Chapter 174
Zeke emerged from the prison, lost in thought.
'Coffee.'
Zeke mainly drank tea, so he didn't often have coffee.
Though not as popular as tea, coffee drinking had recently become a trend in cities.
However, it wasn't something everyone could enjoy. Since the areas where coffee could be cultivated were limited, supply couldn't keep up with demand, making it a luxury item.
Proper coffee could only be found in renowned hotels or restaurants.
'The places where coffee is produced are limited.'
The place he saw in Dario's memory was undoubtedly a coffee-producing region. The aroma was too strong to be simply a place that sold coffee; it was not a scent one would encounter in a city.
If he narrowed down the possibilities based on factors like climate, architectural style, and the fact that it was a coffee-producing region, he might be able to pinpoint the location where Dario had contacted Narak.
It was a clue to the true nature of the veiled Narak.
"If it's a coffee-producing region, it's likely to be in the southern Empire or the outskirts of the Holy Kingdom."
He had heard that the Dorta Republic had also started cultivating coffee recently, but based on the atmosphere in his memory, it didn't seem like Dorta.
"The southwestern region of the Central Continent. Narak's base is probably somewhere around there."
Just as he finished organizing his thoughts, Boris and Bisco returned from their training.
Zeke called out to Boris.
"Boris, right now, the southwestern part of the continent..."
As Zeke was giving instructions, he noticed something strange.
The Dragon Tooth Soldiers he had deployed around the area sent an alert signal.
"Enemies are approaching."
At Zeke's words, Boris gestured to Bisco.
Although it was an unexpected situation, it wasn't entirely unforeseen. They had to leave this place with Dario as planned.
Bisco and Boris brought Dario out from the prison.
Zeke, drawing his sword, said,
"While I lure them away, stay in the bunker in the mountain. Once it's quiet, come out and head to Mycenae."
"Understood, boss."
Without hesitation, Boris and Bisco immediately headed towards the bunker with Dario.
Zeke equipped Hersion and summoned Richmond.
"Richmond, enemies are approaching. Prepare yourself."
"Yes, master."
As Richmond swung his staff, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the clear sky.
Rumble!
Along with the dark clouds, rain started to fall, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
Richmond summoned enhanced Reptilian Skeletons and Skeleton knights.
While Richmond was preparing, Zeke put on the Transformation Cloak and changed his appearance into a Death Knight.
With an Arch Lich and a Death Knight present, a perfect undead army was formed.
Drrrrm, drrrrm, drrrrm!
At that moment, he saw hundreds of knights approaching on horseback from a distance.
Judging from their flag, they were Siemens' knights.
Zeke, transformed into a Death Knight, said to Richmond,
"Richmond, leave a strong impression on the enemies."
Richmond floated into the air.
Caaaaaw!
He let out a monstrous roar and swung his staff.
Crash!
Black-red lightning struck the center of the troops.
Neigh!
Horses panicked and ran amok, throwing their riders into the mud.
The troop commander shouted,
"Everyone! Form ranks! They're undead!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The enhanced skeletons,and Skeleton knights summoned by Richmond marched towards Siemens' knights with ominous glowing eyes.
Siemens' knights raised their shields and charged towards the undead army.
"Haaaat!"
Well-trained soldiers could handle ordinary skeletons.
However, the skeletons summoned by Richmond were strengthened by the power of the 'Harbinger of Blood and Madness' and the Dragon's power.
Bang!
Contrary to expectations, the knights were pushed back upon collision, not the skeletons.
The knights retreated in confusion.
"C-captain! Something's strange!"
The captain, cutting down skeletons with his Aura Blade, shouted,
"You fools! They're just skeletons! Don't back down and crush their skulls with your swords!"
Despite his words, the captain himself was barely holding on with his Aura Blade.
Although Siemens' knights were numerous, their individual skills were relatively low, so they struggled even against the skeletons.
Furthermore, with Richmond raining down fireballs from the air and Skeleton knights sweeping the battlefield, the troops quickly crumbled.
