Zeke left the scene to Alicia and dragged Icaros along, following the key toward the location where the Tomb of Caligula was hidden.
He had bound Icaros with restraints, and though the demon's slender appearance might have made him seem laughable at first glance, he was still a high-rank demon. If Zeke had let his guard down even slightly, Icaros could have used hypnosis to brainwash the knights of Himonas and incite a civil war.
To prevent such a risk, Zeke had decided to take Icaros with him from the start.
Bound by the Chains of Solomon, Icaros had no chance of escaping Zeke's grasp.
"A proud high-rank nightmare demon like me, reduced to this pathetic state by a mere human? Unbelievable."
In disbelief at his reality, Icaros desperately searched for any opportunity to flee.
But Zeke traveled without even sleeping, leaving Icaros stunned.
"Is this guy really human?"
Thanks to his sleepless journey while dragging Icaros along, Zeke soon arrived at the place indicated by the key.
It was deeper within the Elder Dragon Ruins, a desolate area surrounded by the perennial glacier ice known as eternal frost.
The temperature was so low, and the ice so hard like steel, that no creature could possibly have survived there.
As a demon, Icaros was unaffected by the cold, and Zeke could endure it easily with Jeromeʼs Cloak and the power of his Immortal Body constitution. He set up camp in a nearby cave without issue and waited for Carmilla and the others to arrive.
He had informed Niki of the location and signaled for her to bring Carmilla and Bacchus, who were waiting in Himonas.
Once settled in the camp, Zeke summoned Richmond and Bane.
"You called for us, Master."
"We have come at your summons, Master."
Icaros recoiled in horror at the sudden appearance of the two arch liches.
"A human commanding two arch liches? What the hell is he?"
Zeke glanced at the restrained Icaros and asked Richmond,
"Richmond, if we turn that thing into an undead, could we make any use of it?" At the mention of turning him into an undead, Icaros panicked.
"W-Wait a moment! U-Undead? I-I'm a proud member of the nightmare demon clan! I-I'm nothing like those lowly undead!"
Richmond examined Icaros closely and shook his head.
"It's like a succubus, so it's a bit tricky. We could turn it into an undead, but then it wouldn't be able to use its powers of seduction."
"Hmm, I see. Then what use is it? Should I just kill it and absorb it?" Icaros trembled as Zeke pondered his fate.
"If I mess up, he might really kill me."
Nightmare demons like Icaros were not a race with strong inherent combat abilities like other demons or the Tuma Tribe.
They primarily used powerful mental techniques to bewilder enemies, sowing confusion, or schemes to make foes collapse on their own.
But against someone like Zeke, with his immense mental strength, such nightmare demon arts were utterly ineffective.
Kneeling before Zeke, Icaros begged desperately, pressing his hands and forehead to the ground.
"P-Please spare me! My subordinates and I nightmare demons can surely be of use to you. Please, have mercy!"
In this dire situation, Icaros had cast aside all his pride as a nightmare demon.
Zeke continued to deliberate, staring at Icaros prostrated before him, without making a decision.
Moments later, Bacchus, Carmilla, and Niki entered the cave.
"What are you doing?"
Bacchus looked puzzled at Icaros kneeling and pleading for his life in front of Zeke.
Niki narrowed her eyes at the sight and said,
"The Knight of Salvation's secret hobby... something like that?"
Zeke clicked his tongue at Niki's words and gestured for them to come in.
"Don't say nonsense. Get in here."
With the arrival of the vampires, Icaros's life was fortunately extended for the time being.
Zeke looked curiously at Carmilla, who was standing beside Bacchus.
She had appeared no older than ten when he last saw her, but now she looked about fifteen.
Sensing Zeke's gaze, Carmilla spoke.
"I've grown somewhat, but I'll probably stagnate around here. It might take a few years to reach full maturity."
It meant she still had not fully regained her power.
Bacchus asked Zeke,
"Is the Tomb of Caligula in this direction?"
"Yes, the tomb is nearby. And there's one thing I want to confirm." Zeke began cautiously.
"Carmilla, are you absolutely sure you can control Caligula's power?" Bacchus's expression hardened at his words.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I learned this while searching for the Tomb of Caligula. His power is so dangerous that even an elder dragon sealed it deep beneath this perennial glacier ice. There's no guarantee that as the progenitor, you'll be able to handle it properly." As Bacchus opened his mouth to respond, Carmilla spoke first.
"You're right, Zeke Draker."
Zeke turned his gaze to her.
"You're saying my words are correct, meaning you can't control that power?"
Carmilla pondered Zeke's question before slowly replying.
"Though I am the progenitor, I cannot compare to the true royal vampires of the Demon
Realm. Even a royal vampire probably couldn't control Caligula's power."
"You know how dangerous an uncontrollable power can be, so why seek the tomb? It seems too great a risk just to evade Arthur Draker's pursuit."
As the Vampire Queen, Carmilla could find other ways to escape Arthur Draker's tracking.
But Zeke could not understand why she insisted on pursuing Caligula's highly dangerous power.
She looked at Zeke and said,
"The reason is a dream I had."
"What kind of dream?"
Carmilla hesitated before continuing.
"I once dreamed that Caligula's power fell into the hands of another human." Zeke's expression tensed at her words.
"Carmilla's dreams connect to the life I lived before my regression. Could it be that in my past life, Caligula's power ended up with someone else?"
