Episode 32
“Is that really Kaishir?”
Zeke’s hand still tingled from gripping Bahamut.
As Zeke stood there, dazed and unmoving, Kaishir charged at him again, sword in hand.
Boom!
Without hesitation, Kaishir swung his sword at Zeke’s position.
“Ugh!”
Zeke narrowly dodged Kaishir’s attack with a desperate shadow step.
Kaishir showed no mercy, relentlessly pressing the attack.
“Whether you’re real, a ghost, or whatever, let’s see what you’ve got.”
A hum resonated as an aura blade surged from Zeke’s sword.
Kaishir tilted his head, intrigued by Zeke’s weapon.
“Are you a disciple of Shaton?”
Zeke didn’t answer, instead rushing forward with renewed determination.
Clang!
Zeke’s aura blade clashed with Kaishir’s sword.
Kaishir observed the aura blade with curiosity, swinging his sword effortlessly.
“Fascinating. It’s neither elemental power nor magic, yet it holds its form.”
While Kaishir seemed at ease, Zeke was struggling to keep up. Each clash sent a jolt through his body, the weight of Kaishir’s strikes evident despite their apparent lightness.
“Interesting. Let’s see how you handle this.”
Suddenly, Kaishir’s movements accelerated.
Whoosh!
His sword moved so swiftly it became a blur.
Zeke strained to keep up, his muscles screaming in protest as he pushed himself to the limit.
“Ugh!”
From a blind spot, Kaishir’s sword came at him.
Crash!
Zeke managed to block with Bahamut, but the force sent him skidding backward.
Defense seemed impossible.
“He’s not even using aura, so how…?”
A memory flashed in Zeke’s mind.
Someone who wielded power beyond aura without using it.
“Master?”
Not Duke Draker, but the mentor who taught him to unlock his core and harness his spirit.
In Kaishir, Zeke saw echoes of his past master.
“Hah…”
Zeke dispelled his aura blade.
Instead, he focused mana into Bahamut, channeling his will into the sword.
A hum resonated as Zeke’s intent infused the blade with mana.
Kaishir’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Can you wield elemental power? A disciple of Shaton with elemental skills. You’re quite the intriguing one.”
Kaishir raised his sword again.
Rumble!
The atmosphere shifted, a pressure reminiscent of a colossal giant bearing down on him.
“Let’s go!”
Zeke charged at Kaishir, his sword imbued with the intent to cut.
At the same time, a massive storm erupted from Kaishir’s sword.
Elemental Sword
Wind Domain
Storm Blade
The storm’s force enveloped Zeke, overwhelming him until he lost consciousness.
“Ugh…”
Zeke slowly regained consciousness.
He opened his eyes to find himself in a stark white space.
The last thing he remembered was being struck by Kaishir’s sword and blacking out.
As he sat up and looked around, he noticed Kaishir floating in a peculiar meditative pose, eyes closed.
Sensing Zeke’s awakening, Kaishir opened his eyes.
“Finally awake, are you? Weakling.”
Kaishir’s words were as blunt as ever.
Zeke addressed him directly.
“Are you… truly the Hero King Kaishir?”
Kaishir smirked arrogantly, lifting his chin.
“Does it matter if I’m real or not?”
Such arrogance.
Zeke realized how much the legend of the Hero King had been exaggerated.
Kaishir extended his hand, and Bahamut, lying beside Zeke, flew into his grasp.
“What are you doing…!”
Zeke lunged to reclaim Bahamut, but Kaishir snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, Zeke felt an immense weight pinning him down, rendering him immobile.
“Ugh…”
Kaishir examined Bahamut, floating it in the air.
“There’s a faint trace of Bahamut’s energy. How did this happen?”
Zeke gritted his teeth, glaring at Kaishir.
“Why does it matter?”
Zeke threw Kaishir’s words back at him.
Kaishir chuckled, snapping his fingers again.
The oppressive force vanished, but Zeke’s eyes remained fierce.
Seizing the moment, he unleashed the dragon skill “Dragon’s Claw” at Kaishir.
Slash!
Invisible energy tore through the air towards Kaishir.
“Huh?”
Kaishir raised a hand, conjuring a translucent barrier.
The Dragon’s Claw dissipated against it, ineffective.
Even a skill that could shred steel was useless against Kaishir.
Approaching Zeke, Kaishir spoke.
“You’re quite the anomaly. You wield Shaton’s skills, use elemental power, and harness dragon strength without being a dragonkin.”
He gestured, and Zeke floated into the air, bound by an unseen force.
“Ugh…”
Kaishir placed a hand on Zeke’s chest, revealing strange symbols through his clothes.
The design had appeared when Zeke absorbed Bahamut’s heart.
Kaishir studied the symbols with interest.
“You’re human, yet you’ve crossed the threshold of death so many times that part of your soul resides in the spirit realm. That’s why you can use elemental power. Who would’ve thought a human could wield a dragon’s heart like this?”
He released Zeke, who fell to the ground.
Kaishir, amused, handed Bahamut back to Zeke.
“Alright. You’ve piqued my interest. I’ll teach you the Elemental Sword.”
Kaishir acted on whims, doing as he pleased.
“Grab your sword and stand.”
Zeke staggered to his feet, and Kaishir instructed him.
“Unleash your elemental power.”