'It seems I don't need to step in myself.'
Zeke, who was standing back in the form of a Death Knight, decided to regroup with Boris after the situation was settled.
That's when it happened.
Drrrrm, drrrrm, drrrrm!
He saw others approaching from the flank.
'Were the Siemens knights just the vanguard?'
Zeke enhanced his eyesight and examined the approaching figures.
An unfamiliar emblem was drawn on the flag of the troops.
'A scorpion with a star on its shield. Could it be...?'
A cavalry unit wielding kite shields and spears. A typical Imperial Knight Order.
Zeke realized they were the Scorpio Knights led by a knight of the Cheongal Palace.
'So, the Cheongal Palace knight was in a blood oath with the Nostra clan. To think they would send reinforcements so quickly.'
He could handle the numerous but weak Siemens knights with the undead army, but the Imperial Knights were different.
Especially the knights belonging to the Thirteen Palaces were the elite of the Imperial Army.
The Scorpio Knights charged towards the undead army with their spears.
Crack!
Unlike the Siemens knights, the Scorpio Knights easily broke through the enhanced skeletons with their spears.
Kieeeeek!
Even when skeletons clung to them and pulled them off their horses, they quickly regained their balance, drew their swords, and countered.
They used the typical Imperial method of using their kite shields for cover and calmly dealt with the undead with their swords.
As soon as the Scorpio Knights joined, the tide of the battle completely changed.
'This is troublesome.'
If he got held back here, he might lose Dario.
He had to stop them somehow.
Zeke drew Bahamut and stepped forward.
Thud!
As Zeke, in the form of a Death Knight, appeared, the Scorpio Knights joined their shields to form a wall.
A knight who appeared to be the vice-commander slowly approached from behind, leading the other knights.
Zeke drew his sword and unleashed Elemental Sword.
Fwoosh!
A huge gust of wind erupted from Zeke's sword.
Crash!
The Imperial Knights held up their shields and withstood the storm sword. Meanwhile, Zeke dashed forward.
Bang!
His sword, imbued with immense power, blew away all the Imperial Knights' shields.
Seeing this, the vice-commander shouted,
"Maintain formation!"
The Imperial Knights discarded their broken shields and stood in formation with their swords raised.
Soon, Aura Blades surged from their swords.
"Charge!"
Shhhk!
Dozens of Aura Blades descended towards Zeke.
Surprisingly, all the knights charging towards Zeke were at the level of Blue Knights.
'As expected of the Thirteen Palaces.'
Zeke raised his sword and deflected the incoming Aura Blades.
Crack!
The knights who swung their swords were unable to withstand the rebound and rolled on the ground.
The remaining Imperial Knights, who hadn't fallen, cautiously closed the distance with their swords pointed at Zeke.
'They're incredibly well-trained.'
They were much stronger than the knights of Morgan Buffon, a knight of the Four Dogs Palace, one of the thirteen palaces of the Empire.
Zeke gripped his sword and gathered his energy.
Woooong!
Blue flames erupted from Zeke's body as he activated the field of firepower.
He altered his voice with mana and shouted,
"Insolent humans! I shall annihilate your very souls with the flames of hell!"
Zeke mimicked the voice and tone of a real Death Knight.
Sensing the ominous energy, the vice-commander shouted,
"Evade!"
As Zeke thrust his sword into the ground, blue flames spread around him.
Boom!
The Siemens knights who couldn't dodge in time were engulfed in the blue flames Zeke unleashed and collapsed into ashes.
"Ugh!"
Although the Cheongal Palace knights escaped the blue flames, they couldn't completely avoid injuries.
Grasping the situation, the vice-commander shouted,
"Retreat! Retreat!"
As soon as the retreat order was given, the Cheongal Palace knights fell back.
The Siemens knight commander, who had been watching from behind, shouted in confusion,
"H-hey! What are you doing retreating now?!"
With the Cheongal Palace knights retreating quickly, the skeletons rushed towards the Siemens knights again.
