"That monster is the emperor of the Rom Empire?"
In his previous life, Zeke had stolen the Elder Dragon Relic that the emperor coveted, only to be killed by the Imperial Hunting Dogs. And in the continental war he had sparked, he had lost his comrades.
With that past in mind, one person rose in Zekeʼs thoughts. "Alicia."
Alicia Himonas.
Grand Duke of the North, White Wolf of the Northern Continent, incarnation of Wolf King Fenrir, King of the North, and more.
Numerous titles adorned her, and countless people praised her as the only hero who could stop Emperor Nero, the Continental Usurper.
But in the end, Alicia failed to halt the usurperʼs forces, and she met her demise by driving a sword through her own throat.
In his previous life, Zeke always thought the same thing whenever he remembered Alicia.
If only he had been a little stronger, if he had reached the Black Knight realm back then, could he have protected her? He had repeated that thought countless times.
As Zeke gazed at the grotesquely formed emperor, he recalled the comrades who had died in his previous life.
"To think... all because of a bastard like this..."
Zeke furrowed his brow at the emperor, who had shed the shackles of humanity to prolong his own life.
At that moment, the emperor bared his sharp fangs and glared at Zeke.
"You... I remember who you are. Filthy spawn of the Draker family. That damned Arthur Drakerʼs bloodline."
The emperorʼs back swelled, eventually tearing through all the clothes he wore.
Crack!
Tentacles that resembled snakes burst from his back.
Screech!
The emperorʼs eyes gradually turned red.
"Grrraaah!"
Barely clinging to his reason, he shouted at Zeke.
"Where did you hide the remains of the Holy King? Bring them here at once! If I offer those remains to the Serpent in the Black Mouth, I can regain my youth and immortality!"
The emperor seemed unaware that the remains of the Holy King were not here.
"The Serpent in the Black Mouth? A Fallen Constellationʼs name. So thatʼs the one who manipulated the emperor."
It seemed the Serpent in the Black Mouth desired not the remains of the Holy King, but the Holy Spear left behind in this place.
Zeke couldnʼt fathom why the Fallen Constellations sought the sacred relics and now the Holy Spear, but he could infer it was connected to the resurrection of the Demon King.
Zeke pointed Bahamut at the emperor and said,
"If you want the remains of the Holy King, youʼll have to capture me first."
The emperor revealed his sharp fangs at Zekeʼs words and roared, "Insolent fool! Iʼll tear you to shreds and kill you!" Swish!
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the tentacles bursting from his back flew toward Zeke.
Zeke unleashed Sacred Radiance Technique against the tentacles wrapping around him from all sides.
Whoooong!
A powerful light rose above his head.
At the same time, a massive flash erupted from that light.
Ziiiing—
The flashes shot in all directions struck the tentacles.
Screech!
The tentacles hit by the flashes spewed black smoke and crumbled into powder.
Seeing how the tentacles were weak to Sacred Radiance Technique, Zeke realized the emperor had been eroded by Demonic Energy.
'Similar to the state of the Hydra, which had been fully eroded by Demonic Energy.ʼ Zeke aimed Sacred Radiance Technique at the emperorʼs body.
Ziiiing—
The flash flew toward the emperor.
The emperor extended his hand forward, and a translucent red barrier formed, offsetting the flash from Sacred Radiance Technique.
Tssst—
The red barrier enveloping the emperorʼs body seemed to be a type of power different from magic or aura.
Zeke opened his Blood Eye to examine the red barrier protecting the emperor.
'Some kind of Ancient Shamanism.ʼ
The emperor, who had essentially created a new body through cultist Dark Sorcery, was practically infused with shamanism throughout.
As Zeke inwardly clicked his tongue, the emperor swung his sharp claws toward him.
Slash!
Lethal venom dripped from his claws, spraying toward Zeke.
Sizzle!
The venom that splashed around melted the walls and floor.
Zeke used Authority: Flame against the flying venom.
Whoosh!
The flames created by the authority incinerated all the venom heading toward him and flew to engulf the emperor.
