[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 99
"These crazy bastards!"
Zeke gritted his teeth as he saw the outlaws popping up endlessly like cockroaches.
He urged his horse forward and rejoined Karus and the others.
Zeke cast an Area of Effect Buff and activated Healing Factor.
Woooong!
Everyone, including the horses, recovered temporarily.
Due to the urgent situation, the others didn't notice and just continued to gallop forward.
Just then, a massive sandstorm began to blow in front of them in the wasteland.
Simon shouted,
"Boss! It's Ishtar's territory ahead!"
"Keep going!"
Zeke's party entered the sandstorm.
The pursuing outlaws, recognizing Ishtar's territory, gradually stopped their pursuit.
However, the hounds did not cease their chase.
They also dashed into the sandstorm.
Zeke gritted his teeth as he watched them.
"Those persistent bastards..."
Zeke had nothing but bad experiences with the hounds, even in his past life.
He shouted to Simon,
"I'll take care of them! You guys keep going without stopping!"
Zeke turned his horse around and charged towards the hounds in the sandstorm.
The wind blew more fiercely, making it difficult to see clearly.
However, Zeke, using the Dragon Eye skill, could see the hounds through the sandstorm.
'About twenty Purple Knights. There seems to be a Blue Knight mixed in as well. How can the Empire produce so many knights?'
The Draker clan surpassed the Empire in the number of Blue and Black Knights, but the Empire had an overwhelmingly larger number of Purple Knight level troops.
Zeke had even encountered a group of hounds in his past life that consisted entirely of Blue Knights with a Red Knight mixed in.
Whooong!
Zeke unleashed a gale towards the charging hounds using the Wind Force Field.
Kwakwakwakwa!
The gale, mixed with the swirling sandstorm, swept over the hounds.
The commander leading the hound unit shouted,
"Damn it! That bastard is using magic!"
To the people of this era who didn't know about Elemental Sword, it undoubtedly looked like he was using magic.
Zeke cut down the hounds who had fallen from their horses amidst the gale.
"Kyaak!"
Blinded by the sandstorm, the hounds couldn't avoid Zeke's sword.
Just then, a sword flash gleamed behind Zeke.
Whooong!
A Blue Knight swung his aura blade.
Whoosh!
Zeke dodged the sword with Phantom.
Then, he immediately concentrated mana throughout his body and charged into the knight's horse with a body slam.
Crash!
Hieeeing!
The horse, struck by Zeke's attack, toppled over.
The knight riding the horse immediately got up and charged at Zeke again.
"Haaaat!"
Zeke, with his sword imbued with aura, deflected the hound's sword, which was enveloped in an aura blade.
"Keuk!"
His wrist stinging from the tremendous shock, the Blue Knight retreated instead of attacking again.
He shouted to the other hounds,
"Catch him! I'll chase after the prince!"
Then, he quickly turned around, mounted another hound's horse, and galloped towards Karus.
Zeke, in his urgency, had no choice but to assume the Dragon Slayer Style - Horseman stance.
Woooong!
A crescent-shaped aura shot out from his sword.
Chwaaaaak!
The Blue Knight, galloping on horseback, was struck by the crescent aura Zeke had unleashed from behind and fell from his horse.
He didn't die, probably because he was wearing armor underneath.
"Keuk! That bastard! He's a Draker!"
The hound recognized Zeke's Dragon Slayer Style instantly.
Zeke clenched his teeth.
If even one of them escaped here, there was a risk of his identity being exposed.
Zeke concentrated and raised Bahamut.
Woooong!
Aura surged from the sword.
Zeke's body moved like a gale.
Dragon Slayer Art - Applied Form
Gale Technique
Wind Blade
Like the wind transforming into a blade, sharp sword attacks poured out from Zeke's body as he ran like the wind.
Chwa-la-la-la-rak!
Weaving through the hounds, Zeke's sword, becoming one with the wind, beheaded them, pierced their hearts, and severed their limbs.
"Kuaaak!"
The hounds couldn't defend against Zeke's attacks, which had become one with the sandstorm.
After a gust of wind passed, all the hounds lay fallen.
Zeke approached the Blue Knight, who was still alive, with his sword raised.
The Blue Knight gritted his teeth as he looked at Zeke.
"Damn Drakers. The Empire's flames will burn you all...!"
Slice!
Before he could finish his sentence, Zeke's sword beheaded him.
Zeke contemplated how to dispose of the knights' bodies, which bore traces of the Dragonslayer Style, then gathered them in one place and placed his hand on them.
"Power of Decay."
He tried using the power he had gained from consuming the ancient dragon species.
Then, starting from the body touched by Zeke's hand, decay slowly began to set in.
Tsssss
The bodies decayed at a rapid pace, and in the end, even the armor and swords they were wearing were completely corroded and scattered with the sandstorm.
Zeke was astonished to see the bodies disappear in an instant.
"So this is the Power of Decay... If used well, it could be a formidable weapon."
Zeke disposed of the hounds' bodies with the Power of Decay, mounted a surviving warhorse, and galloped towards Karus and his party.
He quickly moved through the raging sandstorm towards his companions, and when he almost reached them,
Something felt strange.
'What's that...?'
Simon and Boris were collapsed, bleeding, with swords in their hands, and Karus was pointing a crossbow at someone.
Zeke jumped off his horse and activated Gale Technique.
Whoosh!
Zeke swung his sword at the enemy approaching Karus.
Kwaching!
The enemy deflected Zeke's aura-infused sword with a dagger.
Zeke stood in front of Karus and pointed his sword at the enemies.
The two people standing before Zeke had slender figures, wore clothes made of plain cloth, and their faces were covered with chadors.
There was only one place with such unique attire.
