Grrrruk—
Docheol looked down on Zeke and his group from atop the cliff, surrounded by a horde of magical beasts.
As his eyes met Zeke's gaze from below, Docheol's eyes blazed red.
At the same moment, a red energy flickered in the eyes of the monsters waiting around them.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The monsters, gripping their weapons and radiating killing intent, began advancing toward Zeke's group.
Zeke yanked on the chains and addressed Icaros.
"Stop the monsters right now."
Icaros hesitated for a moment before issuing the command to halt. He trembled inwardly, but it had no effect.
"This, this can't be! It's not my command!"
Once they had closed some distance, the monsters let out roars and charged.
Kraaaah!
A demon realm ork wielding a massive battle axe led the assault.
Alicia met it head-on, kicking the ork square in the chest.
Crack!
The ork's chest caved in as it flew backward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The flying ork crashed into its fellows, snapping limbs and slamming them against the cliff face. Seeing this, Alicia spat on the ground and drew her Fang-Wolf Sword from her back.
"You fucking monster bastards. You think you can pull this shit just because we've been playing nice? You're all dead today."
Alicia charged toward the monster horde.
The Himonas knights followed suit, launching into battle alongside her.
Thud thud thud thud!
The Himonas knights, claymores in hand, clashed with the monsters like wild beasts.
Zeke turned to the barbarian unit and the Thurn Knight Order.
"Go support the Himonas Knight Order. The Black Spirit Unit, guard against the nightmare demons causing trouble and defend our flanks."
With orders issued, Zeke activated his Dragonʼs Wings skill and soared toward the cliff.
From the air, he donned his Hercion armor, then gripped Roland and plunged down toward Docheol with the Mace of Light.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A powerful bolt of light struck toward Docheol and the magical beasts.
Surprisingly, a translucent protective barrier materialized around the beasts.
"Magic?"
As Zeke wondered about it, dark mages from Narak appeared in the rear, flanked by knights in red armor.
Zeke sensed the aura of Demonic Qi Art from the red-armored knights.
'Their power reverses aura flow. If I descend to the base of the cliff, it'll be dangerous.' He veered off, deciding to target the red-armored enemy knights first.
Just as he lunged toward them, Zeke felt something faster than sound hurtling toward his temple.
Crack!
He barely blocked it with Roland, realizing it was a magic bullet from a Knight Killer.
'It was a trap.'
Even Icaros had been bait to lure Zeke here.
Zeke recalled who might orchestrate such a scheme.
'Azmun Barrios. In the empire, only he'd deploy something this insidious.' Magic bullets from Knight Killers rained down on Zeke from all sides.
Simultaneously, Narak's mages erected a barrier, while the enemy knights advanced with Demonic Qi Art-infused swords.
The magical beasts Docheol had brought blocked any escape routes, ensuring Zeke couldn't flee.
If Zeke were an ordinary black knight, even at a high level, the barrier suppressing aura use would have made this a grueling fight.
'Azmun. You'll regret failing to capture me here—in hell.'
Zeke stowed Roland in his inventory and drew his hammer.
The Giant-Slayer, Tyrʼs Warhammer—the ideal weapon for wielding heroic spirit power.
Crackle!
He enveloped the hammer in Sacred Radiance Technique and unleashed Gale Technique, charging forward.
His speed was so blistering that even the Knight Killers couldn't track him.
Zeke swung the hammer, armed with Full Power Technique and the Will of Strength, at the lead enemy knight.
Whoosh!
The hammer cleaved the air, shattering the knight's sword and slamming into his cuirass.
Crunch!
With a deafening explosion, the enemy knight flew backward.
As Zeke moved to engage the others, the knight—chest caved in—rose from the ground and advanced on him.
The shattered sword and armor had reformed to their original state.
"Magic? No, this surpasses that."
Zeke realized the enemy knights bore an unnatural authority.
'One of Siemens's long-nurtured secret weapons, no doubt.'
Siemens had prepared for war against Draker and the continent for years, amassing hidden armaments and forces.
The black knights he'd encountered before were one such example, but unlike those that had endlessly regenerated by absorbing Narak's demonic energy, these enemy knights seemed able to self-repair.
Looking at them, Zeke felt as if he were facing a version of himself with the Healing Factor skill.
'This must be how my enemies felt facing me.'
Then, the strongest among the enemy knights stepped forward, exuding immense power.
A flat, emotionless voice emanated from the helmet concealing his face. "Cease this meaningless resistance. Surrender, and your life will be spared." Zeke eyed the enemy knight.
"You're in no position to offer mercy when you should be begging to kill me. Whose orders?"
Instead of answering, the enemy knight leader issued a threat.
"Refusal will only bring suffering."
Ssssh—
A potent Demonic Qi aura rose from the enemy knights' swords.
Zeke realized they aimed not to kill, but to capture him alive.
'Why not kill me? Does Azmun need me alive?'
Zeke shook his head. Perhaps the enemy knights weren't even from Azmun Barrios's faction.
He recalled the empire's tangled web of interests.
'Docheol's presence here is bothering me too. What is he doing in a place like this?'
As Zeke's mind raced, the enemy knight leader charged with sword raised.
Swoosh!
The forceful slash descended toward Zeke's crown.
Boom!
