'Boss?ʼ
Boris stared at Zeke, who blocked his path, his face etched with disbelief.
While watching Borisʼs nearly incinerated body regenerate through the healing factor, Zeke spoke.
"Boris, I wonʼt permit your retirement until I give the word."
At Zekeʼs words, Boris found himself smiling without realizing it.
Just having him there made the overwhelming pressure from Abel feel nonexistent.
Zeke turned his gaze from Boris to Abel, who held Zahhak, and glared at him.
"Long time no see, Abel."
Abel fixed Zeke with a mad glint in his eyes.
"Zeke… Zeke Draker…"
"Yeah, itʼs me. You look… pretty rough, Abel."
With the Authority of the Third Eye, Zeke could instantly discern Abelʼs condition.
The Abel who had died by his hand was now just an empty shell, his soul long gone.
Zeke shook his head at the brutality of Ramon Siemens, who had gone to such lengths even to preserve Abelʼs husk.
He raised Bahamut and glared at Abel.
"You probably didnʼt want to live like this either. Iʼll send you off cleanly, for old timesʼ sake."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sacred Radiance Technique erupted from Zekeʼs body.
In response, black flames surged fiercely from Zahhak in Abelʼs grasp.
"Iʼll kill you! Iʼll kill you! Iʼll kill you!"
Wreathed in flames, Abel charged at Zeke.
Whoooosh!
Zeke casually swung Bahamut to block Abelʼs sword.
Boom!
The powerful clash sent shockwaves rippling through the surroundings.
Abel recoiled with a pained expression from the recoil surging through his body.
But Zekeʼs face remained utterly unchanged.
With a stoic expression, he looked at Abel and said,
"Youʼve gotten really weak, Abel."
Though he had borrowed the power of consecration, Abel had once reached the level of a black knight.
Yet now, there was no trace of that former prowess; all he could muster were those unquenchable black flames.
Abel raised Zahhak again, igniting the flames once more.
Roooar!
Seeing the fiercely burning flames, Zeke channeled the Authority of Freezing into Bahamut.
Tssstsss—
The black flames hurtling toward him froze solid in midair.
The Authority of Freezing had encased Abelʼs flames in ice.
As Zeke advanced, the frozen area expanded with each step.
Before long, the entire surroundings were locked in frost, forcing the flame-wielding Abel to retreat in panic.
"Iʼll kill you! Iʼll kill you! Iʼll kill you, Zeke Draker!"
Even as he backed away, Abel repeated his mantra of murder.
Watching him, Zeke said quietly,
"Do you even remember why you want to kill me, Abel?"
Abel offered no answer, only continuing his obsessive chant.
'He was beyond rational thought already.ʼ
He had hoped otherwise, but there was no point dragging this out with an empty husk.
Having neutralized Abelʼs flames with the Authority of Freezing, Zeke stepped forward slowly toward him.
The black flames were the power of Zahhak—Terakan Drakerʼs sword in Abelʼs hands.
Once he disarmed him, Abel would be helpless.
Hummm!
Full Power Technique infused Zekeʼs sword.
He swung it lightly, channeling the Will of Severance.
Slash—
Abelʼs arm, covered in dragonkin scales, fell away effortlessly.
The arm clutching Zahhak tumbled to the ground.
Only then did Abel replace his cries of "kill" with a scream.
"Kaaaaah!"
It seemed less from pain and more from rage at the loss of his limb.
Abelʼs howl echoed through the crumbling imperial mausoleum.
With the sword and arm on the ground, the black flames began to flicker and die.
Zeke pointed his sword again and said,
"That cursed dragon heart implanted in your body. I donʼt know what Ramon Siemens plans to do with it, but this time, Iʼll destroy it properly." He focused Full Power Technique into the blade aimed at Abel.
Sensing the threat, Abel panicked and tried to retreat.
But Zekeʼs sword was faster.
Whoooosh!
Zekeʼs blade, infused with the Will of Connection, pierced Abelʼs heart.
Crunch!
Bones shattered as a hole tore through Abelʼs chest.
"Grrrkk!"
Abel clutched the gaping wound and dropped to his knees.
Yet despite the clean hit, Zeke sensed something off.
'No dragon heart?ʼ
Incredibly, there was no cursed dragon heart within Abelʼs flesh.
As Zeke approached the kneeling Abel in confusion, it happened.
Hummm!
Space warped behind Abel, and something burst forth.
Step! Step! Step!
Four knights appeared beside Abel.
They wore Hercion armor in red, blue, black, and white.
Seeing them, Zekeʼs eyes widened in shock.
'No way… were they the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?ʼ
In his previous life, they had emerged when the Rom Empire launched its continental conquest, extending its territory. Known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, these four knights were a byword for terror among the Northern Allied Forces.
Wherever the Horsemen appeared, only death followed—even the fierce, valiant Northern knights trembled in fear.
Zeke vividly recalled the moment he had seen them during his time fighting with the Northern Allied Forces.
Back then, he had been defending a high ground inside a fortress built by dwarves, a structure so sturdy it was called an iron bastion. They had been holding out when those four knights suddenly appeared.
Though the situation hadnʼt been dire for the Northern Allies, the Horsemenʼs arrival turned the tide completely.
Within a week, the fortress fell to the imperial forces, and countless lives were lost.
Losing that strategically vital position opened the path to Himonas, where the allied headquarters lay.
If the Horsemen hadnʼt shown up then, the outcome might have been different.
'To think the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse would appear here.ʼ They had emerged far earlier than in his previous life.
