Chapter 411
Chapter 411
Chapter 411
'Mind sword?'
Zeke focused on Sethon's sword.
But no matter how long he waited, Sethon's sword didn't move.
"Lord Sethon? Why isn't anything..."
At that moment, Zeke felt something strange.
SWISH!
In an instant, his head was severed and fell to the ground with a thud.
"GASP!"
Suddenly Zeke snapped back to consciousness and opened his eyes.
Touching his neck with his hands, Zeke realized it was still attached.
'What just happened?'
He had vividly felt the sensation of his head being severed.
But when he came back to his senses, everything was back to normal.
He turned his head to look where Sethon was and spoke.
"Lord Sethon, what is this...?"
However, there was no one in the spot where Sethon had been just moments ago.
At the same time, Zeke felt something strange.
This time his right arm was missing.
"Huh...?"
He neither felt the sensation of his arm being cut off, nor was he aware of when it happened.
As if the arm had been cut off from the beginning, only the result of being severed remained.
When he came to his senses again, this time his left arm and legs were disappearing one by one.
'Is, is this... the Mind sword?'
SNAP!
With the sound of fingers clicking, Zeke regained consciousness.
Surprisingly, Sethon was in exactly the same position as when he first held the sword.
Zeke too hadn't moved a single step from his original position.
His back was drenched in cold sweat.
'An illusion? No. This wasn't just an illusion. I was really cut.'
Sethon sheathed his sword while catching his breath.
"How was it? The feeling of experiencing the Mind sword firsthand."
Zeke couldn't say anything.
He couldn't even determine if what he had just experienced could be considered within the realm of swordsmanship.
Zeke finally collected himself and rubbed his face with his palms.
"WHEW..."
Although there were no actual wounds left on his body, his mind felt like it had been slashed to pieces.
Zeke somewhat understood why Sethon called this the 'Mind sword'.
He looked at Sethon and said:
"Is this really something I can learn right now? I can't even grasp how I was struck."
Sethon smiled at Zeke's words.
"The fact that you realized that itself is remarkable. Someone of lesser caliber wouldn't have even woken up after their head was cut off the first time."
Zeke nodded at Sethon's words.
Having experienced death once before, Zeke truly thought he had died again when his head was cut off just now.
It was incomparable to any pseudo-death created by mere illusions.
Zeke looked at Sethon and said:
"The Mind sword... does it mean that even without physical contact, cutting someone with will and mind is the same as cutting them with a real sword?"
"If we were to put it into words, yes. But you should know how difficult it is to cut someone with the mind."
"Cutting with the Mind..."
While it seemed understandable, yet completely incomprehensible at the same time, Zeke had a headache for the first time in a while from this strange sensation.
Whenever Zeke reached a new realm, he could advance one more level a bit faster through breakthrough.
But Sethon's Mind sword was far beyond that level, in a much higher realm.
Sethon spoke while looking at Zeke's confused face.
"I didn't show you this mental technique expecting you to master it right away. I planted a seed in the soil that is Zeke Draker, hoping that if it takes root silently, someday your sword might reach the mind."
This was the mental technique that Sethon Draker, known as the Sword Saint, gained in his final moments.
It was actually nonsensical to expect Zeke, who hadn't even reached the Grand Master level yet, to understand this immediately.
After a brief pause, Sethon looked at Zeke and said:
"My time to remain in the mortal realm is almost up."
"Already? Lord Kaisir stayed for almost a month though?"
"He was always special. Remember that you are the successor of both my sword and Lord Kaisir's sword. In fact, there is virtually no being in the mortal realm who could withstand Lord Kaisir's Elemental Sword."
"Even the Demon King?"
"If Lord Kaisir had been here when the Demon King was resurrected, I don't think things would have become this complicated."
"Do you think Lord Kaisir would have found a way to destroy the Demon King even without being an Immortal?"
"If he couldn't destroy it, he would have endlessly tormented the Demon King until it destroyed itself."
"Ah..."
Somehow it was an understandable answer.
At Zeke's low response, Sethon Draker's spirit chuckled and gradually became transparent.
"It was enjoyable to cross swords with such a talented descendant. May peace and tranquility accompany you on the rough path ahead."
Like the Noble Knight he was, Sethon Draker left with elegant parting words and slowly disappeared.
Zeke stared blankly at where he had vanished before lowering his head.
"Thank you for your teachings, Noble Knight. Rest in peace."
The Mind sword technique that he had planted took deep root in Zeke's mind, just as he had hoped.
How to make it sprout would be up to Zeke.
'Still a long way to go.'
As he collected his thoughts, messages appeared before Zeke's eyes.
―Achievement Quest (Connected)―
[Find the Secret Cave containing Sword Saint Sethon Draker's mental technique]
[Find the final legacy of the Absolute Sword House Draker]
[Quest Mission Reward: Sword Saint's Final Mental Technique]
[Quest Mission Reward: Special Blood Ability]
[Achievement Quest completed successfully.]
[Obtained Sword Saint's Final Mental Technique as Quest Mission Reward.]
[Special Skill 'Mind sword' has been registered. (Deactivated state)]
[Obtained Special Blood Ability 'Magic Rejection' as Quest Mission Reward.]
[Active Skill 'Magic Reflection' and Blood Ability 'Magic Rejection' will combine.]
[Active Skill 'Magic Reflection (A-Rank)' transforms into 'Magic Reversal (S-Rank)'.]
[One Special Random Box has been awarded as a reward.]
'Magic Reversal?'
Zeke opened the information about the newly transformed Magic Reversal.
―Skill Information―
Magic Reversal: Reverses magic used on the user, causing magical power to flow backward.
Zeke was delighted upon seeing the Magic Reversal information.
