Episode 423
Screeeeech!
The beast, its arm severed, let out a hideous shriek and staggered back. In that instant, Zeke swung his sword, slicing clean through the creature’s neck.
Thud!
As the head hit the ground, Zeke emerged from behind the fallen beast, his sword Roland in hand. He shouted towards Duke, who stood dazed, sword in hand.
“Behind you!”
At Zeke’s warning, Duke instinctively swung his sword.
Slash!
The blade cleaved through the neck of another charging beast. But he couldn’t evade the tail that came flying at him.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
The beast’s tail, hard as iron, pierced through Duke’s armor and into his side. Poisoned, perhaps, Duke felt a wave of dizziness and stumbled.
Just then, Zeke charged forward, sword raised.
“Duck!”
As Duke dropped to the ground, Zeke extended his sword, Bahamut, in a wide arc.
Swoosh!
The gathered beasts were sliced cleanly in half. Zeke then approached the fallen Duke and cast a wide-area healing spell.
Sizzle—
In an instant, Duke’s wounds began to close.
“How is this possible…?”
He lifted his head, looking around in disbelief. The beasts lay dead, their bodies strewn across the ground.
“How are you feeling?”
Duke, seeing Zeke suddenly appear, looked bewildered.
“The Draker uniform… Did the head of the family send reinforcements?”
Zeke realized that Duke didn’t recognize him from his memories.
‘To delve deeper into my master’s memories, I should play along for now.’
Nodding, Zeke replied, “Yes, they thought the current numbers were insufficient, so they sent me and more knights. But… the others perished, and I came alone to find you, Sir Duke.”
Hearing this, Duke slowly rose to his feet.
“The healing just now… was that magic?”
Zeke hesitated before nodding. “Yes, it was.”
“A knight who can heal… I’ve never heard of such a remarkable young knight. It’s astonishing.”
“I usually handle special missions, so I rarely appear in public. The healing magic is actually embedded in this sword. It’s an heirloom of my family, containing various restorative powers.”
Zeke showed Roland to Duke, who seemed satisfied with the explanation.
Duke turned, looking sorrowfully at the bodies of the fallen knights. Slowly, he began to dig a trench, placing their bodies inside and covering them with earth.
“Thank you, all of you. I will carry your will and return alive.”
Though he knew it was a futile gesture, Duke buried the bodies and offered a prayer in this world of memories. Zeke watched him silently.
As Duke stood up, Zeke spoke. “It’ll be dark soon. We should find shelter.”
Duke, looking weary, replied, “Everywhere here is crawling with beasts. Fortunately, the ship we came on is protected by magic, keeping the beasts at bay. We need to head there.”
“Where is the ship?”
Duke pulled out a roughly drawn parchment map from his pocket. He pointed to their current location and traced his finger to a distant coastline.
“The ship is here. What happened to the ship you came on?”
“It hit a reef just before we arrived and was destroyed. We lost many comrades before even reaching the shore.”
Zeke lied effortlessly, and Duke, unaware, nodded in understanding.
“I see. Let’s head to the ship together. Once we reach it, we can escape this dreadful place and return to the central continent.”
Duke slung his sword over his back and set off with Zeke towards the coast. Though Zeke had healed his wounds, Duke was still exhausted. Before long, he collapsed.
Zeke watched as Duke leaned against a tree, panting. “When was the last time you ate?”
Duke chuckled weakly. “I can’t remember. Here, nothing is edible—not the trees, the grass, not even the water.”
Zeke handed Duke some water and rations from his inventory. “Drink the water slowly and chew the rations thoroughly.”
Duke was taken aback by Zeke’s generosity. “If you give this to me, what will you eat?”
“I’ve set aside my share. Don’t worry.”
After quenching his hunger with the water and rations, Duke fell into a brief sleep. Zeke, keeping watch, sensed the presence of beasts lurking nearby, deterred by the intimidating aura he projected.
In less than an hour, Duke awoke with a start. “Did I fall asleep?”
“You seemed very tired. Have you had any proper rest since arriving here?”
“With those damned beasts everywhere, sleep is a luxury. But it’s quiet now. Strange.”
Feeling somewhat refreshed, Duke stood. Together, they made their way to the coast. Though beasts occasionally attacked, Zeke and Duke easily fended them off.
Following Duke’s memories, Zeke pondered. ‘Even with the beasts and exhaustion, I can’t imagine my master losing heart like this. Did I interfere too much…?’
Lost in thought, Zeke followed Duke to the coast, where they spotted a ship anchored offshore.
“Is that the ship, Sir Duke?”
Duke, seeing the ship, nodded with relief. “Yes! We made it to the ship alive!”
They rushed towards the ship, but then Zeke sensed something.