As Zeke hesitated at their unexpected arrival, the Horsemen gathered around Abel and drew their swords.
Flames danced from the red knightʼs blade, cold from the blue, poison from the black, and lightning from the white.
The Horsemen advanced on Zeke, their eyes gleaming from within their helmets as they swung.
Boom boom boom boom!
Flames, cold, poison, and lightning surged toward him simultaneously.
Kablooey!
Zeke dodged the knightsʼ attacks with Gale Technique, then unleashed Mana Reversal Technique.
Screee—
But even as he activated it, the four knights remained unaffected.
'At least it wasnʼt the power of magical artifacts.ʼ
Artifacts would have been easier to counter, but the Horsemen were no such simple foes.
As if to prove it, the four spread out around Zeke, intensifying the elemental auras on their blades.
Rumble!
The white knight struck first.
Zzzap!
As Zeke parried with his sword, the white knightʼs lightning coiled around him.
Any ordinary knight would have been charred to a crisp just from the clash.
But Zeke was no ordinary knight, so the electricity barely fazed him. Tssst—
His Immortal Body and healing factor mended the damage faster than it could spread.
The stinging pain was unavoidable, but Zeke had already adapted to the current amid the barrage.
Feeling he could endure it, Zeke gripped his sword in one hand and drew a warhammer with the other, channeling Metal Power as he swung at the white knight.
Boom!
A massive impact sent the white knight flying in the opposite direction.
Shaking him off, Zeke dashed toward Abel.
But with four Horsemen, the blue knight quickly blocked his path.
Craaaack!
Intense cold poured from the blue knightʼs swinging blade.
It was potent enough to freeze any average knight solid on a graze, but it meant nothing to Zeke.
Craaack!
Zeke countered the blue knightʼs chill with the Authority of Freezing.
Instead, the blue knightʼs legs froze under Zekeʼs power.
Zeke swung his warhammer at the immobilized foe.
Kablooey!
The armor crumpled with a groan, hurling the blue knight aside.
"Haaah!"
Zeke extended his hand toward Abel, unleashing Lightning Storm.
The remaining red and black knights appeared before him, raising shields to block the attack.
Zzzzap—
Undeterred, Zeke swung his warhammer at the pair.
Boom boom!
The black knightʼs shield dented deeply under Zekeʼs blow.
But as the assault focused on the black knight, the red knight evaded and swung his flaming sword.
Roooar!
Fierce flames roared toward Zeke.
In an instant, a powerful gust erupted from Zekeʼs body.
It was the Elemental Sword: Chamber of Wind Power.
Whoooosh—
The gale engulfed the red knight, hurling him far away.
With the knights scattered, Zeke charged at Abel, sword raised.
That was when it happened.
Hummm!
Space distorted before Abel, and something emerged.
A hand shot out from the rift, deflecting Zekeʼs blade.
Clang!
The forceful rebound sent Zeke staggering back.
Though startled, Zeke composed himself and glared at the figure emerging from the space.
A black-hooded dark mage.
Sensing the ominous aura, Zeke eyed him warily.
Then he realized who it was.
"Harvey West."
It was Harvey West, Nirvanaʼs genius madman and the High Priest of Narak.
A yellow gaze flickered from within the hood.
The high priest addressed Zeke.
"Zeke Draker. What a pleasure to meet like this."
Instead of replying, Zeke drew Roland and ignited Sacred Radiance Technique. The Horsemen swiftly regrouped beside the high priest.
'So the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were knights of Narak, not Siemens.ʼ
In his previous life, unaware of Narakʼs existence, he had assumed they were secretly trained imperial knights.
But piecing together what he knew in this life, the Rom Empire, Siemens, the Nostra Family, and Narak were deeply intertwined.
The high priest stepped forward and spoke to Zeke.
"Iʼve watched you for a long time, Knight of Salvation."
Zeke advanced with Roland and replied,
"You lurked in the shadows for ages. What wind blows you out into the open now?" Zeke glanced at Abelʼs fallen body behind the high priest.
Then he spoke slowly.
"That empty husk without a soul must be quite valuable. To Narak and Siemens alike." He thought it a pointed remark, but the high priest showed no emotional ripple.
Instead, he turned calmly, placing a hand on Abelʼs shoulder.
Incredibly, the severed stump bubbled, sprouting a new arm.
"Grrruhh!"
At the same time, Abelʼs dragonkin form reverted to human.
The high priest withdrew his hand from Abelʼs body and said to Zeke,
"As you say, itʼs just a shell, but Abelʼs flesh is important to us."
"As the vessel to revive the Demon King, right? No other body with a dragon heart could withstand his soul."
At Zekeʼs words, a flicker of surprise crossed the high priestʼs hidden eyes.
"Zeke Draker, youʼre more inscrutable the more I learn." Surprisingly, the high priestʼs voice carried a note of goodwill.
He seemed genuinely curious and intrigued by Zeke.
The high priest looked at Zeke, now tinged with regret, and continued.
"Your existence is remarkable, but if you keep interfering, we can no longer stand by."
"Funny. As if youʼve been so tolerant all this time."
"Do you think otherwise?"
With that, the high priest revealed his concealed rank.
Rumble!
The pressure surging from him nearly forced Zeke to his knees involuntarily.
'This…ʼ
It surpassed the power of a black knight.
The High Priest of Narak, Harvey West, wielded at least the strength of a grandmaster.
He slowly addressed Zeke.
"Zeke Draker, I have a proposal for you."
Finishing, the high priest extended a hand toward Zeke and continued deliberately.
"Join me in eliminating Arthur Draker. What do you say?"