Episode 231
Advanced Dragon-Slaying Technique
Black Sword Technique
Black Wind
A fierce black wind swirled from Zeke’s sword.
Poseidon, who had neutralized the dragon’s breath, immediately thrust his spear towards the black wind.
Boom!
The invisible force from the spear dissipated the black wind.
Poseidon watched Zeke, who had broken through a new level, with admiration.
“He really broke through the barrier.”
Even Terracan Draker took over a thousand days to break through his barrier.
Yet Zeke had surpassed it with a single moment of enlightenment.
“Survival instinct can sometimes be a more terrifying force than any talent.”
Poseidon himself was one of those who had experienced this.
Among the dragons wielding absolute power, he had quietly swung his spear for thousands of years.
But eventually, he surpassed the limits of a dragon, and even Bahamut, the Shadow Dragon hailed as the strongest, couldn’t withstand his spear.
Poseidon, who had earned the title of Divine Dragon, could only be properly challenged by the Hero King.
With these thoughts, Poseidon attempted to retrieve his spear after neutralizing Zeke’s black sword technique.
But then, something astonishing happened.
The black wind, thought to be completely dissipated, revived and wrapped around Poseidon’s body.
“What is this?”
Boom!
Like a small ember reigniting, Zeke’s black sword technique stubbornly came back to life.
Poseidon watched the intangible energy swirling around him, creating a black storm, and felt pure admiration.
“Is this the power of immortality beyond survival?”
Power always reflects the soul of its master.
With a smile, Poseidon raised his spear high and then struck it down to the ground.
Crash!
The invisible force he unleashed erased the black storm in an instant.
Poseidon, who had been floating in the air, slowly descended to the ground.
Landing gracefully, he looked at Zeke.
Zeke stood upright with his sword, unconscious.
He had literally exhausted all his strength to surpass his limits.
Poseidon approached Zeke.
He was impressed by Zeke’s pure and intense desire.
As Poseidon looked at Zeke, he struck his spear into the ground with a thud.
Then, a brilliant light flashed from the spirit regeneration device, enveloping the entire space.
“Huh?”
Zeke regained consciousness and sprang to his feet.
“What happened?”
The reason for Zeke’s surprise was that his surroundings were completely different from where he had been before losing consciousness.
Instead of a neatly organized artificial facility, he found himself in a natural setting, a mystical place with grass, trees, and a small lake.
It seemed that during his unconscious state, the trial of the Sea God had ended, and he had been transported to another space.
“Am I back on the island?”
But the atmosphere was too different to be the Sea God’s island.
This place felt like an idyllic world straight out of mythology.
At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[You have an unread message.]
“What is this?”
Zeke quickly checked the message.
[You have overcome the trial of the Sea God.]
[You have been acknowledged by Poseidon, the Divine Dragon.]
[As a reward, your passive skill ‘Steadfast Mental Defense’ has evolved into ‘Indomitable Will.’]
[You have created a new special technique, ‘Black Sword Technique.’]
[You have surpassed your limits and pioneered a new realm.]
[Your soul’s rank has increased.]
[The proficiency of your special skill ‘Soul Blade’ has increased.]
[The proficiency of your special skill ‘Sacred Flame’ has increased.]
[The proficiency of your special skill ‘Infinite Chain Resolution’ has increased.]
[The proficiency of your active skill ‘Blade of Purification’ has increased.]
“I’ve pioneered a new realm?”
Only then did Zeke realize that his senses were different from usual.
He stood up and raised his hand.
He felt as if he could use aura even without Bahamut.
Zeke focused energy into his hand.
Whoosh!
Amazingly, an aura blade surged from his hand.
“This is possible. I’ve truly surpassed the barrier…!”
Zeke had finally reached the long-awaited status of a Black Knight.
With a slightly bewildered heart, he raised aura blades in both hands and moved his body.
Swish!
Aura blades extended from both hands, unfolding the Infinite Chain Resolution.
