Chapter 234
"Ugh!"
The Abyss mage, his head exploding from the mace strike, collapsed, bleeding.
As the mage fell, the movements of the monsters he had summoned faltered.
In that gap, Parell and the Silver Knights squeezed out their remaining strength and attacked the monsters.
Kwaddeudeuk!
The knights' swords pierced through the hard shells of the insect-like monsters.
The Abyss mage, his head having exploded from the mace, instantly turned into smoke and moved among the monsters.
He glared at the knights clad in the Empire's Hercyon with his red Demon Eye.
"You bastards! You're not the baptized! What are you?!"
Though they didn't answer, they were Clone and Felix, who had taken the Hercyon of the Empire knight they had defeated with Zeke and disguised themselves.
Clone raised her helmet and swung her mace around, chiding Felix.
"Hey! I cracked his skull open, you should have finished him off!"
"You didn't even give a signal, Instructor just swung first!"
"We can catch another one! Here I go!"
Clone put her helmet back on and glared at the mage, swinging her mace around.
Clone charged at a mantis-like monster, wielding a mace imbued with the Punishment of Light.
Kaaak!
The mantis monster swung its huge scythe-like forelimbs.
Kwaddeudeuk!
Clone swung her mace and blew away the mantis monster's forelimbs entirely.
Kee-ek!
Felix also engaged the monsters, unleashing Agamemnon's Golden sun Swordsmanship.
He firmly defended with orthodox swordsmanship and struck the monsters' vital points.
Peopeok!
As Clone and Felix joined forces and pushed back the monsters, the tide of battle turned.
The Abyss mage gritted his teeth and swung his staff.
"My lord, grant me strength!"
Kwaddeudeudeuk!
Soon, the black mage's body began to change.
A hard, armor-like insect exoskeleton sprouted, and he himself transformed into an insect-like monster.
He spread the wings that had grown from his back and flew swiftly across the top of the cave.
Wiiiiiiing!
The insect mage flew over the knights' heads, entered the inner part of the cave, and opened his mouth wide.
Small insects poured out from his mouth.
Wiiiiiiing!
The demonic realm insects all possessed deadly poison. Each one was like a terrifying hidden weapon.
The insects that poured out charged towards the Silver Knights.
Parell pushed back a monster and then swung his sword at the insects flying in the air.
Pabak!
A few fell with a thud from the aura blade Parell unleashed, but the swarm of insects changed direction and charged again.
It was when the insects, extending their poisonous stingers, rushed in like arrows.
Hwareureureuk!
White flames erupted, engulfing all the insects.
Tadadadadak!
The insects couldn't withstand the white flames and all turned to ashes and disappeared.
The mage, who had been watching this from the air, shouted in bewilderment.
"N-no way! Demonic realm insects can never be stopped by ordinary fire!"
Then, someone slowly walked out from within the flames.
He was Zeke, holding something in his hand. Zeke glared at the mage floating in the air and casually tossed what he was holding onto the ground.
It was none other than the head of another mage who had transformed into an insect.
The Abyss mage cried out in shock.
"How dare you kill my senior and my priest!"
"Senior and priest, were they? No wonder their antennae looked alike."
It was Zeke, who had dealt with the Abyss mages entering from another direction.
A sharp poisonous stinger suddenly protruded from the back of the insect mage's hand.
He flapped his wings furiously and charged at Zeke in the air.
"Die!"
He swung the protruding poisonous stinger.
Zeke lightly drew his sword and blocked the stinger.
But the mage had a different target in mind.
A scorpion's tail with a sharp poisonous stinger suddenly protruded from his back.
"Foolish bastard!"
The scorpion's tail flew towards Zeke's neck.
However, the scorpion's tail stopped before the poisonous stinger even touched Zeke's body.
Kkigigigik!
Surprisingly, Zeke had caught the scorpion's tail with his bare hand.
The mage stammered in shock.
"N-no way... how can human strength...?"
Zeke focused golden energy on the hand holding the tail.
Udeudeudeuk!