Whoooong!
The emperorʼs body was once again wrapped in a translucent barrier.
But the flames Zeke had conjured contained the authority of the dragon.
Flame pierced through the barrier created by shamanism.
Seeing this, the emperor instinctively began chanting a spell as the authority of the flames sought to devour him.
Tssst—
Black energy rose from his body.
The black energy enveloped the authority of Flame wrapped around the barrier, and soon the flames began to die down.
Zeke looked surprised to see the emperor dispel the flames raised by the authority.
'Was that the power of a Fallen Constellation? Utterly revolting.ʼ
The emperor now wore an even more hideous form than before.
His skin, like snake scales oozing sticky fluid and pus, and his red eyes—additional pairs of eyes had grown on his forehead.
The tentacles that writhed on his back hissed like snakes, extending in all directions.
At that moment, the emperor reached out toward Zeke.
Whoooong!
Black energy extended from his hand, coalescing into certain forms.
Zeke sensed the energy of wraiths from those forms.
Kiiiieee—
Dozens of wraith knights, like black shadows, approached Zeke.
The emperor pointed at Zeke and shouted,
"Faithful wraith knights! Kill that one immediately!"
The shadows charged at Zeke in obedience to the emperorʼs command.
Before long, the wraith knights were mounted on shadow horses, wielding swords and shields in their hands.
The wraith knights rushed in, but Zeke did not move an inch.
As the wraith knights approached Zeke, they suddenly stiffened.
Like statues, they froze in place without moving, leaving the emperor bewildered.
"Wraiths! What are you doing? Kill him now!"
The knights, who had become wraiths bound to the emperorʼs soul, felt fear at his shout.
Yet even so, the wraiths could not move.
It was because Zeke used Shadow Domination.
Tssst—
Before he knew it, Zekeʼs shadows had captured the wraiths.
The wraiths could not overcome the authority of Shadow eroding their souls.
Zeke devoured all the captured wraiths with Absorption Skill.
[Absorbed the wraith of a fallen knight.]
[Due to the influence of Shadow Domination, the absorbed wraith of the fallen knight transforms into a Shadow Spirit.]
[Acquired 32 ghost knights as summons.]
The wraiths created by the emperor thus became Zekeʼs Shadow Spirits intact.
Tssst—
Zeke summoned the ghost knights, now his new summons.
In a much clearer and stronger form than when they were mere wraiths, the Shadow Spirits lined up at Zekeʼs command.
With another mental command, the ghost knights turned their horse heads toward the emperor, raising their shields and pointing their swords.
Seeing this, the emperor trembled in rage.
"You dare! My knights!"
Zeke smirked at the emperor.
"Theyʼre already dead wraiths anyway. The one who uses them is the owner." Zeke then summoned Kaiman and the other Dragon Warriors as well.
With the Dragon Warriors joining, a full knight order was assembled in an instant.
Zeke issued the command.
"Capture the emperor."
Kaiman led the Dragon Warriors and ghost knights in a charge toward the emperor.
The emperor extended his tentacles toward the Shadow Spirits charging with terrifying momentum.
Swish!
The tentacles wrapped around the Shadow Spirits like snakes, trying to repel them, but the ghost knightsʼ power was no joke.
Though fallen knights, they had become wraiths while possessing great strength in life.
As the ghost knights slashed at the encroaching tentacles and advanced threateningly, the emperor faltered and retreated.
In the past, the emperor had been a mighty warrior and knight of exceptional prowess, but in the body forged by forbidden arts, he could no longer wield aura.
He shouted toward the door.
"Gillian! Come and kill these bastards right now! Hurry!"
The emperor urgently called Gillian, who had been fighting the golem knights outside.
Something then flew in from beyond the door.
Whoooosh!
What flew toward Zeke was the head of a golem knight.
Boom!
Zeke dodged, and the golem knightʼs head embedded deeply into the wall.
Gillian dragged the golem knightʼs body inside.
The emperor shouted at Gillian.
"Gillian! Kill that one immediately!"
