Chapter 183
[What?]
Arataso responded to Zeke's words in a dumbfounded tone.
"Why don't you want to tell me?"
This was an unreasonable demand, even for Zeke.
He was now trying to extort a technique from a demon.
'What kind of person is this?'
In all his demonic life, he had never met a human like this.
Arataso shouted at Zeke,
[Why should I tell you that?! And how can a human learn a demon's barrier technique in the first place?!]
Zeke chuckled and replied to Arataso's words,
"I learned the Hero King's swordsmanship, so why can't I learn a demon's barrier technique?"
Arataso's voice trembled as he said,
[Th-the Hero King? Don't lie!]
"It's true. As expected of a demon, you can't trust a human's words."
Arataso muttered in disbelief,
[The Hero King's swordsmanship? That's impossible. That's impossible...]
"Why are you mumbling to yourself? So, are you going to tell me or not? If not, forget it. Just live your whole life sealed in this sword."
Zeke slowly moved his hand away from the sword.
Then, Arataso called out to him urgently,
[W-wait!]
Zeke waited for Arataso's words, his hand hovering over the sword.
Arataso said in an anxious voice,
[Will you let me go if I teach you the barrier technique?]
"That depends on how you do."
[You coward! Tell me clearly! Will you let me go or not?!]
Zeke activated Sacred Flame again.
Whoosh!
[Kyaaaak!]
"How dare you raise your voice? I was going to seal you forever, but I gave you a chance out of pity."
As Zeke withdrew Sacred Flame, Arataso hurriedly changed his words.
[D-damn it. Alright. I'll teach you the barrier technique. But promise me you'll never use that damn fire again.]
"Sacred Flame?"
[Yes, if you swear you won't use that Sacred Flame or whatever it is, I'll teach you.]
Zeke thought for a moment and accepted Arataso's condition.
Arataso said in an annoyed voice,
[But I'm not responsible if you can't learn it.]
"If you teach me incorrectly, the deal's off. You'll be sealed along with Sacred Flame."
Arataso gritted his teeth at Zeke's defiance.
'He's more demonic than a demon.'
After a while, Arataso, who had calmed down somewhat, asked Zeke,
[You possess strong power for a human. I can't believe it, but you said you learned the Hero King's swordsmanship, so what else do you want to learn?]
"I'll use anything to become stronger."
[What a strange human.]
"And before that, you said Aura was a demon technique. Explain what you meant by that."
[It's exactly as I said. The technique you call Aura was created by stealing our fighting spirit technique.]
"Who stole it?"
[How would we know what those cunning humans did? Maybe some foolish demon who made a contract with a human passed it on.]
The magic humans used was passed down from dragons.
On the other hand, how Aura was created was unknown to the world.
Zeke, who had gained enlightenment, knew that Saturn Draker created the Aura cultivation method to kill dragons, but he didn't know exactly how it was completed.
'Did Saturn Draker make a contract with a demon to create the Aura cultivation method?'
It was hard to imagine that he, the successor of the Hero King and known as the Knight of Integrity, would make a contract with a demon.
Zeke said to Arataso,
"We'll see if Aura really originated from demons as you said once I learn it."
Arataso gritted his teeth at Zeke's words and began to explain the barrier technique he knew.
[As the first vanguard of the 'Clear Green Aspiration,' I am a subordinate who receives and uses the greatest power. Thanks to this, I was able to use this power...]
"Skip the nonsense and get to the point."
[...I'm starting to wonder if you're really human. Anyway... yes, let's get to the point. The barrier technique I used originated from the fighting spirit technique '????????????????'.]
Perhaps because it was a demon world language, it wasn't translated.
Zeke asked the system to translate it with the closest possible meaning.
[It's a proper noun using the Chronos language, and its meaning is closest to 'Strong Wave Resonance.']
"Strong Wave Resonance."
Zeke named the fighting spirit technique Strong Wave Resonance and told Arataso to continue his explanation.
