BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the air, causing Azmun to furrow his brow.
He turned to his deputy commander beside him.
"Find out what happened."
The deputy commander immediately led a group of knights toward the source of the blast.
Azmun's expression darkened as he watched them rush off.
'Something feels off.'
Azmun had sharp instincts.
For reasons he couldn't pinpoint, his entire body had been sending warning signals since earlier.
Even though the situation didn't seem particularly unfavorable to him, his primal senses kept urging him to leave the imperial palace right away.
Pushing down the alerts, Azmun steadied his breathing.
'It's fine. If things go south, I still have the experimental subject provided by the Siemens side...'
Just then, a strange noise came from the direction of the explosion.
Shhh shhh shh—
A sharp sound, originating from the epicenter, echoed from all sides.
Azmun stepped back and shouted to his knights.
"Something's coming! Everyone, assume defensive positions!"
The knights of the Capricorn Palace raised their shields, maintaining formation as they scanned their surroundings.
That was when something approached from the far end of the imperial palace corridor.
Shiiiiek—
Huge Komodo lizards charged toward the knights.
"Block them!"
The sudden appearance of dozens of massive lizards in the palace left the knights momentarily flustered.
As they hesitated, dragon warriors riding atop the lizards revealed themselves.
Whoosh!
The dragon warriors hurled throwing spears and loosed arrows at the Capricorn Palace knights.
Clang!
Though caught off guard, the Capricorn Palace knights calmly raised their shields to block the attacks.
But soon, the lizards barreled forward with their massive bodies.
Rumble rumble!
The Capricorn Palace knights tried to hold back the charge, but it was practically impossible.
While they struggled to respond, the dragon warriors leaped from their mounts into the midst of the knights.
Slash!
Drawing their dual swords, the dragon warriors cut down the Capricorn Palace knights.
"Argh!"
Assailed by the dragon warriors while fending off the lizards, the knights' formation crumbled rapidly.
Azmun's face twisted as he watched from behind.
'Where did these monsters come from...? Could they be Lopocale's summons?' Unaware of the shadow spirits' true nature, Azmun fell into confusion.
But it wasn't over yet.
Slash!
Black Spirit Unit members had drawn their swords and were sweeping through the Capricorn Palace knights, advancing toward Azmun.
These were the ones who had been bound in the mobile prison with Zeke.
Somehow, they had broken free and were now attacking from behind.
Spotting the Black Spirit Unit members, Azmun felt as if he'd been struck on the head. 'Could Zeke Draker have...?'
BOOM!
At that moment, a tremendous roar accompanied the collapse of a wall.
Amid the rising cloud of dust, a figure emerged.
A knight wielding a massive warhammer.
Zeke Draker appeared, unscathed.
Azmun froze at Zeke's sudden entrance, then instinctively bellowed.
"C-Capture him now!"
At his command, the Capricorn Palace knights charged toward Zeke.
Zeke raised his warhammer and unleashed the Chamber of Metal Power.
Rumble rumble!
He swung the metal power-infused warhammer at the oncoming knights.
Crack!
The foremost Capricorn Palace knight crumpled, his shield and armor dented, crashing into the wall.
The sheer force, like a giant's blow, sapped the will of the other knights, who halted in their tracks.
Azmun shouted at them.
"What are you doing? Attack him immediately!"
Despite his yells, none of the knights who had rushed at Zeke moments ago moved forward again.
They had felt the overwhelming gap in prowess for themselves.
'He's not human—he's a monster.'
'Rushing in would just mean certain death.' Rumble rumble!
Then, Zeke's body naturally emanated the Authority of Charisma.
The combined power of Blood King Caligula and the Authority of Charisma projected an exalted sovereign's presence from Zeke.
The demoralized Capricorn Palace knights unwittingly lowered their weapons and knelt before him.
The proud knights of the Capricorn Palace had surrendered without even fighting.
Though at a distance, Azmun sensed the extraordinary aura radiating from Zeke.
'Everything has gone according to Zeke Draker's plan.'
He realized he and Lopocale had been mere clowns dancing on the stage Zeke had set.
Gritting his teeth, Azmun drew the sword from his back.
In response, Zeke eyed the blade in Azmun's hand.
"A sword infused with the power of Flesh-Devouring Emperor Ajitahaka. Azmun Barrios, that's too much for you to handle."
Azmun bit his lip at Zeke's words, then slammed the sword into the ground.
Sizzle sizzle—
The blade rapidly absorbed the blood spilled by the fallen Capricorn Palace knights. Crunch crunch—
Infused with blood, Ajitahaka's sword reverted to its earlier form.
Azmun gripped the sword and glared at Zeke, shouting.
"Zeke Draker! Come at me...!"
Slash—
But before he could finish, a chilling sound rang out, and Azmun's sword arm was severed clean off.
'What?'
Azmun couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
Pausing mid-sentence, he looked up to see Zeke standing there, holding his severed arm.
Zeke pried Ajitahaka's sword from Azmun's grasp.
Then, he melted the arm with the Authority of Decay.
Sizzle—
Staring blankly as his arm vanished in an instant, Azmun finally grasped the situation.
"Zeke Draker, you bastard!"
Zeke examined Ajitahaka's sword, swinging it lightly.
"The power of the Flesh-Devouring Emperor. It's disgustingly sticky and foul."
The blade reeked of an even more insidious and sinister energy than that of a fallen constellation.
It was impossible to fathom how many vengeful spirits and despairs were embedded within it.
'They said he was worse than Caligula. Just looking at this sword tells me enough.'
