Bathory's expression turned incredulous at Zeke's words.
"...So Arthur Draker is trying to resurrect the Demon King and summon the Demonkind of the Demon Realm into the Phenomenal World?"
"You've got it right."
At his response, Bathory gnashed her teeth and glared at Zeke.
"Zeke Draker, are you mocking me?"
Zeke met her gaze steadily, his eyes unwavering.
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
Bathory managed to rein in her anger under the unyielding intensity of Zeke's gaze.
"It must not have reached the Empire yet. The formation of the allied forces isn't just to conquer the Empire. It's to stop the descent of the Demon King and the Demonkind."
Though unexpected, Zeke had more than enough power to overpower Bathory and the Dracul Knight Order, so there was no need for him to lie. Assuming Zeke's words were true, Bathory calmly analyzed the situation.
Inheriting the Red King's sharp mind, Bathory quickly grasped the core of what Zeke was saying.
"Does that mean Arthur Draker kidnapped the Guardian Dragon for this reason as well?" Zeke nodded at her words.
"Yes. The world believes dragons started the War of Liberation, but the truth is different. Demonkind possessed the bodies of dragons and attacked the Phenomenal World, attempting to descend the Demon King into the body of Bahamut, who was called the strongest dragon."
Bathory sprang to her feet in shock.
"No way! Are you saying they tried to possess a demon soul into Lady Eos's body?" Zeke shook his head at Bathory's question.
"I don't know Arthur Draker's exact plan yet. Unlike a thousand years ago, they've developed ways to summon Demonkind into the Phenomenal World in perfect condition now. Using the bodies of dragons, which are nearly extinct, would be inefficient for summoning Demonkind."
Bathory clenched her fist.
"No matter the reason, she's no mere trophy of war. We have to rescue Lady Eos from that bastard somehow."
"Your bond with the Guardian Dragon is impressive. Is that why the Dracul Knight Order shows such loyalty?"
At Zeke's words, Bathory slowly opened her mouth.
"For a very long time, the Basarab family has been under the protection of Lady Eos as the Guardian Dragon. After the War of Liberation, fear of dragons spread across the entire Central Continent, so she didn't reveal herself... but to us, she is a benevolent mother and a guardian deity. We all respect and follow her, which is why we've kept her existence hidden."
He felt the deep affection and bond toward Eos in Bathory's words.
'It was said that dragons loved humans the most. Humans must have loved dragons just as much.'
Bahamut and Terakan Draker were also bound by a profound connection that transcended the boundaries of dragon and human races.
Moreover, since Zeke possessed the heart of an Elder Dragon and Bahamut's heart, he sensed the nature of the bond between Eos and Bathory.
Zeke looked at Bathory and said,
"...I understand the countess's feelings. But we must also consider the possibility that the Guardian Dragon is already dead."
At those words, Bathory pounded her fist against the Hercion she wore and said,
"This Hercion was made directly by Lady Eos. As long as this light doesn't fade, it's certain that Lady Eos is alive."
"Does that mean the Guardian Dragon is linked to the Hercion?"
Zeke pondered for a moment at those words, then stood up and approached Bathory.
"Countess, sorry, but may I take a look for a moment?"
"What?"
Zeke reached out and touched Bathory's Hercion, connecting to the system.
He then commanded it to open the central power source.
Chiiiing!
The central part of the chest plate on the Hercion opened, revealing a brilliantly glowing red gem in the middle.
Zeke looked at it with a surprised expression.
"It's a Dragon Heart? Eos must have loved your family deeply to embed her own bone and heart here."
At Zeke's words, Bathory looked even more shocked.
She had inherited the Hercion from the Red King and learned how to use it from Eos, but she hadn't known a Dragon Heart was inside.
Zeke gave a wry smile at her reaction and placed his hand over the Dragon Heart in the Hercion.
Woooong!
The Dragon Heart vibrated strongly, as if rejecting Zeke's touch.
Zeke clicked his tongue and said,
"You're resisting to find your master, so cooperate instead of fighting back."
Zeke summoned dragon aura to counter the Dragon Heart's resistance and connected it to the Akashic Code via the system.
Woooong!
Suddenly, red energy rippled from the Dragon Heart and the Hercion.
Information about Eos connected to the Dragon Heart flowed into Zeke's mind.
Woooong!
After absorbing the information, Zeke withdrew his hand and stepped back.
"Hoo."
Soon, Bathory's Hercion closed again, returning to its original state.
Seeing this, Bathory stepped back warily and said to Zeke,
"Zeke Draker... What exactly are you?"
"I'm just me. Nothing more. But."
He looked at Bathory with a serious expression.
"Eos's condition seems worse than I thought. Her mind is being corrupted. If things go wrong, she could lose her sense of self."
At those words, Bathory, who had been about to sit, jumped back up in alarm.
"What do you mean? Then how on earth do we...?"
"Calm down. With that Hercion, we can pinpoint Eos's location. But in return, the countess needs to trust me and help."
At Zeke's words, Bathory stared at him silently before nodding.
"...Understood. If it means saving Lady Eos, I'll cooperate with you. But if you do anything suspicious, I'll cut your throat and skewer you on a spit."
"As expected from the successor of the Field of Spikes, you're ruthless." But it was then.
"Hm?"
Zeke looked up.
He sensed an ominous energy from Jupiter Castle, so he dashed out of the tent.
His senses had been delayed by the energy blanketing the ravine.
Kugugugu!
The surging energy from Jupiter Castle was something Zeke had felt before in Siemens's underground labyrinth.
