Episode 241
“The Ravens of Ishtar.”
The Ishtar family, another transcendent clan like the Draker family, was known for its secretive and deadly expertise in poisons, hidden weapons, and dark arts. True to her word, two years later, the head of the Ishtar family, Jamila, sent the Ravens, Ishtar’s assassins, after Zeke.
What set the Ishtar assassins apart from others like Salmak was their approach. They never attacked from the shadows. Whether it was broad daylight or a crowded public space, they focused solely on eliminating their target.
Only the Ishtar family dared to send assassins openly into the heart of Atlas, the Draker family’s stronghold.
“I had a bad feeling when they sent that dagger…”
The Ishtar family hadn’t sent the tea and dagger without reason. It was a warning in their own way.
Four Ravens, each wielding Ishtar’s distinctive daggers, slowly approached Zeke. Though masked, their attire, reminiscent of the Eastern Empire’s style, unmistakably marked them as Ishtar assassins.
Zeke addressed the approaching Ravens, “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Can we talk for a moment—”
Before he could finish, the Ravens lunged at him from all directions.
Whoosh!
Even for Zeke, who had sparred with Yelin, their movements were unlike anything he’d seen before. It was as if they combined the agility of the dark elves he’d encountered in the inverted tower with the martial arts of the Eastern Empire.
One Raven leaped into the air, twisting to deliver a powerful aerial kick.
Boom!
Zeke blocked the kick with his palm, but another Raven aimed a dagger at his legs from below. Dodging with a phantom step, Zeke countered with a powerful shockwave.
Thud!
The force pushed the Ravens back, but they quickly regained their stance. Unlike the knights of the central continent, the Ishtar family trained their bodies with unique arts rather than aura, making them seemingly unaffected by Zeke’s attack.
“Is it because of their elven blood? Perhaps the Ishtar family can manipulate mana like I do.”
Just as the Ravens were about to charge again, someone leaped from behind Zeke, launching a spinning aerial attack at the Ravens.
Crash!
The area where the Ravens stood was obliterated in a single strike. As dust clouds rose, obscuring the view, a mysterious figure approached Zeke and handed him a note.
“You must flee. The Ravens will keep pursuing you.”
Zeke recognized the figure. “Is it you, Yelin?”
Yelin, her face covered and hooded, nodded. It seemed her vow of silence was still in effect. As the dust settled, Yelin urgently gestured for Zeke to move. But the Ravens were already closing in on them again.
One of the Ravens addressed Yelin, “Young mistress, if you continue to defy the head’s orders, we will have no choice but to act according to the law.”
In response, Yelin drew her dagger, signaling her resolve not to back down. Seeing her determination, the Ravens also readied their weapons. Yelin gestured for Zeke to escape while she held them off.
“Hmm, things have gotten complicated.”
Zeke had anticipated the possibility of the Ishtar family sending their Ravens, but he hadn’t expected Yelin to intervene.
At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[The compass points to the optimal direction.]
“Why is the compass acting up now?”
Watching the standoff between Yelin and the Ravens, Zeke took out the compass to check its direction. To his surprise, it pointed directly at Yelin.
“Does the path to the Fairy Lake have something to do with Yelin?”
Though he didn’t understand the mechanism, the legendary Absolute Compass was pointing at her, so it was worth investigating.
Zeke noticed Feynan observing the situation with knights from the garden’s perimeter. Gellion had quickly informed Feynan of the events.
Zeke sent a telepathic message to Feynan.
—Feynan, I’ll handle this. Please withdraw the people from the garden.
Feynan, startled by the telepathic message, nodded in agreement. With that assurance, Zeke stepped forward to face the Ravens.
He addressed them in the Eastern tongue, “Have the renowned Ravens of Ishtar come because of my engagement with Yelin?”
The Ravens remained silent. Had Yelin not intervened, they wouldn’t have hesitated or spoken at all.
Zeke continued, “I intended to discuss the engagement with the head myself. I delayed due to pressing matters within the family.”
Turning to Yelin, he added, “Marriage is a significant affair, not to be taken lightly. I delayed to handle it with care, so please, sheath your weapons.”
Even the formidable Ravens hesitated at Zeke’s eloquence.
Then, the leader of the Ravens spoke, “A Draker speaking of marriage? How audacious.”
Brandishing a sharp Ishtar dagger, the leader shouted, “I’ll send your head to Arthur Draker for insulting the Ishtar family!”
Whoosh!
As the leader moved, the other Ishtar practitioners, who had hesitated, charged at Zeke.
Slash!
Daggers aimed to tear Zeke apart from all sides. But Zeke’s form blurred, leaving afterimages as he vanished.
Suddenly, Zeke and Yelin appeared behind the Ravens. Zeke sent a telepathic message to Yelin.
—Is there no way to stop the Ravens?
