Kududududu—
At Zeke's single command to kneel, the dark knights collapsed to the ground as if pinned there, unable to rise.
Zeke hovered in the air and looked down at them through the Grand Lordʼs Evil Eye. He slowly extended his hand.
Kugugugu!
Just the motion of reaching out unleashed an immense pressure that could crush the dark knights flat.
Overwhelmed by the aura of the rank Zeke had unleashed, the dark knights couldn't move a muscle.
At that moment, the vines on the ground stirred again.
Chwaaaak!
The vines twisted together, forming something like a giant's arm.
It then moved as if to grasp Zeke, who still floated in the air.
Zeke's gaze turned toward the arm made of vines.
By merely fixing his eyes on it, the massive arm twitched as if seized by a fit. Its surface bubbled and swelled.
Kiiiiiiik!
With a bizarre screech, the giant arm of vines melted away entirely.
Only foul-smelling remnants dripped to the floor.
Zeke descended slowly and stood before the kneeling dark knights.
He peered into their souls, trapped within the impure substance, using the Grand Lordʼs Evil Eye.
In their individual worlds, souls filled with hatred and regret from endured tragedies screamed in agony.
They were no longer heroes with memories or reason intact—mere lost souls driven by the instinct to destroy.
More wretched than the lost-soul soldiers who had once held vengeful wills, their souls showed no trace of their former nobility.
'These souls can't be saved anymore.'
Zeke decided to free them from this place, summoned back by the power of twisted causality.
He extended his hand toward the dark knights, intending first to use karma points to remove the twisted causality's hold.
But then— Tsutsutsutsu—
The dark knights' souls began reacting to Purgatory, the unique domain of the Arrogant Savior.
Purgatory was another form of Babel, one of the vanished worlds, and the Arrogant Savior's most painful memory.
Surprisingly, the dark knights' souls sought peace within that Purgatory.
'Choosing torment over rest for the soul.'
For these ancient heroes who had lived so long steeped in hatred and regret, Purgatory might indeed feel more serene.
Zeke resolved to bear the inescapable pain that echoed in their wails.
He kept his hand extended toward the dark knights and unleashed the power of his unique domain, Purgatory.
The dark knights' bodies jerked with loud clanks.
At the same time, black smoke billowed from the gaps in their armor.
Tsutsutsutsutsu—
Souls filled with screams were drawn into Zeke's hand.
Drdrdrdr!
The armor rattled noisily, expelling all the black smoke.
In an instant, the dark knights' souls were swept into Purgatory, finding their place there.
Zeke sensed the endless tormented wails growing louder in the depths of his inner Purgatory.
In his previous life, he too had been one of them, screaming without end.
'That's why I can fully accept them—the souls lingering in Purgatory, the souls of Babel.'
As Zeke reflected bitterly, the dark knights' empty bodies crumbled, leaving only sticky remnants of dark substance.
Zeke incinerated even those with the flames of Purgatory, then turned to gaze at the black vines entwining the temple and Heracles.
'I can't afford to be held back here any longer.'
Suddenly, a massive eye appeared above his head.
Tsutsutsutsutsu—
Two eyes resembling the Grand Lordʼs Evil Eye stared at the vines gripping Heracles and the temple.
Crimson flames began flickering across the vines' surfaces.
Fwoosh!
The flames of Purgatory, ignited by the Grand Lordʼs Evil Eye, consumed the vines' stems and spread slowly into the ground.
Soon, the fire reached deep within, and suddenly the earth quaked. Drdrdrdr—
The ground before the temple split open, and a massive cocoon burst forth from within.
Keeeeeek!
The cocoon, which had served as the vines' root, was the very same one Baron had used to summon the dark knights.
Tormented by the flames of Purgatory that reached its core, it had thrashed its way to the surface.
Keeeeeek!
The cocoon screeched at Zeke.
But Zeke shook his head.
"Not the time to look at me."
In that instant, the cocoon seemed to sense something amiss and began to change.
Hundreds of eyes sprouted across its surface.
With all-around vision secured, the first thing the cocoon's eyes caught was Heracles, freed from the vines.
Heracles, now holding an orichalcum spear, took aim at the cocoon and prepared to charge.
Kugugugugu!
Heracles poured his full strength into the throw and hurled the spear at the cocoon.
Kwaaakwaaakwa!
The spear flew with a deafening roar.
The cocoon tried to gather vines into a wall to block it.
But it was too late to react.
Kwadududu!
The spear pierced the vine wall and embedded itself in the cocoon's body.
Puuuuk!
As the orichalcum spear penetrated, the cocoon let out a prolonged wail of agony.
Kweeeeeek!
Soon, its surface bubbled, and tentacles—not vines—began erupting from it.
The tentacles moved in unison to pull out the spear lodged in its body.
But then— Chwarararak!
The chains of Solomon, summoned by Zeke, wrapped around not just the tentacles but the entire cocoon.
The cocoon's upper half split open with a crack, revealing a massive maw from which black substances surged forth.
Zeke approached, his Evil Eye gleaming.
"Too late."
With those words, Zeke placed his hand on the orichalcum spear embedded in the cocoon.
