Zeke was momentarily taken aback by the high priest's utterly unexpected proposal.
"Eliminate Arthur Draker?"
Seeing his reaction, the high priest continued more slowly.
"You must realize by now that Arthur Draker is the one who has truly stalled this continent."
Zeke glared at the high priest and said,
"What do you mean by 'stalled the continent'?"
The high priest answered Zeke's question in a resolute voice.
"Arthur Draker has committed many unjust acts under the guise of justice. He's meddled in the successions of other kingdoms using Salmak, crushed rising merchant houses to advance Draker's interests, co-opted honest people to bend to his will, and when that failed, killed the innocent. And above all, Arthur Draker's greatest sin is..." Kugugugu!
The overwhelming pressure emanating from the high priest's body crushed the very space around them.
"That he has twisted history to suit his whims."
As he listened, a thought flashed through Zeke's mind.
"The fabrication of the Dragon Slayer legend."
Terakan Draker, the Dragon Slayer who had supposedly liberated the continent from the evil dragon.
But that was not the truth.
In reality, Bahamut—the dragon branded as evil—had sacrificed itself to seal the soul of the Demon King.
Yet the Draker family had manipulated this legend to elevate their honor.
That false glory had persisted for a thousand years.
And Arthur Draker had actively exploited the Draker name's distortions to establish the family as overlords of the Midland.
"Arthur Draker is a terrifying man. He will eventually exploit even your fame as the Knight of Salvation and swallow it whole."
The high priest's voice carried sincerity and persuasion.
He slowly approached Zeke.
"Zeke Draker, I value your talent. If you join hands with me, I can give you the power to stop Arthur Draker."
Before long, the high priest stood right before Zeke, extending his hand toward him.
"Take my hand. A new world will unfold before you."
As if entranced, Zeke slowly raised his hand toward the high priest.
Boris, watching from behind, shouted at Zeke.
"My lord! Snap out of it!"
But Zeke seemed oblivious to Boris's words, his hand already clasping the high priest's.
A satisfied smile crept across the high priest's lips.
"You've made the right choice, Zeke Draker." It was then.
A golden aura erupted from Zeke, who held the high priest's hand.
He had gripped the Agamemnonʼs Mask hidden inside his clothes and unleashed the power of Purification.
Wuuuuung!
The intense power of Purification poured toward the high priest.
Chiiiiiik—
Black smoke rose from the high priest's hand where Zeke gripped it, exposed to the Purification.
Even a demon would writhe in agony and scream under Purification, but the high priest merely gazed down calmly at Zeke, who was emanating the aura.
He spoke to Zeke.
"Is this your choice, Zeke Draker? Disappointing."
This time, Zeke drew Bahamut and summoned the Blade of Radiant Light.
He then thrust the sword with all his might toward the high priest's heart.
Puk!
Bahamut, infused with the Blade of Radiant Light, plunged deep into the high priest's body.
Black smoke billowed thickly from the pierced spot.
Yet the high priest's expression remained unchanged.
"Knight of Salvation, you will come to regret today's choice."
The high priest reached out and grasped the blade of Bahamut that had pierced his heart.
Kugugugugu!
He slowly withdrew the blade—still infused with the Blade of Radiant Light—from his body, gripping it directly.
Chiiiiiik—
Black smoke continued to rise from his body, but the high priest paid it no mind, refusing to release the blade.
Zeke gritted his teeth, summoning the power of Metal Power to drive the blade back into the high priest's body, but it was futile.
"Metal Power isn't working?" It was then.
Crack!
Fissures began to spread across the blade of Bahamut that the high priest held.
The surface of Bahamut was shattering, unable to withstand the high priest's power.
"This can't be."
Even with its indestructible property, it was breaking—something Zeke could scarcely believe. For now, he withdrew Bahamut into his inventory and retreated.
As the blade was pulled free, the black smoke leaking from the high priest's heart gradually diminished.
Zeke then drew Roland, fully donned the Agamemnonʼs Mask, and summoned the power of Purification.
The high priest backed away slightly, extending his hand toward Zeke.
Tststst—
The high priest's open palm split open, revealing a red eye as if an eyelid lifted.
The moment Zeke met that red eye, he felt his movements sealed.
"Ugh!"
Even mobilizing everything from Full Power Technique to Astral Sword, he couldn't budge.
The high priest's hand, now with the eye exposed, grew larger, soon big enough to encompass Zeke's entire body.
Zeke tried to escape the high priest's palm, but his body wouldn't move.
It was then.
Ururururu!
Raven, who had been sleeping in the dimensional rift, emerged and unleashed Phoenix Cry.
As the mystical Phoenix Cry echoed, Zeke's heart throbbed.
Kung!
The dormant heart of Bahamut awakened, resisting the force binding Zeke's body.
A crest began to rise above his chest.
Pajijijik!
Sparks flew across his body, and Zeke felt the paralysis easing bit by bit. "I'll widen this small gap."
Raven soared through the air and unleashed Phoenix Cry once more.
Wuuuuuuu!
Seizing the opening created by Phoenix Cry, Zeke invoked the power of Blood King Caligula.
A third eye formed on his forehead, countering the eye in the high priest's palm.
Pajijijijik—
The sparks erupting from Zeke's body intensified.
The high priest's hand slowly advanced to grasp him.
As the dragon heart pounded fiercely, the power of the third eye grew stronger.
Pachik!
Before the hand could reach him, Zeke regained control of his body.
He swiftly retreated with Gale Technique, glaring at the high priest while breaking into a cold sweat.
The massive hand that had tried to seize him was gone.
The high priest alternated his gaze between Zeke, who aimed Roland at him, and Raven, who continued to unleash Phoenix Cry, then spoke.
