Episode 320
Daria could tell that Abel’s threat to kill her was no bluff.
“So this is the power of a Black Knight.”
Daria had once encountered the Black Knights of the Empire.
Among the five strongest knights on the continent, alongside the Sword King Bernas of Draker, was the illustrious Duke Crevan di Panion, known as the Bright King.
He was the only one in the Rom Empire allowed to carry a sword in the Emperor’s presence.
Standing before Abel, Daria felt a similar aura to when she had faced Duke Crevan.
While the Duke’s presence was like a finely honed blade, Abel’s was akin to a ferocious beast barely restrained by chains.
Watching Daria remain motionless, Abel spoke.
“Good, it seems we can finally have a conversation.”
He caressed the hilt of his Red Dragon Sword as he continued.
“It was none other than Zeke Draker who killed Morgan Buffon and summoned those monsters to attack the Imperial Army.”
Daria’s eyebrows twitched at the sudden mention of Zeke’s name.
As Abel gradually released his aura, Daria finally found her voice.
”…Zeke Draker, the knight of the Draker lineage?”
“Yes, my proud youngest brother. He’s controlling the monsters and spreading the Red Flower Plague among the tribes to seize the Ghetto region.”
Daria shivered at Abel’s words.
She had harbored suspicions that Morgan Buffon might be the true culprit behind these atrocities.
“Why that expression? Don’t you believe me?”
Daria bit her lip.
Her extensive experiences had honed her instincts, and she sensed that Abel was twisting the truth to suit his narrative.
Yet, denying Abel’s claims would mean acknowledging that the Empire was behind all these events.
Noticing her hesitation, Abel smirked and said with a sly smile.
“Zeke Draker is here, attacking the Imperial Army. So, there’s only one thing to do, isn’t there?”
Daria glared at Abel and retorted.
“You’re planning to use the Imperial Army to eliminate Zeke Draker and keep your rival, Kali Draker, in check, aren’t you?”
Abel chuckled at her words.
“Think carefully, Commander Daria. Have you forgotten who’s here?”
The second prince, first in line for the throne, was present.
Abel continued, locking eyes with Daria as if urging her to think.
“Zeke Draker killed Morgan Buffon and blamed it on the monsters. There’s nothing stopping him from doing the same to the second prince.”
“Zeke Draker has no reason to break the treaty and kill the second prince.”
Abel grinned at her rebuttal.
“If the second prince dies, the Empire will descend into chaos again. The first prince’s faction is quiet now due to Julius’s power, but would they remain so if the second prince were to die?”
If the second prince were to die, as Abel suggested, the Empire would undoubtedly spiral back into a period of division.
Daria bit her lip.
‘He’s trying to use us to capture Zeke Draker…’
With Abel, a Black Knight, twisting the truth, she had no choice but to follow his lead in this situation.
“Kali Draker’s ambitions are greater than you think. He’s planning to seize the Ghetto with Zeke Draker at the forefront and then move on to the Empire. The prince is aware of this and has authorized the Imperial Army’s movements.”
Given the current monster invasion, it was hard to completely dismiss his words.
Abel drove his point home to Daria.
“I’ll stay and protect the prince. Meanwhile, you, Commander, should capture Zeke Draker.”
“Are you telling me to lead the Inma Palace knights and attack the autonomous district?”
Abel shook his head at her question.
“No, Zeke Draker is already here. Right here.”
Thwack!
Zeke silently dispatched a sentry with his sword, disposing of the body quietly.
From the shadows of the sentry, he had gleaned the layout of the fortress.
“It’s a well-built fortress. You have to hand it to the Empire for their fortification skills.”
The Rom Empire was renowned for three things.
Their roads that stretched everywhere, their solid yet efficient architecture, and their notoriously tasteless food.
There was even a joke in his past life that the Empire waged wars of conquest just to seize the best restaurants in other kingdoms, so infamous was their food.
The reason was that the Empire’s cuisine prioritized preservation and convenience, leading to a focus on dried and salted foods.
This approach sacrificed flavor, but it allowed the Rom Empire to expand its territory faster than any other in history.
Their roads facilitated rapid movement within the Empire, their robust fortifications provided defense, and their long-lasting provisions stabilized the Imperial Army’s supply lines.
It was the epitome of a military state.
Zeke erased his presence and slipped into the fortress, searching for where Abel might be.
“If I don’t capture Abel here, I won’t get another chance.”
Through William’s memories, Zeke knew that Abel had come with only a few escort knights, leaving the Red Lion Knights behind.
As a guardian knight of Draker, Abel had come to lend legitimacy to the Empire’s peacekeeping forces, hence his minimal entourage.
Of course, with special forces and mages from Siemens and monsters at his disposal, he saw no need to bring the knights.
For Zeke, it was a golden opportunity.
“With William Siemens captured, Abel knows I’ll make a move.”
And Abel likely saw this as his best chance to capture Zeke.
Both had set traps for each other.
“Abel doesn’t know I’m a Black Knight. He may be hiding his abilities, but the current situation favors me.”
The complication was the presence of the Empire’s second prince.
“With Daria Calvi’s arrival, the Imperial Army’s vigilance has increased.”
Abel would undoubtedly be by the prince’s side, using the pretext of protection to manipulate the principled Daria into capturing Zeke.