'Ishtar's Mystics.'
Zeke threw a potion to Simon and asked,
"What happened?"
Simon applied the potion to his wounds, then used the rest on Boris, who had deeper injuries, before answering,
"They suddenly appeared and attacked us."
Zeke, with his sword still pointed, asked the Ishtar Mystics,
"Why did you attack us?"
One of them stepped forward and said,
"You have violated Ishtar's expulsion order and entered our territory."
It was an unspoken rule that when the Ishtar clan issued an expulsion order, no one could enter their territory.
Zeke glared at them and said,
"So you're saying you attack without even listening to our circumstances?"
"We prioritize the clan's expulsion order above all else. Those who ignore the sacred sandstorm's warning and enter cannot have good intentions. There is only the judgment bestowed by the Earth God."
The Ishtar clan was known for being stubborn and inflexible, so there was no point in further conversation.
Zeke took a deep breath and slowly spoke.
Ancient Eastern words flowed from his mouth.
"In the name of the Earth God, I wish to determine the validity of the transgression against the expulsion order through an honorable duel."
The Ishtar warrior was surprised by Zeke's words.
"Y-You! How... How do you know the sacred Earth Law!"
The Ishtar clan strictly adhered to their long-standing clan laws.
Among the laws of the Ishtar clan, there was one that was prioritized above all else.
Sacred Judgment by Warrior's Duel.
The Earth God they worshipped was also the god of warriors.
Therefore, there was a law stating that when someone committed a sin or a problem arose, an honorable duel between warriors would be held, and the result would reveal the Earth God's judgment.
Since Ishtar was the most secluded place on the continent, naturally, no one outside knew about this law.
However, Zeke knew about Ishtar's law due to his experience in a special organization in his past life.
The Ishtar warriors were visibly flustered by the sudden mention of the warrior's law.
Just then, the person who had been quietly watching from behind stepped forward.
The other warriors were surprised.
"M-My Lady, are you going to participate in the duel?"
The warrior nodded and stood before Zeke.
The Ishtar warrior soon held uniquely shaped daggers in both hands.
The blades were wavy, like ripples in water.
Zeke knew those daggers were unique weapons of the Ishtar clan.
'To think they're using those daggers. It seems they're a warrior of considerable status within the clan.'
Ishtar, one of the three Transcendent clans.
They were a clan of Mystics, different from the knights of the Central Continent.
They strengthened their bodies using mystic arts, and then displayed a unique fighting style that combined martial arts, hidden weapons, and poison techniques.
As Zeke was recalling information about Ishtar, the Ishtar warrior took a stance with their daggers.
Zeke also took the Dragon Slayer stance with Bahamut.
He couldn't let his guard down for even a moment when facing an Ishtar Mystic.
Whoosh!
The Ishtar warrior charged towards Zeke first.
Paching!
The warrior swung their daggers with animalistic agility.
Zeke was pushed back by the force imbued in the daggers.
'What tremendous power.'
Zeke also concentrated his powers in his sword and clashed with the warrior's daggers.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal colliding rang out as the sword and daggers clashed.
The warrior's attacks were relentless, wielding their daggers in a dance-like flurry of movements and displaying sharp hidden weapon techniques. Zeke also swung his sword with all his might.
'They're strong.'
Central Continent swordsmanship had evolved to be optimized for aura cultivation.
However, the Ishtar clan's mystic arts focused on efficient killing techniques.
As a result, the warriors of the Ishtar clan were all undoubtedly experts in killing.
They were specialists in killing, on a different level from mere assassins.
Paching!
With the ceaseless barrage of attacks, Zeke couldn't find a proper opening to use the Dragon Slayer Art.
Zeke stepped back and changed his stance.
"Whew."
Taking a breath and assuming the Elemental Sword stance, Zeke activated the Water Force Field.
Whoosh!
Among the techniques he had learned from Kaisir, the Water Force Field was the most difficult to master.
Zeke's sword moved as smoothly as flowing water.
Paching!
The Ishtar warrior was taken aback by the sudden change in the flow of the sword.
Unlike the knights of the Central Continent, they couldn't find the timing to use their aura, so they focused on defense, but now Zeke was wielding a completely different swordsmanship.
Chwa-la-la-lak!
Although the speed was slower than the sword Zeke had been wielding until now, it was even more flawless than before.
The Ishtar warrior felt the flow of their sword dance being disrupted by Zeke's sword.
In the end, the Ishtar warrior, unable to properly execute their hidden weapon techniques due to Zeke's sword constantly piercing through the gaps in their movements, had to retreat.
Wheeeing!
A sandstorm blew between Zeke and the Ishtar warrior.
They glared at each other, unmoving.
They appeared to be standing still, but in reality, a fierce exchange of attacks and defenses was taking place.
Another Ishtar warrior, observing this, was astonished.
'Oh my god. To think there was a warrior who could fight My Lady on equal footing.'
She was called the greatest genius in the history of the Ishtar clan.
Even the most skilled warriors in the clan were no match for her sword dance.
No one in the clan could defeat her in martial arts, so it was surprising to see an outsider who had invaded their territory fighting her as an equal.
It was then.
Whoosh!
The two dashed towards each other simultaneously.
Zeke's sword swept through the sandstorm, drawing a massive wave.
Whooooong!
The Ishtar warrior, running towards the wave-like sword attack, spun their body with their daggers and rode the wave.
Chwa-la-la-lak!
The warrior, riding the wave, smoothly spun their body once more, leaped into the air, and unleashed their hidden weapon techniques towards Zeke.
A whirlwind kick carrying immense power descended upon Zeke.
Kwakwakwakwang!
A massive explosion erupted where Zeke was standing, sending sand flying in all directions.
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]