[In Strong Wave Resonance, securing territory is important. You use your energy to build your territory and then steal the power of enemies who enter that territory.]
"By territory, do you mean the barrier you created by stabbing your sword into the ground?"
[Yes. In the physical realm, I'm using an avatar, not my original body, so I had no choice but to create a barrier with a medium, but originally, I use my own energy to deploy the barrier.]
"Hmm, I don't quite understand just by listening."
[I don't know if a human can actually do this, but a promise is a promise, so I'll tell you.]
Suddenly, the meteoric iron sword started to vibrate faintly.
[Remember this vibration.]
"What is this?"
[You use vibration to create resonance and turn your territory into a barrier.]
Zeke carefully observed the faint vibration Arataso created.
'Is he creating vibration by clashing mana with mana?'
Zeke, with his Heavenly Bone Body, could immediately imitate what he saw once.
He immediately took out Bahamut and tried to create the vibration Arataso had made.
Woooong!
It was a power that utilized mana itself, not elemental power or Aura.
Arataso was surprised when Zeke immediately created the vibration.
[N-no! How can a human use Strong Wave Resonance...?]
"Did you think I couldn't do it? Stop talking and quickly tell me the next step."
[Th-the next step is...]
Zeke was able to understand the principles of the demon world's fighting spirit technique through Arataso's continued explanation.
In the physical realm, the natural power of mana couldn't be used directly, so it was converted into magical power or Aura.
However, the way demons handled power was completely different.
Just as mana existed in the physical realm, in the demon world, the power of authority created by constellations existed in each territory, and their subordinates could use that power.
The stronger the constellation's power, the wider the territory and the higher the density of power.
Arataso's master, the 'Clear Green Aspiration,' was a powerful demon ranked within the top 50, so his territory was quite vast.
He was also able to learn more about the demon world, unrelated to the barrier technique. Since subordinates could only use the power of the constellation they served, betrayal was impossible.
However, there was one exception: the Constellation Transfer.
If a demon lost in a battle between constellations and had their subordinates and territory taken, those subordinates could receive the power of the new constellation and become its subordinates.
The power of demons came from strong subordinates and territories, so this Constellation Transfer played a crucial role in raising their rank.
Zeke, who was listening to the explanation, asked Arataso,
"Then why do demons and devils make contracts to take human souls?"
[Human souls are excellent materials for strengthening power. They can strengthen the power of subordinates and expand the constellation's territory.]
"Human souls have such power?"
[The souls of all beings with free will contain strong energy. The reason we prefer humans is that they have the strongest desires among all races. If they have desires, it's easy to determine the price of a contract.]
Zeke nodded, listening to Arataso's words.
As he said, no race was more susceptible to temptation than humans.
"Wait, if subordinates use the power of constellations as you said, what is demonic energy?"
[That's corrupted power. It's an impure power created by souls that have completely fallen into the abyss, losing their reason.]
"I didn't know demons thought of demonic energy that way."
[It's a low-grade power used by low-ranking demons who can't use the power of constellations and magical beasts that lack reason. High-ranking demons like me don't even look at it.]
"The Harbinger of Blood and Madness used very rough and negative power. Is that also different from demonic energy?"
[I don't even want to think about those barbarians. Most of the constellations worshipped by orcs in the past use such barbaric power. It's strong, but the power itself is rough and quickly drives its users to madness.]
He could feel the disgust in Arataso's voice as he shuddered.
'It seems that even the demons of the demon world use various types of power.'
Zeke learned even the fighting spirit technique from Arataso while listening to various stories. Fortunately, the fighting spirit technique could be applied with mana, so it wasn't difficult for Zeke to learn.
Zeke, following Arataso's instructions on Strong Wave Resonance, vibrated his mana to create waves.
Woooong!
The resonance Zeke created gradually expanded the range of the waves. But at some point, the power of the waves weakened.
"Phew!"
Zeke stopped the resonance and caught his breath.
"It's not easy to maintain."
The demon world's fighting spirit technique utilized the power of the territory.
