"Kraaaah!"
Abel let out a mad scream and charged toward the cage where Zeke was trapped, swinging his fist.
Boom! Boom! Crash!
The sturdy cage crumpled completely under a single punch.
"Zeke... Zeke Draker..."
Abel glared at Zeke inside the cage with gleaming eyes, drooling thick saliva.
Zeke, bound by chains, didnʼt move at Abelʼs outburst and kept his head bowed.
As Abel distorted the cage and tried to reach in to grab Zeke, Lopocale approached and held him back.
"Now, now, Your Majesty. Please hold on a moment. Weʼll have plenty of time to torture Zeke Draker."
Lopocale barely pulled Abel away from the cage and signaled to Azmun with his eyes.
When Azmun tugged on the device attached to the cage, the bars lifted upward and opened the prison.
He then yanked the chains connected to the cage, and as if on cue, Zeke slowly rose from his seat and stood before Abel.
Abel looked at Zeke with a manic glint in his eyes.
He seemed eager to pounce right away but was barely holding back due to Lopocaleʼs restraint.
At that moment, Zeke, bound by the chains, slowly raised his head.
In an instant, a sword sprang from Zekeʼs hand.
Zeke immediately thrust the sword into Abelʼs heart and locked eyes with him.
Drip, drip, drip!
Thick blue blood flowed from the sword Zeke had stabbed in.
Seeing this, Zeke turned to Azmun beside him and said in a low voice. "...He isn't Abel."
At the same time, Azmun shouted.
"Acting Consul! Now!"
Upon the signal, Lopocale activated the magic circle installed on the floor of the grand hall.
Woooong!
The languages of the Demon Realm engraved along the pillars of the grand hall began to emit an eerie light.
Ziiing—
As the Demon Realm barrier Lopocale had prepared activated, Zeke felt as if his entire body was weighed down by iron blocks.
Rumble, rumble!
Despite the immense pressure, Zeke stubbornly held his ground, which caused Lopocale to shake his head.
'A tenacious one. Even an upper-grade Tuma from the Demon Realm wouldnʼt have budged under this.ʼ
He clicked his tongue inwardly, raised his staff, and strengthened the barrierʼs power.
The pressure bearing down on Zekeʼs body intensified.
Azmun watched from the side and said to Lopocale.
"Donʼt let your guard down! Remember, he rendered even the barrier Frets prepared useless!"
Rumble!
The pressure crushing Zekeʼs body grew even stronger.
Lopocale poured all his current power into the barrier, trying to completely restrain Zeke.
But then.
Ssssh—
Zekeʼs body, which had been kneeling, turned into shadows and scattered.
While Lopocale and Azmun were flustered, Zeke was already standing behind them, holding Bahamut.
"For a trap combining the sly schemer and Narakʼs power, itʼs quite petty." At that moment, Azmun snapped his fingers.
"Now!"
Clatter, clatter!
Suddenly, black chains burst from the ceiling and floor and wrapped around Zekeʼs body.
Seeing Zeke fully ensnared by the chains, Lopocale smirked and said.
"Zeke Draker, we already knew youʼd notice our trap. We expected youʼd break free somehow at least once."
Zeke listened to Azmunʼs meaningful words and assessed the situation. He soon realized the nature of the chains binding him.
'Sealing Chains?ʼ
They were the same as the black chains from the Eastern Continent that Zeke had used to seal Nebilos.
Clang!
Zeke tried to break free from the chains, but they didnʼt snap easily, as they could bind even the soul.
Crackle, crackle!
Zeke summoned lightning, but the attack dispersed along the chains.
Azmun eyed the bound Zeke cautiously.
"It seems those chains really can restrain Zeke Draker."
Zeke glared at Lopocale while tugging at the chains binding him.
"You filthy dark mage. Release this now!"
Lopocale chuckled at Zekeʼs roar and replied.
"Heh heh, as if. Itʼs a very precious item procured from the Eastern Continent. Itʼs the chains where successors on the verge of death offer their souls to dragons, creating unbreakable links to pass to their heirs. The longer the succession, the longer the chains grow. How long do you think the ones wrapping you are?"
