Chapter 194
Rumble!
The carriage carrying Zeke and Reina headed towards the main house of the Turunn Clan located in Tempel.
The two didn't exchange a word, each looking in different directions.
Zeke glanced at Reina and recalled what she had said before getting into the carriage.
'I'm going to challenge the Trial of Struggle too.'
He knew that Reina saw him as a rival, but he didn't expect her to declare that she would challenge the Trial of Struggle together with him.
Zeke was slightly flustered by Reina's unexpected reaction.
'It won't be easy for Reina to take on the Trial of Struggle with her current skills.'
As Zeke remembered, in his past life, Reina challenged the Trial of Struggle after being promoted to Blue Knight.
He recalled that she became a hot topic when she cleared up to the 50th floor in one go.
It was quite an impressive story because none of the knights her age were qualified to enter the Trial of Struggle, and even among veteran knights, very few had reached the 50th floor.
Zeke inwardly clicked his tongue as he watched Reina silently meditating.
'Well, Rex Turunn will screen her out anyway.'
In the awkward silence, the carriage carrying the two arrived at the main house of the Turunn Clan.
***
The main house of the Turunn Clan was called the 'Hall of Warriors'.
As befitting the name, unlike the main houses of other clans, the largest building in the Turunn Clan's main house was none other than the arena.
Any knight from the Turunn Clan could show off their skills in this arena.
The arena was always full as there was an endless stream of people who wanted to duel.
And surprisingly, the person who most frequently used the arena was none other than the head of the Turunn Clan, Rex Turunn.
"Chaaaaa!"
Three knights wielding greatswords with soaring Aura Blades charged at a man standing still with his arms crossed.
Crash!
A huge aura storm erupted around the man.
The man, who had been standing still, suddenly lowered his stance.
"Hup!"
The man held his breath and stomped his foot on the ground.
Crash!
The incredibly hard arena floor shook, and a shockwave spread out.
Rumble!
The three knights charging with their greatswords were pushed back by the shockwave.
"Ugh!"
The knights, thrown to the floor, couldn't get back up.
A moment later, the man approached the knights.
"Let's stop here for today."
The knights managed to pull themselves together and knelt.
"Thank you for your teachings, Master!"
Surprisingly, the ones wielding the greatswords were the Turunn Clan knights, and the bare-handed man was Rex Turunn, the head of the Turunn Clan.
He was dressed like a martial artist, not a knight, and his face and arms were covered with rough scars.
Usually, Black Knights and heads of clans didn't show themselves in public.
This was because their existence itself was the most powerful strategic weapon.
But Rex Turunn, the head of the Turunn Clan, was different.
He was famous for being the least mysterious among the Black Knights, and if they were from his Clan, even if they were just an ordinary knight, Rex Turunn would gladly duel them.
Reina entered the arena with Zeke and approached Rex Turunn.
She greeted Rex Turunn respectfully.
"Reina Draker! I greet the head of the Turunn Clan!"
Zeke, standing behind Reina and looking at Rex Turunn, was genuinely impressed.
His body was perfect, filled with solid muscles, with no openings to be found.
Although he was also a Black Knight, he felt different from Arthur Draker.
'He feels closer to the Sword King Bernas.'
Another name for Rex Turunn was the Fighting King.
Seeing Rex Turunn in person, Zeke could see that the nickname suited him perfectly.
Rex Turunn looked at Reina kneeling before him. Then he approached her.
Rex Turunn raised his hand.
He opened his mouth.
"Oh! My daughter is here! Did you come because you missed your dad?"
Rex Turunn hugged Reina tightly and kissed her on the cheek.
Reina had a fed-up expression at Rex Turunn's actions.
Then she said in a low voice,
"...Master. This is a public place."
"This is our house, what public place!"
Rex Turunn rubbed Reina's cheeks vigorously.
Reina punched Rex Turunn hard in the solar plexus.
Thud!
"Ugh."
Reina gritted her teeth and whispered,
"Grrr. Dad, I told you not to do this when there are other people around."
