Episode 684

Zeke furrowed his brow as he observed Arthur Draker, who had taken possession of Rivaine’s body.

The celestial beings, bound by the constraints of karma, couldn’t descend directly into the physical realm. They had to interfere through avatars. Yet, Arthur Draker had somehow managed to inhabit Rivaine as if he were one of those celestial beings.

Finding a suitable avatar for a celestial being was no easy task. However, within the Apollyon Order, anyone could transform into Rivaine, Arthur Draker’s avatar. In essence, Arthur Draker had hundreds of powerful avatars at his disposal.

“Or perhaps thousands, even tens of thousands,” Zeke mused.

The Apollyon Order shared all knowledge and experience, meaning Arthur Draker’s power would only grow as their numbers increased.

As Zeke pondered this, Arthur Draker, speaking through Rivaine, broke the silence.

“Zeke Draker, you never cease to amaze me.”

Arthur’s gaze was fixed on Zeke’s sword, Gram, which had absorbed two shadow swords. He couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“You’ve done the impossible—merging uncontrollable shadow swords and absorbing them into your blade, mastering them completely.”

Zeke realized that Arthur Draker’s sudden appearance was due to his interest in Gram.

“Is it really that extraordinary for Gram to have absorbed the shadow swords?” Zeke wondered, sensing there was something he didn’t know.

Arthur Draker finally turned his gaze from Gram to Zeke. “That sword… I’ve never seen anything like it. How did you come by it?”

Zeke frowned at Arthur’s question. “You don’t actually expect me to answer that, do you?”

Arthur shook his head. “I understand. But this is of great importance.”

Zeke, having never seen Arthur so fixated on something, saw an opportunity to uncover a potential weakness. He pressed further.

“Why is this sword so important to you?”

Arthur, still possessing Rivaine, smiled and extended his hand. A new sword emerged, mirroring the ashen hue of Arthur’s hair—his personal weapon, Caliburn.

“Zeke, do you know what this sword truly is?” Arthur asked, presenting Caliburn.

Despite the unexpected situation, Zeke examined the sword calmly, sensing a strange aura emanating from it.

”…It feels like a twisted causality. Is it made of dark matter?”

Arthur shook his head. “No, the twisted causality is my doing. It’s necessary to wield this sword.”

Suddenly, Caliburn began to transform. Black patterns, like tree roots, spread across the ashen blade.

Zeke realized the true nature of Caliburn. “A shadow sword.”

Caliburn was akin to the shadow swords Caladbolg and Caledfwlch. As the black patterns spread, the ashen hue diminished, and the sword’s power became palpable.

Zeke recognized that this power was different from the devouring force of gluttony.

“What is this…?”

As the energy from the sword intensified, black roots extended to Rivaine’s hand. Arthur quickly used the power of twisted causality to control the sword’s energy.

The sword reverted to its ashen color, and the mysterious aura Zeke had sensed dissipated.

Arthur, observing Caliburn’s return to normal, turned to Zeke. “Without the twisted causality, even I struggle to control it. Though there’s a difference in caliber between my Caliburn and your shadow swords, your mastery over them is remarkable.”

Arthur’s eyes gleamed with greed, intent on claiming Gram for himself.

Zeke, noticing Arthur’s desire, spoke slowly. “Do you want this sword, Arthur Draker?”

Arthur, still possessing Rivaine, laughed heartily. “It would be foolish to deny it now. Yes, I want that sword desperately. With it, I could achieve what I’ve long desired.”

A crimson light flared in Rivaine’s eyes, and his armor glowed with a similar hue, sprouting eight wings from his back. The armor, unlike the demonic armor Rivaine had worn earlier, resembled the ancient Hersion excavated from the Rom Empire—solid and imposing.

Arthur, wielding both Jahak and Caliburn, spoke to Zeke with a fierce gaze. “I try to restrain myself, but seeing you, Zeke, ignites a fighting spirit I can’t suppress. You possess everything I’ve ever wanted.”

With those words, Arthur launched himself at Zeke, wings unfurled.

It was as if a crimson storm was bearing down on Zeke. He raised Gram, unleashing an elemental wind barrier to repel Arthur’s onslaught.

But Arthur pierced through the wind barrier, his sword Jahak glowing with a destructive force intent on annihilation. The strike aimed to cleave Zeke in two.