Yelin, momentarily flustered by his voice in her mind, shook her head. Unlike the Draker family, the stubborn and secretive Ishtar family didn’t understand compromise.
“If it must be, then I’ll have to subdue them.”
Deciding to match their weapons, Zeke drew Anexi’s dagger. With his mastery of Infinite Swordsmanship, he could wield any weapon with skill.
He assumed the stance of Infinite Chain Technique, dagger in hand. Yelin’s eyes widened at the sight of the dagger, and she gestured frantically.
Zeke interpreted it as a warning against confronting the Ravens head-on and nodded.
—Don’t worry, Yelin.
With that telepathic reassurance, Zeke launched himself at the Ravens.
Whoosh!
Zeke’s form darted between the Ravens, his dagger infused with power.
Buzz!
A Raven blocked his attack but couldn’t fully absorb the impact. The shock reverberated through their body.
“Ugh!”
The internal upheaval from Zeke’s strike sent one Raven sprawling. The others, startled, regrouped and charged again.
Zeke struck the back of a Raven targeting his legs with the dagger’s hilt.
Thud!
The blow knocked the highly trained Raven unconscious.
Without pausing, Zeke approached another Raven, slicing through their Ishtar dagger with Anexi’s blade.
In the moment of surprise, Zeke unleashed a palm strike imbued with aura.
Boom!
The Raven hit by the strike collapsed to the ground.
Zeke turned to the last remaining Raven leader.
“Will you continue?”
The leader, brandishing a dagger, replied, “We are just the beginning. Ishtar’s blade never stops until the target is eliminated.”
The leader’s voice carried a chilling intensity. Zeke knew well how relentless the Ishtar family could be.
A murderous aura emanated from Zeke as well.
“Must I truly kill them all?”
Though he preferred to avoid a direct confrontation with Ishtar, if they insisted on this path, Zeke saw no reason to hold back.
The most feared aspect of Ishtar’s arts was their poison. But with his immunity, Zeke had no need to worry. As a Black Knight, the Ishtar practitioners, lacking poison, were more of a nuisance than a threat.
Sensing Zeke’s shift in demeanor, the Raven leader swallowed hard. The oppressive aura was unlike anything before.
“We were wrong. This isn’t just a young Draker. This one is a monster among monsters.”
Yet, even with that realization, he couldn’t retreat. As a member of Ishtar’s Black Crows, he had a duty to fulfill, even if it cost him his life.
Suddenly, the captain’s eyes began to glow a fierce yellow.
Rumble—
A different aura emanated from the captain, one far more intense than before.
Zeke sensed the change in the captain as well.
“The mana around us is suddenly in turmoil. Could it be… a combat technique?”
With a sense of urgency, Zeke raised Anexi’s dagger, ready to act swiftly.
Then, a voice rang out, echoing across the garden.
“Stop this madness at once!”
Both Zeke and the captain of the Black Crows froze, startled by the unfamiliar voice.
It was Yellin, breaking her long silence.
The captain turned to her, astonished.
“Lady Yellin, why have you broken your years of silence…?”
“The Mark of the Black River has appeared.”
At her words, the captain spun around, visibly shaken.
“The Mark of the Black River? What do you mean?”
Yellin pointed to the dagger in Zeke’s hand.
“The dagger Sir Zeke holds—that is the Mark of the Black River.”
Both the captain and Zeke were taken aback by her revelation.
“The Mark of the Black River?”
Zeke recalled Anexi, who had left him the dagger.
[Human, my name is Anexi, the greatest warrior of the Black River tribe. What is your name?]
The dagger Zeke held was a relic passed down only to the greatest warrior of the ancient Dark Elf Black River tribe.
“Is there a connection between the Black River tribe and the Ishtar family?”
Yellin shouted at the captain of the Black Crows.
“What are you doing? The Mark of the Black River has appeared! As members of the Black Crows, you should show respect, not raise your weapons!”
At her command, the captain hastily removed her mask and knelt before Zeke.
Her face, with its brown skin, reminded Zeke of the Dark Elves he had seen in the inverted tower.
The captain bowed deeply to Zeke, her voice filled with reverence.
“I am Himmel, daughter of the Black Crows, and I pay my respects to the great Mark of the Black River!”
Zeke’s mind raced as he processed the captain’s sudden change in demeanor.
“So, the Black Crows are descendants of the Dark Elves.”
The techniques used by Yellin and the Black Crows were distinctly different. Yellin’s skills were rooted in traditional martial arts, while the Black Crows focused on weapon-based techniques.
Yellin approached Zeke, speaking with a calm authority.
“Sir Zeke Draker, as the bearer of the Mark of the Black River, I, as the heir of Ishtar, have a request.”
She paused, her voice steady and clear.
“Please, release the Ishtar family from the shackles of the binding pact.”