Chapter 438
Chapter 438
BOOM—
Duke Craven's spear-hand surged past Zeke's domain, driving straight toward his essential core.
The thrust the Duke unleashed was no different from a single solid spear.
Zeke raised the blade of his hand and charged forward to meet the Duke's strike, unleashing the movements of the Infinite Sword Art to counter the attack.
Infinite Sword Art — Black Sword Art Black Dragon Rising From Water
Zeke combined the Infinite Sword Art with his own Black Sword Art, forging a 'sword' entirely his own. A new form of Black Sword Art, transcending the Black Wind and Black Wings, erupted from Zeke's hand. The form of a black dragon, as if ready to swallow everything whole, opened its great maw against Duke Craven's spear.
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!
As Zeke and Duke Craven's domains collided, incompatible forces began canceling each other out, and waves erupted from that collision point, spreading outward in all directions.
HUMMMMM!
The massive shockwave blew away the thick cloud of dust that had risen and wrapped around the bodies of those watching from outside.
"Ugh!"
As the shockwave crashed in like a tidal wave, the Black Sword Knights stepped forward and raised their aura to block it, and just stopping the shockwave alone was enough to drain all the aura from their lower energy centers.
Aul and Andrei, who had taken the shockwave head-on at the very front, felt its force directly and their faces stiffened.
'So this is the true power of a Black Knight.'
'I still have so far to go.'
The Red Knights and Blue Knights stepped forward trying to block the shockwave, but they alone could not fully stop it.
That was when it happened. A great wind blew in from behind.
BOOM—
A Gale domain took shape, and the shockwave produced by Zeke and Duke Craven could no longer exert any further influence. Andrei and Aul, barely having gathered themselves, turned to look back. Incredibly, Duke stood ramrod straight, having constructed the domain of his Gale Art to block the shockwave. Andrei and Aul stared at Duke in astonishment.
"Duke, don't tell me you've reached the level of a Black Knight...?"
"Have you reclaimed your level?"
Once the shockwave had been deflected and the situation settled somewhat, Duke dissolved his domain and spoke with a wry smile.
"Not perfectly yet. Well, it'll improve gradually. Even so... I already knew Duke Craven was a monster, but as for that boy Zeke, I simply cannot find where his limits end."
Andrei and Aul nodded at Duke's words.
The dust cloud cleared, and Zeke and Duke Craven appeared standing atop the devastated central garden. Zeke with the blade of his hand still extended, and Duke Craven with his spear-hand still thrust forward, they stood facing each other as if frozen.
After standing like that for a long moment, Duke Craven was first to lower his spear-hand and spoke to Zeke.
"I'd quite like another cup of that tea from earlier."
At his words, Zeke also relaxed his stance and nodded with a courteous manner.
"This way, please. There's a place where we can drink tea in peace."
Zeke walked slowly to one side of the garden alongside Duke Craven. The rest of the party watched blankly as the 2 of them disappeared toward the corner of the garden. Daria in particular wore an expression of disbelief.
'I knew Zeke Draker was strong, but to think he'd match the Duke as an equal.'
Obscured by the cloud of dust, it was impossible to tell what kind of duel had actually unfolded. But having been personally taught the Bright King Spear by the Duke, Daria could read his expression in subtle ways.
Satisfaction. That was the emotion rising on the Duke's face. Sensing a joy in the Duke at having found a worthy rival after so long, Daria concluded the 2 of them had faced each other as equals.
Just then, Carus approached Daria.
"What do you think, Commander? Does it seem like that stubborn, exacting Duke might change his mind?"
At Carus's words, Daria pondered before slowly opening her mouth.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid that is not a matter within my judgement."
At those words, Carus wore an expression of satisfaction instead.
"Hmm, if the Commander says as much, it may well be worth looking forward to."
Carus smiled faintly as he watched the direction Zeke and Duke Craven had gone.
***
Zeke led Duke Craven to a quiet corner of the garden, then pointed to a spot and said, "Of all the gardens in the Imperial Palace of Rom, I like this spot best."
Looking at where Zeke pointed, Duke Craven wore a puzzled expression, since while the scenery was fine, it was not a place set up for tea. But then Zeke produced a table, chairs, and even a full tea set from his inventory, and Duke Craven let slip a slightly flustered look. He was not someone who was easily surprised, yet he could not conceal his wonder as tea party furnishings appeared out of thin air before him. While artifacts could be used to access pocket space, this was the first time he had seen one used in such a manner.
"...Do you carry all of this around with you normally?"
"You never know when you might want tea. Please, have a seat. The water is at just the right temperature."
Zeke brewed the tea and poured it into a cup, then handed it to the Duke. Setting his surprise aside, the Duke savored the aroma and drank. He soon wore a satisfied expression.
"Young knights these days seem to prefer coffee over tea."
Zeke furrowed his brows at that.
"I never could understand why they're all so fond of something so dark and bitter."
The Duke nodded as if in agreement. Having leisurely finished his tea, the Duke set down his cup and spoke.
"Does Sir Zeke wish to place Rom under the Draker Family's dominion?"
At Duke Craven's question, Zeke likewise set his cup on the table and shook his head.
"I have no interest in the Rom Empire. The reason I came here was to capture Abel and Jiemens."
At Zeke's answer, Duke Craven gazed steadily at him and said, "You led Consul Julius, whom you had detained, along with 2 princes and 2 imperial legions into Rom. And yet you claim there was no intent to dominate the Rom Empire?"
"It's true I made use of their strength in order to draw Abel and Jiemens out of Rom, but it was not for the purpose of my becoming Rom's ruler."
Duke Craven looked closely into Zeke's eyes to judge whether what he said held truth. The single fragment of will he could glimpse within Zeke's eyes was this:
'A pure yearning for freedom.'
