'Julius?ʼ
From his past life, Zeke knew exactly what kind of man Consul Julius was.
On the surface, he was renowned as a grand marshal and a bold politician, but in reality, he was a man who would do anything to secure his power.
Since Julius had solidified his position in the Rom Empire by opposing the emperorʼs faction, Zeke had assumed this civil war was something he had orchestrated, using Abel and Siemens as fronts.
That was why Zeke found it strange that Julius had reached out to him personally at this point.
Boris explained the situation to Zeke in more detail.
"It was a message from the Dorta Republic, saying they wanted to meet with you in secret."
Zeke rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought.
After a moment, he looked up at Boris and said,
"Wasnʼt Julius the one leading this civil war?"
At those words, Boris made a slightly ambiguous expression.
"Certainly, without the support of Julius as both grand marshal and consul, Abel Draker wouldnʼt have been able to step forward. After all, he wouldnʼt have been able to prove his bloodline as a prince-elector qualified for the throne."
Zeke already knew from his connection to Abel and Cain that imperial blood ran through his veins. But he hadnʼt expected Abel to actually come forward claiming the Rom throne.
He asked Boris,
"Did Julius vouch for Abelʼs imperial bloodline?" Boris nodded.
"Yes. Thanks to that, Abel was able to strike at Rom before the other imperial family members could mobilize."
"Even with Juliusʼs endorsement, the other consuls and elders wouldnʼt have just stood by."
"Youʼre right, and thatʼs where the problem arose." Boris swallowed dryly and continued.
"After Abel seized Rom, he massacred not only the imperial family but also the elders of the Rom Empire, key nobles, and even the citizens."
"What?"
The moment Zeke heard Borisʼs words, the image of the destroyed Atlas flashed in his mind.
In his past life, Knight of Slaughter Abel had occupied Atlas using Carus as a front and carried out a horrific civilian massacre.
As a result, Atlas—the most refined and advanced city in the Midland—had been reduced to ruins, becoming a city of death.
What had happened then was now occurring in Rom.
With a hardened expression, Zeke said,
"The massacre was so extreme that it caused a rift between Julius and Abelʼs side?"
"That seems to be the case. Among those executed by Abel were several of
Juliusʼs allies."
That meant he had killed indiscriminately, without regard for allegiances.
It seemed even more brutal than the Knight of Slaughter Abel from his past life.
'Did something go wrong when Ramon Siemens revived him?ʼ
It felt less like a calculated purge to secure the city and more like utter madness.
If that was true, it made sense why Julius had contacted Zeke first.
After pondering for a moment, Zeke asked Boris,
"Do you think itʼs better to proceed with a meeting with Julius?"
Boris fell silent for a bit before nodding and replying,
"If youʼre asking for my opinion, I would say yes."
"Why?"
Boris answered slowly.
"There are two reasons. First, the Second Prince, whom Julius supported, is our prisoner. We can use that to gain legitimacy for retaking Rom by putting the Second Prince forward through Julius."
"And the other?"
"We can use it to persuade Daria Calvi and the Inmagung Knight Order." Zeke nodded at Borisʼs words.
Daria Calvi still hadnʼt betrayed the empireʼs side.
Her loyalty ran deeper than Zeke had anticipated.
But if she heard that Abel had massacred Romʼs citizens and executed the imperial family before seizing the city, she would likely change her mind.
Looking at Boris, Zeke said,
"So, using Leo and Julius to secure legitimacy and stirring division within the Rom Empire through the Inmagung Knight Order." Boris nodded.
"Yes. If the Second Prince, Daria Calvi, and Julius all step forward together, we can draw in those within the empire who are dissatisfied with the current situation." At those words, Zeke thought of one person.
'The empireʼs black knight and one of the continentʼs top five strongest, Duke Crevan de Panion, the Bright King.ʼ
He was the one who had passed down the Bright King Spear to Daria Calvi.
Duke Crevan belonged to the centrist faction in the empire.
Even during the continental war in Zekeʼs past life, Duke Crevan had never taken the forefront.
If he had, the northern continent would have knelt to the empireʼs power much sooner.
The black knights were like the final forces and hidden weapons representing each faction.
That was why Duke Crevan might have stayed out of this civil war, observing the situation.
But if Leo and Julius moved together to openly confront Abel and Siemensʼs side, Duke Crevan would have no choice but to act.
After considering Borisʼs words, Zeke nodded and replied,
"Pass the message to Juliusʼs side. Tell them weʼll meet in the Dorta Republic. Request assistance from the Zayed Family regarding the arrangements."
He had maintained contact with Muhammad bin Abuda Zayed, the second son of the Zayed Family, with whom he had formed a connection before.
Muhammad was favorably disposed toward Zeke, so he would surely arrange this secret meeting.
At Zekeʼs command, Boris bowed his head.
"Understood, Boss. Also, Shadia says the selection process is complete."
It meant she had culled those from Salmak whom she intended to keep, as she had discussed with Zeke.
"How many?"
"About a third of those who came with us."
"Thatʼs more than I expected. No issues with loyalty?"
"Even if a traitor emerges among them, with the new recruits weʼve added, we can handle it internally, so no need to worry."
With a snap of his fingers, two shadowy figures emerged from the floor.
A man in a skull mask and a silver-haired woman bowed to Zeke.
They were the Six ability users from the Nostra Family who had previously attempted to assassinate him.
The silver-haired woman bowed to Zeke.
"We pay our respects to the Boss."
