Slash!
Shattan Draker's sword came crashing down toward Zeke, infused with tremendous power.
Clang!
Zeke blocked it with Bahamut, but the impact was so forceful that the ground beneath his feet sank deeply.
Shattan twisted his body midair and swung his sword again in rapid succession.
Whoosh!
Zeke retreated while calmly parrying Shattan's strikes.
Boom!
The clash of their swords unleashed a shockwave that exploded outward.
Shattan looked pleased and let out an exclamation of admiration.
"That's a fine strike! Excellent!" But his sword did not stop there.
Hummm!
Shattan's sword let out a long, resonant cry.
At the same time, an aura rippled along the blade.
Zeke gripped Bahamut tightly, sensing the power of the aura infused in Shattan's sword.
'What is that power?'
It appeared to be an aura blade, but it felt different from a typical one.
As Zeke tensed and stayed on guard, Shattan swung his sword toward him.
Kaching!
Zeke blocked the strike, but his body was flung backward, floating in the air.
He quickly steadied his breathing, focused his mind, and unleashed the Astral Sword.
Hummmm!
The domain of the Astral Sword expanded, placing the space under Zeke's control.
He immediately thrust the Astral Sword toward Shattan.
Kiiiiiing—
His sword tore through the very space where Shattan stood.
Then, the aura embedded in the blade spread across Shattan's entire body, forming a faint halo of light like a protective barrier.
Crackle—
Zeke's Astral Sword failed to pierce Shattan's barrier and passed harmlessly by.
Shattan steadied his breathing once more and pointed his sword at Zeke.
Zeke stared in disbelief at Shattan, who had effortlessly deflected the Astral Sword.
'How in the world...'
Shattan glanced at Zeke's stunned face, then lowered his sword and approached him.
"You've grown a great deal since we last met, Zeke Draker."
Zeke also sheathed his sword and bowed slightly in greeting toward Shattan.
"When I saw you in the Inverted Tower before, I thought you were a recorded spirit body, but that wasn't the case?"
Shattan shook his head at Zeke's immediate question after the greeting.
"No, the one you saw in that tower was indeed a recorded spirit body. And the me you see now is a heroic spirit materialized here in physical form."
"Does that mean the records of the spirit body were transferred even to the heroic spirit?" Shattan nodded at Zeke's words.
"I didn't know it at the time of recording the spirit body, but once I crossed over to the 'other side' in the form of a heroic spirit, I learned many things. To put it simply, I, as the heroic spirit, absorbed the karma data recorded in the spirit body and inherited the memories of my encounter with you, Zeke Draker."
Zeke, who had somewhat adapted to the principles of the Kabbalah System, understood Shattan Draker's explanation.
"Then, Sword Saint, are you in the same place as Hero King Kaisir?" At that, Shattan gave a wry smile.
"Master Kaisir remains in the Fairy Realm, so it's a different dimension from where I am. It's not impossible for him to move if he wishes, but... it seems he's holding back due to the complicated processes involved and the unknown impact it might have on the Phenomenal World."
"So there's a higher dimension for transcendents separate from the Fairy Realm."
"In simple terms, yes. Among ourselves, we call this place Peach Blossom Paradise. It's a realm that exists between the Celestial Realm where the constellations reside and the Phenomenal World."
"Peach Blossom Paradise..."
It wasn't entirely unfamiliar to Zeke, as Hoshgar, who had been Terakan Draker's comrade, had also left the Phenomenal World for a higher dimension.
'Transcendents of that level could disrupt the Phenomenal World, so karma compels them to move in the form of heroic spirits. That place must be Peach Blossom Paradise.' Shattan spoke to Zeke, who was lost in thought.
"It's hard to define Peach Blossom Paradise with human senses." He changed the subject.
"In any case, I'm glad you've come this far, Zeke. I was curious who would inherit not only my insights but also the legacy of the Draker Family."
"Were you the one who founded the Absolute Sword House Draker, Sword Saint?" Shattan nodded.
"Yes. Even after creating the True Dragon Sword Technique and passing down the aura training method to humanity, I continued wandering the continent, deep in contemplation."
"What kind of contemplation?"
"About the complete annihilation of the Demon King." Zeke looked puzzled upon hearing Shattan's words.
"I heard that the Demon King was sealed in the Book of the Lion using the power of the
Great Sage at the time. Even in that state, were you searching for a way to annihilate the
Demon King?"
Shattan nodded.
"After the Demon King was sealed, I roamed the continent, eliminating the remnants of the Demon King's army. But even then, followers plotting the Demon King's revival were already scheming in the shadows."
Zeke knew those followers had persisted for thousands of years, eventually forming the Narak faction.
Shattan continued with a grim expression.
"I believed they would find a way to revive the Demon King no matter what. Therefore, I had to find a method to completely annihilate the sealed Demon King." Zeke's face showed realization upon hearing this.
"The only ones who can completely annihilate the Demon King are immortals... Were you searching for the power of immortality?" Shattan nodded.
"Yes, paradoxically, an immortal is the Demon King's ideal vessel, but also the only being capable of annihilating him. Seeking an immortal creates an opportunity to destroy the Demon King, but it also risks providing a new vessel for his revival." Zeke furrowed his brow upon hearing this.
Shattan spoke slowly.
"I ultimately decided to take that risk and seek the power of immortality. And in the end, I found a clue to it."
"What was it?"
Though Zeke himself possessed the power of an immortal, it had come through a series of coincidences leading to the Immortal class, so he knew little about it.
Shattan slowly opened his mouth.
"What I focused on was the common thread between the two immortals who had appeared in the world."
"The Godslayer and Siemens Apollyon?"
"Yes. And surprisingly, I discovered that Siemens Apollyon was a descendant of the Godslayer."
