Episode 698
BOOM!
The ultimate technique of the Infinite Sword Art, which erases the very essence of existence by combining the powers of the Sacred and Dark Soul, was unleashed.
The strike from the Soul-Destruction Sword flew towards the divine sword, causing ripples in the air.
Even though the divine sword had absorbed the power of the Soul-Destruction Sword, it was believed it couldn’t absorb the Soul-Destruction Sword itself.
Just as Zeke’s Soul-Destruction Sword was about to collide with the divine sword, the avatar Adam grasped the hilt of the sword that had been drawn from the altar.
WOOOOOM!
The wave emanating from the divine sword struck Adam’s body directly.
Adam’s body began to disintegrate into ashes.
Sssshhh—
However, instead of disappearing completely, Adam’s body began to regenerate at an even faster pace.
As his body repeatedly disintegrated and regenerated, Adam gripped the divine sword with both hands and raised it high.
When the tip of the divine sword pointed upwards, a radiant light burst forth from the runes engraved on the blade.
The light surged upwards, piercing through the shaking temple.
KABOOM!
The powerful light from the sword blocked Zeke’s Soul-Destruction Sword.
CRASH!
The clash of the divine sword’s power and the Soul-Destruction Sword’s power created a shockwave that spread in all directions, completely demolishing the temple and causing cracks throughout the entire space.
CRACK!
Eventually, the unique space created by the swords shattered, and the dimension where the sword grave and temple existed crumbled like glass.
RUMBLE!
The dimension was destroyed by the shockwave, and Zeke, forced through the dimensional rift, had to endure the impact with his entire body.
“Huff… huff…”
Crossing a dimensional rift was a shock even for high-ranking celestial beings.
Zeke steadied his breath in the aftermath of the shock and looked around.
Beyond the shattered space lay the ruins of the first city, Eden, completely destroyed.
The sword grave and the temple where the demon king’s soul was sealed had also collapsed, bringing him back to Eden.
Regaining his composure, Zeke extended his senses to locate Adam and Arthur Draker.
His sharp senses expanded across the entire city.
At that moment, Zeke sensed an unusual energy.
‘There it is.’
When Zeke looked up, he saw a powerful wave spreading across Eden.
WOOOOOM!
At the center of the wave stood the avatar Adam, slowly descending towards Zeke.
He held the divine sword in his hand.
Adam, the avatar of Apollyon, and the divine sword, which could be considered Apollyon itself, had returned to this place after eons.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Sssshhh—
Part of Adam’s body, which was holding the divine sword, began to disintegrate into ashes again.
Though it regenerated, it seemed unable to fully accept the power of the divine sword.
It appeared that the body created through the power and experiments of the dark god could not truly replicate the avatar Adam.
Zeke eyed the fake Adam, who repeatedly disintegrated and regenerated, with suspicion.
‘Arthur Draker must know this. So why did he force the demon king’s soul into that incomplete body and give it the divine sword?’
As the waves emanating from the divine sword grew stronger, Adam’s body began to disintegrate at an accelerating pace.
Even as the painstakingly crafted avatar Adam’s body was on the verge of vanishing, Arthur Draker remained unseen.
Zeke decided to clear his mind and not overthink the situation.
“Whatever the case, if I destroy you, I can bury that cursed divine sword and the demon king’s soul together.”
Zeke drew Ascalon and Laevateinn.
WOOOOOM!
The powers of the Sacred and Dark Soul surged from the two swords.
Before the divine sword could activate again, he intended to completely eliminate the avatar Adam and sever this space from the material realm.
Just as he was about to charge at Adam with his swords, a voice echoed in his ear.
【Come to me.】
It was the whisper of the demon king he had heard before.
Even in his sealed state, the demon king, residing within Adam, seemed to be constantly seeking someone to break his seal.
But this time, the whisper was different.
【You who have transcended the wall, Zeke Draker. Come to me. Only you can save me.】
Zeke hesitated at the demon king’s whisper, which specifically called out his celestial name and real name.
‘How does the demon king know my name?’
Unlike celestial beings who could indirectly intervene in the material realm, the demon king was sealed in an isolated dimension. There was no way he could know about Zeke.
Yet, the demon king’s whisper continued.
【I have waited for you for ages. You are the one and only being who can break the wheel of fate and save me.】
Zeke found it difficult to ignore the demon king’s words, which seeped deep into his soul.
Before he knew it, he found himself responding to the demon king’s whisper.
‘You waited for me? What do you mean? How can a being from the past wait for me?’
As Zeke, who had been ignoring the whispers, finally responded, the demon king burst into laughter.
【At last, you have looked upon me. You have faced me!】
RUMBLE!
With that whisper, a change occurred in Adam’s body, which was holding the divine sword.
CRACK!
Adam’s body, which had been repeatedly disintegrating and regenerating, began to grow larger.
His swelling body turned black, and the surface writhed as thousands of tendrils emerged, attempting to ensnare Zeke.
WOOOOOM!
Zeke swung Ascalon at the tendrils flying towards him.
CRACKLE!
The tendrils struck by the Sacred Soul’s electric charge burst with a loud noise.
Zeke didn’t stop there and launched a sword strike at Adam, whose body was covered in tendrils.
BOOM!
The combined strike of the Sacred and Dark Soul flew towards Adam.
