"Doctor West? That madman Harvey is the High Priest of Narak?"
Harvey West, who had researched forbidden magic—human transmutation—by gathering corpses.
He hadnʼt merely ended up as a simple madman; he had become the High Priest of Narak and plunged into even more horrific taboos.
After a moment of thought, Zeke looked at the Leader and said, "Harvey West, the High Priest of Narak—you want me to capture him?" The Leader nodded.
"If we donʼt stop him, the large-scale invasions happening in the Phenomenal World right now will continue indefinitely."
He snapped his fingers, and several projections appeared in the air, each showing different scenes.
Zeke was startled by what he saw in the projections.
"Monster Legions?"
Beyond the places he had blocked, gates were opening across the continent, unleashing massive Monster Legions.
The projections also showed members of the High Table and Highlander holding them back.
"Weʼre somehow preventing them from reaching populated areas, but weʼre gradually hitting our limits."
Each Highlander operative was an elite, but they were absolutely outnumbered.
Moreover, the High Table members each had their own assigned territories, making it hard for them to move freely.
Zekeʼs expression hardened as he watched the projections.
"So while I was unaware, the Highlanders have been blocking attacks from these Monster Legions."
If those legions had swarmed simultaneously to strike Zeke from behind or if the Highlanders failed in their defense, the situation would have been vastly different from what it was then.
Zeke turned to the Leader and said, "Very well. Iʼll take on the High Priest of Narak. But can the Highlanders continue blocking these Monster Legion invasions on their own in the meantime?"
The Leader slowly opened his mouth.
"Protecting the balance of the world is our duty, so weʼll do our utmost. However, their forces keep growing, so our power alone is becoming increasingly strained. But since youʼve agreed to deal with the High Priest of Narak, weʼll have to make it work somehow."
"Then how about we form a joint front? Right now, stopping the monsters takes priority over targeting the High Priest of Narak. If the Highlanders reach out to us, weʼll dispatch forces to fight the monsters together."
It was something Zeke had been doing anyway as the Knight of Salvation.
The higher his fame grew, the stronger his influence within the Draker Family would become.
With his ultimate goal of seizing control of the Draker Family, Zeke planned to actively deploy the Black Sword Knight Order to exterminate the monsters and gain real combat experience.
The Leader nodded in agreement with Zekeʼs words.
"Weʼd be grateful for the help. Iʼll assign Adnan and Bodmir—whom youʼve worked with before—as our liaisons. Nabu, as a member of the High Table, will also continue to assist you within the limits of his karma. And..."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Thereʼs a place you must go to confront Harvey West."
"Where is that?"
"The Forest of the Forgotten. Meet Nigel, the Hermit of the Forest, there." Zeke fell silent for a moment.
"The Forest of the Forgotten."
It was a place he knew he had to visit someday, but he couldnʼt bring himself to decide to go right away.
Nigel, his master from his previous life, had enabled Zeke—who couldnʼt open his lower dantian—to wield mana through the middle dantian and had passed on the Full Power Technique. She had been both his benefactor and the being he feared most.
Zeke asked the Leader, "Why do I need to meet the Hermit of the Forest?"
The Leader smiled faintly and replied, "Well... itʼs hard to say exactly, but I have a feeling that you must."
The Leader cited a vague reason, as if he were a prophet.
"I suppose I have to go to the Forest of the Forgotten anyway. Is it an unavoidable fate?"
Zeke quickly made up his mind and nodded.
"Understood."
Hearing Zekeʼs response, the Leader stood from his seat.
"Thatʼs fortunate. To save your precious time, Iʼll lend you a hand."
"Pardon?"
Woooong!
A brilliant light emanated from the Leaderʼs body, extending out to envelop Zeke.
A message appeared before Zekeʼs eyes.
[The transport portal was forcibly activated.]
[Coordinates were set.]
The portal travel system began to activate forcibly.
"How...?"
Woooong—
Just as the portal began to glow and pull Zeke in, the Leader of the Highlander said to him, "May light guide your journey."
With a massive burst of light, Zekeʼs body was sucked into the portal. *
Woooong!
With a massive burst of light, a ship appeared in midair.
Zeke opened his eyes on the deck of the plummeting ship, falling toward the ground.
"What?"
