Episode 697

Zeke found himself surrounded by countless swords embedded in the ground, forming a graveyard of blades. He surveyed the area, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

The dimensional rift had somehow transported him to Draker’s sword graveyard, a fact he struggled to comprehend.

The avatar Adam, who had housed the demon king’s soul, was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed Zeke was the only one present in this strange space.

Then, a thought flashed through Zeke’s mind.

“Could it be…?”

He wondered if the sword graveyard had manifested here, rather than him being transported to it.

If that were the case, it could only mean one thing.

“A unique space.”

Arthur Draker had seized the opportunity presented by the dimensional rift to unfold his unique space, drawing Zeke into it.

Zeke walked slowly along the path between the swords, taking in the changed scenery.

The place was vastly different from his previous visit. Where once there had been dozens of swords from past Draker family heads, now there were countless blades stretching endlessly across the space.

Some were old and worn, while others looked as if they had just been forged.

Zeke gazed at the temple at the end of the path through the sword graveyard.

Vrrrrr!

The Gram in his hand began to vibrate intensely.

Having absorbed the shadow swords Caladbolg, Caledfwlch, and the victory sword Caliburnus, hidden behind the name Zahhak, Gram now shone with a dark, obsidian blade.

The vibrations from Gram grew stronger, seemingly reacting to something within the temple.

Vrrrrr!

Zeke instinctively realized that Gram was yearning for another shadow sword.

“If it’s another shadow sword, then Arthur Draker’s Caliburn and…”

The shadow sword he had seen with Arthur Draker, embedded in the ground and unmovable, during his first visit to the sword graveyard.

The vibrations from Gram were undoubtedly linked to that sword.

Feeling the vibrations intensify, Zeke lifted himself into the air.

He flew past the myriad swords, landing at the entrance of the temple.

Zeke stared at the massive Apollyon emblem engraved on the temple door.

As if welcoming him, the door opened on its own.

Rumble!

Inside, he saw a familiar statue holding a sword.

It was the statue of the avatar Adam.

Zeke approached the statue slowly.

At that moment, Gram’s vibrations intensified.

Vrrrrr!

Realizing the reaction wasn’t to the statue of Adam, Zeke looked beyond it.

At the far end of the grand temple hall stood a massive altar, reached by hundreds of steps.

And atop that altar was the source of Gram’s call.

Following Gram’s vibrations, Zeke soared up to the altar.

Hovering in the air, Zeke spotted the sword embedded at the altar’s center, calling to Gram.

A rough, black claymore that seemed to absorb everything around it.

It was the very sword that neither Zeke nor Arthur Draker had been able to draw.

Vrrrrr!

As he neared the sword, Gram’s vibrations grew even stronger.

Zeke approached the sword slowly.

As he got closer, he noticed that not only Gram but also the sword embedded in the altar was vibrating.

Zeke, as if entranced, reached out for the sword.

But then—

Crackle!

A powerful plasma field erupted in front of Zeke as he neared the sword.

Snapping back to his senses, Zeke read the message that appeared before him.

[Detected an attempt to erode the user’s mind.]

[User’s unique powers ‘Infinite Breakthrough’ and ‘Immutable’ are activated to defend against the erosion.]

Zeke realized he had been unknowingly entranced by the sword.

A sword with enough power to erode the mind of Zeke, who had achieved the status of a transcendent god-class being.

Zeke took a step back, eyeing the black sword that continued to call to him through Gram.

“Disappointing, Zeke.”

Arthur Draker’s voice echoed in Zeke’s ears as he retreated.

On guard, Zeke summoned Levatein and Ascalon from his inventory.

With his swords gleaming, Zeke immediately assumed a combat stance, searching for Arthur Draker’s presence.

The space rippled, and Arthur Draker emerged from behind the sword.

However, the Arthur Draker that appeared was not in a normal state.

“A spirit form?”

Arthur Draker appeared as a translucent spirit, not in his aged form but as a young man.

He spread his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture as he looked at Zeke.

“Zeke, why do you reject the call of the divine sword?”

Arthur Draker, in his spirit form, grasped the hilt of the sword embedded in the altar.

The sword responded to his touch with even stronger vibrations.

Rumble!

The entire temple shook with the sword’s power.

Zeke, unmoving, glared at Arthur Draker and spoke.

“What are you scheming?”

Arthur Draker shrugged and replied.

“I merely answered the call of this divine sword, nothing more.”

Zeke eyed the sword Arthur Draker referred to as the divine sword and spoke.

“The shadow swords absorbed by Gram, your Caliburn, and that unmovable sword. What is it about that sword that makes you so obsessed?”

Arthur Draker grinned and replied.

“Zeke, this sword is the ultimate blade I’ve sought for so long. It’s literally the sword of the gods.”

Arthur Draker caressed the sword’s hilt as he spoke.

Then he turned to Zeke and continued.

“The sun god Apollyon saved the material world from the primordial light and ruled as the supreme god. But the world created by the primordial light was unbalanced and incomplete. So Apollyon sought to correct it.”

Zeke furrowed his brow as he listened to Arthur Draker.

The idea that the sun god Apollyon, who had caused countless apocalypses in the material world, had saved it from the primordial light, revealed Arthur Draker’s madness.

Arthur Draker continued.

