Chapter 369
WOOOONG!
A brilliant light burst forth from Roland, which was stuck in the Nightgaunt’s body.
But at some point, the Nightgaunt’s body vanished like smoke.
‘How?’
Soul sealing magic captures the soul itself.
That’s why until now, no enemy had ever escaped from the chains of soul sealing magic.
But as if mocking Zeke’s thoughts, the Nightgaunt reappeared at the original altar.
The Nightgaunt took out a scythe and began chanting a spell.
A red portal could be seen trying to open in front.
‘He’s trying to escape!’
Zeke drove the Holy Light Spear into where the Nightgaunt was standing.
KWAKWAKWANG!
A light mace poured down above the Nightgaunt’s head.
But this time too, the Nightgaunt dispersed into smoke and reappeared in another location.
Zeke glared at the Nightgaunt who was holding the scythe while catching his breath.
‘Something’s going on for him to escape the soul sealing magic.’
When the rolling ball split earlier, he thought it was using illusions.
But when the ball exploded, he realized all of this was real, not an illusion.
The Nightgaunt, who received power from the Endless Devourer, was clearly using some strange technique.
‘Arataso, do you know anything?’
At Zeke’s question, Arataso contemplated before speaking.
[Almost nothing is known about the powers of the Endless Devourer. Its followers were all strange ones, so I kept my distance.]
Then Arataso added something as if remembering.
[Come to think of it… the followers of the Endless Devourer never hesitated to pay any price to get what they wanted.]
‘Pay a price?’
[Yes, in the demon realm, human souls are used like currency. They never hesitated to spend them when they wanted something.]
Hearing Arataso’s words, Zeke suddenly realized something.
‘No way…’
Arataso was more surprised by Zeke’s reaction.
[Did you figure something out?]
Zeke gripped his sword and glared at the Nightgaunt, then charged at him again while unleashing the light mace.
As expected, the Nightgaunt’s body disappeared when enveloped in light and appeared elsewhere.
Zeke caught the moment the Nightgaunt reappeared with his dragon eyes.
‘He’s not disappearing. He’s… splitting momentarily.’
The original body certainly disappeared.
But instantly, an identical clone was created.
Seeing this, Zeke realized the ability of the Endless Devourer.
‘His ability is multiplication through division.’
Having figured out the Nightgaunt’s ability, Zeke gripped his sword and charged straight at him again.
CHWARALARAK!
Chains wrapped around the Nightgaunt’s body.
Zeke quickly stabbed Roland into the Nightgaunt’s body.
And this time, he raised a different power than purification.
WOOOONG!
Zeke injected the will of Soul Breaking Wave into the Nightgaunt’s body.
Then unlike before, the Nightgaunt showed signs of panic.
“Threat detected. Eliminate target.”
The Nightgaunt’s eyes flashed and black energy poured from his body.
Suddenly another arm shot out from the Nightgaunt’s body, gripping another scythe and swinging it at Zeke.
Like with Viper, a strange energy flowed from the scythe the Nightgaunt swung.
WHEEEK!
In that instant, Zeke’s body disappeared without a trace.
He had used the power of Spirit manifestation contained in the scabbard.
CHWAAAK!
When the scythe passed through where Zeke had been, a long line was drawn there.
When Zeke vanished without a trace, the Nightgaunt turned his head trying to find where he was.
But Zeke’s presence couldn’t be felt anywhere.
“Begin target detection.”
While the Nightgaunt searched the surroundings tracking Zeke, he had entered the dimensional boundary and was watching the situation.
He approached the spatial rift that the Nightgaunt had created earlier.
Surprisingly, the rift could be seen even from the dimensional boundary.
‘As I thought.’
Watching this, Arataso asked Zeke curiously.
[What do you mean ‘as you thought’? Does it have to do with the Endless Devourer’s ability?]
Zeke nodded at Arataso’s words.
‘Yes, their ability is division and multiplication. If I’m right, the Endless Devourer seems to have the ability to divide and multiply anything.’
