Rumble—
Duke Crevan's spear thrust surged past Zeke's domain, aiming straight for the core of his essence.
The duke's spear strike was like a single, unyielding lance.
Zeke raised his hand blade and charged forward to meet the duke's spear.
He unleashed the movements of the Infinite Sword Art against Duke Crevan's attack.
Infinite Sword Art: Black Sword Qi
Black Dragon Emerges from Water
Zeke fused the Infinite Sword Art with his own Black Sword Qi, creating a "sword" unique to him.
A new form of Black Sword Qi, transcending the black gale and black wings, erupted from Zeke's hand.
The form of a black dragon, poised to devour everything, opened its massive maw against Duke Crevan's spear.
The black dragon and the spear collided.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom!
As Zeke's and Duke Crevan's domains clashed, their mutually incompatible powers began to cancel each other out.
Waves emanated from the point of impact, spreading outward.
Whoooong!
The massive waves blew away the thick cloud of dust and enveloped the onlookers beyond.
"Urgh!"
Like a tidal wave, the shockwaves from the clash crashed in, forcing the Black Sword Knight Order to advance and raise their auras to block it.
Just blocking the shockwaves alone depleted all the aura in their lower dantian.
Aul and Andrei, who had taken the brunt of the shockwaves at the front, felt the force directly, and their expressions hardened.
'Is this the true power of a black knight?'
'I still have a long way to go.'
The red knights and blue knights stepped forward to block the shockwaves, but even they could not fully contain the force.
It was then.
A massive wind blew from behind.
Rumble—
A domain of Gale Technique formed, preventing the shockwaves from Zeke and Duke Crevan's clash from affecting them any further.
Regaining their composure, Andrei and Aul turned around.
Surprisingly, Duke stood tall, having erected a domain of Gale Technique to block the shockwaves from the clash.
Andrei and Aul looked at Duke in surprise.
"Sir Duke, have you perhaps reached the realm of black knight...?"
"Have you regained your former realm?"
Once the shockwaves had passed and the situation had somewhat stabilized, Duke released his domain and gave a wry smile.
"It's not perfect yet. Well, it'll improve gradually. Anyway... I knew Duke Crevan was a monster, but I can't even guess where Zeke's potential ends." Hearing Duke's words, Andrei and Aul nodded.
As the dust cloud cleared, Zeke and Duke Crevan emerged, standing atop the devastated central garden.
Zeke had relaxed his hand blade, while Duke Crevan held his spear extended forward.
They stared at each other, frozen in place.
After a long moment like that, Duke Crevan lowered his spear first and spoke to Zeke.
"I'd like another cup of that tea from earlier."
At his words, Zeke also relaxed his stance and nodded politely. "Please come this way. There's a quiet place where we can enjoy tea." Zeke walked slowly toward one side of the garden with Duke Crevan.
The others watched in stunned silence as the two disappeared toward the corner of the garden.
Daria, in particular, wore an incredulous expression.
'I knew Zeke Draker was strong, but to think he'd match the duke...'
She could not see exactly what kind of clash had unfolded amid the dust cloud. But as someone who had received instruction in the Bright King Spear from the duke, Daria could read subtle nuances in his expression.
Satisfaction.
That was the emotion on the duke's face.
Daria sensed the joy of encountering a worthy opponent after a long time, so she believed the two had ended up evenly matched.
It was then that Carus approached Daria.
"What do you think, corps commander? Do you believe that stubborn, obstinate duke will change his mind?"
At Carus's question, Daria pondered before slowly opening her mouth.
"Your Highness, forgive me, but I don't think that's for me to judge." At her words, Carus instead wore a satisfied expression.
"Hmm, if you say that, then it's all the more worth expecting."
Carus gave a subtle smile as he looked toward where Zeke and Duke Crevan had gone.
*
Zeke led Duke Crevan to a secluded spot in the garden.
He pointed to one area and said,
"In the gardens of the Rom Imperial Palace, I always liked this side the best."
Duke Crevan looked puzzled at the spot Zeke indicated—it had a nice view, but no setup for tea.
Then Zeke pulled a table and chairs from his inventory, along with a tea set, causing Duke Crevan to look slightly flustered.
The duke, who rarely showed surprise, could not hide his amazement as the tea party equipment appeared out of nowhere in an instant.
While artifacts could create subspaces, using one for this purpose was a first for him.
"...Do you carry all this around with you normally?"
"You never know when or where you might want tea. Please, sit. The water is at the perfect temperature."
Zeke brewed the tea and poured a cup for the duke.
The duke set aside his surprise, savored the aroma, and sipped.
He soon wore a satisfied expression.
"These days, young knights seem to prefer coffee over tea."
Zeke furrowed his brow at that and replied,
"I can't understand why they like something so black and bitter." The duke nodded in agreement with Zeke's words.
After leisurely finishing his tea, the duke set down his cup and spoke.
"Sir Zeke, do you wish to place Rom under the rule of the Draker family?"
At Duke Crevan's question, Zeke placed his cup on the table and shook his head.
"I have no interest in the Rom Empire. The reason I came here is to capture Abel and Siemens."
At Zeke's answer, Duke Crevan stared at him intently and said,
"You brought Consul Julius, whom you had captured, along with two princes and two imperial legions into Rom. And yet you claim you have no intention of ruling the Rom Empire?"
"It's true that I used their power to draw Abel and Siemens out of Rom, but it wasn't to become Rom's ruler."
