Episode 668
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Tuma tribe, having regained their fighting spirit, unleashed their formidable power.
The Yekaterina unit, bolstered by the arrogant savior’s treasures, charged directly at the colossal beast.
Roar!
The massive creature attempted to attack Yekaterina and the Tuma tribe with a flurry of feathers.
Unlike before, when they were paralyzed by fear, they now soared through the plasma storm, deftly dodging the feathers.
“Attack!”
At Yekaterina’s command, a crimson aura surged from the Tuma tribe’s horns, and they launched their concentrated energy at the beast.
Boom!
The Tuma tribe’s attack, enhanced by the eyes of the god of destruction, pierced through the plasma shield and struck the beast’s eye.
Roar!
For the first time, the beast retaliated, spreading its wings to shield its eyes.
Then, Yekaterina raised her sword high, channeling energy skyward.
“Haaah!”
With a powerful swing, she brought the sword down, slicing through the beast’s wings.
Crack!
The severed wings fell to the ground, revealing the beast’s eyes once more, prompting the Tuma tribe to unleash another barrage of attacks.
Crash!
The relentless assault shattered the beast’s eyes, and with its strength depleted, it plummeted to the ground.
Watching the beast fall into the plasma storm, Yekaterina wore a confident smile and let out a triumphant shout.
Her fellow Tuma warriors echoed her battle cry.
But then, Zeke approached Yekaterina and spoke quietly.
“It’s too soon to celebrate.”
As Zeke finished speaking, something ominous approached from beyond the storm.
Rumble!
Soon, several beasts, similar in form to the one they had just defeated, emerged.
Yekaterina tightened her grip on her sword, her fighting spirit undeterred.
However, Zeke raised a hand to stop her from charging recklessly.
Fueled by her fighting spirit, she roared at Zeke.
“Step aside! I’ll cut them down with my sword!”
“Yekaterina, calm yourself. Wait.”
Surprisingly, Zeke’s firm words brought Yekaterina back to her senses.
Regaining her composure, she realized the number of beasts emerging from the storm was alarming.
“Ten? No… perhaps even more.”
Zeke, observing the now-calm Yekaterina, spoke.
“As a commander, you must always maintain your fighting spirit but also assess the situation calmly. Only then can you minimize casualties.”
Though reluctant, Yekaterina couldn’t deny the wisdom of Zeke, the supreme ruler.
As she grappled with her instinctive urge to follow Zeke’s advice, a change occurred in the mobile fortress.
Rumble!
The fortress’s side opened, revealing a powerful magic cannon.
It had been enhanced by Hades, Phaenon, and Gelion.
Elizabeta had inscribed it with aggressive demonic magic circuits.
Whirrr!
As potent magic gathered at the cannon’s muzzle, it fired at the approaching beasts.
Boom!
Hundreds of compressed magic shells pierced the beasts’ shields and wings, striking their vulnerable eyes.
Roar!
The beasts, now tattered, plummeted to the ground.
While the first row of cannons reloaded, the second row continued firing.
Hades, Phaenon, and Gelion had arranged the cannons in three rows to allow continuous firing.
Boom!
The relentless barrage of magic shells prevented the beasts from approaching the fortress, leaving them riddled with holes as they fell.
Watching this, Yekaterina had to admit that without proper preparation, even the most skilled warriors of the demon realm would have struggled against the beasts.
“A human recognized as a grand lord by other grand lords.”
Yekaterina couldn’t help but acknowledge Zeke’s true strength.
It wasn’t mere submission; it was a deep-seated respect that resonated from her soul.
Bowing her head to Zeke, she spoke sincerely.
“Forgive my past insolence, O fair guide of pain.”
Not only Yekaterina but the other Tuma warriors also showed reverence to Zeke, the formidable outsider.
Zeke addressed Yekaterina and the Tuma tribe.
“Stronger beasts await us on the forsaken continent. Yekaterina, as a commander, remain vigilant.”
Clap, clap, clap!
At that moment, applause came from behind Zeke.
Anastasia appeared, smiling warmly at Zeke and Yekaterina.
“It pleases me as a father to see you getting along with my second child.”
It was Mephistopheles, inhabiting the body of the avatar Anastasia.
Yekaterina tensed and bowed at the sudden appearance of the demon duke.
Mephistopheles, uninterested in Yekaterina, addressed Zeke.
“You’ve heeded my advice well, Zeke Draker.”
Zeke, still wary of the contract-bound demon, replied with displeasure.
“Don’t be mistaken, Mephistopheles. I didn’t come here solely because of your advice.”
Mephistopheles responded with an amused smile.
“It doesn’t matter why. As long as I can prevent the demon king’s soul from drifting to the celestial realm, that’s enough for me.”
But Zeke didn’t trust Mephistopheles’ words.
He wasn’t naive enough to believe the words of an old demon who hid his schemes within contracts.