"To wield the power of the dragon, the Blood King, and even the divine beast Phoenix. I wouldn't have believed it without seeing it myself."
With those words, the space around him warped, a rift opening within.
Zeke recognized it as the spatial movement ability of Rahim, the deceased former leader of the Six.
He immediately turned to Abel behind the high priest and gathered his energy.
"Haaaa!"
Unleashing Infinite Sword Art, he launched Astral Sword toward Abel.
The sword strike tore through space toward Abel.
But the rift in the space allowed the high priest to vanish with Abel and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse even faster.
Astral Sword merely rent the space where they had disappeared.
"Damn it!"
Zeke stomped the ground in rage.
Having let Abel slip away right before his eyes, he clenched his teeth.
"I never expected the high priest to show himself here."
Even Zeke hadn't anticipated that Harvey West, the high priest of Narak who had always hidden his presence, would appear directly at this moment.
Unable to contain his frustration, Boris approached Zeke.
"Boss, we need to get out of here first."
The imperial knights would surely swarm in soon, seeing the burning holy site.
Zeke nodded grimly at Boris's words. Raging here wouldn't change anything.
He grabbed Boris and immediately opened a portal.
Wuuuuung!
The two figures vanished with the portal's light. Even after the intruders had gone, the imperial mausoleum continued to burn.
In the end, the imperial mausoleum—the holy site of the Rom Empire for so long—left only black flames and ashes in its wake.
*
After Abel torched the holy site, events unfolded just as Zeke had intended.
The imperial nobles and great houses, who had professed neutrality until now, turned their backs on Siemens and aligned with Julius.
Soon, Second Prince Leo and Fourth Prince Carus entered the Rom Imperial Palace alongside Julius.
Behind them followed the Knight Order of the Inmagung and the Knight Order of the Celestial Scorpion Palace.
With the high priest of Narak taking Abel and vanishing, no traces of Siemens or the Nostra Family remained in Rom.
It seemed they had withdrawn the forces stationed there upon sensing the shift.
Thus, the first act of Julius's forces upon entering Rom was to eliminate the monsters scattered throughout the city.
Monsters poured endlessly from the sewers, abandoned ruins, nearby wild hills, and caves dotting the mountains.
As the newly arrived imperial army slew the monsters and stabilized the city, the citizens of Rom—who had hidden trembling in basements—finally emerged.
The terrified populace cheered and shed tears of gratitude at the sight of Rom restored to order.
"Worship the Knight of Salvation who saved Rom!"
"Sir Zeke Draker is the true hero of this era!"
Rumors spread that Zeke had liberated Rom from Abel's grasp, and this elevated the fame of the Knight of Salvation even higher.
His renown spread beyond the Central Continent, North, and South to the Eastern Continent.
Separate from Zeke's feats, Julius swiftly organized Rom's situation.
He had intended to elevate the originally Fourth Prince Carus as emperor, but astonishingly, Carus refused the position himself.
Instead, he yielded the throne to Second Prince Leo.
By openly supporting Leo, he aimed to bolster legitimacy and solidify the throne.
Zeke nodded as if it were natural at Carus's decision to forgo the imperial seat.
"Carus probably figured he'd rather let Prince Leo handle the throne while he lounges in the background."
In the end, Prince Leo accepted Carus's proposal and ascended to the throne.
He appointed Julius and Carus as consuls to manage the empire's affairs.
With the next emperor decided so promptly, Rom regained stability faster than expected, but the problems were far from over.
In the south of the Rom Empire, a faction opposing Julius's enthronement had taken root.
At the center of that faction, surprisingly, stood Castro Pollock, the knight of the Gemini Palace who had warned Zeke of Azmun Barrios's trap.
He had rallied imperial great houses sharing his views, the Knight Order of the Taurus Palace, staunch pureblood supremacists, and concentrated forces in Jupiter, the key southern stronghold of the Rom Empire.
Zeke speculated that the Siemens forces once garrisoned in Rom might have joined Castro in Jupiter, but it remained mere suspicion.
Amid the rapidly shifting landscape, Zeke remained in Rom with the Black Sword Knight Order, monitoring the situation in Jupiter. While keeping a wary eye on Jupiter, a messenger arrived from the Four Seasons Star.
It was none other than Baron Draker, the captain of the Black Stage and Arthur Draker's confidant.
Baron approached Zeke with his usual emotionless face.
Zeke received Baron, who had entered the Rom Imperial Palace, and they entered the office together.
Zeke freely used the office of Consul Carus as his own; Carus hardly used it anyway, so it didn't matter.
Baron bowed to Zeke.
"Sir Zeke. Congratulations on completing the mission. The Family Head is greatly pleased with your achievements."
On the surface, the Family Head's order had been to negotiate for the forbidden tome held by Azmun Barrios.
But Arthur Draker's actual command had been different.
"Seize the Rom Imperial Palace."
It was a near-impossible order to drive out the occupying forces and claim the palace.
Yet Zeke had accomplished it spectacularly.
No Guardian Knight of Draker could compare to this unparalleled feat.
Zeke slowly spoke after hearing Baron's words.
"What was the Family Head's response to announcing that demons were involved in this incident with Siemens?"
"He said to proceed as you see fit."
Zeke planned to expose every atrocity Siemens had committed in Rom through news bulletins.
From summoning monsters to attack cities, to illegal chimera experiments and demon summoning.
He intended to ensure Siemens had no foothold anywhere on the continent.
As he organized future plans amid the positive response from the Family Head, Baron spoke to Zeke.
"The Family Head has a message."
Zeke, lost in thought for a moment, looked up and met Baron's eyes, gesturing for him to continue. Baron then spoke slowly.
"He commands you to duel Duke Crevan de Panion, the Bright King and Black Knight of the empire."