Rumble!
As the explosion of light faded, rays of light scattered in all directions.
Zeke looked around, and black knights with shattered armor lay scattered everywhere.
"Did the skull masks get caught up in the explosion all at once?" At that moment, black mist began to creep up from the ground.
Sss...
As the black mist touched them, the bodies of the shattered black knights started to regenerate.
Just like before, the immortal legion of black knights rose again.
The difference this time was that the controller manipulating them did not reveal itself.
Zeke calmly observed the regenerating black knights.
"Something's different from last time. It seems like they're recovering by drawing demonic energy from somewhere other than the skull masks."
Siemens's secret weapons might have been hidden not just here, but in Jupiter or elsewhere. To deal with them, he needed to know how to counter them.
For the allied forces to handle these on their own without Zeke, they would have had to directly attack the method of infusing the power of immortality.
The black knight legion, now fully restored, advanced toward Zeke with greatswords drawn, aiming at him.
Step. Step. Step.
They split into units: the rear aimed guns at him, while the front pressed forward with swords raised.
Soon, the rear unleashed a barrage of bullets toward Zeke.
Boom boom boom!
In an instant, the spot where Zeke had been standing was torn to shreds.
He dodged to the side, and the black knights in formation charged at him with their swords.
Whoooosh!
Sword strikes infused with demonic energy bore down on Zeke.
Clang!
Ascalon, enveloped in Holy Spirit Qi, sliced through the black knights' swords in one stroke.
As he dealt with the black knights, bullets flew from behind again.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Zeke leaped into the air to evade, causing the black knights facing him to take the bullets instead; those shots riddled their armor with holes.
Grind...
But black mist surged up, and the shot black knights quickly regenerated, swinging their swords at Zeke once more.
Whoooosh—
Zeke unleashed bolts of light to neutralize the black knights' attacks while he searched for the source of the demonic energy.
As he scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes, skull masks holding staffs appeared from all directions.
Zeke realized something upon seeing them.
"Just like the Nostra Family's don, the skull masks are definitely clone bodies."
The source of power was separate, and these skull mask clones seemed to extend the range of that power.
As the four skull masks raised their staffs and infused the black knights with demonic energy, an even stronger aura emanated from them.
"I need to completely cut off the demonic energy from the source."
Zeke stepped forward, gripping Ascalon, as the black knights approached him.
He then activated one of the Holy Sword's authorities: Great Purification.
Sss...
A golden wave radiated from his body.
The demonic energy touched by the power of Great Purification broke down and scattered as rays of light.
The light of Great Purification, carrying a primal force stronger than Holy Spirit Qi, completely neutralized the demonic energy.
The skull masks, wary of the Great Purification power Zeke emitted, pulled the black knights back.
They then ordered a ranged barrage with bullets from a distance.
Click!
Hundreds of muzzles aimed at Zeke.
At the same moment, bullets even more powerful than before poured out from the muzzles.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
Not just firing but exploding on impact, those bullets sent shockwaves crashing over Zeke.
Zeke activated his Hercion to block the shockwaves while he used Great Purification to locate where the demonic energy flowed most strongly.
And at one point, Zeke discovered points that supplied demonic energy directly from the floor and walls of the space itself.
"There are pipes supplying the demonic energy."
Having pinpointed the locations, Zeke maintained the authority of Great Purification and drew Laevatein.
He immediately thrust it into the floor.
Rumble!
Through Laevatein, the Chamber of Metal Power spread beyond the floor and walls.
Rumble rumble...
The demonic energy supply pipes installed throughout the labyrinth could not withstand the shockwaves Zeke unleashed and began to twist or burst.
Sizzle—
In the end, the walls and floor cracked, and demonic energy leaked from the gaps.
The light of Great Purification Zeke emitted then seeped into the cracks, neutralizing the demonic energy.
Sss...
As the supplied demonic energy gradually vanished, the black knights—and even the skull mask clones acting as intermediaries—rapidly lost their power.
But even then, the eyes of the skull masks controlling the black knights gleamed with an eerie light.
Perhaps programmed to act autonomously in emergencies, they moved on their own, emitting demonic energy.
In response, Zeke raised Ascalon, which radiated the power of Great Purification.
Whoooong!
Golden rays of light surged from the rippling sword imbued with Great Purification.
He took a step forward and swung horizontally.
Swoooosh—
A massive golden sword strike cleaved through the waists of the black knights and skull masks in the space.
Thud...
The black knights and skull masks collapsed with their upper bodies severed.
The light of Great Purification clung to their now-functionless bodies, beginning the purification.
In the end, the immortal black knights, with their demonic energy fully purified, could no longer endure and began to crumble into ash.
Crackle!
The skull masks, which had held out a bit longer as intermediaries, eventually left behind the Blood Tear Stones embedded in their heads and turned to dust, vanishing.
Only after they had completely disintegrated did Zeke withdraw the authority of Great Purification.
Then, demonic energy began to leak bit by bit from the cracks in the broken walls and floor, spreading like black smoke.
But with the immortal legion already destroyed, the scattered demonic energy merely drifted aimlessly through the space.
Zeke picked up the Blood Tear Stone from the skull mask's head and ascended the dais the black knights had been guarding.
"I thought I saw something here."
Examining the dais, Zeke discovered a magic circle inscribed where the skull mask had stood guard.
He realized it was a portal leading to the heart of the labyrinth.
"The High Priest of Narak will be there."
After absorbing the collected Blood Tear Stone to recover his strength, Zeke extended his hand toward the magic circle.
