Zeke was taken aback at the sight of the Holy King clad in the Hercion.
'Why is the Holy King wearing the Hercion of the Goddess Theia?ʼ
Though the form differed from the one he had obtained from Cain, he could sense that what the Holy King wore was the same as his own Hercion of the Goddess Theia.
The Holy King, clad in the Hercion, looked down at Zeke from before the throne.
"Successor."
The Holy Kingʼs voice echoed in Zekeʼs mind.
As he extended his hand, light gathered astonishingly, forming a silver spear in his grasp. 'A spear?ʼ
Among the many tales of the Holy King, Zeke had never heard of him wielding a spear.
Woooong!
Yet the Holy King gripped the spear naturally, and the silver spear in his hand began to vibrate.
Gazing down at Zeke, the Holy King said,
"I shall test the successorʼs qualifications myself."
As his words ended, a flash of light burst from the Holy Kingʼs spear.
Boom!
A powerful beam of light shot toward Zeke, as if to pierce his body.
Whoosh!
Zeke immediately drew Bahamut and blocked the flash.
Crackle!
Surprisingly, the light from the spear transformed into lightning, coiling around Zekeʼs body. 'Ugh!ʼ
Zeke deployed the Mana Suppression Technique to shake off the lightning.
But even after he activated the Mana Suppression Technique, the lightʼs electricity did not fade.
'Not magic?ʼ
Zeke retreated while channeling aura throughout his body.
Sizzle—
Only then did the lightʼs electricity finally dissipate.
But the Holy King, who had been before the throne, was gone.
'No way?ʼ
In an instant, the Holy King had moved to Zekeʼs blind spot and thrust his spear at him.
Boom!
A fierce whoosh of air erupted toward Zekeʼs side.
Whoosh!
Zeke swiftly executed the Illusionary Footwork, pivoting direction before thrusting with the Dragon Slaying Technique.
Clang!
Zekeʼs sword clashed against the Holy Kingʼs spear.
'The attack is heavy.ʼ
Zekeʼs wrist throbbed from blocking it.
It felt similar to facing Poseidon.
Without hesitation, the Holy King unleashed a barrage of spear thrusts at Zeke.
Whoosh!
A sharp spear spun toward Zeke.
He swung his sword to deflect it, but the spearʼs rotational force pushed back Zekeʼs strike.
'Damn!ʼ Crack!
The Holy Kingʼs spear thrust struck Zekeʼs body.
Crunch!
As the spear pierced, Zeke simultaneously activated his Hercion.
In an instant, the Hercion of Theia enveloped Zekeʼs form.
Though the Hercion blocked the spear thrust, it couldnʼt fully absorb the impact, sending Zeke sliding backward.
"Whew."
Once he stopped, Zeke raised his sword and glared at the Holy King, who aimed his spear tip at him.
The Holy King spun his spear nimbly and said to Zeke,
"Is this all you have, successor?"
Zeke straightened his stance, eyeing the Holy Kingʼs provocation.
Then he said to the Holy King,
"If I defeat you, will that prove my worth as successor?"
At those words, the Holy King slammed his spear into the audience hall floor.
Crunch!
The solid floor cracked, splintering in multiple directions.
"If you can, then do so."
Zeke gripped Bahamut tighter at the Holy Kingʼs words and drew up his energy.
Rumble—
As the power of the Black Knight fully unleashed, the entire audience hall became Zekeʼs domain in an instant.
An astral energy rose from Zekeʼs sword.
Swoosh!
When he swung, the Holy Kingʼs spear was knocked upward.
At the same moment, Zeke deployed both the Mana Suppression Technique and the Resonance of Strong Waves and Empty Vibration.
Crackle!
The two techniques disrupted not only mana but also the flow of aura, causing sparks to fly from the Hercion of Theia on the Holy King.
The Holy King retreated from Zekeʼs sudden assault.
Zeke seized the opening and infiltrated the Holy Kingʼs blind spot with the Illusionary Footwork.