'Watchers of the Apocalypse.'
Zeke turned to Bathory, who had followed him, and said,
"It seems Castro touched something he shouldn't have."
He floated into the air and issued what was more command than request. "Countess, head to Jupiter Castle immediately and evacuate all the citizens." Zeke continued with a grim expression.
"If not, everyone in the castle will die."
*
Kugugugu!
The firmly shut gates of Jupiter Castle opened.
The Black Spirit Unit, waiting after receiving Boris's contact, sent a signal toward headquarters upon seeing the gates open.
Pishuuuung!
Xeros, the mage, fired a magic signal into the sky.
Klone, leading the Black Spirit Unit, gestured in response to the signal.
"Push into the castle and secure a gate first. Then gradually take control of the key points..."
But something felt off.
They had expected chaos inside the gates thanks to the intelligence team's efforts, but it was eerily quiet.
Klone said to Felix beside her,
"Felix, take a few men and check what's going on."
"Captain, why do you always give me the dangerous jobs..."
"Want to get beaten before you go, or just go?"
In the end, Felix grumbled as he avoided Klone and headed inside with Diego and Aster. "Hm?"
Surprisingly, no knights or soldiers guarding the walls were in sight.
Diego tilted his head in confusion.
"Something's weird, yo?" Aster nodded in agreement.
But it was then.
"Uwaaaak!"
Several soldiers came running toward them, screaming madly.
As Diego and Aster drew their swords to cut them down, Felix raised his hand to stop them.
"Wait."
One of the pale-faced soldiers, foaming at the mouth as if he'd seen a monster, grabbed them—clear enemies—and shouted,
"R-Run! You have to run from here!"
The other soldiers, faces contorted in terror, just fled madly. Soon, mercenaries and soldiers mixed in, running out in groups of a few.
Seeing this, Felix and his group sensed something had happened inside the castle. "First, go back and report to the captain..." But it was then.
Kaaaaaaa!
A massive roar echoed throughout the castle.
The three looked up toward the sound. It was the tallest tower in Jupiter Castle, and something was crawling up it.
Felix gaped as he watched.
"What the hell is that?"
A gigantic black cocoon with multiple arms was crawling up the tower.
Diego enhanced his vision to look at the cocoon and cried out in horror.
"Wow! People are stuck all over that cocoon's surface, yo!"
Using tentacles, the cocoon had seized and dragged in mercenaries, Jupiter Castle soldiers, knights—anything it could grasp—to digest them as it climbed the tower.
Instinctively ascending to the highest point, the cocoon extended tentacles in all directions.
Chaaaaak—
Hundreds of tentacles connected the tower to the walls and other towers.
At the center, the cocoon curled up like it was brooding an egg and settled in place.
Moments later, small protrusions began growing on the tentacles extending in all directions.
Kurururuk—
The protrusions quickly grew, hanging like fruits on branches.
Once they reached a certain size, the fruits burst like amniotic sacs, spewing forth viscous fluid.
Kaaaaak!
Hundreds of fruits gave birth to hideous magical beasts with six arms and six eyes.
After dangling briefly from the tentacles, the magical beasts began descending the walls and towers.
Kaaaaaaa!
With their commanders gone, soldiers, knights, and mercenaries hiding throughout the castle began falling to the magical beasts' assault.
"Heeik!"
The charging magical beasts had hard, crustacean-like shells and spat acidic mucus.
Knights managed to push back with aura, but ordinary soldiers and mercenaries couldn't respond properly.
"Kwaaaak!"
Felix turned at the scream nearby. A mercenary doused in acidic solution writhed in agony before tumbling off the wall.
The corpse was immediately collected by the scattered tentacles and carried to the cocoon.
The cocoon moved its tentacles and magical beasts greedily, as if intent on devouring every living thing in Jupiter Castle.
Even the Breaker Mercenary Company, symbols of valor, abandoned their weapons and fled without thought of resistance.
Dudududu!
With no commanders, hiding was futile. Mercenaries and soldiers began fleeing the castle in droves to escape the magical beasts.
Knights swung swords at the fleeing soldiers and shouted,
"Obey orders! Otherwise, death awaits!"
Caught between magical beasts behind and knights' blades ahead, the soldiers floundered in panic.
Jupiter Castle descended into pandemonium in an instant.
Watching the chaos, something struck Felix.
"The knights werenʼt responding properly either. Wait, then what about Jupiter's citizens?"
Having witnessed Abel's horrific massacre in Rom firsthand, Felix couldn't stand by while innocent civilians were sacrificed.
Felix said to Diego and Aster,
"Diego, Aster. I'll go inside to help Jupiter's citizens escape. You two go out and inform the captain of the situation."
Diego and Aster nodded at Felix's words and dashed toward the gates without wasting time.
Felix, conversely, rushed deeper into the castle.
Krrrarar—
Magical beasts lunged at Felix from all sides as he headed inward.
Chaaaaak—
Felix unleashed the swordsmanship taught by Baord, the Arch Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, slicing through the magical beasts in one stroke.
By now, he was clad in the Black Spirit Unit's exclusive Hercion.
Extending his left hand, the gauntlet unfolded into a shield.
"Chahaat!"
Using the Arch Paladin's shield art, Felix blocked incoming tentacles while swinging his sword to sever them all.
Kieeeek!
Acidic solution splashed everywhere, corroding nearby walls and wooden planks with rising smoke.
The sudden appearance of the knight startled Jupiter's citizens.
Felix shouted to them,
"I've come to save you! We must escape this place—follow me!"