Zeke turned to look at the statue Arataso pointed to.
The figure of Siemens Apollyon, clad in full-body armor and holding a sword, bore a striking resemblance at first glance to Zeke himself in his Hercion.
Something flashed through Zeke's mind.
The Fisherman Knight Reyes had mentioned it. Siemens Apollyon cherished the Hercion of Goddess Theia.
Hero King Kaisir had gifted the Hercion of Goddess Theia to his adopted son, Siemens Apollyon, and Siemens treasured that armor above all the other gifts from him.
So, the armor on the statue of Siemens Apollyon was likely the Hercion of Goddess Theia as well.
"The appearance is different, but the overall structure seems similar."
That explained why the Fisherman Knight Reyes had immediately recognized Zeke's Hercion as the one of Goddess Theia.
And according to Shattan, the Draker Family was ultimately descended from Siemens Apollyon, so it was not impossible for Zeke, a distant descendant, to resemble him.
But there was no need to share all that with Arataso, so Zeke simply nodded and turned toward the altar.
He climbed the steps to the top of the altar and saw a massive box on the dais.
"Faintly, but I can sense a dragon's aura from inside there."
Zeke slowly examined the box on the dais.
Tap tap!
He knocked on its surface, but it felt different from ordinary metal.
"It feels similar to that door from earlier."
Moreover, unlike a typical box, there were no visible seams for opening it.
Strictly speaking, it was hard to even call it a box.
"The Earth God seems to be sealed inside this."
Zeke inspected the box from all angles, but he could not find even a keyhole.
"Can't be helped."
He decided to use the same method as before.
As Zeke pulled out his warhammer to strike the box, Arataso shouted.
[Wait a second!]
Arataso, who had somehow climbed onto the altar, blocked Zeke.
"What is it, Arataso?"
[Wow, you brute of a human. Do you smash everything you see? Are you sure you're not actually a demonkind?]
Even the belligerent demonkind of the Demon Realm would not have just smashed something sealed away like this.
Arataso stopped Zeke, who was about to swing the warhammer, and closely examined the box.
After a moment, he looked at Zeke and said.
[This is different from that door earlier. It's protected by powerful magic.]
"Magic, huh. Then I can just burn out all the circuits with mana reversal technique." As he prepared to deploy the reversal field, Arataso waved his hands in panic.
[Calm down! The security magic of the Demon Realm isn't that simple! If you mess up, the contents sealed inside could get damaged.]
Arataso, unaware of what was inside the box, seemed to think it held some precious artifact.
Even if the contents were not what Arataso imagined, they still could not be damaged, so Zeke lowered his warhammer and said to him.
"Then can you unseal it, Arataso?"
Arataso shook his head at the question.
[Have you forgotten? I'm an honorable knight granted a title in the Demon Realm. Of course I can't do something like that.]
Hearing Arataso's words, Zeke raised the warhammer again.
Arataso waved his hands and shouted.
[I can't, but there's someone who can!]
Zeke tilted his head at Arataso's words.
"A demonkind who can unseal Demon Realm seals? Who?" Arataso shook his head in disbelief.
[You haven't forgotten Nebilos, whom you captured earlier, have you?] "Ah."
Only then did Zeke remember that he had sealed the high-rank demonkind and inspector of Abaddon, Nebilos, inside the Damascus Sword.
He pulled the Damascus Sword out of his inventory after a long time.
Woooong!
He had not noticed it while it was in the inventory, but the Damascus Sword hummed and vibrated.
It seemed Nebilos, sealed inside, had been sending signals the whole time.
Zeke thrust the Damascus Sword with Nebilos sealed inside into the ground.
Then, he infused it with energy to summon Nebilos.
Woooong!
A summoning circle appeared on the ground, and black chains rose upward.
Clatter!
Along with the black chains, the high-rank demonkind Nebilos burst out of the magic circle, revealing himself.
Blue ghostfire flickered in the empty eye sockets of the skull visible under his tattered hood.
Nebilos's limbs were bound by the black chains.
Zeke looked at the summoned Nebilos and said.
"Long time no see, Nebilos."
Nebilos glared at Zeke and spoke in a chilling voice.
[Zeke Draker... I've heard rumors that you've tortured countless demonkind and even obliterated their souls, but I didn't expect you to be this ruthless.]
When he was first trapped in the sword, he thought Zeke would interrogate him after some time.
But Zeke Draker had left him, an inspector of Abaddon and high-rank demonkind, completely unattended, as if he did not care at all.
Sealed in the sword for so long, Nebilos felt like he underwent advanced psychological torture.
He believed his strong will could endure such mental torment.
But Zeke Draker mocked him by not even interrogating him, just leaving him there as if he had forgotten his existence.
In that long mental battle, Nebilos's patience finally wore thin, and he began screaming to be released.
But the ruthless Zeke Draker ignored even those cries, continuing to observe him and apply psychological pressure.
Nebilos ground his teeth, glaring at Zeke.
[To shake the iron will and frozen heart of Nebilos, inspector of Abaddon, with mere psychological pressure... You're even more vicious than the rumors, Zeke Draker.]
It had just been neglect after being forgotten, but somehow Zeke had broken Nebilos.
"Something seems like a big misunderstanding, but whatever." Zeke, deciding to let it slide, approached Nebilos and said.
"Good, it seems you've learned a bit about me. You held out well, befitting an inspector of
Abaddon, but that's not enough. I have hundreds of ways to crush your kind's spirits." Fear flickered in Nebilos's eyes as he looked at Zeke, the ghostfire shaking violently.
