Episode 309
“Raaaargh!”
The barbarians, their eyes vacant and unfocused, let out a battle cry as they charged at Zeke.
Zeke quickly realized that even the barbarians had fallen under some kind of mind control.
“Those damn imperial bastards. They’ve even messed with the barbarians.”
Recalling how he had freed the merfolk from their trance, Zeke pulled out his sword, Roland, and activated his Recovery skill.
A soft hum filled the air as the light of Recovery spread out in a wide arc.
But unlike the merfolk, the barbarians didn’t snap out of it. Their resistance to magic seemed to repel even Zeke’s Recovery.
“Looks like I have no choice. I’ll have to subdue them first.”
Zeke stowed his sword and drew the Giant Slayer, a weapon perfect for taking down large foes like the barbarians.
As one of the barbarians charged at him with a wild scream, Zeke swung the Giant Slayer with all his might.
The weapon cut through the air and struck the barbarian squarely, sending him flying.
Another barbarian leaped into the air, aiming to crush Zeke with both fists.
But Zeke deftly sidestepped the attack with his phantom step, leaving the ground where he had stood cratered by the barbarian’s immense strength.
Impressed by their power, Zeke raised the Giant Slayer and brought it down hard.
The blow landed on the back of the barbarian’s head, knocking him out cold.
Though the barbarian twitched as if his neck had snapped, Zeke was unconcerned as long as they were still breathing.
The last barbarian, despite being in a berserk state, seemed to instinctively fear Zeke and his weapon.
Hesitating, the barbarian backed away as Zeke approached.
“Where do you think you’re going? You get a turn too.”
Zeke charged at the retreating barbarian, the Giant Slayer aimed low.
The barbarian, with his characteristic agility, leaped into the air to dodge.
But Zeke wasn’t done. The Giant Slayer changed direction mid-swing, coming up from below to catch the barbarian on the chin.
The impact was so powerful it seemed like the barbarian’s head might be torn off.
With the barbarians all down, Zeke dragged them together and cast a combination of Purification, Recovery, and Healing.
Golden and white lights enveloped the barbarians, and soon they began to stir, their eyes regaining focus.
“Ugh… my jaw hurts.”
“My neck hurts.”
“My whole body hurts.”
As they shared their aches, the barbarians noticed Zeke standing over them and were startled.
“A human?”
“What’s a human doing here?”
Zeke looked at them and replied, “That’s what I want to ask you.”
The barbarians were surprised to hear a human speaking their language.
“You speak our tongue?”
Zeke nodded. “I learned it from the Stone Tribe.”
At the mention of the Stone Tribe, the barbarians brightened.
“How do you know the Stone Tribe?”
Zeke hesitated before answering, “Iron Fist is my brother. I helped them take down a hydra last time I visited their village.”
The barbarians’ eyes widened in recognition.
“The hydra? Are you the famous ‘Slice-and-Dice Zeke’?”
Zeke was already a legend among the barbarians, though he found the nickname odd. Still, he accepted it.
“That’s right. I’m Slice-and-Dice Zeke.”
The barbarians, impressed, shook hands with him.
“Wow, Slice-and-Dice Zeke. Nice to meet you.”
“We’ve heard a lot about you from the Stone Tribe.”
“Amazing. We’re from the Mohakin Tribe. We’ll brag about meeting you when we get back to our village.”
Zeke realized these were the Mohakin Tribe, whom he had connections with in a past life.
He asked them, “Nice to meet you. But why are you here?”
The barbarians clutched their heads, trying to remember.
“I can’t recall.”
“I do. We were hunting in the forest when a dark figure did something to us.”
Zeke approached the one who remembered. “A dark figure? You mean a wizard?”
“Yes, a wizard. He had a staff.”
It was clear that a dark wizard had captured and experimented on the barbarians.
“Barbarians are resistant to both aura and magic. How did they manage to capture you?”
Ordinary magic wouldn’t have been enough to subdue them. Zeke decided to investigate further once they were out of danger.
He cast a healing buff on the barbarians.
“Wow, I feel stronger.”
“Zeke, you’re amazing.”
“Impressive.”
Feeling the power from Zeke, the barbarians reacted enthusiastically.
Zeke told them, “If you come with me, I’ll get you home.”
The barbarians nodded in agreement.
Zeke explained the situation, and they decided to help him fight off the monsters.
“Raaaargh!”
With a battle cry, the barbarians charged at the monsters, their fists flying.
Even high-risk monsters were no match for the barbarians, who treated them like a meal.
With the barbarians’ help, Zeke found it easier to fend off the monsters.
He shouted to them, “Don’t go too deep! Stay with me!”
The barbarians, tossing aside the monsters they had been fighting, followed Zeke.
Up ahead, the Crouching Flame and Helen were cutting through the monsters, clearing a path.
“Chaaarge!”
Helen swung her Dragon Buster, slicing a monster clean in half.
Seeing her prowess, the tiger beastman captain, who had been about to challenge her, thought better of it.
“Better not mess with her.”
As he hesitated, Helen shouted, “Over there! Ogres are coming!”
The captain led his beastmen to intercept the ogres.
“Take this!”