‘What is this presence?’
It was a sharp, piercing aura. He turned to see a figure standing on the cliff above the shore, wrapped in bandages and wearing a black coat, exuding a menacing energy.
At that moment, Duke began to tremble, clutching his head and collapsing. “No! No!”
Duke writhed in agony, unable to rise. The bandaged figure slowly approached.
Zeke drew his sword, watching Duke’s torment. ‘Is this the one who gave my master his trauma?’
In reality, Duke had never mentioned this figure to Zeke, only recalling the massacre by the beasts. This meant he had repressed the memory of this figure, a nightmare lurking in his subconscious, gnawing at his soul.
Zeke pointed Roland at the mysterious figure. “Who are you?”
The bandaged man raised his hand. The bandages coiled and formed a sword.
As he approached, Zeke unleashed a burst of holy energy.
Crackle!
A powerful bolt of light shot towards the bandaged man. But he raised his left hand, and the bandages formed a shield, blocking the attack.
Zeke was stunned as his holy energy vanished without a trace. ‘What are those bandages made of?’
Though this was a world constructed from Duke’s memories, based on karma data, it was reliable. The bandaged man was no ordinary creature, as Zeke’s holy energy had no effect.
‘Let’s see if this works.’
Zeke activated his newly acquired skill, Thunderstorm.
Rumble!
Dark clouds gathered around Zeke, crackling with electricity.
Boom!
The clouds rumbled, and lightning flashed. The storm grew, and bolts of lightning shot towards the bandaged man.
He formed another shield with his bandages, but this time, the impact pushed him back.
Zeke grinned. ‘Good, this works.’
Realizing his skills were effective, Zeke unleashed a barrage of linked attacks on the bandaged man.
Lightning Hell, Flame Hell, and Ice Hell rained down relentlessly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, the spot where the bandaged man stood was reduced to ashes.
Zeke, holding Roland, surveyed the deeply scarred coastline.
“Is it over?” he wondered.
He turned to Duke, who was still struggling to regain his senses.
“Sir Duke, are you with me?”
Zeke helped Duke to his feet. “I’ve taken care of him, so there’s no need to worry anymore…”
But just then—
Ssssss—
The bandaged man, whom Zeke thought had been obliterated, was approaching, unscathed.
Duke, seeing the bandaged man advance, began to mutter something under his breath.
“Never ascend the tower. Never set foot here. Never come…”
Zeke glanced at Duke, who was repeating the same words with vacant eyes, then gently set him down and picked up his sword again.
“Looks like he’s not going down without a fight.”
Zeke charged forward, swinging Roland at the bandaged man.
Whoosh!
An aura blade erupted from Roland.
Clang!
Surprisingly, the bandaged man’s sword, made of bandages, rang with the sound of metal.
Unfazed, Zeke pressed on with his Infinite Sword Technique, trying to overwhelm his opponent.
But Zeke’s eyes widened in disbelief. The bandaged man was parrying every strike.
“His swordsmanship is no joke.”
It was as if the bandaged man knew Zeke’s every move, defending with ease.
Zeke stepped back, eyeing his opponent. “Whether you’re real or a figment of my master’s memories, it feels like defeating you is the key to solving his problem.”
He gripped his sword, summoning all his strength.
Rumble!
Zeke infused his blade with the will to shatter everything.
He called upon the Elemental Sword, unleashing the Water Force.
Whoosh!
Zeke moved fluidly, as if riding a wave, his sword dancing in harmony.
Elemental Sword
Water Force
Wave Blade
Ultimate Technique
Solo Spell
Will of Destruction
Zeke combined both techniques into his sword and unleashed them simultaneously.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The bandaged man tried to block the massive wave with his bandage sword.
But the wave was unstoppable.
Zeke’s sword, imbued with the will of destruction, struck true.
Boom!
A ripple of energy spread from the impact, shaking the ground.
As the tremors subsided, the bandaged man was revealed, kneeling on one knee.
He looked up at Zeke and spoke.
“All who come here will face a terrible curse. Never come here.”
Zeke realized the source of Duke’s mutterings.
“So, you’re the one who planted those words in my master’s mind.”
He approached the bandaged man. “Who are you to say who can come and go? You’re not even a beast. Are you some guardian created by a dragon?”
Rumble!
Suddenly, the ground began to quake.
Black flames erupted from the bandaged man’s body.
He transformed into a demonic figure, his voice echoing with malice.
“Death awaits all who come here! Do not come! Do not come!”
Zeke sensed the world of memories collapsing around him.
He raised his sword against the demon of black flames charging at him.
Whoosh!
A brilliant flash of his sword pierced the demon, triggering a massive explosion.
And with that, the world of memories shattered.