"Knight of Salvation!"
With Nabuʼs shout, the Highlanders lifted their heads.
They had all heard the rumors about Zeke Draker, the Knight of Salvation, but this was the first time they had seen him in person.
A glimmer of hope appeared in the Highlandersʼ eyes—the possibility that he might turn the tide of the battle.
At that moment, Zeke raised the Holy Sword Ascalon high and unleashed the Will of Light.
Sacred light poured forth from the blade and formed a veil that enveloped the entire battlefield.
Woooong!
The veil of light expanded to a wider range than Mannaʼs Absolute Barrier and trapped the endlessly surging monstrous hounds within it.
Keeeaak—
Exposure to the domain of the Will of Light caused the monstrous hounds to writhe in agony.
The Highlanders shouted as they watched.
"They fear that light!"
"Pour on the attacks now!"
Though utterly exhausted, the Highlanders refused to give up. They gripped their weapons and fought the magical beasts to the end.
And as if in response to their resolve, something miraculous happened.
When they swung their weapons within the domain of the Will of Light, even ordinary strikes tore through the monstrous houndsʼ thick hides in an instant and sent them crashing to the ground, spilling violet blood.
It was the Holy Spirit Qi that Zeke had activated alongside the Will of Light. It infused the Highlandersʼ armaments and dealt greater damage to the magical beasts.
Though they didnʼt know the exact reason, the Highlanders realized their attacks were far more effective now. Their eyes changed.
The flow of the battle began to shift.
Zeke didnʼt stop there. He channeled his Healing Factor and Infinite Stamina skills through the Authority of Amplification and scattered them toward the central redoubt.
Tssst—
Mystical light seeped into the Highlandersʼ bodies, restored their strength, and healed their wounds.
"My god..."
The Highlanders were left speechless by the miracle Zeke had brought.
But it was only for a moment. After regaining their strength, they gripped their weapons and charged from the ramparts toward the oncoming monstrous hounds.
"Haaah!"
The Highlander knights held the boundary of Mannaʼs Absolute Barrier and cut down the monstrous hounds.
Adnan and Bodmir fought alongside them and swung their swords again and again.
But Zeke, who watched the battlefield from atop Bucephalus in the air, hardened his expression at the energy he sensed from beyond the forest.
'Thatʼs...ʼ
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Trees toppled, and the ground shook.
From beyond the forest, massive boar-like magical beasts approached the central redoubt.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Zeke spotted Narakʼs dark mages riding atop those boar-like magical beasts.
'Theyʼre launching a full assault.ʼ
At that moment, the lead monstrous boar opened its maw toward the sky.
A massive blaze ignited within its mouth.
Roooar!
As the monstrous boars one by one anchored themselves to the ground, the Narak mages commanded them to spew fireballs toward the central redoubt.
Kuuuaang—
Soon, the sound of massive explosions rang out as over a dozen fireballs flew toward the central redoubt.
Kwaaakwang!
Fortunately, they detonated against Mannaʼs Absolute Barrier and exploded harmlessly above the redoubt.
Without the Absolute Barrier, a single volley would have reduced the central redoubt to ashes.
'We need a defensive line to hold off their attacks.ʼ
As Zeke assessed the situation from atop Bucephalus, he activated defense mode.
[Applying the battlefield domain to defense mode.]
[Deploying guardians and summons to the battlefield. Please specify positions.]
[Karma can be expended to summon defense towers. Please specify summon positions.] Before fulfilling the systemʼs requests, Zeke first summoned Richmond and Bane.
"You called for us, Master!"
"We have come at your summons, Master."
Zeke ordered the two arch liches to construct a defensive line of bone and ice.
At his command, walls of bone and ice rose before the Absolute Barrier.
Kwaduduk!
With triple-layered walls and narrow passages that limited the magical beastsʼ approach, it became much easier for the Highlanders to fight them off.
Zeke didnʼt stop there. He positioned guardians atop the defensive walls and unleashed shadow spirits and dragon warriors.
Horus, Idas, and Lynceus, deployed on the walls, attacked the monstrous boars behind them.