Having peered into Lopocale's memories, Zeke accessed information on Flesh-Devouring Emperor Ajitahaka.
A human who had forsaken humanity to become a constellation.
Ramon Siemens had awakened such a being.
Zeke looked at Azmun.
"Did Ramon Siemens give you this sword himself?" Azmun didn't answer.
He simply glared at Zeke for a moment before responding not with an answer, but with something else.
"Zeke Draker, you won't escape this Rom."
"That's for me to decide. Azmun, you'll die here today." Azmun steadied his breathing and stepped back.
"Is that so?"
A black portal suddenly appeared before him.
Whoooong!
Something shot out from the dark portal.
Zeke reflexively swung his warhammer at the emerging figure.
Whoosh!
The metal power-infused strike flew toward it, but it sliced harmlessly through empty air.
Zeke stared at the figure that had emerged from the black portal.
'What is that...?' Reptilian eyes.
Skin covered in scales thicker than steel.
'Dragonkin?'
As he wondered, a powerful surge of Demonic Qi emanated from the dragonkin-like figure glaring at him.
Boom boom boom!
Yet, unlike the dragon aura he'd sensed from Abel's demon-dragonkin form, there was none here.
'A chimera mimicking the appearance without a dragon heart.'
Given the Demonic Qi corruption, it seemed like an experimental creation blending the Four Fiends' corrupted sacred blood and demon-dragon blood.
Even as a mere superficial chimera, its dragon-scale hide suggested ordinary attacks would be useless.
As Zeke pondered how to deal with it, sharp claws extended from the chimera's hand.
It charged at Zeke with blinding speed.
Slash!
The fierce claw swipe missed as Zeke dodged, leaving deep gashes from the dragon claws where he'd stood.
Zeke retreated, stowing his warhammer and drawing Bahamut.
He advanced, sword in hand, and struck at the chimera masquerading as dragonkin.
Clang!
Bahamut, forged from dragon bone, clashed against its scales.
A sharp metallic ring echoed, but the scales only scratched—unbreached.
Zeke fell back, glaring at the chimera, and tried the Authority: Dragon Species Domination.
[The target is not a dragon species. Authority not applied.]
Just as the chimera under Rahim's control hadn't registered as a demonoid, this demondragonkin chimera didn't qualify as dragonkin.
Azmun, hiding behind the chimera, eyed Zeke while seeking an escape.
Noticing this, Zeke gestured, and the Black Spirit Unit members blocked all exits, preventing Azmun's flight.
Azmun gritted his teeth and shouted at the chimera.
"Eliminate them and clear an escape route now!"
At the command, the chimera whirled and lunged toward the Black Spirit Unit members.
It must have judged dispatching them for a quick getaway easier than facing Zeke—but it was a grave miscalculation.
None among the Black Spirit Unit were pushovers.
Rumble rumble!
Xeros swiftly cast a spell, binding the charging chimera.
True to her title as Knight of Flash, Reina seized the opening, dashing forward and slashing at its neck.
Clang!
But the rigid scales from its demon-dragonkin guise repelled her blade.
She retreated immediately and shouted to the others.
"Its hide is as tough as Hercion! Harass it from range!"
The Black Spirit Unit members kept their distance, harassing the chimera as ordered.
Azmun panicked as the experimental subject from Ramon Siemens faltered against his expectations.
'Not just Zeke Draker, but the entire Black Sword Knight Order is this strong.'
His error had been underestimating Zeke as merely a black knight and setting the trap accordingly.
'He's no ordinary knight. He wields not only magic but multiple bloodline abilities and unknown powers.'
Realizing Zeke's hidden strengths too late, Azmun regretted his miscalculation—but it was irreversible now.
As he stewed, Zeke advanced slowly with the shadow spirits toward him.
"Azmun Barrios, give it up."
Azmun looked at Zeke and spoke.
"Sir Zeke Draker. I have a proposal."
The sly schemer Azmun sought a way out even now.
He continued toward Zeke.
"Don't you want to capture the real Abel Siemens? I can help you achieve that goal." Zeke nodded at Azmun's words.
"I see. So you know where Abel is."
"Yes. Lopocale hid him tightly, so without me, you'll never find Abel..."
"He's hidden in the imperial mausoleum."
Azmun's face hardened at Zeke's words.
Zeke pressed on.
"Bold, if nothing else. Hiding him in a sacred site with the remains of past emperors. That's practically forbidden territory."
Azmun hadn't imagined Zeke would know the real Abel's location.
'Does his power have no limits?' Zeke addressed Azmun.
"Azmun, suppose Abel destroys the sacred imperial mausoleum. What do you think would happen? Aren't you curious how the uptight black knights would react?" The schemer's mind conjured the worst scenario at Zeke's words.
'No way...?'
Zeke smiled at Azmun.
"I needed a pretext to mobilize the empire's black knights, and Lopocale conveniently delivered Abel right there."
If the rampaging Abel destroyed the sacred site, even the neutral nobles and families could no longer stand by.
Zeke had provoked Abel to wreck the mausoleum, creating justification to rally the neutrals.
Azmun finally understood why Zeke had walked into his trap.
"Zeke Drakerrrr!"
Overwhelmed by defeat, Azmun screamed at him.
Zeke raised his sword and said to Azmun.
"Surrender now, and I'll spare your life. Quite generous, don't you think?" Even now, Azmun's mind raced.
With no choice, he resorted to his final, dire option.
Azmun uttered the words of covenant to the chimera.
"I release all restrictions on your power."