“I’ll turn his plan against him.”
Just then, a loud whistle echoed from within the fortress.
Fweeeet!
With the whistle, the Inma Palace knights scattered throughout the fortress.
Zeke realized that Abel had set Daria in motion, unleashing the knights.
But Zeke was already inside the fortress.
“Perfect. I’ll use this distraction to go deeper.”
Zeke moved stealthily, seeking the place where Abel might be.
At that moment, an arrow shot towards him.
Swish!
Zeke deflected the arrow with a dagger.
Boom!
The aura within the arrow exploded.
Zeke, having blocked the explosion with Hershion, looked towards the source of the arrow.
Daria Calvi stood there, aiming her longbow at him.
“She didn’t send the knights to chase me but to block my escape.”
Abel had known Zeke was inside the fortress.
Though he didn’t know how she tracked him, Daria accurately pinpointed Zeke’s location despite his concealment and fired another arrow.
Boom!
Another explosion erupted where Zeke had been.
“Can she see through my concealment?”
For an archer like her, keen eyesight was crucial.
Daria had honed her senses and perception, making her adept at detecting unseen foes.
Realizing his concealment was useless, Zeke drew Bahamut and charged at Daria Calvi.
Whoosh!
He closed the distance in an instant, swinging his aura-laden blade at her.
Daria rolled to the side, dodging, and fired an arrow at Zeke.
The clash of Zeke’s aura blade and Daria’s arrow resulted in another explosion.
Boom!
Using the obscured vision from the explosion, Daria rolled again, grabbed her longbow, and fired a volley of arrows.
Swish, swish, swish!
Six arrows targeted Zeke’s vital points, but he deflected them all with his sword.
Zeke then used an illusionary step to close in on Daria.
She continued to shoot, and Zeke twisted his body to dodge the arrows, launching a strike at her.
Whoosh!
His sword aimed for Daria’s side.
At that moment, her longbow transformed into a spear.
Clang!
Daria parried Zeke’s sword with her spear.
She stepped forward, using her momentum to thrust the spear at Zeke.
The secret technique she learned from Duke Crevan, a master of the lance, unfolded in her hands.
Panion-style Spearmanship
Bright King’s Spear
Twilight Flash
A thrust that could pierce even twilight was unleashed upon Zeke.
Boom, boom, boom!
Zeke raised his sword to meet the Twilight Flash aimed at his heart.
His technique, the Black Sword Technique, activated.
Dragon Slayer Technique Application
Black Sword Technique
Black Wind
Zeke’s dark aura enveloped Daria’s attack, neutralizing it and reversing the force back at her.
Daria’s spear bent as Zeke’s strike landed on her side.
Boom!
Thanks to the protection of the Enma Palace’s Hershion, Daria wasn’t cut down, but the powerful sword strike from Zeke sent shockwaves through her body.
“Ugh!”
Zeke’s black sword technique was imbued with the principle of resonant force, a deadly attack for knights as it disrupted the aura within their bodies.
Despite the pain, Daria gritted her teeth and retreated, transforming her spear into a bow and firing arrows.
Thwack!
Unlike before, these were ordinary arrows without any aura.
Zeke walked toward her slowly, the arrows bouncing harmlessly off his Hershion.
Daria glared at Zeke, her jaw clenched. “Zeke Draker, you’ve violated the treaty by illegally entering Imperial territory.”
Zeke responded with a tone of disbelief. “It’s amusing to hear the Empire talk about treaties. Wasn’t it the Empire that unleashed monsters to attack the Ghetto region?”
Daria shot back, “Enough with the excuses. The fact is, Zeke Draker, you’ve broken the treaty and attacked the Imperial forces. Surrender your weapon and submit.”
Zeke understood the situation clearly now. ‘So Abel’s using Daria to trap me.’
The mad knight Abel was notorious for framing others for his own misdeeds. In his past life, he had massacred an entire city and then spread false reports blaming the liberation forces for the deaths of innocent civilians.
It seemed Abel intended to capture Zeke and pin the entire Ghetto incident on him.
‘Things won’t go as you plan.’
Daria, having regained some strength, retreated again and fired more arrows.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows infused with aura flew toward Zeke. He swiftly dodged them and unleashed his black sword technique.
Whirl!
A black wind-like aura enveloped Daria’s arrows and sent them hurtling back at her.
Boom!
Daria leaped to avoid her own arrows, but when she looked up, Zeke was already waiting for her in her blind spot.
Crash!
Zeke struck her back with a forceful blow, channeling the power of resonant force.
Vroom!
The powerful wave pierced through Hershion and wreaked havoc inside her body.
“Argh!”
She coughed up blood and collapsed.
Zeke placed his sword at her throat, speaking coldly. “Daria Calvi of the Enma Palace, surrender honorably as a knight.”
Daria glared at him with defiance, her teeth clenched in frustration.
Zeke looked down at her, puzzled. ‘For someone trained by Duke Craven and who has reached the level of a black knight, she was captured too easily…’
Just as he was pondering this, something happened.
Vroom!
Daria’s Hershion suddenly glowed with light. A small opening appeared, releasing thousands of arrowheads.
Screech—
With a blinding flash, the arrowheads rained down on Zeke.