Episode 357
The sword embedded in the ground refused to budge.
The spear that had pierced the Sea God had come out effortlessly.
Even the Holy Lance had responded to Zeke’s power, changing its form and acknowledging him as its master.
But this sword showed no reaction to Zeke’s touch, nor did it show any sign of being dislodged.
“Ugh!”
Zeke gripped the sword with both hands, trying with all his might to pull it free.
Yet, as if glued to the ground, the sword remained immovable, just as Arthur had described.
Watching Zeke’s struggle, Arthur suddenly burst into laughter.
“Haha! That’s enough. You can stop now.”
At Arthur’s words, Zeke released the sword and stepped back, a look of surprise on his face as he turned to Arthur.
“Unless there’s some kind of enchantment on it… there’s no way it should be this firmly stuck.”
Arthur nodded in agreement with Zeke’s observation.
“I thought the same.”
He grinned at Zeke and continued, “It’s a tradition of sorts for the heads of the Draker family to have their successors try to pull out this sword, only to watch them fail. I understand now why my predecessor enjoyed watching me fail.”
Zeke shook his head at Arthur’s playful words.
Arthur turned his gaze to the other swords embedded in the ground, surveying them as he spoke.
“This is where the swords of past Draker family heads are gathered.”
As he extended his arm, a light shimmered, and a sword appeared in his hand—a sword with a gray hue, reminiscent of Arthur’s hair.
Zeke recognized it as Caliburn, Arthur Draker’s personal weapon.
Typically, descendants of the Draker family would choose their weapons from the family’s treasury, filled with rare armaments.
The Red Dragon Sword Abel wielded was one such weapon.
However, Arthur Draker’s Caliburn was a sword he had acquired from a dungeon in his youth, not from the family treasury.
The exact abilities of Caliburn remained unknown, as Arthur Draker’s strength left little opportunity for the sword’s powers to be fully displayed.
Arthur looked at Caliburn and spoke.
“When I die, this sword will be placed here, just like the others.”
Then, with a furrowed brow, he added, “But there’s one head whose sword isn’t here.”
He looked at Zeke and said, “Terracan Draker, the great dragon slayer, his sword never made it here.”
It was strange that Terracan, the most legendary figure among the Drakers and the creator of the dragon-slaying techniques that formed the foundation of the Draker legacy, did not have his sword here.
Zeke recalled what the Holy King had said at the ruins.
“Zahhak. It was Terracan’s sword.”
The sword that had destroyed the body of Bahamut, his lover and soul mate.
That sword, tainted with a sinister aura, had ended up in the hands of the corrupted Abel.
Zeke speculated that Zahhak, Terracan’s sword, had become a cursed blade after absorbing the demonic energy when it destroyed Bahamut, who harbored the power of the Demon King.
The heart of Bahamut, which Zeke had first discovered, was also heavily tainted with a powerful curse, making such a hypothesis plausible.
Feigning ignorance, Zeke asked Arthur, “Why isn’t Terracan Draker’s sword here?”
Arthur pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.
“Zeke, I’ll share with you a secret of the Draker family. This must never be revealed to anyone.”
Zeke nodded, and Arthur continued with a serious expression.
“Terracan Draker was not a true bloodline of the Draker family, known as the Absolute Sword Family.”
Zeke looked puzzled at Arthur’s words.
He had seen Terracan’s past through the Holy Grail.
Though it seemed he had been cast out, he was undoubtedly a Draker.
Yet, he did not know why Terracan had been persecuted and expelled from the Draker family.
Arthur continued, looking at Zeke.
“Terracan Draker was a bastard with common blood.”
Zeke finally understood why the Drakers had tried to erase Terracan’s past and simultaneously scoffed at their narrow-mindedness.
“That damned obsession with bloodlines. The Drakers, who value lineage so highly, wouldn’t want to admit that their founder, Terracan, was a bastard.”
Hiding his true feelings, Zeke feigned shock at Arthur’s revelation.
“Then, are we, Terracan’s descendants, not true Drakers?”
Arthur shook his head.
“No, we are indeed true Drakers, inheritors of the proud lineage of the Absolute Sword Family.”
Arthur placed a hand on Zeke’s shoulder and said, “However, the world knows us as the descendants of the dragon slayer, with Terracan Draker as the family’s founder. While Terracan’s achievements are indeed remarkable… the blood of a common bastard cannot represent the Drakers.”
Such extreme arrogance in their obsession with bloodlines.
This arrogance had distorted the history of the Liberation War and concealed Terracan’s true identity.
Arthur looked Zeke in the eye and said, “Zeke, the reason I’m telling you this is that I believe you are qualified to protect and uphold the Draker family’s secrets.”
Zeke found Arthur’s trust in him unfamiliar.
Arthur continued, “Once again, what I’ve told you today must never leave this place. It’s the most crucial secret of the Drakers. Zeke, promise me you’ll keep this secret until your dying day. Do you understand?”
Zeke nodded in agreement with Arthur’s words.
In the most secretive place of the family, sharing the hidden history of their ancestors, Zeke sensed something from Arthur’s actions.
“Is he considering me as the successor instead of Kali?”
Whether Arthur had brought Kali or Abel here before was unknown.
But beyond that, Arthur seemed genuinely intent on making Zeke his successor.
After a moment of thought, Zeke asked Arthur directly, “Are you planning to make me the successor instead of Kali?”