“You keep mentioning elemental power. What is it?”
“You don’t know what you’re using?”
“Are you talking about mana?”
“Mana? What’s that?”
Their terminology differed, a gap between eras.
Zeke focused mana within himself.
Kaishir nodded.
“Ah, so you call it mana. I never had a name for it. Now, transform that mana into elemental power.”
Zeke understood Kaishir’s cryptic instructions, channeling mana into his sword with intent.
Suddenly, Kaishir approached and struck Zeke’s head with the hilt of his sword.
Thud!
“What was that for?”
“I said use elemental power, not mimic some pseudo-spiritual technique.”
“That’s how I was taught.”
“Forget it. Humans can’t use spiritual incantations. The soul’s vessel is different. Even I, with the blood of the Fairy King, can’t use them.”
Zeke recalled the side effects he experienced when using his spirit technique in his past life.
He also remembered the dragon skill “Incantation” that emerged after absorbing Bahamut’s heart.
“If I could use that skill, I might truly master the spirit technique.”
Kaishir continued.
“Elemental power is the pure force that constitutes all things. The most efficient are the four basic elements: fire, water, earth, and wind. Watch closely.”
A hum resonated as Kaishir’s sword gathered mana, transforming it into a storm.
It was the same force that had knocked Zeke out cold.
He recognized the power in Kaishir’s sword.
“The power of wind?”
The wind vanished, replaced by new energies.
The blazing force of fire, the gentle flow of water, the weight of earth—all four elements infused the sword.
“Isn’t this more like magic than swordsmanship?”
Zeke’s first thought upon witnessing Kaishir’s power.
Magicians generate magic through circles created in their hearts.
Unlike dragons, who naturally produce magic, humans need circles to generate it.
The more circles, the stronger the magic, earning recognition as high-level magicians.
Magic is completed by combining the magic generated from circles with circuits and formulas.
To Zeke, Kaishir’s Elemental Sword seemed closer to magic than swordsmanship.
“Now, you’ve seen it. Try it. If you can’t, there’s no teaching.”
“How am I supposed to do that with such vague instructions?”
“I’ve shown you enough. What more do you need?”
“You skipped the crucial part about how to transform mana into elemental power.”
Zeke’s precise critique made Kaishir roll his eyes.
“Ugh, you sound just like that Shaton guy. Annoying.”
Kaishir alternated between creating wind, fire, and water with his sword, then paused, looking perplexed.
“It’s just… something that happens naturally. How am I supposed to explain it?”
Zeke looked at Kaishir with a puzzled expression.
“I’m just curious. Has anyone ever learned this technique from you?”
Kaishir replied with a proud look on his face.
“Of course not! This Elemental Sword, crafted by none other than the greatest genius and the first Grandmaster, is not something just anyone can learn.”
“What about Shaton, the Knight of Nobility? According to legend, you passed everything down to him, including the kingdom.”
The legend says that after founding the Kingdom of Chronos, Kaishir handed the throne to Shaton and returned to the land of the fairies.
“Shaton? I gave him the throne, sure. But humans can’t learn the Elemental Sword, even if I tried to teach them. Maybe an elf could.”
“Elves? Do elves even use swords?”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“Most books say they use bows. I’ve never actually seen an elf, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Never seen an elf? They’re everywhere if you just step outside.”
“When are you talking about? Elves vanished from the world centuries ago.”
“What? What kind of nonsense is that? What year is it now?”
“It’s the year 1038 of the Liberation Calendar.”
“Liberation Calendar? Speak in Chronos years.”
“Chronos is just a legendary kingdom to us. No one uses that calendar anymore.”
“This is insane.”
At that moment, Zeke seemed to remember something and asked the system.
‘System, what year is it in Chronos years?’
A message appeared.
[It is the year 2120 in Chronos years.]
Zeke turned to Kaishir.
“It seems it’s around 2120 in Chronos years.”
“What? So it’s been 2000 years since I left the kingdom?”
Kaishir looked utterly shocked.
“This is crazy! Even if I was in a spirit state, how could there be no one to carry on my legacy for 2000 years?”
“You just said humans can’t learn the Elemental Sword. How could anyone carry on your legacy?”
“Shaton should have found a way!”
“That’s completely unreasonable.”
Ignoring Zeke’s comment, Kaishir ground his teeth and stomped around.
“That damn Shaton! He must have been so busy developing his own sword techniques that he didn’t care about finding my successor. Damn it, what was it… Oh right, that aura thing! I shouldn’t have helped him with it!”
Zeke was taken aback.
“Did you just say aura?”
Kaishir nodded.
“Yeah. Since someone like Shaton couldn’t master my Elemental Sword, he worked hard to create an alternative. Thanks to that, he became a Swordmaster, but it’s just a minor skill.”
Zeke drew his sword and formed an Aura Blade.
Kaishir nodded in recognition.
“Yeah, that’s it. But yours is a bit different from what Shaton made. He said something about drawing energy from the lower abdomen.”
“That’s the usual method. I’m a bit of an exception.”
Kaishir gritted his teeth as he watched Zeke’s Aura Blade.
“That damn Shaton! He only passed down his own techniques and ignored mine!”
Then Kaishir said something that left Zeke more shocked than anything since they’d met.
“Shaton Draker, you bastard! If I ever get my hands on you, you’re done for!”