Idas and Lynceus fired arrows of light, while Horus opened his maw and unleashed a mana cannon.
Kwaaakwaakwang!
The monstrous boars collapsed under the guardiansʼ attacks without mounting any resistance. This forced the Narak mages to retreat beyond their range.
They then tried to break down the defensive walls by sending the monstrous hounds forward again.
At that point, Zeke summoned and positioned the Golem Knight Order in front of the guardians.
The golem knights, shields raised, stood firm against the charging monstrous hounds.
Kwaduduk!
The monstrous hounds smashed into the golem knightsʼ shields and reduced to pulp.
Kaaaak—
As the monstrous houndsʼ cries echoed across the battlefield, Zeke, who monitored the situation through defense mode, was slightly surprised by the rapidly accumulating karma points.
'Over 30,000 already.ʼ
Satisfied with the quickly building points, Zeke raised shadows to absorb the magical beasts and replenished his mana to sustain the guardians and summons.
The number of oncoming monstrous hounds visibly dwindled.
Judging the moment had come, Zeke began to move.
He aimed the Holy Sword Ascalon at the Narak mages retreating atop the monstrous boars.
Woooong!
Zeke then drew upon the power of the Elemental Sword.
Kugugugu!
Unleashing the Chamber of Metal Power, Zeke swung his sword downward and shook the ground where the magical beasts stood.
Kwarururung!
The earth trembled and split, sending the monstrous boars tumbling into the chasm.
Kreeee!
The monstrous boarsʼ roars echoed from the fissures in the cracked ground.
The panicked Narak mages tried to pull their mounts back up, but they couldnʼt halt the upheaving earth with their own power.
Zeke controlled the elemental force and gradually retracted the Chamber of Metal Power.
'Control is better than before, at least.ʼ
Ever since the Elemental Swordʼs rank had increased, Zeke had struggled with handling it.
But as his proficiency grew, so did his control over the Elemental Sword.
Though not fully satisfactory, it was now usable in combat.
As the monstrous boars sank into the earth, the battlefieldʼs momentum fully shifted.
Even the surging monstrous hounds began to retreat.
Krrrng—
Adnan shouted as he watched the fleeing monstrous hounds.
"Theyʼre pulling back!"
The battle-hardened Highlanders knew better than to let their guard down in such situations, lest they face a counterattack.
They reinforced their vigilance and scanned for any other enemies that might strike from behind.
At the same time, those with strength left formed groups to pursue the retreating monstrous hounds.
Kwaduduk!
Bodmir swung his bastard sword wildly at the fleeing hounds and vented his pentup frustration.
"Whew!"
Soon after, the remaining monstrous hounds had all fled into the forest, leaving the battlefield littered with the corpses of fallen magical beasts.
As the cleanup neared completion, Zeke landed Bucephalus on the ground, dismounted, and approached Adnan and Bodmir.
"Youʼve all done well."
Adnan gave a wry smile at Zekeʼs words, while Bodmir rushed toward him.
"Wow, Zeke Draker! No, Knight of Salvation! We survived thanks to you. Want a kiss?" Zeke shook his head at Bodmirʼs blood-smeared face.
"Iʼll politely decline, Bodmir."
Pushing aside the overjoyed Bodmir, Zeke joined the other Highlanders in efficiently clearing the battlefield and tending to the wounded before ascending to the central redoubt.
There, Nabu was handling the casualties.
"Zeke Draker!"
Zeke greeted him.
"Meeting you in the flesh rather than in a dream feels a bit strange, Hermit."
Smiling, he pulled a large quantity of potions from his inventory and handed them to Nabu.
"New product from the Naga. Use them on the patients."
Thanks to Zekeʼs all-around Healing Factor during the battle, there were no critical cases.
The Highlanders, handed the potions, skillfully treated their own wounds.
For Highlanders, who always had to be self-sufficient on missions, emergency care and basic healing were essential.
Once the situation stabilized, Nabu led Zeke into the central command tent.
But Manna lay collapsed on the tent floor, unconscious.