Only after becoming a Black Knight did Zeke fully understand the meaning of Lord Favre’s insights.
“It’s merely an extension of the black hand…”
Zeke’s body moved on its own, and all the techniques he had learned began to merge into one.
The techniques of the Dragon Slayer Sword appeared, followed by the Golden Swordsmanship, the Infinite Chain Resolution, and the Swordsmanship of the Sun.
Zeke finally understood the meaning of ‘All Things Return to One,’ the philosophy of Shaton Draker.
As he swung his hands, the forms of the sword techniques he had learned gradually disappeared and merged into one.
And at some point, a message appeared.
[You have comprehended the essence of ‘All Things Return to One.’]
[The special techniques Dragon Slayer Sword, Infinite Chain Resolution, Force Resonance, and Black Sword Technique have combined into one.]
[The special technique Infinite Sword Resolution (SS-grade) has been created.]
Thud!
Zeke stepped onto the ground.
He felt a completely different sensation than before.
“Infinite Sword Resolution. I’ve shed the form of the Dragon Slayer Sword.”
For him, now a Black Knight, the form of swordsmanship was already meaningless.
He himself was akin to the will of the sword.
As Zeke was contemplating the newly created Infinite Sword Resolution, he heard clapping.
Clap, clap, clap!
Turning his head towards the sound, he saw someone sitting in a tree, applauding him.
“I didn’t sense their presence?”
Despite the figure’s clear existence, it was difficult to perceive their presence.
Their attire was unfamiliar, and their face, hair, and even eyebrows shone white.
With antlers sprouting from their head, it was impossible to tell if they were a boy or a girl just by appearance.
The mysterious being looked at Zeke with a pure, childlike smile.
[The Forgotten Sea God looks at the Immortal with curiosity.]
“The Forgotten Sea God?”
Zeke recalled Poseidon, who had been pummeling him earlier. Poseidon had claimed to be an avatar of the Sea God.
“Then, is this being the true form of the Sea God?”
The Sea God, who had somehow descended from the tree, tilted their head and stared intently at Zeke.
Then, poking Zeke’s arm, they giggled and clapped as if delighted.
[The Forgotten Sea God feels a fondness for the Immortal.]
[The Forgotten Sea God gestures for the Immortal to follow.]
Before he knew it, the Forgotten Sea God was running off into the distance.
Zeke used his flight boots to chase after them, but strangely, the distance between them didn’t close.
Maintaining a constant gap, the Forgotten Sea God led Zeke somewhere deep within the forest.
He followed the Forgotten Sea God into the forest.
And at some point, the Forgotten Sea God stopped.
It was a rather steep cliff.
An ancient-looking large tree grew along the cliff.
[The Forgotten Sea God gestures for the Immortal to look at what they are pointing at.]
“What am I supposed to see?”
Zeke looked where the Forgotten Sea God was pointing.
At first, he thought they were pointing at the cliff.
But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t that.
“A tree? Wait, it’s not a tree.”
Zeke moved closer to the cliff. Upon closer examination, it wasn’t a tree.
It was the form of a massive dragon, leaning against the cliff.
At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[You have found the traces of the Forgotten Sea God.]
[You have completed the achievement mission.]
[You are awarded 1,000 Karma Points as a reward.]
[You have acquired the title ‘Blessing of the Sea God’ as a reward.]
[You have obtained the Sea God’s Treasure as a reward.]
“What is this?”
Amazingly, the tree-like petrified form was the trace of the Forgotten Sea God.
The Forgotten Sea God pointed at the dragon’s form and then at themselves.
Zeke asked, looking at the Forgotten Sea God.
“Is that Poseidon?”
[The Forgotten Sea God nods, confirming the Immortal’s words.]
[The Forgotten Sea God gestures for the Immortal to follow.]
The Forgotten Sea God’s body floated into the air and slipped into the dragon’s form.
“Most people wouldn’t be able to follow even if they found it…”
Zeke shook his head and used the dragon’s wings to lift himself, following where the Sea God had entered.