In a calm voice, Zeke asked,
"Who took Caligula's power?"
Carmilla looked at Zeke and slowly said,
"It was someone named Cain."
Zeke was startled by her words.
"Cain? In my past life, he never revealed his name. So he actually claimed
Caligula's power?"
Carmilla's body trembled faintly as she continued.
"The one named Cain who obtained Caligula's power was truly terrifying. Even if Arthur
Draker intervened, stopping him would have been impossible."
If Cain had not died to Zeke, he would have grown stronger as Siemens's secret weapon, received the Rite of Consecration, and claimed even greater power.
Zeke recalled the power of Abel, who had undergone the rite.
"Because Cain died, Abel took his place in the consecration and received the transplant of the Cursed Dragon Heart. If Cain had been the one consecrated instead of Abel, he might have awakened as an even stronger being."
Ramon Siemens had likely planned from the beginning to excavate the Tomb of Caligula and bestow its power on Cain.
Using Icaros to locate the tomb might have been part of a plan to grant that power to the revived Abel.
"I don't know his exact scheme, but if that's the case, I need to claim Caligula's power before Ramon Siemens can snatch it." Zeke nodded at Carmilla's words.
"So, rather than using the power yourself, the greater goal is to prevent it from falling to enemies."
Carmilla nodded.
"Yes. It was far too dangerous to let fall into enemy hands." Zeke agreed with her statement.
He nodded as if understanding and slowly rose from his seat.
"For now, let's head to the ruins. We need to see what power is hidden there before deciding."
*
Tssst—
In a dark room, a robed figure sat at a long table.
One by one, hazy figures began to materialize at the empty seats around the table.
The black hazes coalesced into more figures clad in black robes.
Once all twelve seats were filled, the one at the head of the table, also in a black robe, spoke.
"It seems everyone is gathered."
He was the high priest who commanded Narak and made all decisions, having summoned the twelve apostles.
The apostles at the table bowed their heads to the high priest in respect.
The high priest addressed them.
"The gate at the Northern Continent branch has been destroyed." The apostles raised their heads sharply at his words.
"Could it be Zeke Draker again?"
Following the Zoin Tribe ghetto and the Principality of Vadoka, now the Dorta Republic and even the Northern Continent.
The plans they had prepared over long years all crumbled at Zeke Draker's hands.
The high priest nodded.
"Yes. After defeating the Knight Order of the Cancer Palace in Barkal, he joined forces with the Grand Duke of the North and launched a sudden assault on the Ice Valley." The apostles looked incredulous at the high priest's words.
"B-But that place is guarded not only by high-rank nightmare demons but also by
Docheol, one of the Four Fiends. No ordinary human knight could handle one of the Four Fiends..." Bang!
The high priest slammed the table.
His eyes gleamed red from beneath the robe.
"Do you all still think he's just an ordinary human knight?"
The apostles tensed and shook their heads at the high priest's chilling words.
"No, we just..."
"There must be something we don't know."
"We need to capture him as soon as possible."
Under the high priest's stern command, the apostles finally voiced their agreement to capture Zeke Draker.
At that moment, one apostle stood from his seat.
"High Priest, I have something to report."
It was none other than Lopocale, disguised as an apostle.
The apostle who had performed the summoning ritual to borrow the power of "The Squelching Pit of Darkness" had instead been overpowered by Lopocale, who seized his body.
Lopocale, mimicking the apostle, intended to use Narak to carry out his master's orders.
He revealed the information passed from his master, "The Squelching Pit of Darkness." "'The Squelching Pit of Darknessʼ has already recognized Zeke Draker's danger and issued an oracle regarding it."
The high priest gazed at him silently for a moment before nodding.
"What oracle?"
"Zeke Draker must be lured to Rom and captured." The other apostles murmured at his words.
"Lure Zeke Draker to Rom?"
"How do we even draw him there?"
The high priest raised his hand to silence the others.
"Continue."
"'The Squelching Pit of Darknessʼ said Zeke Draker possesses the power of immortality. Since he wields a different kind of strength from ordinary knights, a special trap is needed."
The high priest paused at the mention of Zeke Draker having the power of immortality.
Then, slowly, he spoke.
"Did the constellation truly say Zeke Draker possesses the power of immortality?" Lopocale nodded.
"Yes, without a doubt."
The other apostles did not grasp the weight of "power of immortality," but the high priest did.
His eyes filled with bewilderment, ecstasy, and excitement.
"Finally, a true bearer of immortality has appeared!"
He now understood why all his carefully laid plans had continually fallen apart.
"With the power of immortality, it's entirely possible. It's the only force capable of annihilating a god."
The high priest rose and said to Lopocale,
"What did the constellation command regarding Zeke Draker once captured?"
"Nothing specific was mentioned. But it said that capturing Zeke Draker is the key to reclaiming our king."
At the word "king," the apostles bowed their heads and chanted praises to the Demon King.
The high priest said to Lopocale,
"I grant you full authority. Lure Zeke Draker to Rom, capture him, and fulfill the constellation's will."
Lopocale bowed to the high priest and replied,
"I shall obey the command."
With that, the high priest ended the meeting and dismissed the apostles.
Alone in the dark room, the high priest slowly removed his robe.
One side of his face was that of a young man, but the other was grotesquely distorted.
The eye on the distorted side was sewn shut.
The high priest traced the stitched eye with a sinister smile.
"The immortal one. At last, I can claim the power I've awaited for ages."