"Gasp! Manna!"
It seemed he had exhausted himself maintaining the Absolute Barrier and passed out.
Manna only stirred after hearing Nabu recite "Awaken, O Hero."
"Ugh, this humble monk briefly entered nirvana and has awakened."
"Donʼt give me that nirvana nonsense. Seeing you spout drivel means youʼre fine. Drink this and snap out of it."
Manna gulped down the potion Nabu offered.
His hazy eyes suddenly sharpened.
"No, this is..."
"What? Something wrong?"
"It tastes utterly bland. Like the flavors of my homeland."
The biggest drawback of Naga potions was their lack of flavor.
Conventional potions, made from processed troll blood, were infused with various essences for taste.
But Naga potions, fermented from herbs, preserved their natural aroma, making added flavors impossible.
As a result, the twin alchemists were burning through astronomical research funds to create flavorful Naga potions, much to Kai and Feynenʼs chagrin.
Manna pulled a mint candy from his robe for aftertaste and pressed his palms together toward Zeke.
"Zeke, lay disciple. This humble monk is Manna. Pleased to meet you."
Zeke had actually seen Manna once before in his previous life, as a High Table member.
He had assisted with a barrier during a joint mission with Nigel.
'My master was odd, but so was Abbot Manna. I thought the High Table was full of weirdos.ʼ
Recalling his past life, Zeke chuckled inwardly and greeted Manna as if meeting him for the first time.
"Pleased to meet you. Iʼm Zeke Draker."
As the two exchanged greetings, Nabu slumped into an armchair, exhausted.
"Ugh, I just want to go back to Mount Ouroboros. Dealing with these damn magical beasts is getting old."
Manna chanted a sutra and replied.
"Youʼd have nothing to do back at the mountain anyway."
"Iʼm busy. Gotta fix the roof, water the fields, take a nap."
"Om aranam arada svaha. May lay disciple Nabu rediscover his conscience for rebirth in the Western Paradise."
Zeke, seeing Nabuʼs dejected state, changed the subject.
"Where exactly is Master Nigel being held?" At that, Nabu bolted upright.
"Ah! Right, Nigel. I forgot about the old hag." He waved his hand, and a map unfurled in the air.
Pointing to it, Nabu said.
"See the marked spot here? Thatʼs where their gate is. The three points around it are the energy sources for the gate. The signal from Nigel cut off at the one on the left." Zeke scanned the map and saved the information.
Then he asked Nabu.
"I heard a top-tier demonkind took her. Iʼm worried if sheʼs alright."
"Nigelʼs probably fine."
"Did you get some separate contact?" Manna shook his head.
"If the demonkind touch her, sheʼd go berserk, even at the cost of ascending to Peach Blossom Paradise."
Zeke swallowed a hollow laugh and nodded at Mannaʼs words.
'Sheʼll cause chaos before leaving the Phenomenal World.ʼ
For the demonkind holding her, it must feel like clutching an unpredictable massive bomb.
Zeke looked at Nabu.
"Then rescuing Master comes second to closing the gate." Nabu nodded.
"Thatʼs reasonable. As I said through the mirror, we canʼt go there. Zeke, only you can drive them off."
Nabu had felt it watching Zeke fight.
A strength utterly unlike ordinary knights.
And unbound by the Law of Karma, Zeke was indeed an anomalous existence. Though puzzling, they needed his power now, so Nabu decided not to dwell.
After a momentʼs thought at Nabuʼs words, Zeke looked up and said.
"I have one question."
"Whatʼs on your mind?"
"What exactly are the Narak trying so hard to take from the Forest of the Forgotten?" At Zekeʼs question, Nabu and Manna fell silent.
As Manna opened his mouth to speak, Nabu raised a hand to stop him.
Then, looking at Zeke, he slowly said.
"What theyʼre trying to take from here is the 'Black Star.ʼ"
"Black Star? Whatʼs that?"
Nabu hesitated briefly before answering.
"The shattered heart of an Elder Dragon."
He continued, gazing at Zeke.
"Thatʼs the true nature of the Black Star."