Chapter 209
"A legendary item?"
Zeke had received system rewards many times, but this was the first time he had seen such wording.
He immediately checked the information of the ring.
---Ring Information---
Description: A powerful enchanted ring left by an Elder Dragon to King Solomon of Carcosa
Unique Power: Seal
Special Note: Can seal and command demons. (Up to 72 can be sealed)
Zeke, having checked the ring's information, was astonished.
"A ring gifted by an Elder Dragon? Not a unique ability, but a power?"
A ring that could seal and command demons, fallen celestial beings.
It was a rare artifact unlike anything he had ever heard of.
Surprised by the Ring of Solomon, Zeke asked Arataso.
"Arataso, have you ever heard of the Ring of Solomon? A ring that can seal and command demons."
Arataso replied with a displeased tone.
[Never heard of it. A ring that can seal demons? How can you seal and command beings that transcend the laws of the world? That's nonsense.]
It seemed to be an artifact that even Arataso had never heard of.
"Hmm, then have you ever heard of a kingdom called Carcosa?"
At Zeke's words, Arataso pondered for a moment before speaking.
[Carcosa... It feels like I almost remember it.]
"Do you know or not?"
As Zeke pressed him, Arataso said with an annoyed voice.
[There are too many kingdoms and cities of humans, and they change so quickly, it's hard to remember them all! Carcosa... I think I've heard of it, but I'm not sure.]
While Zeke was arguing with Arataso, a new message appeared.
[All hidden stages have been cleared.]
[The structure of the trial grounds will be normalized.]
[The portal connecting to the 99th floor will be opened.]
Whoooooom!
A portal appeared before Zeke.
He slowly stepped into the portal.
The scenery of the Demon Realm castle vanished in an instant, and a completely different place appeared.
'Where is this?'
It was a space that looked similar to the Tomb of the Dragon Slayer or Kaisir's resting place he had visited before.
The only difference was that only a wide circular space was created, and there was nothing else.
Zeke looked around the circular space, tilting his head in question.
"Is this... a training ground?"
It was then.
Zeke felt an unfamiliar presence behind him.
He quickly turned his body, stepped back, and faced forward.
A figure wearing a black cloak with their face hidden by a hood was standing there.
They had a rather small build, and their arms and legs were thin.
Nevertheless, Zeke couldn't let his guard down against that figure.
'There's no opening.'
Having reached the end of the Red Knight stage, Zeke sensed an extraordinary aura from the swordsman in front of him.
Without a word, he drew the sword at his waist.
Swoooosh!
The sword the swordsman held had a rather peculiar shape.
It was shorter than an arming sword and had a narrow blade width.
'I've never seen a sword of that shape before.'
At that moment, the swordsman's figure vanished instantly.
Crack!
Appearing behind Zeke in the blink of an eye, he swung his sword towards Zeke.
Whoosh!
Zeke blocked the swordsman's sword and stepped back to assume a stance.
Zeke, gripping Bahamut with both hands, lowered his body.
Whoosh!
The swordsman moved first, penetrating Zeke's flank.
Clang!
'The sword is heavy.'
He had mistakenly thought it would be light because it was a thin sword.
Even Zeke was barely managing to block the sword strikes pouring in from all directions.
Thwack!
To change the flow, Zeke stomped the ground with Phantom Step and spread the shockwave of the Vibrating Force Resonance.
Then, the swordsman did a somersault with light movements and landed on the ground.
Every movement was as natural as flowing water.
'Even when the swords clash, it doesn't feel like an impact, as if cutting water.'
It meant that the opponent was perfectly deflecting his sword strikes.
Zeke had only felt this way twice before.
'Master Kaisir, and Teacher Nigel.'
One was a legendary hero king, and the other was one of the guardians who had protected the forbidden area for hundreds of years.
Zeke realized that the swordsman in front of him was an existence on a similar level to them.
'He's at least Black Knight level.'
Watching him, Zeke seemed to know who the being before him was.
'Sword Saint Saturn Draker.'
Zeke took the initial stance of the Dragon Slayer Art towards Saturn Draker.