Arataso was shocked at Zeke’s words.
[Divide and multiply anything?]
‘Yes, you said earlier they easily gave up souls for trades. Those were probably souls that had been increased in number through repeated division and multiplication.’
Hearing Zeke’s words, Arataso responded as if something clicked.
[Now that you mention it, I remember what someone who traded with them said. They said the souls were definitely real but something felt off.]
‘Since they treat souls themselves as currency, they probably considered it proper payment as long as the numbers matched.’
Zeke pointed at the spatial rift created by Viper’s scythe and spoke.
‘This rift wasn’t created by the Endless Devourer’s power. It was probably borrowed from another constellation after paying a price.’
At Zeke’s words, Arataso also examined the aura from the rift.
[Oh? You’re right. The aura is different. I can feel the aura of Unbridgeable Division]
‘He has two abilities. First is regeneration through division, second is abilities borrowed with fake compensation.’
Organizing his thoughts, Zeke felt his time in the dimensional gap was almost up.
Zeke caught his breath and spoke to Arataso.
‘Arataso. I’ll need your help.’
********
“Hmm, where did he go?”
Viper was sitting on a long scythe handle floating in the air, searching for Zeke’s location who had disappeared.
The Mages of the Abyss quickly found Zeke’s location and informed him.
Viper, who had initially planned to take Zeke away immediately, became interested in how Zeke was dealing with the Nightgaunt and decided to observe for now.
Thanks to this, the mages also had no choice but to quietly watch the confrontation between Zeke and the Nightgaunt.
Viper was confident that Zeke wouldn’t have run away.
‘There’s no way he would just leave.’
But that’s when it happened.
CRASH!
Arataso, in a half-human half-demon form, burst out of the dimensional gap wielding a green spear.
Viper, who had been watching in a relaxed posture, was startled.
“Who is that? Isn’t that the stingy Arataso?”
Being a fellow high-ranking demon, Viper immediately recognized Arataso.
Arataso, summoned by Zeke, drove his spear into the ground.
WOONG!
Then green power spread out and created a barrier.
TSTSTSTS!
The green barrier created by Arataso possessed far more power than the Strong Wave Resonance barrier that Zeke had deployed.
The Nightgaunt seemed confused when caught in Arataso’s green barrier and tried to escape from it.
But that’s when it happened.
Zeke appeared from behind and raised his hammer toward the Nightgaunt.
Since his hunting technique had changed from Giant Hunting to Demon Hunting after the battle with the Emperor, he could now inflict more direct damage to demon souls.
Zeke swung his hammer toward the Nightgaunt while deploying a field of golden aura.
CRASH!
With that single blow, the Nightgaunt’s body shattered completely.
The parts that made up its body scattered everywhere.
Just when the Nightgaunt’s body was about to disappear again while raising black smoke.
Zeke applied an area buff to Curse Reflection, expanding the skill to the entire area.
TSTSTSTS!
The Nightgaunt, trying to multiply after splitting, was caught in Zeke’s Curse Reflection and couldn’t return to its original form.
Zeke found the head and the hand holding the scythe among the Nightgaunt’s scattered parts.
He broke the Nightgaunt’s mask and after confirming the natural blood ruby inside, immediately reached out and pulled it out.
At that moment, the Nightgaunt stopped functioning.
Then Zeke picked up the scythe that the Nightgaunt had been holding.
‘What tremendous demonic energy. Just holding it makes me dizzy.’
Like with the Herald of Blood and Madness, the Nightgaunt’s divine item contained the power of a fallen constellation.
Zeke immediately threw the Nightgaunt’s scythe into the shadow to absorb it.
[Absorbing the divine item imbued with the power of ‘The Endless Devourer’.]
[Depleted health, mental power, and mana are being restored.]
[Acquired the skill ‘Division(A-rank)’ derived from the power of ‘The Endless Devourer’.]
[Skill ‘Curse Reflection(A-rank)’ proficiency has increased and evolved into ‘Curse Break(S-rank)’.]