With sharp claws, he slashed at the ogres.
The beastmen, who respected strength, had quickly come to follow Helen’s lead.
Meanwhile, the Crouching Flame was not to be outdone, swinging his iron club and smashing monster skulls.
Thanks to Helen and the Crouching Flame, the unit was able to push through to the wasteland.
Zeke, who had been holding off the monsters on the flank with the barbarians, saw the unit advancing and pulled out Roland to cast a wide-area Recovery skill.
The Recovery light spread over the monsters.
Unlike the barbarians, the berserk monsters snapped out of their frenzy immediately.
Freed from their trance, the monsters scattered, seeking places to hide.
Without their numbers, the monsters were manageable even for the local tribes.
The barbarians, watching the monsters flee, asked Zeke, “Zeke, aren’t we going after them?”
Zeke shook his head. “No need. But I have a question.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Are there more of your people captured?”
The barbarians exchanged glances, unsure.
“Uh, not sure.”
After a moment, Zeke asked, “Mind if I take a look at your memories?”
The barbarians agreed without hesitation.
Using his Dragon Sense skill, Zeke delved into their fragmented memories.
“Their memories are incomplete. Maybe it’s the drugs.”
From the scattered memories, it seemed there were indeed more captured barbarians.
While knights could handle the monsters, the barbarians were a different story.
Only an Aura Blade could inflict serious harm on them, as their tough bodies were impervious to regular weapons.
“Did the Empire prepare special weapons for the knights? Capturing barbarians… they’ve really lost it.”
Zeke planned to inform the Stone Tribe and enlist the barbarians’ help.
Their strength would be a tremendous asset.
With a rough plan in mind, Zeke and the barbarians followed the unit.
The path to the autonomous district’s canyon would take three days, even at a brisk pace.
Traveling at night was dangerous due to nocturnal monsters.
The Crouching Flame found a suitable campsite.
Sheltered by rocks and cliffs, the group set up camp and rested, eating monster jerky.
When Zeke first brought the barbarians into the camp, the Joins and beastfolk were startled, causing a brief commotion. However, they soon realized they were all on the same side and relaxed.
Seeing Zeke manage to bring even the barbarians into their fold increased the trust everyone had in him. After all, he had managed to ally with not only the mythical beast, the Phoenix, but also the barbarians, who were known for never acknowledging other races. It was clear to everyone that Zeke was no ordinary human.
The barbarians, showing off their robust physiques, began to prepare and devour several monsters they had caught earlier. Their strong bodies seemed unaffected by the tough and toxic meat of the creatures. Zeke offered them some purified meat, but they found it too bland and weren’t particularly fond of it.
After their meal, they took turns standing watch to ensure no monsters approached their camp. Zeke set up a separate area among the rocks for Helen and the knights, using camping gear to create a comfortable campsite. Helen felt grateful for Zeke’s thoughtfulness.
Zeke and Helen decided to share a tent. Once inside, Helen, looking exhausted, immediately began to dismantle her armor. As she did, the pieces of her Dragon Buster armor reassembled themselves.
Watching in fascination, Zeke asked, “Is that armor also considered a Hershion?”
Helen shook her head. “Hershion requires a separate operating system. This armor is different; it’s designed for those like me who possess ‘magnetism’ as a bloodline ability.”
Helen’s maternal family, the Millaris family, was a renowned knightly house in Thebea, known for their secret swordsmanship that utilized magnetism. They could manipulate metal to send swords flying or have shields hover in the air to block attacks. Zeke had heard of these techniques but had never seen them himself.
Though Helen, being a direct descendant of the Draker line, hadn’t inherited the Millaris family’s secret techniques, she did possess the bloodline ability. She had adapted it into a technique called ‘Steel Technique’ for dragon-slaying. If Helen became a Red Knight, her Steel Technique would become a signature move of the Draker line. However, since only those with the magnetism bloodline could learn it, it was likely to be passed down to her children.
Sitting on her camp bed, Helen looked at Zeke and said, “It’s ironic that the first time we have a moment to talk is on the battlefield.”
“As knights, I suppose it’s inevitable,” Zeke replied with a wry smile.
Just then, the Phoenix, which had been perched on Zeke’s shoulder, emerged and flapped its wings, flying over to Helen. Zeke clicked his tongue at the sight of the Phoenix’s clear preference for Helen.
“Hey, let her rest. Come back over here,” Zeke called.
The Phoenix shook its head defiantly and nestled into Helen’s arms. Stroking the Phoenix, Helen remarked, “It’s amazing that such a beautiful creature is a mythical beast. Have you given it a name?”
Zeke shook his head. “I’ve tried a few names, but it pecked at my head every time, as if none were good enough. It’s surprisingly picky for a bird.”
The Phoenix spread its wings, flaunting its magnificent tail and feathers, as if to say it was no ordinary bird. Zeke shook his head again at the display.
Helen continued to stroke the Phoenix’s feathers. “It’s a rare mythical beast, so it deserves a splendid name.”
“I’ll have to think about it, depending on how it behaves,” Zeke replied.
Just then, a chilling howl echoed from outside.
Zeke recognized the sound immediately. “That’s the cry of a beast.”