Episode 693
Arthur Draker faced Zeke with a subtle smile.
“Zeke, come on over.”
With a smile that was anything but welcoming, he gestured toward the bound sentinel.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
Zeke tried to avoid looking at Terracan, who was restrained by Arthur Draker, and instead raised his sword, Gram, pointing it at Arthur.
“You’re wasting time when you shouldn’t be.”
Arthur chuckled at Zeke’s words.
“You’re not wrong. But, you see…”
With a snap of his fingers, the clones of Azitahaka, who had been locked in a fierce battle with Caligula, suddenly appeared behind Arthur Draker, who was possessed by Rivaine.
Arthur stepped back, leading the clones of Azitahaka, and spoke.
“The malevolent god Azitahaka. Do you know why Ramon tried to summon this wicked being?”
He snapped his fingers again, and the clones merged into one, transforming into a tall man covered in strange tattoos.
Zeke recognized the figure immediately.
“The Flesh-Eating Emperor, Azitahaka.”
Azitahaka was a unique being, an ancient emperor who devoured all kinds of entities to ascend to the status of a celestial being through the power of flesh-eating. However, Zeke had sealed his power with Gram and handed it over to Caligula. So seeing Azitahaka in human form before Arthur Draker felt off to Zeke.
‘What is this…?’
After a moment, he furrowed his brow and spoke.
“The Knights of Apollyon. Did you create them using Azitahaka’s body?”
Arthur Draker nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Impressive. Yes, Ramon intended to summon Azitahaka to create an immortal legion.”
Zeke had a hunch about what Arthur meant.
Ramon Siemens had allied with the Abyss to conduct horrific human experiments, aiming to create a perfectly controllable, unyielding army.
He discovered that the key ingredient for this immortal legion was the malevolent god Azitahaka.
A legion composed of the strongest knights, capable of absorbing others’ abilities, healing instantly, and sharing experiences with other entities.
Had this legion been completed, it wouldn’t have been impossible for Siemens to conquer the entire continent.
But Ramon’s sinister plans were thwarted by Zeke, and the research on the immortal legion fell into Arthur Draker’s hands.
The power of Azitahaka, which had been embedded in the heart of the Dragon King, was passed from Ramon Siemens to Abel Draker, and then to Arthur Draker.
With this power, Arthur Draker could manipulate dark matter and twist causality.
Using this ability, he summoned the sealed power of the malevolent god into the physical realm and created the Apollyon legion, which Ramon Siemens couldn’t complete.
Zeke realized how the Apollyon knights could wield such power and how Arthur Draker could possess their bodies at will.
He raised Gram and aimed it at Azitahaka.
“So if I destroy Azitahaka’s power, the Apollyon knights’ power will vanish too.”
Arthur Draker nodded with a smile.
“A sound deduction, Zeke. But…”
Arthur floated into the air, approaching the bound sentinel, and snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, the tattoos on Azitahaka’s body began to glow.
Simultaneously, bones protruded from his body, forming armor and a sword.
Zeke could sense that Azitahaka, now armed with bones, had inherited the elemental sword’s power, dragon-slaying techniques, and bloodline abilities from the Apollyon knights.
It was as if the worst malevolent god had been granted impossible powers.
Arthur Draker looked at Zeke, who wore a grave expression, and spoke.
“Do you think you can destroy a baptized Azitahaka?”
Zeke didn’t respond to Arthur’s question.
Instead, shadowy blades erupted around him.
Arthur nodded in approval.
“That’s my son.”
As if on cue, Azitahaka, now fully armored with a bone helmet, charged at Zeke.
Boom!
He skillfully wielded dragon-slaying techniques, launching sword strikes at Zeke while using telekinesis to bind him with bloodline powers.
Zeke tore through Azitahaka’s abilities with the power of shadows, leaping into the air to unleash an infinite sword technique, slashing downward.
Crash!
Azitahaka’s sword clashed with Zeke’s, sending shockwaves in all directions.
Arthur Draker watched with interest.
At that moment, Azitahaka’s eyes glowed, and a strange spell flowed through his sword into Gram.
To Zeke’s surprise, ancient runes began to etch themselves onto Gram’s blade.
Zeke calmly summoned the power of the Great Purification.
A golden aura emanated from him, neutralizing Azitahaka’s dark spell, and the ancient runes vanished from Gram.
Zeke glared at Arthur Draker behind Azitahaka and spoke.
“You seem quite eager to get your hands on this sword.”
Arthur Draker smiled slyly.
“I can’t deny it’s a fascinating sword. Zeke, everything you have will eventually be mine.”
With another signal to Azitahaka, his breastplate transformed into a dragon-like beast, opening its mouth to unleash a concentrated breath attack.
Roar!
The compressed blast shot toward Zeke.
Boom!
Zeke steadied his breath, raising his sword to meet the incoming attack.
Rumble!
With Gram in hand, Zeke deployed the elemental sword’s water field.
Swoosh!
His sword traced an arc, gathering the blasts into a single spherical form.
