Crack!
The Holy Spear pierced the emperor's heart.
At the same moment, a message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[The Fallen Constellation Serpent in the Black Mouth has suffered damage to its source from godslaying power.]
[The Serpent in the Black Mouth struggles to escape its avatar body.]
[The godslaying power fixes the constellation's source to the avatar body.]
Zeke gripped the Holy Spear embedded in the emperor's body and invoked the power of purification.
Woooong!
A golden aura seeped into the emperor's body, and he immediately let out a scream of agony.
"Kaaaaah!"
Black energy began to flow out of his body.
Zeke summoned the Ring of Solomon and activated its authority on the energy.
[The Ring of Solomon's unique authority Seal activates.]
The black energy flowing from the emperor was drawn into the Ring of Solomon.
Tssst—
The black energy coiled around the ring before being sucked inside.
Zeke held the Holy Spear steady and brought the ring closer to the emperor's body.
"Grrrrk!"
The emperor shuddered violently, as if on the verge of death.
Then, several messages flashed rapidly before Zeke's eyes.
[The Fallen Constellation Serpent in the Black Mouth makes an urgent proposal to the Immortal.]
[It offers to grant a wish without any price.]
[It claims that simply letting it go will seal the deal without cost.]
Zeke ignored the appearing messages and continued absorbing the black energy into the ring.
Soon, all the black energy drained from the emperor's body, and a pattern etched itself onto the Ring of Solomon.
Unlike the faintly engraved pattern of the Harbinger of Blood and Madness, where only a portion of the source was sealed, the pattern of the Serpent in the Black Mouth was vividly clear.
As he confirmed it, a message appeared.
[The Ring of Solomon has sealed the Fallen Constellation Serpent in the Black Mouth.]
[The true name of the Serpent in the Black Mouth, Belial, is inscribed on the Ring of Solomon.]
[You can now use the Fallen Constellation Belial's unique authority Deception once per day.]
Unlike ordinary demonkind, the true names of fallen constellations were concealed.
But with the source perfectly sealed in the Ring of Solomon, the constellation's true name was revealed, allowing Zeke to use its ability.
'A unique authority of Deception...ʼ
At that moment, another message followed.
[You have achieved the astonishing feat of sealing a Fallen Constellation.]
[You acquire the title Demon Hunter.]
[Due to the title's effect, the special skill Colossus-Hunting Art evolves into DemonHunting Art (S-Grade).]
[When using Demon-Hunting Art, you deal 1.5 times additional damage to fallen constellations and their vassals.]
[The proficiency of the active skill Blade of Radiant Light increases.]
[You gain 10,000 Karma Points for the achievement.]
Zeke nodded in satisfaction at the results of sealing the fallen constellation.
He then looked at the emperor, from whom Belial's power had been extracted.
Corrupted into a demonic beast by the fallen power, the emperor was now completely drained, barely clinging to life now that the fallen constellation was sealed.
Zeke gripped the spear in the emperor's heart and spoke to him.
"Come to think of it, I never told you that." He gazed at the emperor.
"The relic of the elder dragon you were searching for... I took it." In that instant, Zeke felt the emperor's eyes tremble.
He stared down at him for a moment, then pulled the Holy Spear from his heart.
Tssst—
As the spear was withdrawn, the emperor's body began to crumble rapidly.
Zeke immediately summoned his shadow and absorbed the emperor's body. Ssssh—
The emperor's body was sucked into Zeke's shadow, and soon a message appeared.
[You have eliminated the fully corrupted fallen avatar body.]
[As a reward, you receive 1,000 Karma Points.]
[You have devoured the fully corrupted fallen avatar body.]
[Your expended stamina, mental strength, and mana are restored.]
[Absorbing the avatar body increases the proficiency of the dragon race skill Absorption.]
[You absorb the avatar body's bloodline ability Regeneration (S-Grade).]
[The active skill Regeneration (S-Grade) evolves into the constitution Immortal Body.]
[Due to the Immortal Body constitution, the mana consumption of Healing Factor decreases.]
[Due to the Immortal Body constitution, the proficiency of the special skill Soul
Confinement Technique increases.]
'Constitution: Immortal Body?ʼ
Zeke, who had originally been a healer class, awakened as the unique class Immortal after his awakening rite.
His class had never changed since becoming an Immortal, and he had never heard of a constitution called Immortal Body.
Zeke checked the information on Immortal Body.
—Immortal Body—
The indestructible body of an Immortal. Wounds heal almost instantly, and it allows the wielder to unleash powerful soul force.
Zeke understood why the proficiency of Soul Confinement Technique had increased due to the Immortal Body.
'Powerful soul force, huh.ʼ
From this, he speculated that the true power of an Immortal lay not in bodily regeneration, but in powerful soul force.
The godslaying power, usable only by Immortals, seemed to stem from that same soul force.
Among Zeke's skills, those that used soul force—spiritual power—were Full Power Technique, dragon race skills, and Astral Sword.
'If my fate is to stop the resurrecting Demon King, I need to hone these skills.ʼ
Among them, Zeke focused on Full Power Technique, which he had learned from his past-life master, Nigel.
In truth, the strongest technique in his arsenal was Elemental Sword.
But its efficiency was still too low for Zeke to handle fully, and since it used mana directly, it wasn't ideal against constellations that required soul-force strikes.
To strike fallen constellations and demonkind directly, Full Power Technique was the way.
He felt he needed to visit his master Nigel to learn the rest of Full Power Technique.
'Does that mean I have to go to her myself?ʼ The mere thought made his legs tremble.
Even as a Black Knight, Zeke feared his master Nigel.
