Episode 694
Hades sat in the control room of the ark, urgently shouting at the crystal orb in front of him.
“Zeke, Zeke! Hey, you there!”
Despite his attempts to communicate through the ark, there was no response from Zeke.
“Damn it.”
Hades scowled in frustration, realizing the connection with Zeke had been severed. Nigel and Nabu, standing nearby, wore similar expressions of concern.
Nabu shook his head and spoke up. “Looks like he’s trying to shoulder the burden alone again.”
Ivan, standing behind them, disagreed. “It’s not that. Zeke’s the only one capable of entering that place.”
Ivan’s calm demeanor allowed him to assess the situation accurately. Mana nodded in agreement.
“I concur. Beyond that point lies the domain of the constellations. Even though we are transcendents who refused ascension to remain in the mortal realm, our powers are limited. Facing the constellations as we are now would be insufficient.”
Ivan nodded, acknowledging Mana’s point. “Unless we can break free from karma’s restraints and unleash our true power, we’d only hinder Zeke.”
Even the high table, with their extraordinary abilities, couldn’t match the power of the constellations under their current limitations. Nabu and Nigel sighed, unable to argue further.
Watching his companions, Hades murmured thoughtfully, “So, if we could bypass karma’s restraints and use our true power, we might stand a chance?”
Nigel’s eyes widened at Hades’ words. “Is there a way to lift the restrictions on our power?”
Hades scratched his head, pondering before speaking slowly. “Well, I did create something just in case… It might work.”
Nabu’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? You mean there’s a way to break free from karma’s restraints?”
Hades replied cautiously, “There is, but… I haven’t tested it thoroughly. There could be side effects.”
Nigel, pushing past Nabu, spoke with determination. “That doesn’t matter. As long as we can unleash our true power, it’s worth the risk.”
Hades hesitated, then stood up. “I usually don’t bring out anything that’s not perfect, but… let’s take a look.”
With a snap of his fingers, a rift opened in the air, and a suit of armor emerged. It resembled the armor worn by the Black Sword Knights, but there was something different about it.
Nabu examined the armor and gasped. “I can sense a faint trace of the constellations here.”
Hades nodded, impressed. “You have a keen sense.”
The armor was a modified version of the Herseion, discovered in the Rom Empire, infused with the power of the constellations. Hades had conducted research using the Herseion imbued with the power of the Archer Constellation, given to him by Zeke.
While it was impossible to replicate the Archer’s power through the Herseion, Hades discovered another function. Wearing the modified Herseion allowed one to temporarily bypass karma’s restraints and unleash their power.
Hades, always fascinated by research and creation, had crafted the armor without considering its practical use. He had also modified other Herseions recovered from the Rom Empire in the same way, never expecting them to be used like this.
“But it’s tricky to handle…”
Hades began to explain, but Nigel ignored him, approaching the Herseion. As she activated her will, the armor responded, opening its helmet and chest plate.
Nigel stepped into the Herseion, and the armor adjusted to fit her perfectly. Nabu, Ivan, and Nabu watched her with tense anticipation.
After a moment of stillness, a powerful wave of energy emanated from the Herseion.
Vroooom!
The others could feel it was Nigel’s true power. Hades, equally surprised, muttered to himself, “How is this actually working?”
With her true power unleashed, Nigel addressed her companions. [Prepare yourselves.]
Her voice resonated from within the helmet, her eyes glowing fiercely. [To prevent the demon king’s resurrection, we enter the final tower.]
Crackle!
Zeke plunged into the dimensional rift leading to the final tower, piercing through a fierce plasma storm.
Rumble!
With his divine power, Zeke easily navigated the storm, entering the dimension where the true final tower resided.
Thud!
Landing on the ground, Zeke surveyed his surroundings. The sight of a ruined, abandoned city met his eyes.
‘Where is this…?’
Zeke realized he needed to identify this shattered city first.
“Laura, what is this city’s origin?”
The system, Laura, responded with a message. [This is Eden, the first city created by the primordial light.]
Zeke’s eyes widened in surprise. “The primordial city, Eden.”
The Elder Dragon had hidden the demon king’s soul within the fragments of this long-lost city. As Zeke took in the desolate remains of Eden, he turned his focus to tracking Arthur Draker.
That’s when he noticed something. In the center of the ruined city stood a towering structure.
It resembled the obelisk he had seen in the Naga’s forest, but it was far larger. Zeke realized the demon king’s soul was sealed within that obelisk.
‘Arthur Draker must have headed there too.’
He prepared to fly towards the obelisk when he felt a force pulling at him.
“Laura, what’s happening?”
Laura’s message explained. [This space is designed by the Elder Dragon to absorb the power of the constellations.]