The freedom to soar toward whatever one desires without being bound by anything.
Zeke was carving his way through a long and grueling journey in order to attain that freedom.
After remaining silent for a long while, Duke Craven slowly opened his mouth.
"Even if your intentions are not as such, the nobles of the Empire will not see it that way."
As the Duke said, even if he believed Zeke's words, the majority of the Empire's nobles and great Houses would certainly believe Draker had suppressed Rom in order to seize it.
Zeke looked at Duke Craven and said, "That is why there is something I would like to ask of you."
"A request. What manner of thing?"
"I would ask that you engage in an official duel with me at the Colosseum, claim victory, and take it upon yourself to become Prince Leo's guardian."
If Atlas's landmark was the Grand Stadium, then Rom's representative landmark was none other than the Colosseum. In the past, Emperor Nero had held grand league competitions at this Colosseum, and countless knights had showcased their skills there. A knight who became league champion could seize both wealth and honor in a single stroke. But after Nero descended into madness and became an emperor obsessed with immortality, no league had been held at the Colosseum any longer.
Zeke was proposing that the duel be held at that Colosseum, the symbol of Rom in its golden age.
At those words, Duke Craven looked steadily at Zeke and said, "The meaning of holding a duel at the Colosseum I understand. But what do you mean by rigging the outcome and choosing to lose deliberately?"
"Using that match as the justification, I and the Black Sword Knights will depart from the Rom Empire. After that, I ask that you become Prince Leo's guardian and take charge of what follows, lending your strength to his enthronement."
At Zeke's words, Duke Craven's eyebrow twitched. It was not easy to believe what Zeke was saying—that even with the opportunity to claim the great empire of Rom, he intended to lose deliberately and leave.
Then Zeke, as if reading the Duke's thoughts, continued, "In return, I have 2 requests for the Duke."
"Requests. If there had been no conditions at all, my suspicion would only have deepened. Let me hear what they are."
"The 1st request is that I would ask you to teach me the spear."
At Zeke's words, Duke Craven wore a surprised expression.
"You mean you wish to be taught the Bright King Spear?"
At that, Zeke shook his head.
"It would be impossible for you to pass your secret arts on to me, a Draker. I have wielded only the sword all my life, and the spear as a weapon feels altogether unfamiliar to me. I wish to learn the spear itself as a weapon from the Duke."
Previously, Zeke had received the Holy King Spear Art and the holy spear Longomiant from the Saint King. Longomiant had taken on a form similar to Bahamut after coming into Zeke's hands, but was fundamentally still in the shape of a spear. When facing the Fallen Constellations, he needed to be able to use Longomiant properly, and having never truly wielded a spear before, Zeke had been quietly turning that over in his mind. In the midst of that, he had come to meet Duke Craven, who had reached mastery through the spear—and so he conveyed his wish to learn about the spear from him.
Understanding what Zeke meant by wishing to learn the spear, Duke Craven nodded.
"Very well. What is the 2nd request?"
At the Duke's words, Zeke's expression grew heavy as he opened his mouth.
"Jiemens is currently cooperating with an organization called Narak in an attempt to resurrect the Demon King in the mortal realm."
Duke Craven fell silent, visibly taken aback, as the word 'Demon King' left Zeke's lips—a word that felt out of place, fit only for storybooks and myths.
Undeterred by the Duke's reaction, Zeke continued his explanation.
"In order to resurrect the Demon King, they intend to summon the demon race and monsters from the demon realm to destroy the mortal realm and plunder the souls of the innocent. The brutal atrocities that occurred in Rom are an extension of this."
The Duke's expression darkened as he recalled the horrific blood purge Abel had carried out.
He hesitated, then slowly opened his mouth.
"The resurrection of the Demon King..."
"This is not a situation from old stories—it is reality. Though it is not widely known, the Liberation War in which Terakan Draker played his role 1,000 years ago was in truth a war not against an evil dragon, but to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King."
At the secret history of the Liberation War that Zeke revealed, Duke Craven's eyes widened.
"...How do you know all of this?"
"When I received the Fairy King's Blessing, I came to know of the danger that would befall the mortal realm."
When pressed, invoking the Fairy King's Blessing as an excuse worked best.
Duke Craven also nodded as if persuaded upon hearing the words 'Fairy King's Blessing.'
Zeke said to Duke Craven, "And so my 2nd request is this—after you help Prince Leo stabilize the Rom Empire, I ask that you lend your aid in the battle against the demon realm army that will soon come."
Jiemens and Narak had been continually cornered and kept on the defensive thanks to Zeke's efforts. But after meeting Narak's high priest Harvey West in person, Zeke realized that the power they possessed was beyond anything he had imagined. He expected that they were waiting for something, and when that time came, they would reveal all their hidden strength and advance to destroy the mortal realm. To prepare for that moment, he sought to bring the Rom Empire to his side.
After listening to Zeke's words, Duke Craven deliberated for a moment before nodding.
"Very well. I will accept your terms."
At Duke Craven deciding so quickly, Zeke was actually startled and asked again, "Is there no need to give it further thought? It will not be as simple as it sounds."
"In times of peace, it matters little if I remain coiled and still—but from what I've heard from you, it seems this is not such a time. The words 'Demon King' and 'demon realm army' do not yet feel real to me, but if what you say is true, then as a Black Knight of the Empire, it is not something I can simply stand by and ignore."
From receiving Zeke's sword directly, Duke Craven could be certain of 1 thing about him. Zeke's sword was as straight as it was pure, imbued with unyielding will. He felt that the title 'Knight of Salvation'—Zeke's epithet—was by no means an empty name, and so he decided to take him at his word.
Duke Craven rose from his seat and said, "For now, your 1st request is one I can grant right this moment." He then said to Zeke, "Lend me a sword."