Hum!
The sphere, further compressed by Zeke, adhered to his blade.
Zeke then swung Gram with the mastery of the water field, sending the sphere hurtling toward Arthur Draker.
The spinning, compressed sphere grazed Azitahaka’s shoulder before heading straight for Arthur Draker.
Boom!
The sphere, like a black hole, exerted immense pressure, threatening to crush everything in its path.
Arthur Draker, impressed, extended his hand.
“Remarkable. So this is the true elemental sword of the Hero King.”
He caught the sphere with one hand.
Sizzle—
The fiercely spinning sphere gradually stopped in Arthur’s hand, disappearing as if absorbed.
Zeke furrowed his brow.
‘To wield such power while possessing Rivaine’s body…’
It was clear that Arthur Draker’s strength had grown significantly.
Arthur looked down at Zeke, then turned his gaze to the torn space leading to the final tower.
“Seeing my son grown is a joy for a father. But first, I have tasks to complete.”
Arthur, holding the sentinel’s shoulder, looked down at Zeke.
“I’ll be taking the Demon King’s soul. If you want to stop me, come. I’ll be waiting there.”
Hum!
A massive maw opened behind Arthur Draker, splitting the space.
Zeke quickly launched Ascalon and Levatein.
Azitahaka immediately blocked Arthur’s path, deploying a barrier to intercept the attacks.
Then it happened.
Roar!
Zeke turned his gaze to the source of the deafening sound, seeing four angels attacking the soaring Bahamut.
Despite being entangled in the chains of dragon slayers, Bahamut continued to assault the warships.
But facing four angels alone was too much.
Even though Bahamut was now just an empty shell without a soul or heart, it was still his mother. Zeke hesitated for a moment.
In that brief hesitation, the massive maw swallowed Arthur Draker, the sentinel, Draker, and Azitahaka.
Just as Zeke was about to rush to stop it, Bahamut’s wail echoed through the air.
“Damn it.”
In the end, Zeke turned and flew toward Bahamut and the angels.
He hurled his sword at the angels attempting to pierce Bahamut with their tails to absorb its power.
Boom!
A powerful sword light erupted like a storm, scattering the angels.
Zeke then swung Gram at the dragon slayers restraining Bahamut’s movements.
Slash!
As the dragon slayers retreated to avoid the onslaught, a shadowy blade emerged from Gram, swallowing their chains whole.
Finally freed, Bahamut soared back into the sky.
But the direction Bahamut took was none other than the fissure leading to the final tower.
With its four pairs of wings unfurled, Bahamut maneuvered its massive body straight into the gap, seemingly in pursuit of Terracan, who had been taken by Arthur Draker.
The angels, who had been pushed back by Zeke’s sword, also attempted to follow Bahamut into the rift.
At that moment, a presence emerged from the shadows to block their path.
It was the angels who had been absorbed by Zeke, now transformed into shadow incarnations.
Ashvin, created from the fusion of the angel Azrael, and Brontos, formed from the merging of the angels Raziel and Samael, stood in their way, their eyes gleaming with power.
A screech pierced the air!
The four angels, now strengthened by the twisted forces of causality and the power of the absorbed dragon, prepared to unleash their breath upon Ashvin and Brontos.
But then, the power of the constellations flowed from Ashvin and Brontos.
This was possible because Zeke had shared the powers of the constellations sealed within Solomon’s ring with them.
From Ashvin came the power of the tempest, and from Brontos, the powers of sound waves and poison erupted.
Boom!
Before the angels could release their breath, Ashvin and Brontos struck first with their powers.
Aaaah!
The storm of wind, sound, and poison ensnared the angels, who struggled desperately to break free, but it was no easy task.
Just as the angels were about to muster their strength once more, the space behind them rippled.
A soft rustle—
Zeke emerged from the shadows.
With his arrival, a massive shadow surged from Gram, transforming into a gaping maw that swallowed the angels whole.
Aaaah!
The angels screamed and thrashed, trying to escape the shadow’s grip, but it was impossible to break free from the shadow’s hold.
Gradually, they were pulled into the shadowy abyss created by Gram, disappearing without a trace.
Having absorbed the four angels, Zeke’s eyes turned into a golden dragon’s gaze.
Immediately, he lifted his head to look at the now even larger rift.
Crackle!
Plasma currents flowed from the rift, which had grown large enough to engulf the black tower created by the Elder Dragon.
Zeke sent a message to Hades, who was maneuvering the ark.
[Lord Hades, I will enter the final tower. Please prevent the Apollyon from entering.]
Hades’s response came swiftly.
[What? You’re going in there alone?]
Not only Hades but also the members of the High Table aboard the ark criticized Zeke’s recklessness, insisting it was impossible.
But Zeke closed off their messages and focused on the entrance to the final tower.
Only Zeke, with his divine power, could stop Arthur Draker from claiming the Demon King’s soul.
“Arthur Draker, I won’t let you take the Demon King’s soul.”
With determination, Zeke gritted his teeth and propelled himself into the rift.