Episode 687
“The Avatar of the Sun God?”
Zeke furrowed his brow at the watchman’s words. It seemed the watchman had mistaken him for the avatar of the Sun God. In reality, the true avatar was Arthur Draker, so Zeke couldn’t fathom why he was being perceived this way.
Just as Zeke was about to clarify the misunderstanding, the watchman lunged at him, his sword radiating a dark, ominous light.
Boom!
Zeke quickly drew Ascalon from his inventory, summoning both the power of the Light and Shadow Spirits.
Crackle!
The brilliant light of the Light Spirit sent electric sparks in all directions, while the gray aura of the Shadow Spirit spread like mist, swallowing the twisted causality emanating from the watchman’s sword.
Rumble!
Once again, the watchman attempted an unexpected attack by distorting space. But Zeke, having faced this tactic before, was not caught off guard. He harnessed the full power of his spirit.
Double Spell: Will of Distortion
As Zeke unleashed the Will of Distortion with a Double Spell, countless ripples of distortion formed around him.
Crack!
The watchman tried to pierce through with his sword, twisting space to strike from an unforeseen angle. However, Zeke’s counterattack distorted the space once more, causing the sword strike to miss its mark.
“What is this power…?”
The watchman, startled by the force of Zeke’s spirit, withdrew his sword. Zeke seized the opportunity, charging at the watchman without hesitation. He unleashed a brilliant bolt of light, infused with the energy of the Light Spirit, from Ascalon.
Crackle!
The powerful bolt struck the watchman directly, causing him to groan in pain.
Zeke pressed his advantage, aiming Levatein and unleashing the Shadow Spirit. The gray mist enveloped the immobilized watchman, absorbing the twisted causality.
“Aaargh!”
As the twisted causality was drawn into the Shadow Spirit, the watchman was forced to endure the full brunt of the light’s assault. The excruciating pain Zeke inflicted was unbearable even for celestial beings, and he expected the watchman to succumb to it.
Yet, the watchman’s resolve, reminiscent of the legendary dragon slayer Terracan Draker from a thousand years ago, exceeded Zeke’s expectations.
“Aaaah!”
Instead of yielding, the watchman let out a battle cry, attempting to break free from the light’s grip. Observing this, Zeke decided to restrain him more securely, summoning Solomon’s Chains from his left hand.
Clink!
The chains sought to bind the watchman, who was struggling to escape the light. But then, something unexpected happened.
Clatter!
Identical chains of light emerged from the watchman’s wrist, intertwining with Zeke’s chains to form a single chain. Given that Zeke had inherited Solomon’s Chains from Terracan Draker’s legacy, he wasn’t particularly surprised by this phenomenon. It was the watchman who was taken aback.
“How do you have this…?”
Zeke, looking at the watchman bound by Solomon’s Chains, spoke calmly.
“Terracan Draker, I am the heir to your legacy. My name is Zeke Draker, your descendant.”
The watchman, hearing Zeke’s words, appeared even more bewildered.
“Zeke Draker? A descendant of Draker… The avatar of the Sun God inherited my legacy… and this power is Claudia’s…”
Crackle!
Amidst the intense light, the watchman, still connected by Solomon’s Chains, addressed Zeke.
“Zeke Draker, if you have inherited my legacy… have you also taken on the Heart of Bahamut?”
Zeke nodded in response to the watchman’s question.
“Yes, the Heart of Bahamut resides within me.”
The watchman trembled at Zeke’s affirmation. Anticipating another attack, Zeke intensified the light’s assault.
Crackle!
Yet, even amidst the fierce light, the watchman remained still, his head bowed. After a moment, he lifted his head, his eyes now glowing with a golden hue.
“You should not be here. Absolutely not.”
With those words, the watchman grasped the chains connecting them.
Vroom!
The chains vibrated violently, transmitting energy towards Zeke. He realized the watchman was using the same power to distort space as before.
“Is he trying to escape?”
Zeke gripped Solomon’s Chains, countering the spatial distortion with his own domain.
Vroom!
The clash between their powers began to transform the isolated dimension into Zeke’s domain.
Crackle!
Suddenly, an unusual reaction occurred as Zeke’s domain collided with the watchman’s power.
Vroom!
A magic circle engraved on Zeke’s chest activated, forcibly changing his eyes to dragon eyes. It seemed to be a result of the interference between their energies, connected by Solomon’s Chains.
“What is this…?”
Vroom!
With a powerful vibration, the space began to change. A brilliant light engulfed both Zeke and the watchman.
Waaah!
Zeke snapped back to awareness at the sound of a baby’s cry.
“Where am I?”
He recalled seeing a similar scene within Bahamut’s mental realm.
“This is when Claudia gave birth.”
Surveying his surroundings, Zeke realized he was now within Terracan Draker, unlike before when he was within Claudia. Claudia was nowhere in sight, suggesting she was waiting outside.
Then, alongside the robust cry of a baby, another baby’s cry overlapped.
Waaah!
Hearing this, Terracan rushed to the door, unable to contain his anxiety.
Vroom!