Cracks spread across the thick, iron-hard exoskeleton of the tail.
As Zeke applied more force, the tail soon shattered completely.
Not stopping there, Zeke ripped the creature's tail off entirely.
Udeudeudeuk!
"Kuaaaaaak!"
The mage, his tail ripped off, groaned in agony and tried to retreat.
But Zeke never missed his target.
He unleashed a Phantom Step imbued with Forceful Quake towards the mage.
Twang!
The Forceful Quake, piercing through the hard exoskeleton, turned the mage's insides into mush.
"Keuheok!"
Blue bodily fluids poured out incessantly from the mouth and nose of the mage in insect form.
Zeke swung his sword and decapitated the mage.
Tudook!
As the mage breathed his last, the monsters that had been attacking turned into smoke and disappeared.
Zeke used Holy Fire to burn away all traces of the monsters and the mage.
Parell and Zeke's other companions rushed towards him.
"My Lord! You've returned."
Zeke looked at Parell, who was stained with the monster's fluids, and patted him on the shoulder.
"You've worked hard. You don't have to worry anymore."
Zeke said to the Silver Knights,
"How is Sister Cali?"
Luno, who had spoken with Zeke before, stepped forward and answered Zeke's question.
"She has regained consciousness, but she is still unable to move."
Zeke nodded at Luno's words.
'It seems immediate recovery is difficult due to internal injuries.'
The mermen youth corps, having dealt with the Fiends, also rushed to where Zeke was.
"Knight-nim! Why are you only coming now!"
Zeke looked at Billy and Peter Pan, who had rushed over, and said,
"I heard that the mermen being held hostage were brainwashed."
Peter Pan gritted his teeth and said,
"That's right. Those Empire bastards did all sorts of crazy things. The villagers didn't even recognize us."
"In any case, it's safe to assume that the Empire doesn't intend to kill the mermen for now. They'll need the mermen to take the relic to the Emperor."
"We have to rescue the villagers from those bastards as soon as possible."
Zeke nodded.
"We'll be able to rescue them soon. Don't worry too much."
He patted Peter Pan on the shoulder to comfort him and then said to Luno,
"I need to see Sister Cali's condition."
Luno nodded and led Zeke to the stronghold set up inside the camp.
Richmond had used his undead to build a bone barricade, inside which a makeshift hut had been created.
Zeke entered the hut and saw Cali lying on a makeshift bed.
"Sister."
He approached Cali and called out to her.
Hearing Zeke's voice, Cali slowly opened her eyes.
"Zeke. You've come."
Even though her body hadn't recovered, Cali maintained a composed demeanor.
Dark bruises from internal injuries were visible all over her body.
Cali smiled wryly.
"I thought I had personally selected and trusted the Silver Knights enough... I never imagined I would be backstabbed like this."
Zeke nodded at Cali's words.
"That's why betrayal is always especially painful."
In the Cartel, where betrayal was commonplace, Zeke had been in charge of finding and eliminating traitors for Don Juan.
Yesterday's comrades and lovers could become traitors the next day.
For Cali, who had a strong and upright personality, the betrayal of her subordinates must have been even more painful.
Zeke spoke heavily and then approached Cali.
"Let me take a look at your injuries, Sister."
Zeke frowned as he saw the large bruise on Cali's back.
'The internal injuries are more severe than I thought.'
He had used Healing Factor to aid recovery, but it was impossible to heal the injuries to the aura pathways and the lower dantian with just a wide-area of effect buff.
After pondering for a moment, Zeke said to Cali,
"Sister, if we leave these injuries as they are... you might never be able to use aura again for the rest of your life."
Even after hearing Zeke's shocking words, Cali maintained a calm expression.
That was because she already knew her own condition.
Cali said to Zeke,
"Those bastards used a technique I've never seen before. I felt my aura scattering and my aura pathways becoming all tangled up."
"I felt it too while fighting them. They use very bizarre methods."
Since he couldn't reveal that the technique they used was a demonic martial art, Zeke pretended not to know and vaguely answered.