Whoooong!
As Zeke interfered with the magic circle through the system, forcibly opening the portal, a black hole formed, and Zeke slowly stepped inside.
Sss...
Passing through the black hole, an entirely new space appeared.
An underground dungeon made of red stone stretched out before him.
Zeke sensed that the aura in this space was different from the thick demonic energy he had felt earlier.
"This energy... it's the power of Outsider Species."
Feeling the alien power of the Outsider Species permeating the air, Zeke immediately activated Holy Spirit Qi to protect himself.
With some preparation, he slowly advanced.
Soon, an arched entrance came into view, leading to a vast cavern.
Entering the cavern, Zeke looked up to see a high dais at the far end, with an altar built upon it.
Atop the altar stood a dark mage in a black robe.
"Zeke Draker."
A voice not possessed, but the real, flesh-and-blood tone.
Zeke realized the one standing on the altar was the High Priest of Narak, Doctor Harvey West.
He raised his sword toward the High Priest.
"Harvey West."
Zeke's eyes flashed.
"Today, I'll make you vanish from this world for good." In response to Zeke's words, the High Priest raised his hand.
Then, he intoned slowly.
"I'll look forward to it."
With those words, the High Priest gestured, and the empty space rippled as something burst forth.
Rumble!
What emerged from the rift in space were knights of grotesque appearance.
Their basic form resembled the black knights, but their armor writhed like living organisms.
The armor constantly shifted, oozing viscous fluids from within, while tentacles rose from their bodies, wriggling like snake heads.
Zeke sensed a familiar energy from the aberrant knights the High Priest had summoned.
"It's a mix of everything. Not just the power of Outsider Species, but the power of the
Harbinger of Blood and Madness, and even the demonic energy of magical beasts..."
This was the ultimate experimental subject, created by combining all the technologies of Siemens, the Nostra Family, and Narak.
As the aberrant knight extended its hand, the armor writhed, forming a bizarre sword.
A saw-toothed blade reminiscent of teeth or bones extended from its hand, aimed at Zeke.
Hundreds of such aberrant knights advanced toward Zeke.
Zeke drew the Holy Sword Ascalon, activated Holy Spirit Qi, and summoned all four great elementals.
Rumble!
Behind Zeke, the high elementals of fire, water, wind, and earth appeared.
Seeing Zeke summon all four elements, the High Priest spoke in a voice tinged with surprise.
"To wield all four elements... The more I see, the more astonishing you are, Zeke Draker." He extended his hand toward the aberrant knights.
"That's why I cannot let you live."
At his words, the aberrant knights charged at Zeke.
Rumble!
The aberrant knights kicked off the ground and leaped into the air, swinging their sawtoothed swords at Zeke.
Then, the four great elementals behind Zeke stepped forward, unleashing their power toward the aberrant knights.
Boom boom boom!
Flames and winds imbued with elemental power, dust storms and water arrows, poured toward the aberrant knights.
Boom boom boom boom!
Zeke knew from past experience that elemental power worked against Outsider Species.
Indeed, as the four great elementals' attacks swept over the aberrant knights, they burned in flames or had limbs twisted and bodies pierced before they could even reach Zeke, collapsing.
Even though the aberrant knights didn't touch Zeke and all fell, the High Priest on the altar remained unmoved.
Zeke realized something was amiss.
"No way?" Rumble— Moments later, the fallen aberrant knights began to rise again.
Bubbles formed on the bodies of the aberrant knights, which he thought had been completely destroyed, and organic matter proliferated, quickly restoring them to their original form.
Zeke recalled what Harvey West, the High Priest of Narak, had researched during his time in Nirvana.
"The power of immortality."
All of Narak's experimental subjects shared a common trait.
The ability to restore themselves to their original state even after destruction.
The black knights Zeke had just annihilated were an immortal legion that wouldn't die as long as demonic energy was supplied.
But these aberrant knights before him regenerated on their own, without demonic energy.
It was similar to Zeke's authority of Immortal Body.
"Immortality, the power of undying... Is this the ultimate power the High Priest seeks?" The aberrant knights, now reformed in ranks, looked even more horrific than before.
Some had arms increased to four, others heads doubled.
Growl...
As the aberrant knights fully organized, their armor split open with a crack, revealing massive mouths inside.
Long tongues like tentacles protruded from the mouths lined with sharp teeth.
But then.
Boom boom boom!
Demonic aura flowed from the saw-toothed swords the aberrant knights held.
They assumed stances like knights, gripping their aura-infused blades.
These were not just aberrant entities with Outsider Species power; they wielded demonic aura like demons, used swords like human knights, and possessed immortal bodies that wouldn't die.
"How the hell did they create something like that?"
Zeke gripped Ascalon and confronted the advancing aberrant knights emitting demonic aura.
Soon, the aberrant knights unleashed sword strikes at Zeke.
Whoooosh—
Over a dozen half-moons flew toward Zeke.
Zeke swung his sword, neutralizing all the half-moons.
Then, other aberrant knights thrust their swords down at Zeke.
The powerful demonic aura-infused blades clashed with Zeke's Ascalon.
Crunch!
Zeke pushed back the saw-toothed blades and retreated, regaining his stance.
Surprisingly, the aberrant knights mirrored Zeke's exact stance.
Zeke gritted his teeth at the sight.
He realized what swordsmanship they were using.
"Dragon Slaying Technique."
Zeke furrowed his brow.
The aberrant knights were executing the Dragon Slaying Technique perfectly.