Rex Turunn was quickly deflated by his cute daughter's fierce voice.
Zeke, watching this, could experience firsthand what he had only heard rumors about.
'The Turunn Clan's love for their bloodline is extraordinary.'
The Turunn Clan had exceptionally strong blood ties.
If any of their blood relatives were harmed or ambushed outside, the Turunn Clan would chase the perpetrators to the ends of the continent for revenge.
There was a good reason why the leader of Draker's most notorious unit, the Pursuit Squad, was always held by someone from the Turunn Clan.
Zeke approached Rex Turunn, who was bickering with Reina.
"Zeke Draker greets Sir Rex Turunn, the head of the Turunn Clan."
Rex Turunn glanced back and looked at Zeke.
Then he looked down at him with a completely different attitude than when he was facing Reina.
"Zeke Draker. Arthur's son."
"That's right, Master."
Rex Turunn looked closely at Zeke and said with a stern expression,
"You resemble your mother more than your father."
Surprised by his words, Zeke raised his head, which had been lowered, and asked,
"You knew my mother?"
Rex Turunn said with a dumbfounded expression,
"Didn't Arthur tell you? Well... it's not like him to talk about such things. When we were young, me, Arthur, Laura, and even Ramon. It was a short time, but the four of us traveled all over the continent in search of all sorts of ancient mysteries."
The heads of Draker and Turunn, and even Zeke's mother, Laura Agamemnon.
It was the first time Zeke had heard that they had adventured together.
'I'm curious, but that's not what's important right now.'
"Thank you for telling me a story I didn't know."
"Yes, yes, so what brings you here?"
Zeke took a breath and said to Rex Turunn,
"Master, I want to challenge the Trial of Struggle."
Rex's eyebrows twitched at Zeke's words.
Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure emanated from his body, pressing down on Zeke.
Zeke realized that this power was similar to the intangible power that Arthur Draker and Hoshgar used.
'Is this the unique power of a Black Knight?'
Rex, seeing Zeke withstand his aura, had an intrigued expression.
He opened his mouth and said to Zeke,
"You want to challenge the Trial of Struggle. Are you prepared?"
Zeke said in a firm voice,
"Yes."
That's when it happened.
Reina, who was next to him, shouted at Rex Turunn,
"I'll challenge it too!"
Rex Turunn was startled by Reina's sudden words.
"W-what? What are you talking about all of a sudden!"
"I want to take the Trial of Struggle too. Please allow me."
Rex Turunn shook his head at Reina, who was suddenly being stubborn.
"Reina, you can't yet."
Reina clenched her teeth and said,
"Why can Zeke Draker do it, but not me?"
Rex Turunn pondered and then nodded.
"That's right."
At Rex Turunn's cold words, sparks flew from Reina's eyes.
She slowly raised her head and drew her sword.
"A blood descendant of Turunn never backs down. That's what I was taught."
Rex Turunn let out a small sigh as he saw Reina even drawing her sword, then raised his fist and nodded.
"Reina, if that's your true intention. I'll accept it. I won't go easy on you just because you're my daughter!"
"That's what I want!"
"Good! Come at me like a bull that never stops charging!"
Woooong!
A powerful sword cry resonated from Reina's sword.
Her body turned into a streak of lightning and flew towards Rex Turunn.
Zeke could see traces of Flashing Sword in Reina's movements.
'As expected of a genius. She can already create her own application techniques.'
If he had to choose the most skilled among the Five-Star Knights, Zeke would choose Reina without hesitation.
The only talent comparable to her would probably be Felix, who inherited aura from the Arch Paladin.
Reina's sword, like lightning, flew towards Rex Turunn.
Rex Turunn raised his bare arm to block Reina's sword.
Crash!
Despite that, there was a sound as if a sword and armor had clashed.
"Ugh!"
Reina was thrown back from the collision with Rex Turunn and rolled on the floor.
Swoosh
"Huff... Huff..."
Reina, barely managing to get up, couldn't even properly grip her sword as her hands trembled.
At her level as a Purple Knight, even facing a Black Knight was not an easy task.
