Chapter 437
Chapter 437
Chapter 437
"Sir Zeke Draker is meeting with Duke Craven? Why?"
The aide responded to Calito while sweating nervously.
"I'm not sure about the reason..."
Calito waved his hand dismissively and dismissed the adjutant.
After the aide left, Carus spoke to Calito and Leo with a knowing expression.
"I told you. Duke Craven is being cautious."
Leo and Calito couldn't respond to Carus's words.
After a while, Leo, who had been silent, spoke in a serious voice.
"Whatever the reason, we should go meet Duke Craven first."
Calito tensed up at Leo's words.
"What if he's using Zeke Draker as an excuse to capture me or Regent Julius?"
Carus clicked his tongue at those words.
"You think Duke Craven would openly thrust a spear into the Acting Regent's heart? Stop worrying so much and let's go quickly."
Even after hearing Carus's words, Calito couldn't hide his anxious expression.
'Of all people, Duke Craven. If I had known this would happen, I should have built more connections with him before.'
During the Mad Emperor's reign, Calito, who was the vice-commander of the Scorpion Palace Knights, tried to curry favor by networking with various prominent figures.
However, he was too afraid to approach the strict and upright Duke Craven.
While it was natural that he couldn't dare approach Duke Craven in the past, now he only regretted his past actions.
'Damn, I'll have to face him head-on no matter what happens.'
Calito stood up and left the office with Leo and Carus to meet Duke Craven.
* * *
Daria Calvi, standing next to Duke Craven, felt awkwardly uncomfortable with the whole situation.
Upon arriving at the imperial palace, Duke Craven stated his purpose was to compete with Zeke Draker.
As a result, prominent members of the Black Sword Knights like Andrei, Aul, Clonne, and Farrell gathered in the reception room, facing Duke Craven with tense expressions.
While Daria and the Black Sword Knights were nervously observing Duke Craven, he was calmly drinking tea with an unbothered expression.
"Hmm."
Duke Craven put down his teacup, raised his head, and spoke.
"Which region are these tea leaves from?"
Daria fumbled at his question, rolling her eyes nervously.
"T-That..."
Not knowing much about tea, Daria turned her head towards the Black Sword Knights in panic.
However, the Black Sword Knights didn't know much about tea either.
Felix, standing behind, watched carefully and whispered to Clonne.
"Should I go find out where it's from?"
Clonne elbowed Felix hard in the solar plexus, telling him to keep quiet.
Just then...
"Those tea leaves were sent directly from the Ishtar Main Palace."
The door opened and someone answered Duke Craven's question.
It was none other than Zeke Draker who appeared.
He sat across from Duke Craven and spoke.
"Is the tea to your liking?"
Duke Craven slowly nodded at Zeke's words.
"I like the aroma. It's noble and subtle, yet its presence is distinct - how fascinating."
Duke Craven raised his head and looked at the young knight sitting across from him.
'Now I understand why Daria spoke that way.'
When he first heard about Zeke Draker, he suspected that the Draker family might have exaggerated his abilities to claim the title of Knight of Salvation.
Each time he heard subsequent rumors about the Knight of Salvation, Duke Craven became more convinced of his assumption.
However, meeting Zeke in person today, Duke Craven had to admit his thoughts were wrong.
'He's strong.'
Not just strong - his true depths were unfathomable.
As one of the continent's strongest, he couldn't even remember the last time he had to reserve judgment about someone like this.
Duke Craven silently stared at Zeke.
Because of this, not only Daria but all the Black Sword Knights tensed up, waiting for Craven's reaction.
It was Zeke who spoke first.
"Would you like another cup of tea?"
Duke Craven slowly nodded at Zeke's words.
He took out tea and tea implements from his inventory and steeped the tea.
Craven silently watched as Zeke brewed the tea with natural grace.
He placed the freshly brewed tea in front of Duke Craven.
The Duke slowly savored the aroma as he drank the tea.
Zeke also poured tea into his cup and enjoyed it with the Duke.
Both spent a long time silently focusing on drinking tea.
When the cups were empty, Duke Craven stood up first, and Zeke followed.
They silently walked out towards the central garden in front of the imperial palace.
Daria and the Black Sword Knights watched with bewildered expressions.
Felix spoke first.
"S-Should we follow them?"
As if responding to his words, Daria and the Black Sword Knights finally came to their senses and headed toward the central garden.
In the central garden, Zeke and Craven stood facing each other, empty-handed.
They remained still without saying anything.
Leo, Carus, and Calito, who came to the garden later, also tensed up watching Zeke and Craven standing silently.
Calito approached Daria and asked her.
"C-Commander. What's happening?"
Prince Leo shook his head gravely at his words.
"Acting Regent, it's best to stay quiet. It seems... a duel that only Black Knights can understand is unfolding."
Calito closed his mouth at Prince Leo's words.
Though Zeke and Craven weren't moving or speaking, an intense battle was taking place between them.
They were both Black Knights who were approaching the Grand Master level.
Direct attacks weren't important to them.
'Domain control.'
What mattered more was who could establish their will over the territory first.
CRACK!
A leaf that got caught between Zeke and Craven's domains turned to dust and scattered.
It was evidence of the fierce invisible battle for domain control.
Just then, someone appeared near the Black Sword Knights.