In this place, using the power of the constellations was restricted. The city absorbed any divine power exerted, so Zeke withdrew his divine aura.
He summoned his companion, the dragon king Bucephalus.
Vroooom!
With a flash of light, Bucephalus appeared before Zeke.
“It’s been a while, Bucephalus.”
Bucephalus, delighted to see his master again, nuzzled Zeke affectionately. Zeke patted his head, then mounted him, taking the reins.
“Let’s head there.”
At his command, Bucephalus leaped into the air, swiftly flying towards the obelisk at Eden’s center.
As they approached, Zeke sensed a menacing presence closing in on them.
Boom!
To his surprise, the attackers resembled the angels of the apocalypse—Nephilim.
The Nephilim, clad in identical armor, spread their wings of light and charged at Zeke with spears in hand.
Vroooom!
Their spears vibrated with power, sending waves of energy towards Zeke.
Zeke urged Bucephalus higher into the sky, dodging the waves.
Boom!
The force of the waves was so intense it shook the entire atmosphere, even causing Bucephalus to lose balance momentarily.
The Nephilim quickly regrouped, aiming their spears at Zeke once more.
In response, Zeke summoned Levatein, launching it towards the Nephilim.
Vroooom!
Enveloped in a brilliant aura, Levatein sliced through the Nephilim’s energy waves, speeding towards them.
Simultaneously, lightning erupted from Bucephalus’s horn.
Crackle!
The lightning scattered, distracting the Nephilim. In that moment, Levatein pierced through the leftmost Nephilim.
Fwoosh—
The Nephilim disintegrated into dust upon being struck by Levatein.
The remaining Nephilim tightened their grip on their spears, their tips glowing with energy.
Vroooom!
Zeke sensed the energy from their spears was akin to the aura of high-ranking demons.
The Nephilim evaded Bucephalus’s lightning, hurling their charged spears at Zeke.
Boom!
The spears, enveloped in light, flew towards Zeke from all directions.
Zeke summoned Gram, conjuring shadows that formed a shield, blocking the incoming spears.
In an instant, the Levatein sliced through the Nephilim, turning them to dust as it passed. Sieg watched the scattered remains and turned his gaze toward the obelisk.
“The primordial city of Eden… Are those ancient memories trying to protect it?”
Just then, something dark shot out from the direction of the obelisk. To his surprise, the Nephilim he had just fought were regrouping into a massive legion, flying straight at him. There must have been hundreds, and Sieg furrowed his brow.
“If I waste any more time here, Arthur Draker will get to the Demon King’s soul first.”
Even if it meant letting Eden absorb some of his power, he needed to eliminate them quickly to catch up with Arthur Draker.
As Sieg prepared to activate Overclock to unleash his divine power, fiery meteors suddenly began raining down from the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The meteors struck the advancing Nephilim, and a massive barrier formed in front of him.
“This power…”
Sieg turned to see Ivan and Mana on a magic carpet, clad in armor crafted by Hades. The armor, designed to harness the power of the constellations, allowed them to bypass Karma’s restrictions and wield their true strength.
Recalling Hades’ research, Sieg’s eyes gleamed. While Mana held the barrier to block the enemy’s advance, Ivan sniped the approaching Nephilim with a magic cannon modified by Hades.
Nabu, wearing the armor with exposed magic circuits, shouted excitedly, “Ha! To use power without worrying about Karma! This is exhilarating!”
He opened a book and began reciting stories that had been difficult to tell due to Karma’s constraints. Moments later, a massive tidal wave rose from the far side of the city, crashing over the Nephilim.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The powerful wave swept away a significant portion of the Nephilim legion, yet they remained undeterred. Nephilim wielding spears of light charged with menacing force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, something charged at them from the opposite direction, and a powerful sword strike swept through the Nephilim legion. Sieg recognized it as Nigel’s ultimate technique.
“Master?”
Nigel, clad in Hades’ modified armor, unleashed her true power, decimating the Nephilim. Those struck by her blade disintegrated into ash.
Thanks to the high table’s unleashed power, they quickly dispatched the Nephilim, but more continued to pour from the obelisk.
Nigel opened her helmet and shouted to Sieg, “Sieg! We’ll handle this! Go stop Arthur Draker!”
Sieg looked at each member of the high table, starting with Nigel, who had transformed from a girl into a woman by unleashing her true form. He decided to trust in their strength.
“Understood, Master.”
Nodding in response to Nigel, Sieg mounted Bucephalus and flew toward the obelisk. Watching him go, Nigel gave a faint smile before closing her helmet.
“Come at me, forgotten beings of the shards.”
With a powerful surge of will, her sword unleashed a brilliant light that swept across the sky.