Adam retreated and transformed again.
This time, wings sprouted from his back.
CRACK!
Countless wings erupted from Adam’s back.
The energy emanating from him was similar to that of the mutated angels, altered by the power of twisted causality.
Zeke frowned at the grotesque angel, composed of horrific tendrils and countless wings, whose form was indiscernible.
‘Could it be that Arthur Draker mixed the body of an angel with the avatar Adam’s regenerative body?’
The monstrous hybrid, created by Arthur Draker, writhed its tendrils and extended its neck, opening its mouth wide to emit a deafening roar.
ROOOOAR!
The roar was powerful enough to shake the entire dimension.
Simultaneously, countless tendrils shot from its body, attempting once more to ensnare Zeke.
Zeke again wielded Ascalon and Laevateinn, sweeping away all the tendrils.
SLASH!
The tendrils struck by Zeke’s sword light turned into black ichor and pus, splattering across Eden.
SIZZLE—
Smoke rose where the remnants of the mutated angel fell.
The ruins of the city melted away wherever the remnants landed.
ROOOOAR!
The mutated angel, desperately trying to capture Zeke with its tendrils, roared in frustration.
But capturing Zeke, who was well-versed in dealing with such monstrosities, with mere tendrils was impossible.
Zeke extended his hand towards the mutated angel and summoned the power of the Great Purification.
WOOOOOM!
A golden aura radiated from Zeke’s body.
The aura concentrated in his hand and then shot straight towards the mutated angel.
ZING—
The concentrated aura pierced through the center of the mutated angel’s body.
ROOOOAR!
Thick black ichor and fluid flowed from the pierced hole.
But then, from the hole in the mutated angel’s body, a black shadow began to creep out.
【Look at me, Zeke Draker.】
Zeke sensed the demon king’s whisper emanating from the shadow.
The demon king’s power was seeping out through the cracks in the mutated angel’s broken body.
Sssshhh—
Before he knew it, the space where Zeke and the mutated angel floated had turned into a black swamp created by the demon king’s power.
They had entered a void where nothing existed but the swamp of darkness.
However, Zeke had previously escaped this void through sheer willpower.
Zeke spoke, focusing on a point in the void.
“Demon king, no matter how you know me or what you want from me, it doesn’t matter. I will destroy you and prevent Ragnarok from coming.”
Zeke summoned the power of the Great Purification once more.
The golden aura filled the void, illuminating a path to escape.
“Zeke Draker, it won’t be that easy.”
A familiar voice came from behind Zeke.
Startled, he turned around to find Mephistopheles, who had been absorbed by him and fled into the abyss, standing there.
In the form of a young demon with violet eyes, wearing a purple suit, Mephistopheles smiled at Zeke.
“At last, the moment has come.”
He spread his arms wide and spoke to Zeke.
“Zeke Draker, you will not destroy the demon king’s soul. You will become the vessel to contain it.”
Zeke furrowed his brow as Mephistopheles suddenly appeared and spoke.
He realized why the demon had chosen this moment to show himself.
“Mephistopheles, were you waiting for the exact moment the Demon King tried to take over my body? Planning to seize me, possessed by the Demon King, for yourself?”
Mephistopheles grinned with a madness in his eyes.
“Indeed, I had to put on quite the performance to deceive both the incarnation of Apollyon and your cunning self.”
Mephistopheles had risked his soul being completely absorbed by Zeke, all for this moment.
Zeke looked at him with a disdainful expression.
“You seem to be under a delusion. If you thought you could overpower me in my own mind, you’re gravely mistaken.”
As Zeke summoned his power, a radiant light shimmered, and his divine presence surged.
Mephistopheles felt the force of Zeke’s divine aura and stepped back, yet he remained unfazed, shaking his head with a smirk.
“I can’t deny your words. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way.”
With a snap of his fingers, Mephistopheles caused the divine energy flowing from Zeke to begin diminishing.
‘What is this…?’
Mephistopheles smiled with satisfaction.
“Do you remember the greatest source of your divine power?”
Zeke had gained his divine status, rivaling the highest celestial beings, by absorbing the soul of the arrogant celestial, Satan.
Zeke frowned at Mephistopheles’ words.
“Don’t tell me…”
Just then, the spirit of the Arrogant Savior appeared beside Mephistopheles.
He looked at Zeke with a resigned expression and spoke.
[I’m sorry. This was a contract made by the true Arrogant Savior, not just a fragment like me.]
With those words, Zeke’s body began to tremble violently.
“Ugh!”
The soul of the Arrogant Savior, which Zeke thought he had fully absorbed, had a hidden poison that rapidly spread within him.
It was a poison that acted on the soul itself, spreading from the deepest abyss, leaving Zeke severely weakened.
Mephistopheles had spent millennia preparing for this very moment.
Watching Zeke suffer and lose his divine power, Mephistopheles spread his arms wide with a bright smile.
“Demon King! I have prepared the vessel for you! Come forth!”
His plan was to let the Demon King’s soul inhabit Zeke, and once the power fully settled into the body, Mephistopheles intended to control Zeke, now the Demon King, from the depths of the abyss.
With a sinister sound, something emerged from the black swamp in response to Mephistopheles’ call.
In a world painted entirely in darkness, it was the only thing with color.
Mephistopheles addressed the figure.
“Come forth, King in Yellow.”