They had been freed from brainwashing by Arinaʼs influence and then healed by Zeke.
Looking at them, Zeke nodded.
"Youʼre Adol, the sand ability user, and youʼre Serena, the crystallization ability user." Serena nodded in surprise that Zeke remembered her name.
"Yes, Boss."
"Howʼs your body since the treatment?"
In the Nostra Family, the Six were always objects of fear.
Yet they were treated as test subjects, so human interaction or camaraderie was out of the question.
But in Arinaʼs circle—and Zekeʼs faction—there was no trace of such an atmosphere.
That was why Serena and Adol had chosen to defect to Zekeʼs side.
"Weʼre fine, Boss. Thank you again for saving our lives, even though we were your enemies."
Thanks to Zekeʼs treatment, their stats had decreased compared to before, but they no longer needed to rely on drugs to survive.
Serena was truly grateful to Zeke.
At her words, Zeke nodded.
"Iʼm glad youʼre doing well."
With Shadia and the Salmak assassins under Boris, plus the Six defectors Serena and Adol, Sion, and the former Knight Killer Airen joining, the intelligence unit had grown in size.
Zeke decided to trust Borisʼs assurance that they could handle issues internally.
"Tell Shadia to bring the selected personnel. Handle the rest as you see fit." Boris bowed to Zeke and withdrew from the office.
Zeke planned to meet with Julius first, then respond to the sultanʼs invitation.
Since a portal was installed in the Dorta Republic, travel would be convenient.
'In that case, it might be best to bring Lord Hades and Lady Yellin to Dorta this time as well.ʼ
As Zeke finished organizing his plans and rose from his seat to return to the reception room, Thud! Thud!
'Hm?ʼ
Something noisy was happening outside the mansion.
Zeke opened the window and looked out.
Hundreds of guards and dozens of knights had gathered outside the mansion.
'Whatʼs going on?ʼ
It didnʼt look like they had come to attack him outright with so many people, so something felt off.
Then, something caught Zekeʼs eye.
He realized the guards and knights were actually surrounding a group of about a dozen cloaked figures standing in front of the mansion.
'Those are…?ʼ
Zeke leaped out the window in an instant.
*
The captain of the Atlas 5th District Security Force couldnʼt believe the situation.
'Monsters, theyʼre monsters.ʼ
Unknown hulking figures in thick cloaks and hoods had appeared at the gate. They refused to identify themselves and forced their way in, so he had tried to stop them.
But the brutes' strength sent his well-trained soldiers flying into the air and slamming into walls.
Unable to handle them with guards alone, he had called in the knights as well.
Yet even the aura-wielding knights were no match for these hulks.
The brutes devastated the gate and smashed the knights into walls before finally entering Atlas proper.
Atlas, famous for its security, had been breached by fewer than twenty people.
An alert had gone out across all of Atlas, and guards and knights had mobilized everywhere to pursue them.
Soon, they found traces of the brutes. Astonishingly, the brutes had gathered in front of the mansion belonging to the Knight of Salvation, Zeke Draker.
Worried they might harm the renowned Knight of Salvation, the captain had hurriedly gathered everyone he could to block them.
He shouted at the brutes trying to smash down the mansion door with their fists.
"Freeze! Drop your weapons and kneel on the ground! If you donʼt comply, weʼll execute you on the spot!"
But the brute ignored the captainʼs words and kept pounding on the mansion door.
Then, one of the knights beside the captain said to him,
"Captain, this isnʼt working. If they break in, itʼll cause big trouble for Sir Zeke Draker, so itʼs better to take them out here."
This knight hadnʼt seen the brutes devastate the gate earlier.
The captain broke into a cold sweat at the knightʼs words. 'With this many, can we even take down those monsters?ʼ He honestly wasnʼt sure.
But in this situation, there were no other options.
The captain squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.
"Attack!"
At his command, the knights gripped their swords and advanced.
They activated their auras to strengthen their bodies and approached the brutes.
These were purple knights, capable of infusing their blades with aura.
"Haaah!"
The knight who had urged the attack charged forward boldly toward them.
His sword flew toward the bruteʼs back.
Clang!
Surprisingly, the knightʼs sword couldnʼt cut through the bruteʼs back and bounced off harmlessly.
The brute merely scratched his back as if bitten by a mosquito.
The other knights closed in, and only then did the brutes turn their heads.
They removed their hoods, revealing their faces.
The charging knights faltered and retreated in shock.
"B-Barbarans!"
The knights were well aware of the Barbaransʼ infamous reputation.
Their superhuman physical abilities rendered not just swords but even auras ineffective, making them the knightsʼ natural predators.
The Barbarans glared at the knights with fierce expressions.
Terrified by the Barbaransʼ sharp gazes, the knights stumbled back.
The captain, seeing this, thought his life might end here.
But then— Boom!
Something flew through the air and landed in front of the Barbarans.
The captain and knights were stunned to see who it was.
"Sir Zeke!"
Knight of Salvation Zeke Draker had appeared in person.
Zeke slowly rose and turned toward the Barbarans.
The captain and knights swallowed hard, watching Zeke face the Barbarans.
Then, one of the Barbarans approached Zeke.
He moved swiftly and charged at him.
The captain and knights cried out in horror.
"No!"
But something astonishing happened.
"Big Bro Zeke!"
The Barbaran charged at Zeke and embraced him.
Zeke looked at the Barbaran and grinned.
"Kingʼs Fist. Itʼs been forever."