Startled, Zeke deployed the Chamber of Wind Power to catch the falling ship and barely managed a safe landing.
Thud!
A huge cloud of dust rose as the ship settled in the middle of the forest.
Zeke realized he had been transported via portal along with the ship, taking in the suddenly changed scenery.
He woke Richmond and Bane, who were collapsed on the deck.
"Richmond, Bane. Snap out of it."
At Zekeʼs call, Richmond and Bane slowly regained consciousness.
"Ugh... Master. What just happened?"
Richmond clutched his head and barely sat up, then looked around in shock.
"Gasp! M-Master, werenʼt we at sea just a moment ago? S-Suddenly, why is there a forest...!"
Zeke asked Richmond, "Do you not remember entering the underwater city earlier?"
"Pardon? What are you talking about? How could there be a city underwater?"
"...Never mind."
Zeke decided it wasnʼt worth explaining.
'Richmond and Bane must have already lost consciousness by then. The space with the
Leader might not have been reality to begin with.ʼ
It could have been a dreamlike space, similar to when he met the Hermit of Stories.
For now, the current situation was more important, so Zeke jumped off the ship and surveyed the surrounding forest.
'Have I been transported directly into the Forest of the Forgotten?ʼ
The reason the Forest of the Forgotten was a forbidden zone was the endless floods that covered it.
Even Nigel, the forestʼs caretaker, didnʼt know where the floods ended.
Zeke pondered as he looked out over the vast forest.
'First, I need to find where my master is.ʼ
If he took a wrong path and got lost in the floods, he might waste a lot of time here.
Bane and Richmond climbed down from the ship and stood beside Zeke.
"Master, where are we?"
"I sense a frightening aura everywhere."
As an elemental lich, Bane seemed to feel the cursed energy of the floods.
"This is the Forest of the Forgotten."
At Zekeʼs words, Richmond and Bane paled in shock.
"The Forest of the Forgotten? That forbidden place?"
"The cursed forest where once you enter, you can never leave... After the Storm Sea
Region, why come to another forbidden zone, Master?"
Even Bane, who was usually polite, spoke in a tone laced with resentment.
Zeke shook his head at the noisy liches.
Thud!
At that moment, a dull sound came from deeper in the forest.
Richmond and Bane recoiled in fright.
"M-Master! Itʼs a m-monster!"
Zeke clicked his tongue as the liches hid behind him. "You two need to remember your roles as summons..." Rumble!
An even louder dull sound, like trees collapsing, echoed.
'This presence...ʼ
Feeling a familiar aura, Zeke drew Bahamut and aimed his sword toward the source of the sound.
Then it happened.
Roooar!
Trees crashed down, and a massive magical beast emerged from between them.
The bear-like beast was several times larger than a normal bear, with sharp horns protruding from its back.
Seeing the familiar magical beast, Zeke truly felt that he had returned to the Forest of the Forgotten.
'Beast-Bear. A common sight in these woods. Itʼs been a while—nice to see you again.ʼ Oblivious to Zekeʼs sentiment, the Beast-Bear charged at him.
Zeke immediately unleashed an Aura Blade and swung it at the beast.
Boom!
The Aura Blade struck the Beast-Bearʼs body.
Roooar!
The Beast-Bear let out a pained roar upon taking Zekeʼs Aura Blade.
Zeke shook his head at the sight.
'Even an Aura Blade canʼt break through that durability. Feels just like home.ʼ
Zeke dashed forward and swung his sword, infused with Metal Power, with all his might at the Beast-Bear.
Crunch!
The blade tore into the Beast-Bearʼs body like it was grinding it apart with immense physical force.
Roooar!
The Beast-Bear, struck hard, bellowed in agony but lowered its head, opening its maw wide as if to swallow Zeke whole.
At that moment, Zeke raised his sword and poured the power of the Full Power Technique into it.
Sizzle—
The Qi of Connection (Tong) infused Zekeʼs blade.
Roooar!
Bahamut pierced straight through the Beast-Bearʼs throat as it lunged to devour Zeke.
Crunch!
With a deafening noise, the Beast-Bearʼs throat was torn open, and it finally collapsed to the ground, tongue lolling out.
Thud!
Only after Zeke felled the Beast-Bear did Richmond and Bane approach.