"As expected... My suspicions were right. Zeke Draker, what a terrifying human."
Zeke added, looking into his trembling eyes.
"Truth be told, this doesn't even count as torture. We have real experts on our side."
[Y-You mean there's someone even more expert at torture than you?]
"Yeah, her name is Arina Rubern. No matter who it is, once they enter her room and come out, they shed tears of remorse and reflect on their entire life." Nebilos was shocked by Zeke's words.
"Such a torturer exists... I've never even heard of one in the Demon Realm." As Nebilos recoiled in fear, Zeke took another step closer and continued.
"Nebilos, I'll make you a proposal. Cooperate with me, and I'll provide you with a comfortable sealed space like Arataso's. But if you refuse... you'll meet Arina Rubern and shed those tears of remorse."
Nebilos trembled at Zeke's words.
Already broken in spirit, Nebilos submitted to Zeke.
[...What do you want me to cooperate on?] He pointed to the box on the dais.
"Open that for me."
Nebilos floated over to the box.
He examined it closely, then flinched in surprise.
[This is...?]
Zeke asked, seeing Nebilos's astonishment.
"You're not saying you can't open it, are you?"
Nebilos clacked his teeth and replied to Zeke.
[How dare you underestimate Nebilos, known as the abyssal mage in the Demon Realm!] He pointed to the box and said.
[I can open it. But...]
Nebilos hesitated for a moment, then turned to Zeke and continued.
[The seal on this box is far from ordinary, that's the problem.]
"What do you mean it's not ordinary?"
After much deliberation, Nebilos slowly answered.
[It seems the seal binding this box is the Seal of the Demon King.] Zeke frowned at the words.
"So you're saying the Demon King sealed this box." Nebilos pondered, then said.
[Hmm, it's a bit ambiguous to say for sure. It seems like the Seal of the Demon King, but some parts suggest otherwise.]
Zeke furrowed his brow at Nebilos's vague response.
"So you can't open this box after all? Looks like a comfortable sealed space doesn't suit you. Look forward to meeting Arina Rubern."
Nebilos panicked at the threat and waved his hands. [W-Wait! I said it's not ordinary, not that I can't open it.]
Zeke, looking skeptical, said.
"Then hurry up and open it. We're short on time."
To prevent the finicky demonkind from getting ideas, Zeke pressed him urgently on purpose.
His plan worked, as Nebilos raised his bony hand toward the box.
Visually, Nebilos looked more like a lich than the arch lich Richmond or Bane.
Ssssh...
Blue ghostfire poured from Nebilos's hand and seeped into the box.
After a moment, the ghostfire reemerged on the box's surface, weaving through the complex entangled mana circuits to unravel them.
Zeke asked Nebilos.
"How long will it take?"
[It's locked with an old method, and the formulas are complicated, so about thirty minutes. Anyone less skilled than me would take several times longer.] Nebilos boasted of his superior magic during the wait.
While Nebilos worked on the seal, Zeke examined the altar and thought about Siemens Apollyon.
"The Seal of the Demon King."
It was the Seal of the Demon King, yet not quite.
After transplanting a dragon heart, Siemens Apollyon had tried to descend the Demon King's soul into his body.
If the Earth God was sealed here before the Demon King's soul fully settled, it could have left such an ambiguous mark.
"So the Demon King's soul can't descend into a body all at once."
The source of darkness first took Solomon's body, becoming the first fallen one, then descended into Siemens Apollyon's body to lead the first Demon King's army invasion, only to be sealed by the Great Sage's sacrifice.
After that, during the War of Liberation, it descended into Bahamut's body but was defeated by Terakan Draker and sealed in the Book of the Lion.
And now, that Demon King was attempting to revive under the name The King in Yellow.
"Of all times, this happens while I'm around..."
In his previous life, he had been dragged along by the tides of massive wars, so after regressing, Zeke had wanted a free life.
That was all, but fate had led him down the path of the Savior.
Zeke still thought the title of Savior did not suit him.
"Ha. Savior or whatever, once I obliterate the Demon King's soul, nothing will bother me anymore."
Zeke did not like overcomplicating things.
Dwelling too long often led to mistakes.
"I'll push forward as I feel and believe is right."
His unwavering resolve was Zeke's greatest weapon.
As he sorted his thoughts, a massive light erupted from behind.
Click!
Turning around, the seamless box had unfolded in all directions, disassembling on the dais.
Nebilos, having unsealed the box, peered inside and tilted his head.
[What is this?]
Zeke snapped his fingers, and the chains yanked Nebilos.
Clatter!
[Urk!]
Nebilos was dragged back toward the sword.
"You did well, Nebilos. I'll enhance the sword when I have time to make it more comfortable. Go back inside for now."
[Y-You wicked human! Kaaaaah!]
He vanished into the sword with a scream.
Zeke checked the contents of the unsealed box.
Inside was none other than a totem made of earth.
"Is this the sealed body of the Earth God?"
It looked like a crude totem with mismatched proportions for head, waist, and legs, but he faintly sensed a dragon's power from within.
Then it happened.
Woooong!
The soul of the Earth God dwelling in Zeke's body reacted to the totem. A pattern emerged on Zeke's solar plexus.
Woooong!
A white halo of light poured from the pattern, swirling around the totem.
Then, with a flash, the light seeped into the totem.
A message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[The soul of the Earth God combines with the sealed body.]