The Sea God entered through a hole in the side of the massive form.
Whoosh!
Following the Sea God into the hole, Zeke could examine the interior. The dragon’s form had solidified like a fossil, having been there for an untold amount of time.
“What on earth happened here?”
Zeke looked at the childlike Poseidon, who was gesturing for him to follow, and wondered if they had lost their original body and divine powers, leaving only their spirit to move.
The Forgotten Sea God kept gesturing for Zeke to look somewhere.
Breaking from his thoughts, Zeke turned his head to where the Sea God was pointing.
Upon closer inspection, there was a large crystal embedded in the wall, its light dimmed.
Around the crystal were unfamiliar symbols and diagrams, and something was lodged in the center of the crystal.
“What is this?”
Clearing away some branches, Zeke found a spear deeply embedded in the wall.
The Forgotten Sea God pointed at the spear lodged in the wall.
Then, clutching their chest, they showed signs of pain.
“Is this what harmed you?”
[The Forgotten Sea God nods in agreement.]
As Zeek gazed at the spear that had supposedly harmed the Sea God, a thought flashed through his mind.
“A god-slayer?”
A figure who had killed celestial beings and, in his own corruption, became the king of fallen stars.
It seemed the power of the god-slayer had been embedded in the Sea God’s dragon heart, sealing him away.
Zeek slowly approached the wall and grasped the spear.
“Did they bring me here to show me this?”
As if confirming his suspicion, the forgotten Sea God stared intently at Zeek, who held the spear. Then, gesturing animatedly, the Sea God shook his head.
[The forgotten Sea God says the spear can never be removed.]
It was the god-slayer’s spear, driven into the dragon heart by the god-slayer himself.
Zeek nodded at the Sea God’s words. “Well, it’s not like a god-slayer’s spear would come out easily…”
Thunk—
“What?”
But as Zeek spoke and applied a bit of force, the spear slipped effortlessly from the dragon heart.
The forgotten Sea God, taken aback, leapt into the air in surprise.
Simultaneously, messages appeared before Zeek.
[The forgotten Sea God is astonished by the impossible event.]
[The god-slayer’s spear piercing the Sea God’s heart has been removed.]
[The forgotten Sea God regains his divine status.]
Rumble!
As Zeek fully extracted the spear, the dragon heart began to tremble violently.
Vroom!
Light gradually returned to the once-dim dragon heart.
Then, the forgotten Sea God’s body began to glow brightly. The childlike form grew, becoming more familiar and robust.
He resembled Poseidon, whom Zeek had seen before, but with the addition of horns on his head.
[The forgotten Sea God’s divinity is unleashed.]
[The Sea God Poseidon partially restores his divine power.]
[Due to Poseidon’s influence, the unstable southern seas begin to calm.]
[The actions of the monsters in the sea are restricted.]
Zeek was taken aback by the messages. Unintentionally, he had freed the sealed divinity of the Sea God.
Poseidon, now restored, approached Zeek.
Vroom!
Radiating even more brilliantly than before, Poseidon smiled at Zeek.
[The Sea God Poseidon expresses gratitude to the Immortal.]
[The Sea God Poseidon offers a reward to the Immortal.]
Poseidon broke off one of the horns from his head and placed it in Zeek’s hand.
[The Sea God Poseidon wishes the Immortal safety and peace on his journey.]
[You have acquired a part of the Sea God’s body.]
[The title “Blessing of the Sea God” evolves into “Glory of the Sea God.”]
[Due to the “Glory of the Sea God,” the active skill “Underwater Breathing (C-rank)” evolves into “Amphibious (B-rank).”]
[The Sea God’s treasure transforms into a sacred relic.]
“A sacred relic, not just a treasure?”
At the same time, Zeek felt the Sea God’s power infuse and envelop him.
“This power is incredible. Is this the power of the Sea God?”
In that moment of awe, a sudden flash blinded Zeek.
When he blinked and regained his senses, an entirely different scene unfolded before him.