Richmond, ever interested in monsters, examined the Beast-Bear with unusual excitement, unlike before.
"Iʼve never seen a monster like this, Master."
"This is closer to a magical beast than a monster. The Forest of the Forgotten is full of all sorts—stay alert."
To recover his strength, Zeke slowly approached the dead Beast-Bear to absorb it.
But then—
Swoosh—
A taut killing intent pulled at the air, sending chills down his spine in an instant.
It felt like a sharp blade was positioned right under his chin.
If he moved, it seemed the blade would immediately pierce his throat.
Even Zeke, a Black Knight, couldnʼt recklessly move under that razor-sharp killing intent.
He sensed it emanating from beyond the forest.
Zeke swallowed dryly.
'This feeling...ʼ
It was that unforgettable sensation from his dream.
Nigel, his master from his previous life.
She had been somewhere beyond the trees.
'I thought using the Full Power Technique would draw her out first, but I didnʼt expect such a quick response.ʼ
The killing intent had reached his throat before he could even sense her presence.
As Zeke froze in front of the Beast-Bear, Richmond and Bane noticed something was off. "Master?" Then it happened.
Slash!
A sharp sword strike flew toward Richmond and Bane.
In an instant, Zeke used the Gale Technique to propel himself forward, deflecting the strike with Bahamut.
Clang!
It was a single blow, but the force was so heavy it made his wrist tingle.
Richmond and Bane recoiled in terror and assumed combat stances.
Zeke urgently shouted, "Donʼt move recklessly!"
He tried to unsummon Richmond and Bane, but before he could, another sword strike came flying.
Swoosh!
Zeke swung his sword again to block it.
Clang!
A heavier strike than before poured down on Zeke relentlessly.
Gritting his teeth, he parried the blows while trying to locate Nigel.
But her presence eluded him.
Then— Woooong!
He felt the aura of the Full Power Technique from behind.
Startled, Zeke finally shouted at Richmond and Bane, "Dismiss the summons!"
Just before Nigelʼs sword, infused with the Full Power Technique, could cleave through Richmond and Bane, Zeke managed to unsummon them.
Sizzle—
The mark of the Full Power Technique lingered where Richmond and Bane had stood.
If it had been the true power of Nigelʼs Full Power Technique, even the souls of the summons Richmond and Bane would have been obliterated.
The figure of Nigel, who had swung the sword, vanished once more.
'Where is she?ʼ
Zeke raised his sword, deploying the Astral Sword to expand his domain.
He extended his will to capture Nigelʼs presence.
But he couldnʼt find any trace of her anywhere.
'Even the domain of the Astral Sword canʼt detect her.ʼ
Then—
In an instant, Nigel appeared behind Zeke.
Her sword was charged with immense Full Power Technique energy.
To evade Nigelʼs sudden attack, Zeke activated the Scabbard Spiritualization Skill.
Sizzle—
Entering the boundary of dimensions, Zeke circled around this time, aiming for an opening behind Nigel.
As he emerged from the dimensional rift through the scabbard, Zeke swung his sword infused with the power of the Astral Sword.
Whoosh!
Nigel fluidly spun her body, countering Zekeʼs descending blade with her own sword charged with the Full Power Technique.
Crunch!
As the Full Power Technique clashed with the Astral Sword, the surrounding space warped.
Both were repelled backward by the powerful shockwave.
Boom boom boom—
Zeke drove his sword into the ground with Metal Power to cushion the impact.
He looked up to see Nigel across from him.
Her appearance, cloaked with a hood, was exactly as in his previous life.
Zeke gripped his sword tightly, suppressing his fear.
Then Nigel lowered her sword and slowly removed her hood.
Her gray hair, tinged with blue and tied in a distinctive coiled style.
Cold amber eyes devoid of any emotion.
A youthful face and petite build that belied her cruel nature.
She looked like a noble lady who had never held a sword.
But Zeke knew the true nature hidden beneath his masterʼs appearance.
Facing his master from his previous life, Zeke steadied his breathing calmly.
Nigel aimed her sword at Zeke and said, "Who are you?"
She bared sharp fangs between her lips, frowning as she added, "Fuck, how the hell can a human use the Full Power Technique?"