Chapter 226
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Knights wielding combat techniques lunged at Cali.
Cali, dragging her injured body, swung her sword.
Whoosh!
She couldn't use her aura due to the combat techniques, but Cali was originally a knight known by the alias 'Great Strength Sword,' so her natural strength was formidable.
Just swinging her sword generated a powerful gust of wind.
"Ugh."
She was managing to block the attacks somehow, but as her wounds widened, the pain intensified.
Cali gritted her teeth.
'To think it would come to this because of a moment's impatience.'
Bringing only elite troops to this island to move quickly had been a huge miscalculation.
She never imagined that the subordinates she trusted to watch her back would stab her in it.
Cali instinctively felt the aura of death. But she didn't succumb to despair, steadying her breathing and gripping her sword tightly.
'Even if this is the end, I will meet my death honorably, like a knight.'
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
She drew in her power.
Cali's aura reacted with her silver armor.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
White electricity flowed from the silver armor. The white currents, spreading in all directions, converged on Cali's sword.
"Haaaaaaah!"
Lightning took hold of Cali's Great Strength Sword.
Crackling-crackling-crackling!
Powerful lightning streaked towards the knights.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The vibrations emanating from the knights' bodies caused the lightning's trajectory to deviate.
But Cali, as if she didn't care, gripped the lightning-infused sword and charged towards the knights.
Dragon Slayer Art
Silver Knight
Thunderbolt
Cali Draker's secret technique unfolded.
Her body became a streak of lightning, falling towards the knights.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Lightning imbued with immense strength split into numerous tendrils, engulfing the knights' bodies.
Crackling-crackling-crackling!
The force was so overwhelming that even the vibrations couldn't block it.
The knights were enveloped in lightning.
Ddddddd—
The surface of the knights' Hellsion armor, directly struck by the lightning, was charred black.
The knights collapsed to the ground, white steam rising from their bodies.
Having squeezed out every last bit of her strength, Cali gripped her sword and knelt down.
"Ugh."
She felt like she would collapse at any moment.
Just as she was barely holding onto consciousness, the knights who had fallen began to rise again.
Crack-crack-crack!
Cali was aghast as she watched the knights move without any apparent damage, even after directly receiving the full force of lightning that no human body could withstand.
'How can this be...?'
She knew their abilities better than anyone, as they were her own subordinates.
With the strength of Blue Knights, they shouldn't have been able to endure Thunderbolt.
Cali desperately tried to stand up amidst her despair, but her body had already reached its limit.
The knights, their armor scorched, slowly approached Cali, swords in hand.
Cali somehow lifted her sword and swung it towards the knights.
But her body trembled violently just from holding the sword.
Soon, aura blades erupted from their swords. And their color was as dark as pitch black.
Red light glowed within the knights' helmets.
It was the moment the magic-infused swords were about to fall upon Cali.
"Cali, big sister!"
A familiar voice rang in Cali's ears.
'This voice... could it be?'
Zeke, wielding Bahamut, leaped into the air and charged towards the knights as if diving down.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
He swung his sword at the knight in front of Cali, sending him flying straight into the wall.
Crash!
Zeke's gold-infused sword couldn't be blocked even by the vibrations of the combat techniques.
The knights' red eyes glowed even more intensely as they saw the suddenly appearing Zeke.
Zeke took a stance, facing the four knights surrounding him.
Spot!
Zeke's body vanished in an instant, penetrating the blind spot of the knight furthest inside.
Thwack!
The knight's side caved in deeply from a single strike of the gold-infused sword.
The knight tumbled and crashed into the wall.
Zeke didn't stop and unleashed shockwaves using his Forceful Vibration technique.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The knights were taken aback by Zeke's combat technique, and they also emitted their own shockwaves.
However, they couldn't negate Zeke's Forceful Vibration. Zeke's resonance field was stronger and wider.
Zeke's sword, taking advantage of the hesitant knight's opening, pierced straight through.
Clang!
The knight, whose helmet was struck by the powerful sword strike, spun around and crashed to the ground.
The remaining two knights faltered and retreated backward.
Zeke raised his aura blade towards the knights and swung a crescent moon-shaped strike.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The knights, struck by the crescent blade and sent flying, lay motionless.