An ordinary knight wouldn't even be able to breathe properly and would have dropped their sword.
After a while, Reina finally admitted defeat.
"I'll follow your words, Master."
Rex Turunn nodded at her words.
"A wise bull must sometimes stop and look in the right direction! Reina Draker! I have seen your skills! Excellent! Continue to strive further!"
He was stricter than expected, but the Turunn Clan was surprisingly generous with praise.
It was certainly different from the cold, strict, and calculating atmosphere of the Draker Clan.
As Reina dejectedly stepped back, Rex Turunn turned to Zeke.
"Zeke Draker. Are you still firm in your decision to be tested?"
"Yes."
Rex nodded at Zeke's words.
Then he shouted,
"Bring me my sword!"
Reina, who was standing behind, was surprised.
'Dad is going to use his sword?'
It was very rare for Rex Turunn to use his sword in a duel.
He only used his sword in real duels, not training.
In other words, the head of the Turunn Clan had recognized Zeke, who wasn't even an adult yet, as a real opponent.
Soon, the servants brought Rex Turunn's sword.
A simple one-piece sword with the blade extending from the hilt.
The blade was full of scratches and scars, showing the traces of time.
Rex Turunn lightly lifted the heavy sword that it took three servants to carry with one hand.
Whoosh!
He swung the sword and said to Zeke,
"Zeke Draker. If you can withstand my sword strike, I will allow you to enter the Trial of Struggle."
At those words, Zeke said to Rex Turunn,
"I have a request, Master."
"You're not going to back out of the test now, are you?"
"No. If I not only withstand your sword strike, but if my sword touches you, please grant me a request."
Rex Turunn's eyebrows twitched at Zeke's words.
"Do you understand what you're saying?"
Zeke nodded and said,
"It means I could die from your sword, Master."
"And you're still going to do it? How foolish."
"Will you grant my request?"
Rex Turunn looked at Zeke's firm attitude and said,
"What kind of request would make you risk your life?"
Zeke looked directly into Rex Turunn's eyes and said,
"I want to hear about my mother."
Rex Turunn's eyes wavered for a moment.
After a while, an unusual energy rose from his sword.
Rex Turunn looked at Zeke and said,
"...Zeke Draker. I accept your request."
"Thank you."
Zeke also took a stance with Bahamut.
It was the starting form of the basic Dragon Slayer technique, not the Gale Sword technique.
Woooong!
The waves of aura clashed between Zeke and Rex Turunn.
Neither of them had an Aura Blade formed on their swords.
That's when it happened.
The waves shattered, and Zeke charged first.
Dragon Slayer True Dragon Swordsmanship
Chapter 7 Verse 1
Dragon Head Beheading
The sword strike containing the essence of the True Dragon Swordsmanship, the origin of Dragon Slayer techniques, flew towards Rex Turunn.
At that moment, Rex Turunn also jumped forward with his sword.
Turunn Style Dragon Slayer Technique
Charge Technique
Bull Horn Strike
The heavy sword flew, aiming for the opening in Zeke's charge.
Crash!
Zeke's sword and Rex Turunn's sword clashed, creating an explosive sound.
The waves of aura spread throughout the vast arena.
Reina watched the duel between the two with wide eyes.
'This can't be...'
She could directly feel the difference in skill between herself and Zeke Draker.
That's when it happened.
Woooong!
Zeke's body, which was clashing swords with Rex Turunn, blurred and shook.
The Displacement technique, an advanced skill of the Phantom Step, the movement technique of the Gale Sword, was unleashed.
Swoosh!
Zeke's figure disappeared.
But Rex wasn't flustered.
Thud!
He swung his sword towards his blind spot.
Crack!
What Rex Turunn's sword cut wasn't Zeke, but the rising floor of the arena.
Zeke, who had hidden his form with Displacement, had raised the floor to block Rex's vision.
At the same time, Zeke appeared from another blind spot.
Woooong!
Zeke's sword vibrated violently.
Simultaneously, the first secret technique of the True Dragon Swordsmanship was activated.