Zeke was startled by Shattan's words.
"The Godslayer's bloodline connects all the way to Siemens Apollyon?"
"When Master Kaisir first decided to adopt Siemens, I don't know if he was aware of it, but from my investigations, that was the case. Siemens's bloodline traces back to the Godslayer."
Zeke had never imagined that the two immortals shared the same bloodline.
As Zeke organized his thoughts in shock, he asked Shattan. "Then, Sword Saint, do you know the identity of the Godslayer?" Shattan nodded at that.
"Yes. After the war, the Knights of the Clock Tower disbanded, but some close allies sided with my cause and helped me. Especially with the aid of Jerome, the Knight of Wisdom, I was able to uncover the truth."
Zeke took a step closer to Shattan and asked.
"What is the identity of the Godslayer? The one who first fell and became the Demon King."
Shattan hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking.
"The identity of the Godslayer... is Solomon, the king of Carcosa."
"What?"
Zeke's mind went blank upon hearing Shattan's words.
"You're saying King Solomon was the Godslayer and the first to fall, becoming the Demon King?"
Shattan nodded.
"Yes. According to Jerome's investigation, Solomon lost Carcosa, the city he ruled, due to the constellations and walked the path of the Godslayer. He slew the constellations with the power of immortality, absorbed their strength, and grew ever more powerful.
But eventually, he was consumed by that power, fell into corruption, and became the
Demon King."
"My god..."
Zeke, who had been tracking the Godslayer's identity, had never suspected it was King Solomon.
'The ring that can seal demons and demonkind... Solomon used that ring to seal demons and wielded their powers against the other constellations.'
Though the details were unclear, Zeke felt that the Ring of Solomon coming into his possession was no mere coincidence.
At that moment, Shattan continued.
"Upon learning that Siemens Apollyon's bloodline ultimately traced back to Solomon, the king of Carcosa, I pursued that lineage. And surprisingly... I discovered that Siemens Apollyon had left behind a bloodline from his time as a human." Zeke flinched in surprise at those words.
"Wait... Sword Saint. Does that mean what I think it does?" Shattan nodded.
"Yes. I adopted that bloodline of Siemens Apollyon as my own and gave them the family name. But at that time, I had little time left to remain in the Phenomenal World. So, I entrusted my comrades to train the immortal's bloodline and raise a savior to annihilate the Demon King upon his return. And that marks the beginning of the Absolute Sword House Draker."
Zeke's mind seemed to freeze.
'The origins of the Draker Family trace back to Solomon, king of Carcosa, and that bloodline extends through Siemens Apollyon... to Terakan Draker, and now to me.' It wasn't coincidence that Zeke could awaken the power of an immortal.
The immortal power had been embedded in the Draker bloodline all along.
Seeing Zeke in shock, Shattan placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.
"Zeke Draker, steel your resolve. The power of immortality has connected to you across the ages. It means you are the one and only being who can annihilate the Demon King." Zeke looked at Shattan and said.
"If... I become the Demon King's vessel, what happens then?" Shattan fell silent before slowly replying.
"The Phenomenal World would fall into the Demon King's grasp. No one in the current
Phenomenal World could stop a Demon King with complete immortality."
Siemens Apollyon had been halted before fully becoming the Demon King by numerous heroes, a homunculus modeled after Hero King Kaisir's power, and the combined might of the Great Sage.
The War of Liberation had ended with Bahamut's sacrifice, trapping the Demon King's soul in her body, which Terakan Draker then sealed in the Book of the Lion.
The Demon King had never once occupied a complete immortal's body.
If the Demon King descended upon Zeke, who was both an immortal and possessed elder dragon power, stopping him would be nearly impossible.
Shattan looked at Zeke and said.
"I intend to prevent the Demon King's descent upon you by passing down my final insights and the legacy of Draker."
"Is it possible to block the Demon King's descent?"
"I hope it helps, but I can't guarantee it. In the end, it all depends on your will." No matter how strong Shattan was, Zeke was the one with the power of immortality.
Zeke thought seriously for a moment before nodding.
"Nothing has changed from before. If I grow stronger and annihilate the Demon King, it will be resolved. I won't overthink it."
Shattan nodded with a satisfied, proud expression at Zeke's response.
"Excellent. Then, first, I shall pass on to you the legacy of the Draker Family."
Tss tss tss—
The energy flowing from Shattan's body began to be absorbed into Zeke.
At the same time, a message appeared before his eyes.
[Large volume of karma data is being transferred from Sword Saint Shattan Draker.]
[The karma data is being stored in the secure archives. Would you like to create a separate folder?]
Unlike last time, Zeke created a folder named "Draker Family Legacy" instead of "Anything."
[Large volumes of data on swordsmanship, martial techniques, and grimoires are stored in the corresponding folder.]
[It includes numerous lost ancient knowledge that no longer exists.]
Zeke quickly scanned the contents stored in the folder.
'This is insane. From the Chronos era onward, the secret manuals of lost ancient kingdoms, as well as grimoires...'
Invaluable materials beyond current valuation had been passed to Zeke through Shattan.
Once the massive data had fully transferred to Zeke's secure archives, the light emanating from Shattan's body faded.
"Whew. The transfer is finally complete. Since I'm in heroic spirit form, I included some updated content as well."
"Is all this the legacy of the Draker Family?"
"To be precise, it's the legacy of the old era. It's the restoration of countless records lost through long wars."
Even combining the current Draker, Nirvana, and Ishtar families wouldn't yield this much ancient knowledge and secret manuals.
Zeke embodied a living museum and history itself.
With the transfer complete, Shattan raised his sword.
"The legacy has all been passed on, so what remains is my final insight." He looked at Zeke and said.
"Watch closely, Zeke. This is the secret art I attained in my later years. The Heart-Sword."