'It means if someone uses magic on me, their magical power will flow backward instead.'
If this description was accurate, it would greatly enhance his already effective tactics against mages using magic sealing techniques.
'Rather than Magic Sealing, it should be called Magic Reversal. What if I add an area buff to this?'
If he could expand the range of the Magic Reversal, it wouldn't be impossible to deal with mages on the battlefield in one go.
He had acquired a technique advantageous for dealing with the mages of the Abyss.
'I've gained quite a lot from coming to the Forest of the Forgotten.'
All that remained was to free the 'Earth God' who was sealed away, according to Chronos's message conveyed by Hyperion.
Zeke left the Absolute Sword House’s secret cave and flew toward the forest house where Nigel was.
* * *
"The Abyss is setting a trap to catch Zeke Draker?"
Ramon Jiemens looked up from reading documents in the Jiemens Labyrinth and asked.
The robed mage nodded.
"Yes, it seems Azmund Varios and the Acting Administrator Apostle have joined hands."
At those words, Ramon closed the documents and turned toward the mage.
"Acting Administrator. You mean that demon. Ropocale was it?"
Not only the High Priest but Ramon Jiemens had also seen through Ropocale's true identity.
"Correct. He is a servant of the Writhing Pit of Darkness ."
"Hmm... the Writhing Pit of Darkness. So a servant of that gloomy constellation and a scheming strategist have joined hands."
At Ramon Jiemens's words, the mage said:
"They've probably formed only a superficial alliance while hiding their true objectives from each other."
After pondering with his hand on his chin at the mage's words, Ramon slowly spoke.
"What's the status of the High Priest's side?"
"There haven't been any notable movements yet. I suspect they're preparing the curse they mentioned to place on Arthur Draker."
Indeed, if the High Priest could curse and kill or bind Arthur Draker, the Jiemens family could surface.
Even though they had obtained Rom, the current situation made it difficult to make any major moves.
Because the moment he moved, the Draker family would surely strike at Jiemens's headquarters.
'That Arthur is probably waiting leisurely for me to make a move.'
Although he had made various preparations behind the scenes, he was well aware of the Draker family's hidden potential.
That's why it was difficult to move rashly.
According to the plan, Cain should have received baptism to become Rom Empire's successor, and Abel should have taken over the Draker family, sweeping across the continent while calmly preparing for the second baptism.
However, all their long-prepared plans had gone awry because of an unexpected variable named Zeke Draker.
After contemplating, Ramon said to the mage.
"We'll also lend our strength to Azmund and Ropocale's plan to eliminate Zeke Draker for certain this time."
"Is there really any need for us to step in? Once Zeke Draker takes the bait and enters Rom, he'll already be as good as dead."
"We've thought that way until now, but he's escaped every time. We've even been countered instead. I won't tolerate it anymore. We must eliminate Zeke Draker before the upcoming second baptism."
The mage nodded at Ramon's words.
"I understand. What forces should we send?"
"Prepare Test Subject 3."
The mage hesitated for a moment, then slowly spoke.
"Master. I think using that just to catch Zeke Draker is excessive."
Ramon looked at the mage and replied:
"Zeke Draker killed Abel who had completed the first baptism. You still think it's excessive?"
"That... I believe it was because the dragon heart transplanted into Lord Abel was too powerful and caused side effects."
"We've consistently underestimated Zeke Draker and paid the price. No more arguments, just prepare it. We must kill him this time. We can't let him interfere with our plans any longer."
"...Understood, Master."
Ramon continued:
"Is William still detained in Heli?"
"Yes, he's being held under protective custody, watched by the rebel army led by Julius and the Black Sword Knights."
Ramon frowned at the mage's words.
"Is the seal still active?"
"Yes, as long as the seal remains, even Zeke Draker won't be able to do anything."
"Very well. You may leave."
The mage bowed to Ramon before leaving.
Left alone, Ramon slowly rose from his seat.
When he placed his palm on one wall, a magic circle appeared and created a passage that wasn't there before.
Ramon slowly descended down the passage.
At the bottom of the stairs, Ramon stood before a secretly constructed altar.
He looked at the altar and took out a dagger from his chest to cut his palm.
DRIP! DRIP!
Blood from Ramon's hand dripped into the dish placed in front.
When the dish filled with blood, he rubbed the wound with his other hand.
Amazingly, the wound on his wrist completely disappeared.
Ramon placed the blood-filled dish on the altar.
Then he began chanting.
"????????????????????????????????????????......"
Incomprehensible sounds that couldn't even be confirmed as language flowed from his mouth.
Dark red haze rose from the dish on the altar.
Soon the haze gathered and formed a faint shape.
Ramon spoke to that shape.
"O unfortunate Emperor Ajitahaka, who sought to become a god but ultimately failed and fell from the heavens."
RUMBLE!
As if responding to Ramon's words, the haze rippled violently and the entire altar shook.
He spoke while looking at Ajitahaka's form:
"On the day the moon swallows the sun. The second baptism will begin. Before then, use the power of pride to foresee the future for me."
Ajitahaka's form rippled and soon changed into a circular mirror.
Ramon carefully observed the strange smoke patterns floating in the mirror.
At some point, Ramon's pupils dilated.
"Ajitahaka. Is this truly the foreseen future?"
Ajitahaka's form did not answer Ramon's question and soon dispersed like smoke and disappeared.
Ramon frowned while looking at the statue on the altar depicting Ajitahaka during his lifetime.
'It seems the High Priest has some scheme in mind. I should look into it.'
The second baptism was approaching and he couldn't let everything fall apart now.
Because on the day the baptism ends, Ramon Jiemens could be reborn anew.
'When that day comes, everyone will kneel before me.'