Then, Saturn showed a startled reaction to Zeke's stance before raising his sword again.
At the same time, Zeke and Saturn leaped towards the center.
Crack! Pababat!
In an instant, the two men's sword strikes clashed dozens of times.
The exchange of sword blows occurred at a speed invisible to the eye.
Zeke, directly meeting Saturn’s sword, couldn't help but marvel.
'Now I understand why this person was called the Sword Saint.'
Then, the swordsman said quietly, looking at Zeke.
"The sword is merely an extension of the hand. Do not be too fixated on the sword itself."
Zeke felt that his words were in line with the profound meaning of the Infinite Chain Binding left by Sir Fab, the former Arch Paladin.
Whoooosh!
The Sword Saint swung his sword as naturally as breathing.
Nevertheless, that sword carried a sense of overwhelming pressure, as if containing the immense power of a mountain and a tsunami.
Thwack!
Zeke, who was receiving the Sword Saint's sword, was suddenly unable to deflect the impact and was pushed straight back.
Every time their swords met, his whole body vibrated intensely. Even though he wasn't using the Vibrating Force Resonance, a subtle wave was carried in the sword.
Unlike Zeke, who could use all sorts of skills and various techniques, Saturn Draker was a being who had reached the pinnacle of mastery in the 'sword' itself.
'I thought Sword King Bernas was a monster... but he was no match for the Sword Saint.'
Saturn raised his sword again, looking at Zeke.
Zeke, seeing Saturn provoke him, clenched his teeth and gripped Bahamut.
"Hoo!"
Zeke, having calmed his breathing, took the stance of the Dragon Slayer Art again.
Whoooooom!
As before, the surrounding air sank, and time slowed down.
It was as if the world's time had stopped, leaving only Zeke and Saturn.
The two extended their senses, feeling every subtle movement, and engaged in an invisible exchange.
Zeke imbued his will into Bahamut.
The roaring of Bahamut's sword name gradually subsided.
At that moment, Zeke dashed towards Saturn.
Thwack!
In the world where time had stopped, only Saturn reacted to Zeke's movement and moved his body.
Zeke's sword grazed Saturn's hood.
At the same time, Saturn's sword was swung towards Zeke from a blind spot.
Clang!
Zeke raised his sword, blocking and deflecting Saturn's sword.
Simultaneously, he spun his body, aiming for Saturn's flank, and deployed the Dragon slayer Art.
Dragon Slayer Art
Eighth Stance, First Form
Dragon Scale Sever
Zeke's sword pierced sharply.
But surprisingly, Saturn sheathed his sword in the midst of this.
And with his sword in its sheath, he concentrated his energy.
In an instant, light flashed from his sheath, and the sword was drawn.
Dragon slayer Art
First Form Variation
Reverse Heaven
The incredibly fast sword, capable of overturning the heavens, shattered Zeke's Dragon Scale Sever and struck Zeke's body directly.
Kwakwakwakwang!
Zeke, having been directly hit by Saturn's sword strike, flew to one side and crashed into the wall.
"Kuh-uk!"
Without the Healing Factor to immediately recover from the impact, Zeke endured the pain and barely managed to stand up.
He gripped Bahamut and stood shakily.
At that moment, Saturn Draker looked at Zeke and spoke.
"It's a variation, but you use the initial stance of the Dragon slayer Art. Did you master the sword form I left behind?"
Unlike his slender frame, Saturn's voice had considerable weight.
It was the same voice he had heard when talking to Bahamut in the previously left video.
Zeke, having barely regained his composure, looked at him and said.
"I pay my respects to the Sword Saint. My name is Zeke Draker, your distant descendant and the one who received the title 'Successor of the Sword Saint'."
At Zeke's words, Saturn Draker flinched in surprise.
Then, he approached Zeke and slowly removed his hood.
Zeke was astonished by Saturn Draker's revealed face.
'A kid?'
His youthful face, looking no older than fifteen, was framed by disheveled ash-grey hair.
Saturn looked at Zeke and said,
"The Dragon slayer Art passed down to my distant descendant. It seems Bahamut kept his promise."