Zeke hadnʼt known the Eastern Continentʼs chains were made that way.
Lopocale smiled with satisfaction, seeing Zekeʼs seemingly flustered expression.
"With the Knight of Salvation captured, weʼve achieved our goal. Well done, Corps
Commander Azmun."
At those words, Azmun said to Lopocale.
"Thank you for your efforts, Acting Consul. Then Iʼll take Zeke Draker into custody."
When Azmun moved to approach Zeke, Lopocale shook his head and blocked his path.
"Hold on, Corps Commander. Installing this barrier and capturing Zeke Draker is my achievement. Naturally, the rights to him belong to me." Azmun shook his head at Lopocaleʼs words.
"Zeke Draker will be the cornerstone for the Rom Empireʼs revival. For the empireʼs peace and prosperity, please lend your aid, Acting Consul."
As Azmun tried to approach Zeke with those words, Lopocale raised his hand.
The Imperial Palace Guard Knights behind him drew their swords and blocked Azmun.
Azmunʼs eyes narrowed at the sight.
"If you insist on this, I have no choice, Acting Consul." Aura slowly rose from his body.
In response to Azmun, the Knights of the Capricorn Palace waiting behind stepped forward and stood right behind him.
A dispute had arisen between Azmun and Lopocale over the captured Zeke Draker.
Lopocale smirked at the sight.
"A mere human putting up a futile struggle."
From the start, Lopocale had planned to eliminate Azmun during this opportunity.
Though he had temporarily allied with him to capture Zeke Draker, he couldnʼt predict what tricks this sly schemer might pull next.
Lopocale commanded the Imperial Palace Guard Knights.
"Kill Azmun Barrios!"
Upon his order, the Imperial Palace Guard Knights swiftly charged at Azmun.
At that moment, Azmun drew the sword from his back.
Woooong—
An ominous energy flowed from his pitch-black, thick-bladed sword.
Lopocale was taken aback by the sight of Azmunʼs sword.
'This energy...?ʼ
Red light flickered in Azmunʼs eyes as he gripped the sword, and a sinister aura surged forth.
He advanced in that state and swung the sword in his hand.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With just one swing, the approaching Imperial Palace Guard Knights were swept away.
It was as if a giant had swung a greatsword and cleared them out.
Boom! Crash!
Lopocale looked flustered as the Imperial Palace Guard Knights were slammed into the grand hallʼs walls by Azmunʼs single strike.
'What in the world...?ʼ
It didnʼt seem like the power of a constellation, yet a force comparable to it dwelled within Azmunʼs sword.
Azmun slowly approached Lopocale, sword in hand.
"Acting Consul... no, thereʼs no need for pretense anymore. You filthy demonkind. The game ends here."
Azmun had already known he wasnʼt human but demonkind.
Lopocale retreated and said to Azmun.
"You sly human. So you already knew my true nature."
Lopocale, who had been disguised as human, dropped his disguise and revealed his original form.
A demonkind with pitch-black eyes, purple hair, and blue skin appeared.
Azmun raised his sword toward Lopocale.
"I can no longer stand by as demonkind like you defiles the great Rom Empireʼs imperial family."
"Puhahaha! You allied with me knowing I was demonkind, and now you spew nonsense!" Lopocale burst into laughter and snapped his fingers.
The fallen Imperial Palace Guard Knights staggered to their feet.
At the same time, the fake Abel, who had been stabbed by Zekeʼs sword and collapsed, also rose unsteadily.
Grrrr—
The fake Abel, with some skin sloughing off and blue blood flowing, stood behind Lopocale and growled like a beast.
He looked at Azmunʼs sword and said.
"That doesnʼt look like an ordinary sword... Did Ramon Siemens give it to you?"
As Lopocale swung his staff, black energy rose from the barrier in the grand hall.
The energy seeped into the bodies of the Imperial Palace Guard Knights and the fake Abel.
Rumble!
The eyes of the Guard Knights, who absorbed the black energy, turned feral like those of beasts.
Grrrr—
The Guard Knights, having lost their reason, and the fake Abel charged at Azmun.
Whoosh!
