultaneously stabbing their vital points with his sword and dagger.
Thud!
The knights fell, unable to even scream.
Having swiftly dealt with three blue knights, Zeke resumed his advance toward the tower.
A loud commotion erupted from the top of the wall.
Boom!
The thunderous noise, like a giant rampaging, told Zeke that Alicia was there.
“This time, I will save her.”
Zeke sprinted toward where he believed Alicia to be.
But as he ran, a fierce red sword strike came at him, blocking his path.
Boom!
Zeke quickly used his full strength to deflect the attack.
Thud!
Though he managed to block it, the impact was so strong that his hand trembled.
“Such power… who could it be?”
Zeke looked up, and his eyes widened in shock.
A man in familiar Hershion armor stood before him.
Zeke recognized him immediately.
“That man…?”
The armor was unmistakably that of the goddess Theia’s Hershion.
Zeke realized the knight’s identity.
“Kain Siemens Constantinus.”
Kain, the true vessel of the abyss who had died by Zeke’s hand in his current life, had appeared.
Kain removed his helmet, meeting Zeke’s gaze.
In a commanding voice, he spoke.
“How does a mere northern knight know my name?”
Zeke didn’t respond, raising Gram once more.
In his current life, Kain had died before receiving the shadow’s blessing.
Even then, he had been a knight with power surpassing a red knight.
Now, he was likely at least as strong as a black knight.
As Zeke remained silent, Kain stepped forward, sword in hand.
“I came to hunt the northern wolf, but it seems I’ll have to deal with you first to learn more.”
Kain donned his helmet again, focusing his power into his sword.
Rumble!
A vivid red aura surged from Kain’s blade.
As Cain swung his sword at Zeke, a crimson aura extended like a whip, slicing through the air.
Whoosh!
Zeke deftly evaded the incoming aura, twisting his body at an unusual angle with the help of his Gale Step technique.
Swish!
The aura pursued him like a serpent as he retreated, forcing Zeke to channel mana into his sword, Gram.
The moment the aura materialized on his blade, Zeke countered Cain’s whip-like attack with a powerful swing of his own.
Boom!
The clash of auras erupted in a thunderous explosion that echoed all around. Yet, Cain’s red aura showed no signs of waning; instead, it relentlessly pursued Zeke with even greater tenacity.
“Damn it,” Zeke muttered to himself.
Though the Gale Step relied on physical strength, mastering it required a deep reservoir of inner energy. In his past life, Zeke’s body had been incapable of fully harnessing this power, making it impossible to use effectively.
Despite having grown stronger and even attaining divine status in his current life, Zeke’s past self had clear limitations.
“Even so, I can’t give up here,” he resolved.
Even if this was a mere shadow of the past, dying here could have unknown consequences for his soul. Determined not to surrender, Zeke continued to dodge Cain’s aura, searching for an opening.
Watching Zeke’s efforts, Cain spoke with a leisurely tone. “You’ve got quite the intriguing skill set.”
With a hint of amusement, he extended his hand toward Zeke. Light emanated from the Hersion of the goddess Theia, and ancient runes began to glow.
Zeke recognized what this meant. “Plasma Field.”
In an instant, light burst from Cain’s armor, spreading in all directions. Simultaneously, plasma currents flowed from Cain’s outstretched hand, wrapping around Zeke’s body.
“Ugh!” Zeke grunted.
He attempted to evade the plasma with his Gale Step, but his exhaustion made it impossible. The moment the plasma touched him, his muscles seized, rendering him immobile.
Then, the whip of red aura lashed out, severing Zeke’s neck.
“Kill them all!”
The roar of battle cries and the clash of weapons assaulted Zeke’s ears. He opened his eyes, bewildered.
“Where am I?”
He distinctly remembered Cain’s attack and the sensation of his head being severed. Yet, here he was, his neck intact.
“Has the power of the Immortal Body returned?”
Unsure of the situation, he tried to summon the system interface, but nothing appeared. Confused, Zeke stood there, lost in thought, until he sensed a presence approaching from behind.
Whoosh!
He dodged the attack of a hunting hound and swiftly swung Gram, decapitating it.
Thud!
Zeke realized the hound felt oddly familiar. “Could it be?”
He lifted his head and surveyed his surroundings.
Boom!
The deafening sound of cannon fire filled the air. As he watched the fortress walls crumble, Zeke understood the situation.
“Have I returned to that moment in the past?”
He had been sent back to the very beginning of his journey.