"The Wise King. Surprising that such a big shot came personally."
It was none other than Duke Draker.
After recovering his sealed memories through Zeke's power, he had recovered and come from Hell to the Rom Imperial Palace.
As Zeke predicted, Duke was gradually overcoming his trauma and regaining his Black Knight powers.
Duke spoke to Aul and Andrei.
"Open your eyes wide and fully extend your energy sense to feel this clearly. This is where you must reach someday."
Following Duke's advice, Aul and Andrei raised their energy sense to the maximum while watching Zeke and Duke Craven.
Suddenly, cracks began appearing between Zeke and Duke Craven.
RUMBLE
The marble floor beneath them finally couldn't withstand their auras and started cracking and bursting.
CRACK!
The shattered marble turned to powder and scattered in the wind.
A strong whirlwind suddenly enveloped Zeke and Duke Craven.
"UGH!"
Those watching had to step back from the sudden gust.
BOOM! BOOM!
Soon a massive dust cloud swallowed Zeke and Duke Craven, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
RUMBLE
Inside the dust cloud, Zeke and Duke Craven had taken stances unlike before.
Zeke held his hand blade in front of his chest, while Duke Craven pointed his extended right index finger at Zeke.
Duke Craven spoke while looking at Zeke.
"Thanks to you, I've been surprised many times today."
Not only was Zeke a true Black Knight, but he was even at a similar level to himself.
He truly never imagined someone could be this skilled.
'This is my first opponent of this caliber since Sword King Bernas.'
Sword King Bernas.
He was the strongest knight with a sword excluding the Conqueror Arthur Draker.
Looking at Zeke, Duke Craven recalled facing Sword King Bernas in his youth.
It was a pure time when they competed as knights, beyond their affiliations with the Rom Empire and House Draker.
Duke Craven felt like he had returned to that time as he faced Zeke.
Zeke slowly approached Duke Craven with his hand blade raised.
His domain moved with him.
Though quiet, Zeke's domain was like a fierce beast with gleaming eyes ready to tear at the throat, seeking gaps in Duke Craven's defenses with a sharp aura.
THUD!
Duke Craven stepped forward with his finger raised.
Looking at Duke Craven, Zeke was reminded of an unyielding fortress standing firm.
Each time he moved, Duke Craven's finger gradually followed and pointed at Zeke.
His finger had now transformed into a spear.
The sharp spear tip watched Zeke's movements, ready to pierce his heart at any moment.
Zeke was the first to break their standoff.
SWOOSH!
Zeke advanced toward Duke Craven using wind technique.
WHOOSH!
He leaped into the air, targeting the Duke's crown with his hand blade infused with Astral Sword power.
Watching Zeke swing his hand blade, Duke Craven felt as if a greatsword was plunging toward him.
He kept his legs planted while twisting his waist to extend his finger upward.
RUMBLE
A sharp spear form extended from his finger pointing at Zeke.
The greatsword and sharp spear clashed in midair.
CLANG!
Though the sword and spear had no physical form, the collision rang out like clashing metal.
The formless shapes made of Astral Sword canceled each other, creating shockwaves that spread outward.
CRACK!
The wind created by the shockwaves whirled even more violently around them.
At this rate, the imperial palace's central garden would be completely overturned.
But neither had time to worry about that.
Zeke immediately rode the flow of the spreading shockwaves to charge at Duke Craven again.
This time he charged with energy in both hands.
Lord Fab's Infinite Chain Technique, the foundation of the Infinite Sword Technique, unfolded from Zeke's hands.
As rotating strikes of the Infinite Chain Technique poured forth, Astral Swords flew at Duke Craven from all directions.
BOOM!
Facing the storm-like rotating strikes, Duke Craven spread his palm instead of his finger this time and formed his spear path.
His entire arm transformed into a spear.
Duke Craven swung his spear-transformed arm widely to deflect the rotating strikes.
Like the water path of the Elemental Sword, he used redirection to deflect Zeke's attacks.
WHOOSH!
After deflecting the rotating strikes, Duke Craven reversed the energy flow to return the attack to Zeke.
BOOM!
The attacks that had flown toward Duke Craven now flew back at Zeke with even greater power.
Seeing the powerful sword strikes flying toward him, Zeke instead leaped forward to meet them.
"HAAA!"
Zeke extended his arm and swung his hand blade at the sword strikes.
SLASH!
What Zeke cut wasn't just the sword strikes.
He cut the very space where the sword strikes existed.
A higher dimensional attack that thrust a sword into the gap of space to cut the very space where the sword strikes existed.
Zeke had recreated the technique that Sword King Bernas had shown before.
Moreover, Zeke cut more than just the space containing the sword strikes.
The attack affected even the space where Duke Craven stood.
SLASH
As Duke Craven's space was cut by Zeke's hand blade, the Duke was split along with the divided space.
But then...
SWISH
Duke Craven's form that was split with the space vanished like a mirage.
Immediately after, the Duke appeared right in front of Zeke.
His movement was swift enough to outpace Zeke's attack that could cut even space itself.
Duke Craven, appearing before Zeke, gathered his spear path firmly and took another step forward.
From his arm, a spear that could pierce essence exploded forward.
Wise King Spear (True)
Final Act
Flash of Certain Destruction