Episode 71
“An ancient dragon species?”
Zeke spun around urgently.
A monstrous roar echoed as a colossal beast lunged at him, jaws wide open.
Crash!
Zeke narrowly dodged and drew Bahamut, his sword, pointing it at the massive creature.
Whoosh!
A powerful vortex began to swirl from Zeke’s blade.
Elemental Sword
Domain of Water
Wave Blade
A towering wave rose from the tranquil lakeside.
Whoosh!
The energy of the Wave Blade spiraled towards the beast.
Even underwater, the creature’s terrifying howl reverberated.
Zeke gripped his sword tighter and charged at the beast.
Vroom!
His aura-infused blade sliced through the creature’s tough scales.
Slash!
Unbeknownst to Zeke, the beast had never encountered an opponent capable of piercing its scales.
Feeling pain for the first time, the beast glared at Zeke with bloodshot eyes and opened its mouth wide.
A massive torrent erupted from its maw.
Crash!
The immense water pressure threatened to crush Zeke.
“Gah!”
Zeke gritted his teeth, struggling against the overwhelming force.
He realized he was at a disadvantage in this fight.
Then, an idea struck him.
“Hershion!”
Zeke quickly activated Hershion, which he had taken from Cain.
Clang!
The armor unfurled from its shell form, enveloping Zeke in a full plate armor.
With the armor on, Zeke felt the pressure ease, allowing him more freedom of movement.
Planting his feet firmly on the riverbed, he raised Bahamut and gathered his energy.
Vroom!
Remarkably, with Hershion on, the power at the tip of his sword intensified.
A fierce aura surged like a storm.
Zeke aimed his sword at the beast.
Dragon Slayer Technique
Dragon Blade Art
Chapter 8, Verse 1
Dragon Scale Slash
A massive aura erupted from Zeke’s sword.
The aura blade, over ten meters long, flashed as it struck the charging beast.
Screech!
The beast, hit squarely by the Dragon Scale Slash, froze momentarily.
Then the sword strike exploded.
Boom!
The beast howled in agony as its body was torn apart.
Zeke seized the opportunity.
He steadied himself once more.
Vroom!
Energy surged into his sword again.
A massive vortex formed around Bahamut.
Zeke aimed the sword at the beast’s neck.
Focusing all his strength at the sword’s tip, he unleashed his attack.
Dragon Slayer Technique
Dragon Blade Art
Chapter 8, Verse 3
Dragon Scale Thrust
The immense energy wrapped around Zeke’s sword, transforming into a powerful spear that shot towards the beast.
Crash!
The aura spear pierced through the beast’s body.
Thud!
The beast barely twisted its body to avoid a fatal blow, but the powerful energy still sliced through its scales and flesh.
The beast staggered backward.
Zeke knew he had to finish it off.
He pursued the retreating beast and used the Dragon Claw skill.
Slash!
The fierce dragon claws slashed the beast’s back.
The beast writhed and screamed but didn’t stop fleeing.
Zeke used his Wind Step to quickly catch up.
As soon as he was close, he drove his sword into the beast’s neck.
Crunch!
With all his might, Zeke plunged the sword into the beast’s neck, forcing it to sink to the lakebed.
Thud!
As the massive beast sank, mud and debris clouded the water.
Using his Dragon Eye skill, Zeke cleared his vision and intimidated the beast with his dragon’s presence.
At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke.
[You have instilled fear in the ancient dragon species corrupted by dark energy.]
[Unique Authority: Dragon Species Domination activated.]
[Would you like to subjugate the target dragon species?]
Zeke recalled subjugating a chimera created by the dark sorcerer Gulav, turning it into a summon.
“Can I subjugate a beast this large?”
The beast he recently captured wasn’t a dragon species, so he had simply consumed it to gain skills.
Zeke pondered whether to absorb the beast through consumption or subjugate it.
“I’ll try subjugating it first, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll consume it.”
Zeke responded to the message, deciding to proceed with subjugation.
Vroom!
Unlike with the chimera, a magical pattern appeared near Zeke’s core.
A similar pattern formed around the beast.
Crackle!
Sparks flew from the magic circle, and the beast cried out in pain.
Screech!
Amazingly, the beast’s appearance began to change.
“What is this?”
Crunch!
Like hardened clay peeling away, the dark energy covering the beast’s body fell off.
Shimmer!
Freed from the dark energy, the beast revealed itself as a dragon species with a mystical aura.
As the dark energy completely dissipated, the magic circle began to glow.
Rumble!
The light from the magic circle penetrated the dragon species.
Then, a message appeared.
[The dark energy corrupting the ancient dragon species has been purified, restoring its former divinity.]
[You have subjugated the ancient dragon species.]
[Would you like to name the subjugated dragon species? A named dragon species can be summoned at any time by its master.]
Zeke gazed at the purified ancient dragon species.
Moments ago, it was a monstrous creature, but now it was a majestic being with iridescent blue scales.
After some thought, Zeke decided on a name.
“Nahuel.”
He named it after the lake they were in.
Nahuel seemed pleased with its name, raising its long neck and letting out a cry.
Roar!
Unlike when it was a beast, its cry was now clear and mystical.
[You have acquired the spirit beast Nahuel.]
[Nahuel can only be summoned in places with water.]
Simultaneously, Nahuel’s information appeared.
―Nahuel Information―
Description: A spirit beast imbued with the auspicious energy of water.
Unique Ability: Can control water.
Special Note: Was on the verge of becoming a divine beast before being corrupted by dark energy. Can evolve into a divine beast under certain conditions.