Though no one had invited him in, Terracan, driven by impatience, was about to enter when a wizard with a grave expression appeared before him.
Zeke recognized her as well.
“Archmage Hoshgar Nirvana.”
Terracan halted, addressing Hoshgar.
“Hoshgar? How are you here?”
Hoshgar, her expression stern, replied.
“That’s not important right now.”
She furrowed her brow, speaking urgently.
“The situation inside is dire.”
Terracan, alarmed by Hoshgar’s words, shouted.
“Hoshgar, what do you mean by that?”
“Terracan, listen carefully. Something completely unexpected has happened.”
She began, her expression serious.
“You heard it too, Claudia didn’t just give birth to one child, Geo.”
Terracan, seemingly having anticipated this, nodded silently.
Hoshgar continued her explanation.
“There’s another boy, not Geo. That child… is continuously absorbing Claudia’s, no, Bahamut’s power.”
Terracan was taken aback by her words.
“A newborn absorbing the power of the Shadow Dragon? How is that… is that even possible?”
Hoshgar shook her head, responding.
“This is the first time I’ve encountered such a case, so it’s hard to say. The problem is, even after the birth, this phenomenon is accelerating. I’m holding it back with a barrier, but… at this rate, Bahamut’s power will completely flow into the child.”
Terracan finally grasped the gravity of Hoshgar’s words. If the child continued to absorb Bahamut’s power, both Claudia and the child could be in danger.
Hoshgar summarized the situation for Terracan.
“You have to choose between Claudia and the child.”
Terracan felt his breath catch at Hoshgar’s words. Never before, even when facing the most formidable foes, had he felt such despair. Trembling, he clutched his head, tormented by the tragic choice before him.
Hoshgar, watching Terracan, spoke firmly.
“Terracan, get a grip. If you don’t, you’ll lose both Claudia and the child. You don’t want that, do you?”
She gripped his shoulders, her voice resolute.
“Claudia said to choose the child over herself. As the one involved, her wishes should be respected, but… Terracan, I need to hear your decision too.”
Terracan, shaking, his eyes darting around, was filled with emotions Zeke could feel from within him. The fear and sorrow of potentially losing his partner, Claudia, and the despair of losing the child he had awaited for so long, all weighed heavily on him.
In his mind, countless thoughts flashed by in an instant. After a moment of intense struggle, Terracan clenched his jaw and slowly spoke to Hoshgar.
”…Hoshgar, save Claudia.”
After a fierce internal battle, he chose Claudia over the child. Hoshgar, hearing Terracan’s decision, nodded with a solemn expression.
“Alright, just stay put here. If you come in, it might only make Claudia more agitated.”
After calming Terracan, she stepped back into the room.
Terracan slumped down in front of the door. Though it was to save Claudia, the decision felt like abandoning the child, leaving him with a deep sense of despair and frustration.
“Who would have thought the Holy King had another twin sibling?”
In the history Zeke knew, Claudia’s child was only Gio Lubern, the Holy King. Though he would eventually come back to life, Claudia would be possessed by the Demon King’s spirit and ultimately meet her end at the hands of her partner, Terracan Draker. Nowhere in the records was there mention of a sibling to Gio Lubern.
“So the child died at birth,” Zeke thought, clicking his tongue in frustration. As he observed the situation from within Terracan, a question nagged at him: Why was he witnessing these events through the memories of Bahamut and Terracan?
Just then, a powerful surge resonated from inside the room.
Terracan sensed the ominous energy and sprang to his feet, moving toward the door. As he attempted to enter, a forceful magic pushed him back.
“Ugh!”
Resisting the magic with his aura, Terracan forced the door open and stepped inside.
“Claudia!”
What he saw inside was beyond his expectations. The room was aglow with the radiant light of a magic circle cast by the grand sorcerer, Hoshgar. In the center, Hoshgar’s familiar, Temeter, cradled two crying infants.
Terracan turned his gaze to Claudia on the bed. Her condition was alarming. She was in a half-dragon state, a mix of human and dragon forms, which was not normal for someone bound by a contract to maintain a human appearance.
Terracan shouted at Hoshgar, “Hoshgar! What on earth is happening?”
Hoshgar, sweating profusely as he channeled his magic, yelled back, “Damn it, Claudia broke the taboo to save the children!”
Terracan’s face hardened at the words. Breaking the taboo meant that the contracted dragon had used its powers beyond the constraints of karma. The great power of dragons began with ‘Dragon Speech,’ a force that could not surpass the limits of karma. Bound by karma, dragons valued contracts and promises above all else.
If Bahamut, the shadow dragon with immense power, had broken this taboo, the backlash from karma would be unimaginably severe.
Even as Terracan stood speechless, Claudia continued to transform further into her dragon form, while Hoshgar struggled to stabilize her.
Then it happened.
Claudia’s eyes, in her half-dragon state, began to darken. A chilling voice emerged from her lips.
“Child of Chaos, the mightiest shadow dragon. You dare to interfere again.”
Terracan recognized the voice immediately.
“The Demon King…!”
The Demon King had infiltrated the cracks of Claudia’s soul.