Zeke pointed his sword at Heracles and said,
"The one hiding inside. Who are you? Show yourself properly."
But Heracles did not respond to Zekeʼs words and simply raised his club.
Kugugugugu!
A vibration even stronger than before emanated from the club.
It was a resonance similar to the Resonance of Strong Waves and Empty Vibration, amplified through the Orichalcum club.
Zeke equipped Theiaʼs Hercion while holding Ascalon.
Chwararararak!
He too was clad head to toe in Orichalcum armor, generating a power akin to the Resonance of Strong Waves and Empty Vibration in a manner similar to Heracles.
Wuuuuuung!
Zeke analyzed in real time how the vibration Heracles was using worked and immediately applied it himself.
The Resonance of Strong Waves and Empty Vibration that rose from his body was amplified through the Orichalcum armor, and that power concentrated into his sword for yet another amplification.
'So Orichalcum and Demonic Qi Arts can connect in this way.ʼ
Atlantis, having long researched and utilized Orichalcum, seemed to have discovered various ways to apply it.
Heraclesʼs eyes flashed as he looked at Zeke, who had instantly generated a similar resonance.
As if he could not let the one who had stolen his technique go unpunished, Heracles moved his massive body and leaped into the air toward Zeke.
Kung!
Heracles, gripping the club with both hands, swung it down from above toward Zeke.
Zeke raised Ascalon from below to block Heraclesʼs attack.
Creeeeeng!
The club and sword clashed, producing a massive shockwave.
As the amplified resonances collided, shockwaves spread in all directions.
Kugugugugu!
Those spreading shockwaves shook the protective barrier that safeguarded the temple from within.
Heracles, seeing Zeke block his attack, generated an even greater vibration and swung the club in rapid succession.
Wuuuuuung!
Zeke retreated while countering with sword strikes infused with waves.
Kwakwakwakwa!
The Dragon Slaying Technique strikes loaded with waves hit Heraclesʼs club directly.
Though Heracles swung his club to offset the waves, the heavy force pushed him back, interrupting his follow-up chain of attacks.
Kugugugu!
Heracles seemed to realize that his attacks were being nullified against Zeke, who was using the Resonance of Strong Waves and Empty Vibration, and retreated. From the way he no longer pressed the assault, it appeared he was searching for another method.
Soon, he approached the Orichalcum gate from which he had been summoned.
Laevatein remained embedded in that gate.
Heracles extended his hand toward the gate.
Surprisingly, the gate opened, and Heracles pulled out another weapon from within.
Kung!
He drew a massive war mace, astonishingly made entirely of Orichalcum as well.
Heracles lifted the heavy war mace overhead and swung it.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The war mace began to rotate with a loud whirring sound.
At some point, Heracles swung the rotating war mace toward Zeke.
Whooooooong!
Then, the head of the war mace detached and flew straight toward Zeke.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwa!
The iron ball, carrying pure physical force rather than resonance, hurtled toward Zeke with a roar, as if to crush him in an instant.
Zeke immediately raised Ascalon and deployed the Chamber of Water Power.
Tssstststss—
He judged there was no need to meet raw physical force with raw physical force.
He extended the Chamber of Water Power toward the incoming iron ball and gently received it on the flat of his sword.
Zeke caught the iron ball on his sword and began to spin in place.
Kwadudududu—
The iron ball, meeting the flat of the sword, tried to break free from the torrent Zeke had created and rend his body.
But Zeke spun even faster, thoroughly trapping the iron ball within his flow.
Then, he gradually altered its trajectory.
Kwadudududu!
As the fiercely spinning iron ballʼs path shifted bit by bit within the torrent he had generated, Zekeʼs eyes gleamed.
Whooooooong!
And at one moment, Zeke twisted his body, pushing the flat of his sword to send the iron ball back toward Heracles.
It was the same principle as when Nigel had caught and returned the flying needles to Heracles.