In that gap, Zeke approached Cali.
"Big sister, are you alright?"
Cali, supported by Zeke, barely managed to stand up.
"Z-Zeke. How did you get here...?"
"I came to help you, big sister. I'll explain in detail later, but first, let's get you to safety."
Zeke noticed that Cali's injuries were quite severe.
He could have healed her immediately, but he hadn't shown Cali all of his power yet, so he decided to prioritize getting them to a safer place first.
Just then, Peter Pan gestured from the back.
"This way! Hurry!"
Cali flinched at the sight of Peter Pan.
"It's alright, big sister. Peter Pan and the Merfolk have agreed to cooperate with us."
At Zeke's words, Cali wore a bewildered expression and hesitated as if she couldn't believe it.
Ignoring Cali's suspicion, Zeke supported her and ran towards where Peter Pan was gesturing.
As they moved deeper into the cave, Peter Pan looked back and shouted.
"T-those guys! They're alive again!"
The knights who had been struck down by Zeke were getting back up and chasing them.
On top of that, Fiends and Black Mages who had come in response to a signal had joined them.
Some of the Black Mages even summoned monsters.
"Go and catch them, quickly!"
Grrrrrrrr!
Wolf-like monsters summoned by the Black Mages bared their sharp teeth and chased after Zeke's group.
"Get lost, you bastards!"
Peter Pan summoned a stream of water and shot it towards the monsters.
The monsters nimbly dodged the water stream and charged even faster.
Zeke shouted to Peter Pan.
"Take big sister and go while I hold them back!"
Immediately handing Cali over, Zeke's action caught Peter Pan off guard, but he caught Cali.
"Ugh, she's too heavy."
Even though it was made of Mithril, the armor itself was quite heavy, exceeding the weight Peter Pan could handle alone.
He summoned a stream of water to support Cali and ran forward.
Confirming that Peter Pan and Cali were moving, Zeke unleashed Holy Fire towards the approaching demonic beasts.
Whoosh!
The Holy Fire formed into a shield shape, blocking the monsters' advance.
Grrrrrrrr!
The monsters couldn't approach further due to the aura of the Holy Fire.
In that moment when the monsters hesitated, Zeke extended his hand and spread the flames of the Holy Fire in all directions.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
As the shield exploded, fragments of Holy Fire scattered everywhere.
The monsters struck by the Holy Fire writhed in agony and were engulfed in flames, disappearing.
Because of the Holy Fire that didn't extinguish even after eliminating the monsters, the inside of the cave was entirely enveloped in fiery light, preventing the Black Mages and Fiends from advancing further.
"Damn it! Put out that fire quickly! Hurry!"
The Black Mage forcibly sent the Fiends into the flames.
The Holy Fire clung to the Fiends' armor, burning away not only the magic but also the inside of their bodies.
Tssssssss—
Seeing the Fiend turn to ash from the power of the Holy Fire, the Black Mage gritted his teeth.
"Damn it! We'll go around the side!"
As the Black Mages retreated, Zeke ran towards where Peter Pan and Cali were.
In that moment, unable to find where they had gone, Zeke heard Peter Pan's voice.
"This way!"
The cave was connected to a vast cavern.
Zeke leaped towards the cavern where Peter Pan was calling.
But then, he heard the sound of something chasing him from behind.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Despite the Holy Fire clinging to their bodies, the knights were chasing Zeke, their red eyes glowing fiercely.
'Were those guys injected with stimulants too?'
The fact that they didn't feel pain and kept recovering and getting back up even after their bodies were broken wasn't normal.
As Zeke entered the chamber, he plunged Bahamut into the ground.
Then, he unleashed Forceful Vibration, invoking his ultimate technique, 'Will of Explosion.'
Crumble-rumble-rumble!
The cave shook from the Will of Explosion, and soon the ceiling began to collapse with a crash.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The knights, instantly buried under the pile of rubble that poured down, could no longer move.
The pile of rocks completely blocked the entrance to the chamber, cutting off even the Black Mages.
Peter Pan, seeing the dust cloud rise and the entrance completely blocked, finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Hoo. What kind of freaks were those?"
Zeke rushed over to Cali.