Woooooong!
Demonic aura infused with the Grand Lord's power rippled through the orichalcum spear.
Kiiiiing—
The powerful wave swept through the cocoon's entire body.
The black substances it had tried to spew dispersed, replaced by sticky fluids oozing out.
Keeek!
As the cocoon wailed in torment once more, Zeke ignited the flames of Purgatory.
The flames flowed along the chains of Solomon into the cocoon's core.
Fwoosh!
Unable to resist this time, the cocoon burned away completely. As the flames consumed its body, the surrounding vines turned to ash and scattered.
Zeke absorbed the remnants into his shadow, then slowly descended from the air.
The vines that had blanketed the temple were gone, reduced to ash. But with the seal's power weakened, the entire domain now pulsed with an ominous force.
Zeke realized that the soul of the Arrogant Savior he had absorbed was reacting to this sinister power emanating from the temple.
'The Demon King's power.'
The Arrogant Savior had ascended to the phenomenal world to reclaim the Demon King's soul, only to be sealed and lose Babel, the city he had created.
Now Zeke truly understood: the Demon King's soul the Savior had sought so desperately was sealed right here in this temple.
As Zeke moved toward the temple, a rumbling shook the ground behind him.
Thud!
Turning, he saw Heracles approaching.
Zeke and Heracles faced each other.
Then, astonishingly, Heracles dropped to one knee and bowed his head respectfully toward Zeke.
He removed his lion-head helm and mask.
Beneath the mask was a face that seemed a blend of elf and barbarian.
He looked at Zeke and spoke.
[The last warrior of the Titan Tribe, Heracles, greets the great constellation.] As Zeke had suspected, Heracles was no golem.
'A Titan Tribe member.'
A race known for their massive, sturdy builds that could pass for golems.
A message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[You encountered the last warrior of the Titan Tribe, Heracles.]
[A fragment of forgotten time linked to 'Free City Atlantis' connected to the Akashic Code.]
[A large amount of karma data updated.]
[Through this data, you acquired information on 'Free City Atlantis.']
[System restriction codes related to this information unlocked.]
[You could now view the list of skills and items related to 'Free City Atlantis.']
As soon as Heracles revealed his identity, the karma data on Atlantis updated.
Zeke looked at Heracles kneeling before him and said,
"Heracles, last warrior of the Titan Tribe. Your attitude has changed completely from before. What's the reason?"
Heracles met Zeke's gaze and replied,
[Having beheld the rank of the great constellation, how could I commit further rudeness?]
In ancient times, cities with advanced civilizations had close ties to the constellations.
A constellation's rank was one of the great powers sustaining a city's civilization.
Thus, it was natural for Heracles to show reverence toward Zeke once he understood that.
Satisfied with the explanation for the shift, Zeke asked Heracles,
"Very well, Heracles. Let me ask one thing. Are you a heroic spirit left to guard this temple?"
Heracles nodded.
[Yes, constellation. To ensure the eternal peace of Atlantis, I, the last warrior of the Titan Tribe, accepted the great sage's proposal and became the temple's guardian.]
"The great sage's proposal? What was it?"
Heracles looked at Zeke and said,
[The sage foretold that wicked ones would sink Atlantis into the sea and come seeking to free the most evil soul trapped in the temple. As a warrior sworn to protect Atlantis, I could not stand idly by, so I bound my own soul here to safeguard the temple.]
Zeke swallowed an inward sigh at Heracles' words.
'Like the Highlanders.'
Warriors who bound their souls to the phenomenal world to maintain balance, fighting beasts from the shadows.
The great sage had long ensnared heroes in this way, imposing duties of guardianship.
Zeke regarded Heracles and said,
"Do you have no regrets about your decision? Atlantis has long been destroyed, surviving only as legend." Heracles shook his head.
[I have no regrets about choosing to become a guardian. However... I do regret failing to fulfill my final duty to protect the temple.]
Pausing briefly, Heracles lifted his head to Zeke and continued,
[Constellation, I have a request.]
Zeke felt a solemn weight and replied,
"Speak, warrior Heracles."
Zeke expected Heracles to ask for release from his binding here.
But the response was entirely unexpected.
[Please take me under your wing.]
"Take you? You don't wish for freedom from this place?"
[I was the last remaining warrior of the Titan Tribe. When all cities rejected me, this place—this free city of Atlantis—accepted me at the end. Thus, I gladly became its guardian warrior and strove endlessly to repel external foes.]
Thanks to the updated karma data, Zeke knew the forgotten heroic tale of Heracles.
Heracles had overcome the twelve trials that beset Atlantis, sacrificing his life each time, and in the end, he had become a hero.
He appealed to Zeke,
[I wish to remain Atlantis's guardian warrior until my soul fades. Please, constellation, take my heroic spirit and allow me to fight those wicked enemies.] Zeke could feel the unyielding will in Heracles.
He looked at him and said,
"If you submit to me, there's no turning back. You'll have no regrets?"
[In this state, my spirit would fade soon anyway. I want to fight as a warrior until the very end.]
Zeke nodded gravely at Heracles' words.
"Warrior Heracles, I accept your noble will."