As Azmun stepped back, the Knights of the Capricorn Palace rushed forward, drew their swords, and clashed with the Guard Knights.
Boom!
The Knights of the Capricorn Palace, shields raised, blocked the Guard Knights and thrust their swords between the gaps.
Their swords werenʼt ordinary either and pierced the Guard Knightsʼ armor with ease.
Spurt!
Blue blood gushed from the stabbed Guard Knights.
At first, it seemed the Knights of the Capricorn Palace were pushing back the Guard Knights afflicted by dark magic. But soon, something felt off.
No matter how many times they were stabbed, the Guard Knights wouldnʼt fall.
Grrrr—
Even as blue blood flowed, the dark magic-afflicted Guard Knights pressed forward relentlessly and forced back the Knights of the Capricorn Palace.
Azmun, observing the situation, shouted.
"Draw your maces and crush their heads!"
The scheming Azmun quickly devised a counter and ordered his knights.
The knights held their shields firm, sheathed their swords, and drew the maces from their backs.
Whoooosh!
One knight closest to a Guard Knight swung the spiked mace hard at their heads.
Thwack!
The Guard Knight struck by the mace collapsed with a loud thud.
Seeing this, the other knights swung their maces to fend off the Guard Knights.
Just as they thought theyʼd subdued them, the fallen Guard Knights twitched and tried to rise again.
"Grrrrk!"
The Guard Knights, who spewed blue blood foam, advanced once more and horrified the Knights of the Capricorn Palace.
"Corps Commander! They wonʼt stay down!"
Azmun frowned as he watched.
Lopocale smiled with satisfaction at the scene.
He had implanted eggs of summoned parasites from the Demon Realm into the bodies of the Imperial Palace Guard Knights.
Once the parasite eggs fully spread through the host, they felt no pain and could repair damaged flesh almost immediately.
Though not a Tuma tribesman, Lopocale had the skill to command warriors using these parasites to protect himself.
Lopocale smirked, noting that Azmun wasnʼt easily using his powerful sword.
"As expected, there must be some restriction on using that sword." The stronger the armament, the more limitations it had.
Azmunʼs sword, imbued with constellation-level power, seemed limited in daily uses or required a heavy price.
Lopocale laughed and pushed the completely transformed fake Abel forward.
"Go tear out his throat!"
The fake Abel had become a monster with compound eyes like a fly, sharp teeth and claws, and elongated limbs.
It was an experiment that revived low-rank demonkind sealed in ice during the first Demon Kingʼs Army invasion and implanted them with parasites.
Though low-rank demonkind flesh, enhanced by drugs and dark magic, it could exert power beyond a red knight.
Kaaack!
The test subject let out a horrific screech and charged at Azmun and the Knights of the Capricorn Palace.
Slash!
As the low-rank demon swung its claws mid-air, the Knights of the Capricorn Palace were sliced apart along with their shields.
"Argh!"
Corpses and blood of the Knights of the Capricorn Palace splattered everywhere.
"C-Corps Commander!"
The knights reached out to Azmun for help, but he watched with a cold expression.
As Lopocale had said, the sword he wielded had a set time limit per day.
Thus, he had to use it only when absolutely necessary.
'Not yet.ʼ
While Azmun gripped his sword and waited for an opening, the Knights of the Capricorn Palace were all reduced to corpses by the test subjectʼs claws.
Lopocale approached Azmun slowly, a sinister smile on his face.
"Azmun Barrios. You die here today." But then.
Azmun plunged his sword into the floor.
Ssssh—
The sword began greedily absorbing the blood of the knights pooled on the ground.
Lopocale recoiled in surprise at the eerie sight.
'What is that...?ʼ
As Lopocale tensed and stayed alert, Azmunʼs blood-soaked sword began to change shape.
Crunch, crunch!
Grotesque patterns emerged on the blade, and it transformed into something like sharp teeth.
Lopocale was startled by the altered sword.
"That sword... could it be...?"
He blinked in disbelief and shouted at Azmun.
"Flesh-Devouring Emperor Ajitahaka! Does this mean Ramon Siemens tampered with Ajitahakaʼs power?!"