To discern the truth in Zeke's words, Duke Crevan peered deeply into his eyes.
The fragments of will he glimpsed in Zeke's eyes were singular.
'A pure longing for freedom.'
The freedom to soar unbound toward what one desires.
Zeke forged his way through a long and arduous journey to attain that freedom.
Duke Crevan remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Even if you have no such intention, the empire's nobles won't see it that way."
As he said, even if the duke believed Zeke, the majority of the imperial nobles and great houses would surely view it as the Drakers seizing the empire by suppressing Rom.
Zeke looked at Duke Crevan and said,
"That's why I have a request for you, Duke."
"A request? What might it be?"
Zeke looked at Duke Crevan and said,
"After an official duel with me in the Colosseum, claim victory and become Prince Leo's guardian."
If Atlas's landmark was the Grand Stadium, then Rom's iconic landmark was the Colosseum.
In the past, Emperor Nero had held grand league tournaments there, where countless knights showcased their skills.
A league champion could seize wealth and honor in one go.
But after Nero descended into madness, obsessing over immortality and becoming a deranged emperor, no more leagues were held in the Colosseum.
Zeke proposed a duel in the Colosseum, which symbolized Rom at its peak.
At his words, Duke Crevan looked at Zeke steadily and said,
"I understand the significance of a duel in the Colosseum. But what do you mean by rigging the outcome to lose on purpose?"
"Using that match as pretext, my Black Sword Knight Order and I will leave the Rom Empire. After that, please take charge as Prince Leo's guardian and support his ascension."
At Zeke's words, Duke Crevan's eyebrow twitched.
He found it hard to believe Zeke would deliberately lose and leave when he had the chance to claim the vast Rom Empire.
As if reading the duke's thoughts, Zeke continued.
"In exchange, I have two requests for you."
"Requests. If there were no conditions, I'd be even more suspicious. Let's hear them."
"First, teach me the spear."
At Zeke's words, Duke Crevan looked surprised.
"You wish to learn the Bright King Spear?"
Zeke shook his head at that.
"It would be impossible for you to pass your secret art to me, a Draker. I've only ever wielded a sword, so the spear itself feels unfamiliar. I want to learn the spear as a weapon from you."
Previously, Zeke had received the Holy King Spearmanship and the holy spear Longominant from the Holy King.
Longominant had transformed into a form similar to Bahamut upon reaching Zeke's hand, but fundamentally, it retained the shape of a spear.
To confront the fallen constellations, he needed to wield Longominant properly, but since Zeke had never truly used a spear, he had been pondering it inwardly.
Now that he had met Duke Crevan, who had reached the pinnacle with the spear, Zeke expressed his desire to learn spear basics from him.
Understanding the intent behind Zeke's request to learn the spear, Duke Crevan nodded.
"Very well. What is the second request?"
With a grave expression, Zeke opened his mouth.
"Siemens has allied with a group called Narak and is trying to resurrect the Demon King in the Phenomenal World."
At the mention of "Demon King" from Zeke's lips, Duke Crevan seemed taken aback and fell silent.
The word Demon King, something from fairy tales or myths, felt alien.
Undeterred by the duke's reaction, Zeke continued his explanation.
"They plan to summon demons and monsters from the Demon Realm to destroy the Phenomenal World and harvest the souls of the innocent. The horrific massacre in Rom is merely an extension of this."
Remembering the gruesome blood purge Abel had committed, Duke Crevan's expression darkened.
He hesitated before slowly speaking.
"Resurrection of the Demon King..."
"It's not some old tale—it's reality. Though not widely known, the War of Liberation a thousand years ago, where Terakan Draker shone, was in truth a war to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King, not an evil dragon."
Duke Crevan's eyes widened at the secret history of the War of Liberation Zeke revealed.
"...How do you know all this?"
"When I received the Blessing of the Fairy King, I learned of the dangers threatening the Phenomenal World."
In urgent times, blaming it on the Blessing of the Fairy King was the most effective excuse.
Duke Crevan nodded, seemingly convinced by the mention of the Blessing of the Fairy King.
Zeke said to him,
"So my second request is that, after stabilizing the Rom Empire by aiding Prince Leo, you help in the impending war against the Demon Realm legions."
Due to Zeke's exploits, Siemens and Narak had lost their bases and were constantly on the defensive.
But after personally encountering Narak's high priest Harvey West, Zeke realized their power was beyond imagination.
He anticipated they were biding their time, and when it came, they would unleash their hidden forces to advance and destroy the Phenomenal World.
To prepare for that, Zeke sought to bring the Rom Empire to his side.
Duke Crevan pondered Zeke's words before nodding.
"Very well. I accept your intentions."
Zeke was surprised by how quickly Duke Crevan decided and asked again.
"Don't you need more time to think? It's not a simple matter."
"In peaceful times, I could afford to stay withdrawn, but from what you've said, now is not the time. The words Demon King and Demon Realm legions don't yet feel real... but if what you say is true, as a black knight of the empire, I cannot stand idle."
Having directly received Zeke's sword, Duke Crevan was certain of one thing about him. Zeke's sword was straight and pure, imbued with strong will.
He sensed that Zeke's epithet "Knight of Salvation" was no empty title, so he decided to trust his words.
Duke Crevan rose from his seat and said,
"First, I can grant your initial request right now."
He said to Zeke,
"Lend me a single sword."