As the wind barrier shattered, Zeke donned the Hersion of the goddess Theia and raised Gram. He imbued the sword with the power of the mind-sword, a force that cleaves to the core.

The clash of Zeke’s mind-sword and Arthur’s annihilation sword reverberated beyond the physical realm, causing a shockwave that affected everyone nearby.

The Apollyon knights, waiting behind Arthur, were caught in the expanding shockwave, some succumbing to its force, unable to recover even with their regenerative abilities.

Arthur, rebounding from the clash, felt a tingling sensation throughout his body from the mind-sword’s power. He looked at Zeke with a smile.

“Zeke, you’ve grown immensely.”

Arthur hadn’t expected anyone in the physical realm to withstand his sword directly. Zeke’s strength was undeniable.

Zeke replied, “This isn’t the time for complacency.”

A massive explosion sounded behind them. The Apollyon Order’s warship was plummeting to the ground, destroyed by Zeke’s aerial assault with Levatein and Ascalon.

Arthur’s eyes widened momentarily before returning to normal. “Not a very knightly move, but understandable.”

Zeke, unimpressed by Arthur’s hypocrisy, watched as Levatein and Ascalon, now glowing with sword light, targeted Arthur from behind.

Just as the two beams of light were about to pierce Arthur, a rift opened in the sky.

A massive hand, clad in a black gauntlet, emerged, shielding Arthur and deflecting Levatein and Ascalon, altering their trajectory.

The swords returned to Zeke, hovering protectively around him.

Arthur, standing before the giant hand, spoke with a grim expression. “I hate to admit it, but in my current state, I can’t defeat you, Zeke.”

It was a reluctant admission of defeat from the proud Arthur Draker.

Zeke raised Gram. “If you think you can escape, you’re mistaken. You should never have shown yourself to me.”

Zeke activated Overclock, elevating his divine power. A powerful aura of celestial authority emanated from him.

As the space around Zeke and Arthur Draker began to shift, Zeke had a plan to trap Arthur’s soul, which had taken refuge in Levine’s body, within his own domain.

Just as the space was transforming into Zeke’s unique realm, Arthur Draker shook his head.

“Zeke, I’m sorry, but I’m not like those arrogant constellations or foolish demons.”

He retreated towards a massive hand he had summoned.

The giant hand enveloped Arthur Draker, attempting to retreat into a dimensional rift.

Realizing Arthur was trying to escape, Zeke quickly unleashed Solomon’s Chains to stop him.

Clang!

The chains aimed to wrap around the giant hand, but the twisted forces of causality repelled them before they could make contact.

From within the hand, Arthur Draker addressed Zeke.

“Zeke, come to the Final Tower. I’ll be waiting for you and your sword there.”

With those words, the hand holding Arthur Draker vanished into the rift.

Crack!

Watching Arthur disappear, Zeke clenched his teeth and released his domain.

Surveying the scene, he saw only the wreckage of the destroyed warship and the fallen knights of Apollyon; everyone else had vanished.

“The Final Tower. He’s found it.”

Zeke knew he had to stop Arthur Draker before he could resurrect the sealed demon king’s soul at the Final Tower.

“My lord!”

He had intended to open a gate to find Terracan Draker’s tomb, but it seemed the Final Tower took precedence.

As he reorganized his plans, Elizabeta flew towards him.

She greeted Zeke with a respectful bow.

“Are you unharmed?”

“I’m fine. What’s the situation at the fortress?”

In response to Zeke’s question, Elizabeta quickly reported.

“All the erosion fortresses have been summoned. The beasts attacking the fortress were successfully repelled by Anastasia’s followers and the undead forces led by the Nevilos overseer.”

Despite the unexpected appearance of Arthur Draker, it seemed they had managed to defend the fortress from the Apollyon knights.

“Let’s head to the fortress immediately. We need to open a gate.”

But just then—

Boom!

Dark purple storm clouds gathered in the sky, and a sudden downpour began.

Elizabeta looked alarmed as she observed the sticky black rain.

“My lord, this rain… it’s saturated with dark magic.”

Dark magic affects not only living beings but also the surrounding environment.

Zeke frowned as he watched the rain pour down, recognizing it from Duke’s memories.

He could sense the mysterious entities, long dormant on the abandoned continent, beginning to awaken with the rain.

The true terror of the forsaken continent was about to unfold.