Arataso explained that because the mana in the physical realm had a lower density than the power of the territory, it wasn't easy to create and maintain resonance.
Zeke wanted to apply this Strong Wave Resonance to Fab's Infinite Chain Strike.
If he could restrict the opponent's movements with resonance and then unleash Infinite Chain Strike, which allowed him to launch continuous attacks, he could defeat a large number of enemies with minimal damage, even if they swarmed him.
Unlike Zeke, who was disappointed, Arataso was amazed to see the resonance Zeke created.
[Huh, a human actually succeeded in Strong Wave Resonance. Amazing.]
"Can all demons use this fighting spirit technique?"
Arataso shouted in response,
[What nonsense! Including myself, there are only a handful of demons who can properly use Strong Wave Resonance. Maybe the Fighting Demons, but this resonance itself is not something that can be easily learned.]
"But after learning it, the principles of Strong Wave Resonance and the Aura cultivation method are completely different."
Arataso clicked his tongue and said,
[The technique you call Aura is a very insignificant fighting spirit technique to us demons. For a high-ranking demon like me, materializing power is as easy as breathing. But humans can't even do that properly, so they accumulate mana in their bodies and barely manage to materialize it by channeling it into weapons. It's proof that you're an inherently inferior race.]
"You talk big for someone who's captured and sealed by a human."
[Ahem.]
Zeke created a faint resonance and said to Arataso,
"Anyway, you're saying that this Strong Wave Resonance is a higher-level technique than Aura, right?"
[That's right. Resonance cannot be created just by accumulating power. Idiots like the subordinates of the Harbinger of Blood and Madness could never use it, even if they were reborn.]
Since it was a demon's words, he couldn't be sure how much of it was true, but it was definitely a technique with a new perspective.
Zeke said to Arataso,
"You did well, so I'll give you a reward. Besides not using Sacred Flame, what else do you want?"
[Release me honorably.]
"That's not possible."
[Ugh, then don't keep me stuck in that strange subspace. Take the sword outside and let me see the physical realm.]
"Okay, I can do that much. I can't always take you out, but I'll often take you out and let you see around."
Zeke readily agreed and began his training.
He was training in Strong Wave Resonance and Infinite Chain Strike in the castle's training room when Decker came to see him.
"Lord, there's news from the Four Seasons Castle."
"Decker, I told you to call me as usual, not Lord."
"Titles create distinction."
Knowing Decker's stubbornness, Zeke shook his head and let it go.
"Why the sudden news from the Four Seasons Castle?"
"They said they want to assign you a designated mission."
"A designated mission?"
Usually, designated missions were requests given to experienced knights.
This was because designated missions were often demanding and difficult.
Zeke thought for a moment and got up from his seat.
"I don't know what it is, but I'll have to go to the Four Seasons Castle."
"Should I prepare the carriage?"
"No, it's okay. I'll go alone."
Since the Nostra Family could attack at any time, it was better to move stealthily alone.
Zeke entrusted Sion, who was in the underground prison, to Decker and immediately began preparing to leave.
It seemed safest to leave Sion there until Arina returned from her mission.
The next day, Zeke rode Bucephalus and galloped to Atlas. It would have been more convenient to use a portal, but he deliberately avoided it to prevent attracting attention.
Even with an ordinary horse, it would have taken at least half a month to cover the distance, but riding Bucephalus, it only took about two days.
Zeke immediately entered the Four Seasons Castle.
When he tried to receive the designated mission from the assignment department, they said something unexpected.
"You mean it's a mission directly designated by the Lord?"
The clerk nodded.
"Yes. He said to send you to the Lord's office when you arrive."
If it was a mission directly designated by the Lord, it wouldn't be an ordinary mission.
Zeke was puzzled and went up to the Lord's office.
When he entered, the Lord, Arthur Draker, greeted him warmly.
"Zeke, you've come. We were just talking about you. Come and sit here."
Someone Zeke knew was already sitting in the Lord's office.