Zeke narrowed his eyes at Mephistopheles.
“Why are you here? Using karma here will leave you vulnerable to other grand lords.”
The grand lords of the demon realm were both allies and rivals, always eyeing each other’s territories.
Yet Mephistopheles merely grinned at Zeke’s concern.
“Haven’t you heard the news?”
With a snap of his fingers, the space around Zeke and Mephistopheles transformed.
They stood in Mephistopheles’ domain, a realm of countless mirrors.
The demon duke, in Anastasia’s form, continued with a smile.
“Abyss and Gehenna are now part of our Pandemonium’s domain.”
Zeke was taken aback by Mephistopheles’ revelation.
“Did Baal, Agares, and Asmodeus, who fought over Abyss, lose to Mephistopheles?”
Each of them was a formidable grand lord. It was hard to believe they had all been defeated by Mephistopheles at once.
Zeke realized Mephistopheles had a hidden agenda.
After a moment of thought, he looked at Mephistopheles with a sharp gaze.
“Did you ally with Beelzebub to subjugate Baal, Agares, and Asmodeus?”
Mephistopheles responded with a pleased expression.
“Indeed, you understand.”
Mephistopheles had joined forces with Beelzebub, the master of the Abyss, to subjugate Baal, Agares, and Asmodeus, seizing their territories.
“I thought the grand lords’ meeting was to strengthen alliances, but I expected too much from a demon.”
Mephistopheles shook his head.
“Fair guide of pain, you’re mistaken. The Abyssal Overseer and I have aided you.”
Zeke furrowed his brow at Mephistopheles’ words.
“Are you saying Baal, Agares, and Asmodeus broke the contract to resurrect the demon king?”
Mephistopheles clapped his hands and nodded.
“Exactly. Contracts are sacred, aren’t they?”
Zeke finally understood Mephistopheles’ intentions.
“You involved me, granting the title of grand lord, to prevent the demon king’s resurrection. You allied with Beelzebub to justify restraining the three dissenting grand lords.”
In the demon realm, where karma’s constraints were stricter than the celestial realm’s, justification was crucial.
Mephistopheles, with his power to manipulate karma through contracts, had seized the opportunity to restrict the three grand lords’ souls and, with Beelzebub, attacked their territories.
Zeke addressed Mephistopheles.
“The demon king’s soul was bait, and Abyss and Gehenna were your true targets.”
“I won’t deny it. But protecting the demon king’s soul is also important.”
He pointed skyward as he spoke.
“The damn bastard up there is wreaking havoc on the physical world, and every time the world is restructured, the realm of demons becomes more unstable. As more lost civilizations flow into the abyss, the demon world is reaching its saturation point.”
Zeke realized that Mephistopheles was genuinely interested in maintaining the current state of affairs rather than bringing about the end.
This was because the absolute law of the primordial light dictated that with each cycle of destruction and reconstruction, the fragile demon realm was at greater risk of collapse.
Mephistopheles, possessing Anastasia’s body, approached Zeke slowly and spoke again.
“And there’s one more thing, another proposal I want to make to you, Zeke Draker.”
Zeke eyed Mephistopheles with suspicion, wary of yet another contract being offered.
Mephistopheles shook his head.
“It’s not a bad offer, I assure you.”
“I’m not foolish enough to take a demon’s word at face value.”
On the surface, it seemed like a reasonable deal, but who knew what traps lay hidden beneath?
Mephistopheles continued, “While subjugating Asmodeus, I discovered something. That fellow was in cahoots with Arthur Draker.”
Zeke furrowed his brow at Mephistopheles’ revelation.
“Arthur Draker and Asmodeus were connected?”
Asmodeus, the unyielding lord of lust and former ruler of Gehenna, was a formidable archdemon commanding the likes of Mammon, Belial, and others. The idea that Arthur Draker, the avatar of the sun god Apollyon, was secretly collaborating with such a demon was astonishing.
Mephistopheles looked at Zeke and said, “I’ve learned something about Arthur Draker through Asmodeus. It might be of great importance to you.”
With a devilish grin, Mephistopheles probed Zeke’s thoughts.
For Zeke, who was nearing the endgame, any information about Arthur Draker could be advantageous.
The problem was that the information was in Mephistopheles’ hands.
As Zeke hesitated, Mephistopheles leaned in, his violet eyes gleaming.
“Zeke Draker, I actually want to give you this information about Arthur Draker to build our trust. The condition I propose is not difficult. It’s practically a gift.”
Zeke grew even more cautious at the idea of receiving valuable information about Arthur Draker for such a light condition.
‘What is he really after?’
Aware that Mephistopheles was setting a trap, Zeke decided to hear him out.
“What are the terms?”
Mephistopheles’ eyes sparkled as he replied without hesitation.
“To have children with my daughters. That’s my proposal.”