"Kyaaaak!"
Having lost their will to resist, the Siemens knights were unilaterally slaughtered by the skeletons.
The knight commander, who was just shouting from behind, was also struck by a Skeleton knight's sword and killed.
'This should be enough.'
After confirming that the Cheongal Palace knights had completely disappeared, Zeke tried to clean up the battlefield and join Boris. It was strange that they retreated so readily, but this was his chance.
Just then, the Dragon Tooth Soldiers he had deployed around the area sent a strong warning signal.
'What's this?'
The Dragon Tooth Soldiers were being dismissed at an incredibly fast pace.
Someone was clearly eliminating them with ease.
Zeke conveyed his will to Richmond.
'Richmond! Something's coming! Reorganize the troops!'
'Understood, master!'
As Richmond gave the order, the scattered skeletons formed ranks with their shields raised.
Zeke also held his sword and remained vigilant, scanning his surroundings.
Something was approaching from beyond the forest at high speed.
Crash!
He could see something gliding towards them, slightly floating above the ground.
Zeke used his dragon eyes to identify the approaching figure.
'A child?'
A boy, who looked to be in his teens at most, was flying towards the undead army with a strange smile.
As the boy got closer, he stretched out his hand.
"Explode!"
Crack!
In an instant, the skeletons in that area were crushed as if squeezed, their bodies shattering into pieces.
The boy, having reached the front of the army, floated in the air and waved his hands around as if amused.
Following the boy's gestures, the skeletons floated in the air. Then, they began to gather and compress into a single spot like a ball.
Crack!
The skeletons clumped together, becoming a ball of bones.
The boy lightly stepped onto the ball he had created.
A boy in a suit and shorts.
Judging from his appearance alone, he looked like a student from an upper-class aristocratic school.
Zeke realized he was sent by the Nostra clan.
'Is he a bloodline ability user?'
It was a strange ability, different from magic or swordsmanship.
The boy, with a devilish smile, looked down at Zeke, who was transformed into a Death Knight.
"This is my first time with a Death Knight. I wonder if it'll be fun to play with."
Suddenly, the boy extended his finger.
Bang!
There was a sound of air exploding, and Zeke felt an impact on his shoulder.
Seeing this, the boy pursed his lips and exclaimed in admiration.
"Oh, so it is a Death Knight. Interesting."
The boy's body floated up again.
Then, as if playing a game, he started rolling the bone ball quickly.
"Now! Let's play!"
Crash!
The bone ball began to spin and charge fiercely.
Crack!
Not only the dead Siemens knights but also other skeletons were sucked into the bone ball.
The more the ball rotated, the more corpses and skeletons were drawn in, increasing its size.
Before long, the ball rolled right in front of Zeke.
Zeke raised his sword and activated the field of gravity.
Rumble!
A powerful sword strike slammed into the furiously rotating ball.
Boom!
Unable to withstand the sword strike, the ball exploded, scattering sharp bone fragments in all directions.
As if protected by a barrier, the bone fragments couldn't reach the boy and were all deflected.
With the bone ball destroyed by Zeke's attack, the boy's smiling face contorted.
He glared at Zeke while floating in the air.
"You dare destroy my toy, you monster?!"
Rumble!
A powerful energy surged around the boy's body.
Crack!
The surrounding ground cracked, and a whirlwind swirled.
Sensing the ominous energy, Richmond, who was floating in the air, was flustered.
'M-master! Something's strange about that guy.'
Richmond also seemed to sense that the power the boy was using was unusual.
'Can a bloodline ability alone generate such power?'
He didn't know how the Nostra clan had enhanced the boy, but it certainly wasn't through normal means.
In a battle against an enemy wielding an unknown power, prolonging the fight would only be disadvantageous.
Zeke stepped forward with his sword raised towards the boy.
"Those who stand before the Legion of Death shall only face eternal suffering."
At those words, the boy frowned and gave a twisted smile, shouting,
"Damn monster! Shut your bullshit and come at me! I'll crush your skull completely!"