Cali's face had turned as white as paper, and her breathing was on the verge of stopping.
Zeke drew Roland and used Recovery.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
Warm light permeated Cali's body, but she didn't fully regain consciousness.
Zeke used Healing Factor to treat her wounds and even took out a potion and fed it to her.
Fortunately, her complexion returned, but she didn't regain consciousness.
Peter Pan asked Zeke from behind.
"I-is she dead?"
Zeke checked Cali's pulse and shook his head.
"No, she's just unconscious. She'll wake up after some time."
They had almost been too late.
She had suffered severe internal injuries from using her aura excessively while wounded.
Zeke could heal his own internal injuries with Healing Factor, but it was difficult to heal others' internal injuries with a area of effect buff.
'I need to get her to a safe place and heal her quickly.'
Zeke got up and looked around.
"Peter Pan, where is this place?"
At his question, Peter Pan shook her head.
"I don't know exactly. I only know that this is the end of these ruins."
Then, she added that she had thoroughly searched the ruins because of the Empire's demands, but hadn't found any particular relics or the Pirate King's treasure.
Zeke nodded and decided to go inside to find a way out.
"I'll go take a look. You stay here and protect big sister."
He placed a Holy Fire near Peter Pan and examined the inside.
Just as Peter Pan had said, the ceiling above was wide open, indicating the end of the ruins, and light streamed in.
'If I climb up there, maybe I can get out.'
Just as Zeke thought he could fly up using his dragon wings and reached out to climb the wall,
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The wall began to react to Zeke's mana.
[Would you like to enter the Tomb of the Deep Sea Clan?]
Zeke was taken aback by the suddenly appearing message.
'Tomb of the Deep Sea Clan?'
Zeke remembered the tomb of the Dragon Slayer he had found in the library.
When Zeke chose to enter, unlike before, it wasn't a portal but the wall that moved.
Crumble-rumble-rumble!
One side of the wall slid open, revealing a passage leading inside. Zeke slowly entered the passage.
Inside was a space decorated like a shrine, and thousands of jars were enshrined within the walls.
'Is this the Tomb of the Deep Sea Clan?'
As Zeke looked around, he heard Peter Pan's surprised voice from behind.
"Good heavens!"
She had placed Cali on a bed made of water and entered the tomb.
She asked Zeke in surprise,
"H-how did you find this place?"
She must have heard the loud noise when the tomb door opened and came this way.
Zeke asked Peter Pan,
"Do you know what this place is?"
She nodded.
"Yes, this is a place that's practically sacred to the Deep Sea Clan. When Deep Sea Clan members die, they turn into pearls, and they enshrine them in those jars."
Zeke had never heard that Deep Sea Clan members turned into pearls when they died.
Zeke looked around the tomb with a newfound interest and said,
"I need to see if there's another way connected to this place. To see if I can move with big sister."
"I can manage that much."
When Peter Pan placed the water bed on the ground, it began to move on its own like a slime, following her.
Zeke and Peter Pan entered deeper into the tomb. After passing through a narrow passage, another wide space appeared.
"What is this place...?"
The space seemed to be built in the Deep Sea Clan's unique architectural style; the walls and floor were covered in tiles with distinctive patterns, and there were passages connected to the sea like wells in various places.
"Did they travel between the sea and land through here?"
"Yes, among the Deep Sea Clan, only the descendants of the Sea God can ascend to land. So, the fact that this place is on land means that only a limited number of Deep Sea Clan members could enter."
"Can't the Merfolk travel between both the sea and land?"
"The Merfolk are hybrids of the Deep Sea Clan and humans. The Deep Sea Clan disappeared, and only the hybrids remained, living for a long time and evolving into the Merfolk who can travel between both land and sea."
Zeke listened to Peter Pan's explanation and went further inside.
The inner part of the Deep Sea Clan's sacred ground was built like a pier.
And surprisingly, a ship was floating where the seawater came in.
'What's a ship doing here?'
Just then, Peter Pan shouted, looking at the ship.
"Wait, that ship... it looks like the Triangle?"
Zeke turned to Peter Pan and asked,
"The Triangle?"
Peter Pan pointed at the ship and said,
"That one! That's Captain Kidd's ship!"