Whoosh!
Unleashing the Chamber of Metal Power, Zeke swung his sword at the Holy King, his body wrapped in the Body of Strength.
Crunch!
Zekeʼs sword, infused with metal power, carried the weight of a thousand pounds.
The Holy King, blocking it, sank his feet into the floor from the unexpected force.
Zeke pressed the attack without pause.
"Haaah!"
He unleashed a flurry of metal-infused sword strikes.
Infinite Sword Art
Consecutive Strikes
Omnidirectional Pummeling Boom boom boom!
Zeke drove his sword relentlessly, giving the Holy King no chance to counter.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Holy King parried Zekeʼs strikes with swift spear movements, but once Zeke gained momentum, his sword showed no sign of stopping.
Soon, the Holy King was backed against the wall.
He raised his spear to block Zekeʼs sword while slamming it into the floor.
Boom!
The rotational force shattered the floor, sending stone fragments flying.
The Holy King aimed to create an opening with the debris and catch his breath, but it had no effect on Zeke, who dominated the domain with the Astral Sword.
Scatter!
The fragments flying at Zeke turned to dust and dispersed.
At the same time, wisps rose from Bahamut, coalescing into form.
Zeke unleashed the Astral Sword, which destroyed at its root, swinging at the Holy King.
Then, a golden aura erupted from the Holy Kingʼs body.
Sizzle—
The aura the Holy King raised was familiar to Zeke.
'Agamemnonʼs Mask.ʼ
The aura of purification enveloped the Holy Kingʼs spear, bursting into radiant light.
The radiant light created by the Holy King clashed with the Astral Sword.
Boom!
The conflicting powers canceled each other out, filling the surroundings with halos of light.
Whoosh!
The shockwave pushed Zeke back.
The Holy King, gripping his faintly flickering spear, leaned against the wall and slowly rose.
Zeke, regaining his stance, pointed Bahamut at him and said,
"Do you still need more proof?"
At Zekeʼs words, the Holy King waved his hand, and the spear dissolved back into light and vanished.
"The test is over. You have proven your qualifications as successor yourself." Zeke released his Hercion at the Holy Kingʼs words.
"Thatʼs a relief. But I have a question."
He took a step toward the Holy King and said,
"What exactly do you mean by successor?"
The Holy King gazed at Zeke silently before raising his hand.
"There is something I must show you." He snapped his fingers.
The audience hall scenery rippled and transformed into another form.
It felt similar to the heroic spirits he had seen as lingering spirit bodies in the Inverted Tower.
'Did the Holy King also leave his spirit body to pass something on to later generations?
Wait, but this place is...?ʼ
The completely changed space resembled the resting place of the previous Dragon Slayer.
In the wide circular cavern, several doors led to other rooms on one wall.
At the center stood a high dais with stairs leading up to it, and atop it was something encased in glass.
The Holy King beckoned Zeke.
He slowly followed the Holy King up the dais.
Inside the glass case on the dais was none other than a spear.
Seeing the spear in the glass, Zeke suddenly realized something.
'This spear... itʼs made of adamantium.ʼ
The only metal capable of slaying gods.
It was a spear forged entirely from adamantium, known as the godslayer metal.
Zeke had once pulled a spear made of adamantium that sealed the body of the divine dragon Poseidon.
The godslayer spear that Siemens Apollyon had used to seal the divine dragon in his attempt to descend the Demon King into his body.
That spear had been crudely fashioned by sharpening rough adamantium into a tip and affixing it to a shaft.
But the spear in the glass case now was crafted entirely from adamantium, from tip to shaft.
The Holy King said to Zeke,
"The reason I call you successor is that you are the next master of this spear." Zeke was stunned by the Holy Kingʼs words.
"The master of an adamantium spear? Are you saying I should become a godslayer?" The Holy King nodded.
"You must inherit the fate of slaying the resurrected Demon King as the new master of the Holy Spear Longominant."
Zeke was shocked by the Holy Kingʼs words.