Zeke nodded at Saturn's words.
"Bahamut passed on the Dragon slayer Art to his contractor, Terakan Draker. He organized the Dragon slayer Art into a swordsmanship called 'Dragon Slayer Art,' and it has continued to this day."
At Zeke's words, Saturn's eyes widened.
"Bahamut made a contract with a human?"
His expression was one of utter disbelief.
Zeke nodded and continued his answer.
"Yes. They even had a child together."
Saturn's eyes bulged at Zeke's words.
"Good heavens."
Saturn trembled, so astonished he seemed like a child who had heard a terrifying story they shouldn't have.
He finally composed himself and spoke.
"That ruler of the twilight, after contracting with a human, fell in love and even had a child... I can't believe it."
Saturn Draker had personally sought out Bahamut and entrusted him with the Dragon slayer Art.
Seeing Saturn's reaction, Zeke asked him,
"Is Bahamut contracting with a human such a shocking thing?"
Saturn looked at Zeke and said,
"Bahamut didn't just hate humans, he loathed them. So much so that he gathered all the Dragon Lords and argued that they should no longer contract with humans, and that any dragon who had contracted should be confined until their human contractor died."
"He really hated humans, didn't he?"
For Bahamut, who had been like that, to sacrifice himself for a human and even leave behind his Dragon Heart and fangs, it was truly astonishing.
Saturn nodded at Zeke's words.
"Yes, in fact, Bahamut was captured by humans as a hatchling and almost killed. As the only remaining Shadow Dragon, it caused even more of a stir. Shadow Dragons are naturally temperamental, but... Bahamut must have harbored a deep-seated hatred for humans after that."
This was a story Zeke hadn't known.
'Almost killed by humans... No wonder. But this person knew that and still made that request?'
Shaking his head inwardly, Zeke recalled Kaisir mentioning that he had personally hunted down and eliminated all the dragon slayers who hunted hatchlings back then.
'Humans back then were fearless. How did they think they could handle the wrath of a dragon?'
Saturn Draker looked at Zeke and asked,
"Zeke Draker, my distant descendant. How much time has passed outside now?"
Zeke calculated the Chronos calendar that Kaisir had taught him and informed him.
"Converted to the Chronos calendar... it's the year 2124. More than two thousand years have passed since the time you were in, Sword Saint."
Zeke was fifteen when he met Kaisir, and he had recently turned nineteen after the new year, so four years had passed.
Saturn was startled by Zeke's words.
"Two thousand years have passed... I was prepared before leaving my spirit record, but hearing it directly is still shocking."
As Zeke had expected, beings from the past like Hoshgar seemed to be fixed here in their spirit form.
"I also met Sir Reyes, the Fisherman Knight, one of the Knights of the Clock Tower, earlier."
Saturn nodded at Zeke's words.
"Reyes. A brilliant knight and a dear old friend of mine. I hope his honorable sacrifice on the battlefield to save his comrades is still remembered even after two thousand years."
Zeke picked out the word 'battlefield' from Saturn's words.
"Did you leave your spirit record after the war with the Demon Lord's army, Sword Saint?"
Saturn nodded at Zeke's words.
"Yes. Many were sacrificed in that battle."
"Then was it after you gave the Clock of Chronos to Bahamut?"
"Clock? What is that?"
Judging from Saturn's answer, it seemed he had left his spirit record before the encounter with Bahamut that Zeke had seen.
He waved his hand as if it were nothing and changed the subject.
"In another record left here, I heard that Siemens used dark elves as sacrifices to summon demonkin."
"That's right. After being expelled from Chronos, he joined forces with the orcs and dabbled in forbidden magic to summon demonkin."
"Is it possible that the Siemens you mentioned is from a clan of mages?"
Then, Saturn looked at Zeke with a strange expression.
"Clan? What are you talking about?"
"Excuse me? What..."
"Siemens is a person's name. A disciple of a great sage and the first among the Knights of the Clock Tower to fall into darkness."
Saturn continued, looking at Zeke.
"Siemens Apollion."