Gillian, enhanced by the power of the Serpent in the Black Mouth, unleashed the strength of a Black Knight.
He tossed the golem knightʼs body aside and raised his greatsword, aiming at Zeke.
Boom boom boom boom!
The black energy flowing from Gillianʼs body cracked the floor, unable to withstand it.
Graaaargh!
Roaring like a beast, Gillian leaped at Zeke.
Zeke likewise raised Bahamut and clashed with Gillian.
Boom!
The greatsword and Zekeʼs sword collided, causing an explosion.
Zeke was pushed back by the powerful blast.
But he immediately swung Mace of Light down at Gillian.
Boom boom!
Gillian took the Mace of Light head-on but charged at Zeke again as if unscathed.
Whoosh!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
His greatsword fell repeatedly toward Zeke.
Zeke deflected Gillianʼs sword to the side, seeking an opening.
Though lost to reason and consumed by Demonic Energy, Gillian was a powerful knight on the verge of the Black Knight realm through rigorous training.
Even wielding a cumbersome greatsword, he showed no gaps.
Zeke admired Gillianʼs skill as he parried the strikes.
'What a foolish emperor, to turn a knight like this into such a thing.ʼ Zeke briefly retreated, then thrust his sword at Gillian again.
Boom!
Gillian, receiving Zekeʼs metal-infused sword head-on, momentarily lost balance from the unfamiliar force and staggered.
Then he focused his black energy again, raising a black aura.
Zeke said to Gillian,
"Gillian, was it? Itʼd be a shame to let a talent like yours die like this."
Though he seemed unable to comprehend words in his state, Zeke said this and donned Agamemnonʼs Mask.
A golden aura rose from his body.
The golden aura concentrated on Zekeʼs sword, enveloping it in a halo of light.
It was the newly evolved skill, Blade of Radiant Light.
Zeke looked at Gillian and said,
"If you survive, Iʼll take you as my subordinate and use you well."
Lost to reason, Gillian charged at Zeke with his greatsword infused with black aura, unable to understand.
Whoosh!
The strike, laden with immense power, made the air vibrate.
Zeke raised Blade of Radiant Light and unleashed Infinite Sword Art against Gillian.
Infinite Sword Art Secret Art
First Linked Form
Sun-and-Moon Severing Strike
The blade of light infused with Purification power extinguished Gillianʼs black aura and struck his body.
Sssst—
As the power of Purification seeped into Gillianʼs body, the black snake coiled within him began to writhe in agony.
"Gaaahhh!"
Gillian writhed in pain.
The snake tattoo on his face twisted, and something burst from Gillianʼs mouth.
Hiss hiss—
Exposed to the purifying energy, black smoke poured from the black snakeʼs body.
The black snake shot out of Gillianʼs mouth and fled swiftly.
Thud!
With the snake gone, Gillian collapsed, drained of strength. Zeke approached him.
'He was still breathing.ʼ
But the black snake had devoured too much of his life force while coiled inside.
Zeke quickly cast healing on Gillian.
The wounds recovered somewhat, but he remained unconscious.
As Zeke pondered giving him a potion, he sensed an evil power growing stronger behind him.
'What was this?ʼ
Turning, he was shocked to see the emperor, who had been fending off the ghost knights, in a completely different form.
Growl—
His skin like snake scales oozing sticky fluid, red eyes, and from head to back, snakes that writhed and made eerie sounds.
It was no longer human.
The black snake that fled Gillianʼs body had entered the emperor and fully dominated him.
The emperor looked at Zeke and spoke.
"The Constellation... the Constellation says... bring the Holy Spear."
Zeke furrowed his brow at the emperor, now fully transformed into a demon beast. 'Completely subjugated by the demon now.ʼ
At that moment, a message appeared before Zekeʼs eyes.
[The Fallen Constellation Serpent in the Black Mouth gazes at the Immortal through its avatar.]
[The Serpent in the Black Mouth makes a proposal to the Immortal.]
[If you hand over the Holy Spear, it says it will grant the Immortalʼs wish.]