“But due to the restrictions created by the primordial light, the constellations couldn’t intervene in the material world. So Apollyon created an avatar to act in his stead, sending it to the material world. That avatar was Adam. And to that avatar, he bestowed a sword imbued with his power.”

Zeke’s eyes widened at Arthur Draker’s words.

He finally understood why Arthur Draker was so fixated on the divine sword.

“That sword is the avatar Adam’s sword? Imbued with the power of the sun god Apollyon?”

Arthur Draker grinned at Zeke’s question.

“It’s not just imbued with power. This sword is Apollyon himself.”

Arthur Draker’s words left Zeke in confusion.

Whether the unmovable divine sword was Apollyon itself or if it was just another of Arthur Draker’s twisted metaphors was unclear.

One thing was certain: if that sword were drawn, something dangerous would happen.

Zeke, wary of Arthur Draker, spoke.

“Whatever it is, I understand your goal is to draw that sword.”

With those words, Zeke activated Overclock.

Instantly, a powerful divine aura emanated from Zeke.

Rumble!

The waves of divine power shook the entire temple.

Hovering in the air, Zeke looked down at Arthur Draker and spoke.

“I’ll tear this unique space apart and isolate that sword here forever.”

Arthur Draker laughed and shook his head at Zeke’s words.

“Interesting. Isolating the divine sword forever…”

Arthur Draker trailed off, releasing the sword and stepping back, snapping his fingers.

The space split open, revealing a massive mouth from which the avatar Adam emerged.

Seeing Adam appear suddenly, Zeke wasted no time and hurled Ascalon and Levatein.

Boom!

The two swords flew faster than light.

But then something astonishing happened. A powerful wave emanated from the sword embedded in the altar.

Vrrrrr!

Simultaneously, a massive barrier formed around the sword.

Ascalon and Levatein were halted by the barrier.

Focusing his divine power on his swords, Zeke realized the sword’s power was unbelievably strong.

“This is…”

And in that moment, he understood.

The creator of this unique space wasn’t Arthur Draker but the divine sword itself.

Boom!

As Ascalon and Levatein clashed with the barrier created by the sword, the avatar Adam summoned by Arthur Draker approached the sword embedded in the altar.

As Adam’s hand distorted the space, something materialized in his grasp.

It was Arthur Draker’s sword, Caliburn.

As the gray-bladed Caliburn was held by Adam, the divine sword’s vibrations intensified.

Rumble!

The barrier expanded, and the vibrations shaking the temple grew more intense.

Amidst the fierce vibrations, stones began to fall from the temple ceiling.

Unfazed by the reaction, Adam slowly brought Caliburn towards the divine sword.

Amazingly, Caliburn transformed into a shadow and was absorbed into the divine sword embedded in the ground.

Vrrrrr!

As soon as the divine sword absorbed Caliburn, a powerful wave rippled through the air.

This time, the wave emanating from the divine sword resonated with Gram, which was gripped tightly in Zeke’s hand.

A high-pitched whirring sound filled the air as Gram began to disintegrate from the tip, turning into fine ash that drifted toward the divine sword, where it was absorbed.

Arthur, witnessing this from behind, burst into laughter.

“The final piece that was missing has finally fallen into place!”

Zeke realized that the final piece Arthur referred to was none other than Gram itself. Arthur’s goal wasn’t to steal Gram but to trigger a reaction with the divine sword, merging them into one. It was clear now that he had deliberately revealed Zahhak’s true form to facilitate Gram’s absorption.

Zeke attempted to return Gram to his inventory, but the wave emanating from the divine sword was too strong, making it impossible. Ultimately, Gram, which had been in Zeke’s grasp, completely disintegrated and was drawn into the divine sword.

With both Gram and Caliburn absorbed, the divine sword began to transform.

The once crude-looking claymore morphed into a cross-shaped sword. The blade, which had been a uniform black, now gleamed with a silvery sheen, and ancient, indecipherable runes were delicately etched along its surface. The pommel and hilt took on an elegant, archaic design.

As the transformed divine sword emitted an ominous wave, Zeke raised his right hand, channeling all his energy into it. The divine will imbued with godly power enveloped the sword.

With a powerful shout, Zeke swung his arm with all his might.

“Haahhh!”

He intended to obliterate not just the divine sword but the very space around it with his Triple Spell of Annihilation.

The sword strike, infused with the will of annihilation, flew toward the divine sword with immense force, causing the entire temple and surrounding space to tremble.

But then, something unbelievable happened.

The fierce will of annihilation was suddenly absorbed into the blade of the divine sword.

The divine sword, having absorbed the powerful strike, shimmered with a radiant light and emitted an even stronger wave.

Seizing the opportunity as Zeke’s attack was neutralized, the avatar Adam reached for the divine sword.

The sword began to vibrate violently and slowly started to unsheathe itself.

As the sword was drawn, the very fabric of space began to warp.

‘I must stop him from claiming the divine sword.’

Zeke summoned Levatein and Ascalon once more.

With a swift motion, he caught the two swords and, moving at the speed of light, charged toward the avatar Adam.

As Adam had nearly unsheathed the sword halfway, Zeke unleashed the powers of the dark and holy energies within the two swords, executing the Infinite Sword Technique.

The combined light and darkness from the swords emitted a soul-destroying force.

Zeke swung his sword at Adam, who was reaching for the divine sword.

The final form of the Infinite Sword Technique:

Soul-Extinguishing Sword.