"The Holy Spear? The fate of slaying the resurrected Demon King—what does that mean?"
He had heard from Chronos that the Demon King would resurrect, but he hadnʼt expected to hear it from the Holy King.
Gazing at Zeke, the Holy King said,
"It was originally a task for the previous successor, Terakan Draker, to complete, but he merely sealed the Demon Kingʼs soul without using this godslayer spear."
He continued,
"I, as the next successor, attempted to fulfill the mission of annihilating the Demon King, but it was impossible. I could not fully wield this godslayer spear." Listening to the Holy King, Zeke had a hunch.
'Siemens Apollyon, Terakan, and me. We all possessed the power of immortality.ʼ
To properly wield the godslaying power within adamantium, one might need the Immortal class.
And if the Holy King had only the healer class without immortality, it made sense that he could use the purification power from Agamemnonʼs Mask but not the godslaying force.
Zeke said to the Holy King,
"Why didnʼt Terakan Draker annihilate the Demon King with this spear?" The Holy King fell silent before slowly speaking.
"Terakan Draker refused to annihilate Bahamut, in which the Demon Kingʼs soul resided. Thus, he collapsed Bahamutʼs body with his own sword, Zahhak, instead of the godslayer spear, and resealed only the Demon Kingʼs soul in the Book of the Lion." Zeke was startled by the name 'Zahhakʼ in the Holy Kingʼs words.
'Zahhak—the cursed black-flame sword Abel used?ʼ
Abel had attacked Zeke with a Hercion of unfamiliar form and the sword called Zahhak.
The identity of Abelʼs Hercion remained unknown, but the swordʼs origin was now clear.
'I never imagined that sword was Terakan Drakerʼs.ʼ
The sword that annihilated the shadow dragon Bahamut, possessed by the Demon King.
Zahhak, wielded by Abel, had emanated an ineffable evil power.
Among various legends, Zeke recalled tales of holy swords that slayed demons and drank their blood countless times, corrupting into demonic blades that dominated their wielders.
Zahhak might have transformed into such a demonic sword.
At that moment, the Holy King clenched his fist, gazing at the Holy Spear in the glass case, and said,
"...If only Terakan Draker had properly annihilated the Demon Kingʼs soul then, the Phenomenal World could have regained peace and tranquility. There is no end to the regret."
Terakan Draker could not bring himself to kill Bahamut, his contract dragon, soul companion, and lover.
But as Zeke listened, he sensed something odd in the Holy Kingʼs words. 'Does the Holy King not know he is the child of Bahamut and Terakan Draker?ʼ He showed no sign of regarding Terakan Draker as his father.
Zeke asked the Holy King,
"Your Majesty... do you know how your mother, Claudia Rubern, met her fate?" The sudden question left the Holy King silent for a moment.
Then he slowly continued.
"I understand she passed away in battle shortly after giving birth to me." Zeke realized his suspicion was correct.
'The Holy King doesnʼt know that Bahamut is Claudia Rubern.ʼ
Zeke himself had learned the truth from the Hermit of Stories and the past memories in the ruins.
If Terakan Draker had deliberately concealed it, the Holy King might not have known his parentsʼ identities.
Zeke looked at the Holy King again and asked,
"Then, do you know who your father is?"
The Holy King stared at Zeke through his helmet.
It was a potentially rude question, but the figure before him was a spirit body, not the real Holy King.
Gaining necessary information outweighed etiquette toward a spirit.
After gazing at Zeke, the Holy King shook his head.
"...I do not. Neither the nursemaid who raised me nor my motherʼs companions would speak of it."
Terakan had clearly entrusted the Holy King, Gio Rubern, to others to raise while hiding his paternity.
'Now I understand why he bore the Rubern name instead of Draker.ʼ It was then.
The Holy King removed his Hercion helmet.
Revealing the face hidden within.
And upon seeing the true face of the Holy King, Zeke was stunned.
'Huh?ʼ
The Holy Kingʼs revealed face was identical to Zekeʼs.