Zeke pondered for a moment, then looked at Cali and said,
"Sister, would you trust me just this once?"
At those words, Cali met Zeke's gaze.
"What do you mean?"
"Your internal injuries. I'd like to try and heal them."
Cali said nothing at Zeke's words.
That was because she had already somewhat given up on her physical condition.
Just then, Zeke stood up and gathered his energy.
Hwareureureuk!
Cali questioned the aura of the Holy Fire, which she was seeing for the first time.
"What is that power?"
A power from a completely different dimension than aura.
Zeke, displaying the blazing Holy Fire, said,
"This is a type of 'Light Magic' that only the Ruben family, the imperial family of the former Holy Divine Empire, could use in the past."
"Light Magic? Does that mean you can use magic, Zeke?"
"How could a knight like me use magic? I was fortunate enough to obtain an artifact through a connection that allows me to use Light Magic."
Since Zeke couldn't reveal everything to Cali, he explained, omitting many details.
"Sister, this Light Magic has the power of healing. Please trust me and allow me to heal your injuries."
Cali felt bewildered at Zeke's words.
Tampering carelessly with internal injuries could lead to immediate death here.
After serious consideration, she suddenly came to her senses.
'Either way, in the current situation, I will never be able to use aura again. If Zeke has the power of healing, it's more rational to put my hopes on that, even if the possibility is low.'
Cali was a quick-witted person. She looked at Zeke and nodded.
"Zeke, I trust you."
"Understood. Please wait a moment, Sister."
Zeke went outside and sternly warned that no one was to enter the hut where Cali was until he came out.
He left the situation outside in the hands of Parell and Clone and returned to the hut.
"Sister, please take off your upper garment and sit facing me with your back turned."
Cali nodded, slowly took off her jacket, turned her back to Zeke, and sat down.
Zeke looked at the bruises spread widely across Cali's back and gauged the extent of her internal injuries.
'It's spread almost all over her body. And it seems demonic energy has infiltrated even her lower dantian.'
Even if he saved Cali's life, if she lost her aura, she wouldn't be able to stop Abel.
So, from Zeke's perspective, he had to restore Cali's power no matter what.
He sat behind Cali and placed both palms on her back.
Then, using Agamemnon's Mask, which he had taken out beforehand, he slowly drew up the energy of purification.
Uwooooooong!
Golden aura poured from Zeke's hands and enveloped Cali's body.
The light of purification settled into her body.
The demonic energies remaining throughout her aura pathways vanished as they touched the light of purification.
"Hmm."
Cali gritted her teeth and endured the pain of her aura pathways being torn apart.
That was because Zeke had warned her never to open her mouth.
Tsutsutsutsu—
Before she knew it, the vanished demonic energy from Cali's body turned into black smoke and seeped out.
Zeke unleashed Infinite Stamina with a wide-area of effect buff, allowing Cali to endure.
After burning away all the demonic energy with the light of purification, Zeke now generated the Holy Fire.
"It will hurt a lot. Please endure it, Sister."
Zeke's palms flashed, and the energy of the Holy Fire seeped into Cali's body.
Hwareureureureuk!
Cali almost lost consciousness from the pain, as if a ball of fire was tearing through her aura pathways.
"Uuuuhm."
Cold sweat flowed from Cali's entire body.
Zeke continuously controlled the Holy Fire, breaking through Cali's blocked aura pathways.
The Holy Fire, having passed through the blocked meridians, finally reached the source of the internal injuries.
'This is it. The energy is tightly condensed.'
Zeke tried to dissolve the condensed energy with the Holy Fire.
But as the Holy Fire touched it, the energies writhed and once again wreaked havoc inside Cali.
"Keueuk."
Black blood streamed from Cali's nose.
Zeke began to dissolve the tangled energies with the Holy Fire while using Healing Factor, not Infinite Stamina, to heal her body.
However, the extent of the internal injuries was more severe than he thought, and the energies were so tightly condensed that Cali's life seemed to be in danger if he made a mistake.
After pondering, Zeke came up with one idea.
'I have to use Bloodshot Eyes.'