Zeke parried with his hammer and assessed him; the knight's sword form felt oddly familiar.
'I've seen this swordsmanship before...'
A bizarre style: heavy yet nearly silent swings.
Recalling its traits, Zeke identified the enemy knight leader.
'Knight of Silence Bishop Castick!'
It matched the unique swordsmanship of one of the five star knights from his previous life.
Clang!
Zeke hammered the sword aside and retreated.
'Why is Bishop Castick here? I heard he graduated Valhalla and joined the Thebea knights.'
Unlike the other five star knights, including Reina, Zeke had no ties to Bishop Castick from Valhalla days.
Yet here he was, reduced to a mindless secret weapon for Siemens.
Zeke addressed the enemy knight leader.
"Bishop Castick."
No reaction, even to his name.
It seemed his humanity had been utterly erased.
'Siemens bastards. Still playing their horrific games with people.'
Frustrated that the enemy knights couldn't subdue Zeke, the Narak mages in the rear shouted.
"What are you doing? Capture Zeke Draker now! What are the snipers waiting for?"
Then, an odd noise crackled from the communication crystal orb linked to the Knight Killers.
—"Gh-ghosts! Gahk!"
Their screams cut off, and the orb went silent.
"Ghosts? What the hell is happening?"
The Narak mages sensed something amiss.
As they prepared another spell, Zeke unleashed Mana Suppression Technique on them. Whirr—
The technique locked the ambient mana, rendering the mages unable to cast.
In their panic, shadows stirred.
Ssssh—
Niki and the vampire assassins emerged from the darkness, at Zeke's request. Slash—
They severed the mages' throats, sparing only one as ordered.
The lone survivor trembled in Niki's grasp.
Zeke nodded approvingly at the vampires' clean work.
In truth, Niki's investigation team had already mapped the area's layout and terrain, sending coordinates to Zeke.
He had positioned the Ghost Troopers in advance at those spots to counter any ambush.
He hadn't anticipated Knight Killers, but it made no difference.
Zeke turned to Niki.
"Good work. Stand by; I'll call you again."
Niki nodded and vanished with the other vampires.
Watching this, Docheol slyly tried to flee with his beasts.
But then— Rumble!
Bone walls erupted from the ground, reinforced with ice barriers.
In an instant, the cliff top's view was obscured by bone and ice.
From the air, Richmond and Bane appeared.
Zeke had summoned them earlier, before ascending, and now they acted on his command.
"Richmond, Bane. Clean up the surrounding magical beasts." Anticipating Docheol's cunning, Zeke had walled off his escape first.
Trapped within, Docheol roared in frustration.
Raaargh—
Responding to his cry, hundreds of magical beasts materialized in the sky.
Cawww—
Massive crow-like beasts dove toward the ice wall.
As they flapped, black feathers shot like sharp arrows, embedding in the bone and ice.
Thud thud thud!
The relentless impacts cracked the wall.
Docheol charged the fissures with his sturdy horns, widening them further.
Boom! Boom!
Unable to withstand, the bone and ice wall shattered.
But as Docheol emerged triumphantly, he froze.
Clack!
The Golem Knight Order awaited in defensive formation, shields raised.
Sensing their formidable power, Docheol hesitated and retreated.
Behind him, however, Kaiman and the Shadow Knight Order were battling the enemy knights.
Zeke slowly approached Docheol.
"Things are settling down now. Though seeing your ugly mug makes me want to puke, Docheol."
Aberration species beasts were notoriously savage, cunning, and prone to atrocities.
The Four Fiends stood at their apex.
Among them, Docheol was particularly vile, as he tormented and killed other beings for sport.
While other beasts killed to eat or survive, Docheol reveled in the cruelty itself.
In his previous life, Docheol had captured humans, tortured them mercilessly, then released them alive.
The victims, horrifically violated, lost their minds and went mad.
Docheol found amusement in their despair, only to recapture and kill them later, amplifying the terror.
A truly abhorrent hobby.
Thus, Zeke despised Docheol.
In his past life, lacking the strength, his master Nigel had dealt with him. But now, things were different.
Zeke swung his hammer and addressed Docheol.
"I don't know what atrocities you'll commit next, so I'll ensure you vanish completely today."
Unable to tolerate this insolence from what he saw as playthings, Docheol growled.
Grrr—
His eyes gleamed, and the surrounding magical beasts, like the earlier monsters, charged Zeke with killing intent.
Kraaah!
Their savagery surpassed ordinary beasts.
Undeterred, Zeke swung his hammer at them.
Boom! Boom!
The strikes from a black knight wielding heroic spirit power were beyond what mindless beasts could handle.
Zeke waded through the pulverized remains toward Docheol.
'Smaller than in my previous life. Has he not grown stronger?'
The Docheol that fought Nigel before was twice as massive and intimidating.
Then—
Docheol reached into his fur and drew a red dagger etched with runes.
'What's that?'
Zeke noticed the blade was forged from blood tear stone.
An artificial one, inscribed with runes and shaped into a dagger.
Sensing danger, Zeke charged Docheol.
But a storm of potent demonic energy erupted from Docheol, blocking his path.
Whoosh!
Zeke shattered the demonic energy storm with a fierce hammer swing.
Bursting through, Zeke beheld a shocking sight.
Docheol had plunged the dagger into his own heart.