[Skill ‘Demon Hunting Technique(S-rank)’ proficiency has increased.]
After absorbing the scythe, he was able to acquire a new skill called ‘Division’ through the abilities imbued within it and increase the proficiency of other skills.
‘So the power of The Endless Devourer is curse-type power. It’s usually difficult to increase proficiency in curse-related skills, so this is good. It will help when dealing with curses in the future.’
As Zeke defeated the Nightgaunt, the gate floating above the altar slowly began to close.
When the Nightgaunt, who had been maintaining the power of the fallen constellation, disappeared, the gate that had been kept open by that power closed.
‘Now that the gate is gone, no more monsters should be able to come out.’
Although there were still many monsters, they could be dealt with sufficiently by holding out at the castle walls until reinforcements arrived.
Zeke tried to summon tyrant to disrupt the monsters from behind.
But then Arataso shouted to Zeke.
[Damn, Viper’s here!]
Right after Arataso’s warning, clapping and laughter were heard in the air.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
HAHAHAHAHA!
Viper descended riding a scythe.
He looked at Zeke and said.
“I’m surpriseed! Who knew you’d handle that doll!”
Viper waved at Arataso who was spreading a barrier.
“Hello stingy Aratasoo! I wondered where you went leaving the castle, didn’t know you became a pet to a filthy human. It suits you well like that. If I become his master, you’ll be my pet’s pet! Isn’t that nice?”
Zeke could feel the power of a high-ranking demon as he watched Viper moving freely even within Arataso’s barrier domain.
Arataso shook his head at Viper.
[I’d rather choose to vanish than be under a crazy demon like you.]
Viper found something so funny about Arataso’s words that he held his stomach laughing.
Then suddenly he stopped laughing, straightened his posture and looked at Zeke.
“Hmm, I sense dragon energy from you, seems you have some connection with that dragon putting up a shield on the castle wall.”
Viper suddenly flew up into the air as he said those words.
Then he swung his scythe widely toward the castle wall.
A giant shadow of a scythe appeared in the air and fell directly onto Hades’ shield.
CRACK!
The giant scythe shadow created cracks in Hades’ shield.
The aerial demon beasts seized that opportunity and rushed toward the cracks in the shield.
BANG! BANG!
Like before, as the demon beasts self-destructed, more cracks began to form in the shield.
Watching all this, Zeke felt that Viper’s abilities were more powerful than expected.
‘We still need more time for the troops to arrive.’
Viper, who came down from the air toward where Zeke was, laughed as if amused.
“How is it? This is more fun, right?”
Zeke drew Bahamut and pointed it at Viper.
“No time. Come quickly.”
Viper held his stomach and laughed at this sight.
“Humans are so fuun! It’s so hilarious watching worm-like beings squirm like that!”
The laughing Viper snapped his fingers.
Then something jumped out from the forest.
Surprisingly, it was a grotesque demon beast made by assembling various parts from monsters’ and magicians’ bodies.
The magician’s head attached to the monster’s body continuously chanted spells while shedding bloody tears.
TSUTSUTSUTSU!
GRRRRRR!
The demon beasts charged at Zeke while making horrific screams.
Zeke held his hammer and spread his holy light technique.
CRACK!
Strong light lightning sparked from the hammer, and Zeke jumped into the air and swung his hammer toward the demon beast.
BANG!
The demon beast’s body scattered in all directions with one hit.
GRRRRRR!
Zeke continuously swung his hammer and struck down with light maces at the charging demon beasts.
Before long, the demon beasts were reduced to mush by Zeke’s hands and scattered.
Viper, who was watching this while sitting on his scythe in the air, looked at Zeke with interest.
“This is indeed fun!”
It was when Viper was absorbed in watching the fight between Zeke and the demon beasts.
Suddenly, something appeared behind Viper without any presence.
It was none other than Zeke holding up Bahamut.
Viper flinched in surprise and tried to dodge, but Zeke’s attack was faster.
SLASH!
Bahamut struck down like lightning toward Viper.