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
The iron ball reversed its spin and flew back toward Heracles at an even faster speed than before.
Seeing this, Heracles thrust the remaining war mace shaft forward.
Wuuuuuung!
A strong vibration emanated from the war mace shaft, and immediately, the trajectory of the incoming iron ball began to shift again.
Wuuuuuung!
The flying iron ball gradually slowed its rotation and flew toward the shaft, settling into place.
Clack!
With the iron ball reattaching to the shaft, a complete war mace was once again in Heraclesʼs hands.
Zeke reconfirmed that the weapons Heracles wielded were artifacts crafted by an ultraadvanced civilization.
'Orichalcum unique items. And a warrior who uses them...ʼ
Unlike the legend Nabu had spoken of, Zeke thought the Heracles before him was no golem.
He was the strongest warrior of Atlantis, freely wielding Orichalcum armor and items.
Zeke surmised that was Heraclesʼs true identity.
Kung!
Heracles tried to advance toward Zeke again, spinning the war mace.
At that moment, Nabu, who had been outside the barrier, suddenly shouted toward Zeke.
"Zeke!"
Turning his head, Zeke saw something approaching from the side.
Step! Step! Step!
It was a dozen or so knights emanating an ominous aura.
They were the dark knights Baron had summoned through the cocoon.
Zeke immediately sensed the malevolent aura of the Outsider Species emanating from the knights and realized they too had been called by Baron.
'Troublesome.ʼ
Heracles stood firm in front, while Baronʼs dark knights approached from the flank.
Dealing with them simultaneously might allow Baron, who was lurking for an opening, to slip away.
Even if Nabu and Nigel blocked the dark knights, subduing Heracles—who was fully armed in Orichalcum and standing resolute—in one go would be difficult.
If it were a golem, he could neutralize it by accessing the drive core, but the situation made that unlikely.
As Zeke hesitated, wary of the approaching dark knights and pondering his next move,
[Knight possessing mysterious power.]
Zeke flinched at the voice suddenly ringing in his ear.
He quickly looked at Heracles, who was facing him off.
"Did you speak to me?"
The voice rang out again.
[Indeed.]
Heraclesʼs eyes flickered with blue light as he gazed at Zeke and continued.
[Did you summon those abominations—beings that should not exist—created by twisted power?]
Heracles referred to the approaching dark knights as "beings that should not exist." Zeke, still unclear on Heraclesʼs sudden intent, replied warily.
"They are monsters created by the enemy weʼre trying to stop, using the forbidden power of the Outsider Species."
Heracles transmitted his thoughts again in response to Zekeʼs words.
[If that is true, then you came here to stop them? If so, why do you forcibly invade this sanctuary?]
"We intend to steal the Book of the Lion sealed here to resurrect the Demon King. To prevent that, we came first to retrieve the Book of the Lion." Heraclesʼs eyes flashed again.
[Then you too seek to invade the sanctuary?] Zeke shook his head at Heraclesʼs words.
"Our goal is to stop the enemies trying to steal the Book of the Lion. However, since the administrator of this sealed zone has vanished, allowing them entry, we merely wish to move the Book of the Lion to a safer place."
Heracles stood silently, his blue eyes flickering, without responding to Zekeʼs words.
At that moment, an ominous presence emerged from the dark knights approaching from the side.
They drew jet-black swords emanating a foul aura and plunged them into the ground.
Kugugugugu!
Surprisingly, the ground split, and soldiers infused with the power of the Outsider Species began bursting forth from within.
Krrrarar—
The soldiers that emerged wore mismatched armor and weapons, but all were uniformly tainted with dark energy.
Unlike the helmeted knights, the soldiersʼ faces were exposed, and bizarre tentacles writhed within black skulls, seemingly animating their bodies.
Soon, the dark soldiers summoned by the knights began marching toward Nigel and Nabu.
Kraaaak!
The soldiers took their first few steps slowly but soon gripped their weapons and charged with roars.