He had suffered too much in his past life, and even if he dueled her then, he wasn't confident of victory.
Though he hadn't known in his past life, once he had reached the Black Knight realm, he suspected Nigel was at the grandmaster level.
'If I learn all of Full Power Technique and master Triple Spell, I might reach grandmaster level myself.ʼ
To face the Demon King and the fallen constellations ahead, the power of a Black Knight alone would be insufficient.
Zeke resolved to head to the Forest of the Forgotten soon.
'Not only to prevent the Empire from extracting the sealed ones there, but also to find
Shattan Drakerʼs Secret Cave—better to go quickly and handle both.ʼ
Having organized his future plans and set his mind, Zeke surveyed the disarrayed sanctuary, thinking it was time to clean up and return to the Principality of Vadoka.
He first approached Gillian, who lay collapsed nearby.
Thanks to Zeke's healing buff, his life was out of danger, but he still hadn't regained consciousness.
Zeke stepped outside and extended his hand toward the Golem Knights, crumpled against the wall after taking hits for Gillian.
[Would you like to restore the summoned Golem Knights?]
Having inherited the Holy King's power and gained the title He Who Inherits the Radiant Light, Zeke had become the master of the sanctuary's Golem Knights, allowing him to register them as summons.
Confirming the message, Zeke unsummoned the Golem Knights to restore them.
It would take considerable time for the broken Golem Knights to fully reconstruct.
Afterward, as Zeke scanned for any surviving Imperial troops, he spotted Carlito hiding in a corner with his head buried.
"Come out."
As Zeke's authority Charisma activated, Carlito couldn't resist and stumbled forward, trembling.
He immediately knelt before Zeke.
"P-Please spare me!"
Carlito had secretly watched everything Zeke did: single-handedly massacring the emperor's elite guard, felling the brainwashed Gillian, slaying the monstrous emperor, and dissolving his body into shadow.
In Carlito's eyes, Zeke was more terrifying than any monster.
Using Shadow Domination's authority, Zeke read Carlito's memories and learned who he was.
'Vice Captain of the Knight Order of the Celestial Scorpion Palace.ʼ
Having risen through political maneuvering, Carlito had wide connections and knew much about the Empire.
After some thought, Zeke spoke to him.
"Do you want to live?"
Carlito slammed his forehead to the ground, pleading desperately.
"I want to live! If you just spare me, I'll do anything!" Carlito was a scoundrel, but also capable.
Zeke pondered, then said to him,
"Lift your head."
As Carlito cautiously raised his head, Zeke met his eyes and activated Blood Eye.
Tssst—
Zeke used the power of Blood Eye alongside the authorities Charisma and Shadow Domination to suppress Carlito's soul.
"Khuk!"
Carlito felt as if his heart was being bound by something and shuddered in pain.
Zeke looked at him and said,
"Carlito Luciano. No matter where you are, the moment you betray me, your heart will burst and you'll die. If you doubt it, test it."
At Zeke's words, Carlito shook his head frantically.
"D-Doubt? How could I ever do such a thing to my master! I will serve you with eternal loyalty!"
He immediately pledged himself as Zeke's slave.
Since things had come to this, Zeke decided to extract Imperial information from Carlito and exploit their weaknesses.
He cleanly disposed of the dead Imperial soldiers with Decay, closed the sanctuary door, and stepped outside.
Carlito followed Zeke, carrying the unconscious Gillian.
Once outside, Zeke said to Carlito,
"Go inform the main force of the vanguard's annihilation and the emperor's death. But don't return to the Empire—stall for time, and when I arrive leading the knight order, surrender."
With his soul ensnared by Zeke, Carlito had no means of resistance.
He returned to the Imperial main force, waiting helplessly behind the path blocked by Richmond.
Carlito produced the bloodied imperial banner as proof and announced the emperor's death.
The commanders fell into chaos at the news, milling about in confusion without knowing what to do.
Already influenced by the cultists' magic and awakening drugs, they couldn't make rational decisions and engaged in pointless debates.
Following Zeke's orders, Carlito subtly sowed confusion among the commanders, keeping them from returning to the homeland.
A few days later, Zeke arrived with the Black Sword Knight Order, and Carlito intimidated the commanders as planned, preventing rash action.
But opposition was fierce; some commanders insisted on wiping out Zeke Draker's knight order to claim credit and return to the Empire.
Amid the internal strife and uproar, Zeke led his knights in a sudden assault on the disorganized Imperial army.
"Any Imperial knight who dares measure himself against me, step forward."
At Zeke's provocation, several commanders sent their subordinates to boost morale.
But no Imperial knight withstood Zeke's sword for three exchanges.
The commanders, intimidated by Zeke's fame as the Knight of Salvation and his superior skill, saw arguments for battle wane.
Carlito reminded them of the emperor's death, warning that defeat here would bring blame for both the emperor's loss and the failure upon their return.
Having marched for plunder without supplies, they had no food or necessities left.
Naturally, even deciding to retreat seemed daunting.
In this worst-case scenario, where every choice led to ruin, the commanders agreed with Carlito that surrender—at least guaranteed food and supplies—and yielded to the Black Sword Knight Order.
Zeke had accepted the surrender of over 20,000 troops with fewer than 1,000 knights.
The starving, exhausted Imperial soldiers seemed relieved by the surrender.
Zeke led the surrendered 20,000 Imperial troops toward the Principality of Vadoka.
By saving the ghetto region and now the Holy Kingdom, Zeke's fame as the Knight of Salvation spread across the continent once more.
Upon safely returning to the Principality of Vadoka, Zeke immediately received a message from Arthur Draker via Atlas.