Arthur, rather than being upset by his youngest son’s direct question about the sensitive issue of succession, smiled and posed a question in return.
“Actually, I want to ask you. Zeke, do you think you can become the successor over Kali?”
Zeke clenched his fist for a moment.
When he fought Abel, it didn’t feel much like fighting a sibling.
Perhaps because he had witnessed the countless atrocities Abel had committed as the Knight of Massacre in his past life, he had no qualms about killing him.
But unlike Abel, Kali had no particular connection with him in his past life.
She neither protected nor persecuted Zeke when he was cast out of the family.
She merely stood by.
In this life, Kali was a reliable ally to Zeke.
His original plan was to support her as the head of the Draker family, cut out the rotten parts, and then, from behind, grow his power to eventually take over the family completely.
But Zeke realized one thing.
“Using Kali as a front won’t allow me to control the Draker family.”
The Draker family still harbored many secrets.
Zeke decided to change his plan.
He looked at Arthur and said, “If it must be done, then I will do it.”
His voice was cold and devoid of emotion.
Arthur smiled again, satisfied with Zeke’s response.
“Yes, a Draker must never hesitate. If you see someone as an enemy, you must crush them thoroughly so they can never rise again. That’s the only way to ensure there are no repercussions.”
Arthur Draker’s methods were brutal but effective.
In his past life as a hitman, Zeke’s methods were not much different from Arthur Draker’s.
He dealt with enemies thoroughly and moved with ruthless efficiency.
In this life, he had chosen a new path as a knight, but the coldness from his hitman days still lingered in his heart.
Arthur spoke to Zeke again.
“Zeke, I will bestow upon you the title of Guardian Knight.”
He met Zeke’s gaze and continued, “Do you still intend to refuse that position?”
After some contemplation, Zeke shook his head.
“No, I will accept the title of Guardian Knight. And I will wait for Kali’s reaction.”
Arthur was pleased with Zeke’s response, indicating he would wait for Kali’s reaction and respond accordingly as a true successor candidate.
“Good. Both Kali and you have grown into wonderful children of mine. Whatever choice either of you makes, I’m ready to accept it gladly. If the time comes for you two to face off…”
Arthur leaned in and whispered in Zeke’s ear.
“Do it like you did with Abel.”
Zeke felt a chill run down his spine at Arthur’s words.
“Did he know everything?”
Arthur knew about Zeke killing Abel in the Joins’ ghetto and his rise to the rank of Black Knight.
Offering him the Guardian Knight position, vacated by Abel, was a way of acknowledging Zeke’s rightful claim to Abel’s place and giving him the treatment he deserved.
Zeke clenched his teeth.
“Arthur Draker, I can’t let my guard down around him.”
Suppressing his emotions as much as possible, Zeke bowed to Arthur.
“I will do my best to meet your expectations, Head of the Family.”
Arthur smiled, satisfied with the growth of his youngest son, just as he had hoped.
After finishing his conversation with Arthur, Zeke left the Draker estate and returned to his quarters in Atlas.
Conversations with Arthur Draker were always more exhausting than the fiercest battles.
Even with his boundless stamina, healing factor, and the constitution of an immortal, Zeke found it hard to withstand the fatigue that washed over him.
Eventually, he closed his eyes in the carriage and drifted off to sleep.
But suddenly, a strange sensation jolted him awake, and Zeke realized he was no longer in the carriage.
“Where am I?”
He found himself surrounded by a refreshing scent in a bamboo forest.
Zeke quickly recognized it as the domain of the Hermit of the Uroboros Mountain.
As he stood up, the Hermit emerged from the house.
“Oh? Finally, the connection’s made,” the Hermit said, looking at Zeke with a weary expression.
“How is it that you never seem to need sleep?” the Hermit chided, making Zeke scratch his head sheepishly.
“I’ve been busy with various things lately,” Zeke replied.
The Hermit clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Anyway, it’s good you’re here. I called you because I have something to tell you.”
The Hermit sat next to Zeke, fanning himself. “I heard you met my people recently?”
Zeke nodded. “Yes, I met Adnan and Bodmir in the Join Tribe ghetto.”
The Hermit looked at Zeke with a curious expression. “You’re a fascinating one. Most people don’t get involved with Highlanders. Yet here you are, seeking them out… It’s as if your karma is steering you toward a Highlander pact, but you resist it.”
Zeke felt a pang of guilt at the Hermit’s words. In a previous life, he should have met Nigel in the Forgotten Forest and formed a Highlander pact. But in this life, he was deliberately avoiding meeting Master Nigel to reject the pact.
Yet, despite his efforts, he kept crossing paths with Highlanders, suggesting there might be some truth to the Hermit’s words.
‘Could it be that the Highlanders and I are destined to be connected?’ Zeke wondered briefly before changing the subject to avoid further discussion about the Highlander pact.
“What is it you wanted to tell me?” he asked.
The Hermit snapped back to attention. “Oh, right. It’s not just the Join Tribe ghetto; something’s off with the Holy Kingdom too. We’ve called a High Table meeting for the first time in ages.”
The High Tables were reluctant to leave their domains, as they were responsible for keeping the beasts at bay. Calling a full meeting meant the leader of the High Table had summoned them.
Even as a member of the Highlanders, Zeke didn’t know who led the High Table.
The Hermit got to the point. “Our leader wants to see you.”