Nabu summoned arrows of light and fired them at the soldiers.
Kwakwang!
The soldiers struck by the arrows of light exploded like bursting.
Yet, tentacles writhed from the cross-sections of the scattered fragments.
The shattered limbs then adhered to each other, regenerating into their original forms.
Nabu shook his head wearily at the sight of these dark soldiers.
"Damn... To think there are things worse than undead. Truly the end times. The end times."
Nigel nodded in agreement and swung his sword at the dark soldiers with all his might.
Chwaaaak!
If it had been infused with a full power technique, it might have worked, but a simple sword strike could not halt their regeneration like Nabuʼs attack.
Zeke, watching the two struggle to hold back the soldiersʼ advance, said to Heracles,
"If your duty is to guard this place, then join forces with us. Otherwise, the one who summoned them will steal the Book of the Lion." Heracles remained silent.
Zeke glanced at him.
"Whatever choice you make is your own. But... if you remember the honor of an
Atlantean warrior, do not interfere as I stop them." Leaving those words, Zeke extended his left hand forward.
Kwaduduk!
Laevatein, embedded in the Orichalcum gate, moved of its own accord and flew back toward Zeke.
Thub!
Zeke gripped Laevatein and turned, dashing straight toward where Nabu and Nigel were.
He then wielded Ascalon in one hand and Laevatein in the other, unleashing sword strikes toward the dark soldiers.
"Haaaaap!"
Holy Spirit Qi and full power technique surged from Zeke simultaneously.
Kugugugugugu!
Pajijijijik!
Lightning of light swept through the dark soldiers in an instant, and those outside its range were shattered to pieces by the full power techniqueʼs blade.
Zeke stood before Nabu and Nigel, deploying shadows toward the dark soldiers.
Along with the corpses of the magical beasts killed by Heraclesʼs earlier attack, the dismantled bodies of the dark soldiers sank into the swamp of shadows Zeke had spread.
Ssss—
As Zeke absorbed the magical beasts and dark soldiers, he gained a large amount of karma points once more.
At that moment, an utterly unexpected message appeared before Zekeʼs eyes.
[The absorbed 'Lost-Soul Soldiers of the Forgotten Worldʼ wish to submit to the Great
Overlord and seek vengeance against those who corrupted their souls.]
[It is possible to accept their will and convert them into shadow spirits.]
[If converted into shadow spirits, the acquired karma points will be deducted, and points required for the conversion will be consumed.]
[Proceed with the conversion?]
Zekeʼs expression turned to surprise at the rising message.
'Lost-Soul Soldiers of the Forgotten World?ʼ
Beings from a long-extinct civilization, vanished into the past.
Baron had used twisted causality to summon back the vengeful spirits of that forgotten past.
Zeke looked at the dark knights summoning the lost-soul soldiers from behind.
They too were lost-soul soldiers from the forgotten world—likely warriors or heroes of exceptional strength among them.
'Forcibly awakening dormant heroes of the past and turning them into such monsters to command... Arthur Draker, just how far do you intend to go?ʼ
Since the lost-soul soldiers sought vengeance of their own will, Zeke wanted to give them a chance, even if it cost karma points.
'System, convert the lost-soul soldiers into shadow spirits.ʼ With Zekeʼs command, the message appeared.
[Converting 'Lost-Soul Soldiers of the Forgotten Worldʼ into shadow spirits.]
[The shadow spirits submitted to the Great Overlord undergo change.]
[Under the Overlordʼs influence, a new form of summon is created.]
Tssstststss—
Dozens of shadowy forms rippled and emerged from the swamp of shadows.
Zeke could not help but be astonished at the appearance of the newly formed shadow warriors. 'What is that?ʼ
They were exact replicas of Zekeʼs form from his days as a hitman long ago.
Another message appeared.
[The shadow spirits, influenced by the Great Overlord, have awakened as 'Shadow Hunters.ʼ]