“Can it really evolve into a divine beast?”
However, the conditions for its evolution were not specified.
Nahuel gracefully lowered its head towards Zeke.
Unlike Gulav, who was overtly affectionate, Nahuel exuded a dignified presence.
“Is it inviting me to ride?”
As Zeke pondered, Nahuel nodded as if reading his thoughts.
Being spiritually connected to its master, a subjugated summon could communicate through thoughts.
Zeke climbed onto Nahuel’s back.
Nahuel swiftly ascended to the lake’s surface.
Splash!
Nahuel emerged, cutting through the water.
Roar!
The sun had risen, casting warm rays over the lake.
Zeke rode Nahuel towards the lakeshore.
Upon reaching the shore, he patted Nahuel’s neck scales.
“Take care of me from now on, Nahuel.”
Roar!
Nahuel let out a long cry before returning to the lake.
Unlike the chimera Gulav, Nahuel seemed to reside in the lake, awaiting summons.
As Zeke stepped onto the shore, Felix gaped at him in astonishment.
“M-Master, what was that just now?”
Zeke replied nonchalantly.
“It was a beast in the lake. Once the curse lifted, it transformed.”
“What? The curse lifted?”
“I’m not entirely sure. I’m hungry, Felix. Prepare some food.”
Though still bewildered, Felix complied, starting a fire and preparing a meal.
Zeke sat at the campsite, examining a golden mask he had retrieved from the lakebed.
“Hmm. The emblem on the forehead resembles the Holy Kingdom’s insignia.”
Though different in design, it shared the same basic structure as the emblem Felix possessed.
As Zeke fiddled with the mask, he recalled how Terakan Draker’s relic had reacted to mana.
He decided to channel some mana into the mask.
Vroom!
To his surprise, the mask responded to the mana.
He infused more mana into the mask.
A message appeared.
[You have acquired the Mask of ???.]
[Would you like to register as the mask’s user?]
A window similar to when he acquired Cain’s Hershion appeared.
“It’s marked with question marks too.”
According to Gelion, Cain’s Hershion was crafted before the Golden Age.
This mask might have been made in a similar era.
With many questions in mind, Zeke registered himself as the mask’s user.
A series of messages appeared.
[You have been registered as the mask’s user.]
[Would you like to activate the mask’s functions?]
Though the mask’s functions were not explained, Zeke decided to activate it.
“Is it something like Hershion?”
As Zeke chose to activate it, the mask suddenly began to emit a bright light.
“What the…?”
Just like when he first discovered it underwater, the mask radiated a powerful light.
At that moment, the mask unfurled with a swift motion, wrapping itself around Zeke’s face as if it had a mind of its own.
“What… what is this?!”
A new message window appeared before him.
[Activating the functions of ???‘s mask.]
[Linking with the intermediate administrator system.]
[Confirming the Immortal class.]
[Activating the skill ‘Purification.’]
[The skill ‘Purification’ has merged with the Immortal class to transform into the unique class skill ‘Grand Purification.’]
[‘Grand Purification’ is now linked with the user’s skill-wide buff.]
[Determining the range of Grand Purification.]
[Commencing purification of the land corrupted by dark magic.]
Zeke was taken aback by the messages flashing before him.
“A unique class skill?”
A deep hum resonated as a brilliant golden light erupted from Zeke, who was now wearing the mask.
“Gasp!”
Felix, who had been preparing food, was startled to see Zeke bathed in a radiant golden glow, his face obscured by the mask.
In that instant, the golden light began to ripple outward from Zeke, spreading in all directions.
The first thing the golden light touched was the overgrown thorny vines. The black dust clinging to them fell away, and the vines began to transform into beautiful rose bushes.
“My goodness.”
Both Felix and Zeke watched in awe as the scene unfolded before them. The golden wave continued to spread, turning the twisted trees into elegant garden trees, and the once-black lake water became clear. The barren ground sprouted fresh green shoots, transforming into a land teeming with life.
The golden wave reached the castle, and a new message window appeared.
[Accessing ???‘s management system.]
[Switching ???‘s mode.]
[Disabling emergency defense mode.]
With a rumble, the castle itself began to change. The walls shifted, the towers repositioned, and the once-crouched structure unfurled into a grand and majestic edifice, far removed from its previous ominous appearance.
“M-Master… the, the castle… it’s…”
Felix was at a loss for words, unable to believe the transformation of the once-gloomy fortress into a castle surrounded by a rose garden.
The golden wave didn’t stop there; it continued to spread, transforming the entire hill on which the castle stood. The desolate hill became a garden filled with roses and beautiful trees.
[Purification process complete.]
With a soft rustle, the golden mask detached from Zeke’s face and returned to its original form. Zeke examined the mask, still in disbelief.
“What on earth is this thing?”
Just then, the sound of hooves thundered in the distance. A group of riders was approaching at great speed.
Felix, alarmed, drew his sword and prepared to defend.
“Felix, calm down. They’re not enemies,” Zeke reassured him.
The riders, mounted on massive horses, dismounted and approached Zeke and Felix. They were large, imposing figures dressed in the attire of ancient nobility. Surprisingly, despite their robust frames, they were all elderly men with white hair.
One of them stepped forward and shouted to Zeke, “The prophecy has been fulfilled! The child with the black eyes has restored the family!”
The other elders echoed his words, “The child with the black eyes!”
“The savior of the family!”
Felix, bewildered by the sudden appearance of the elders, turned to Zeke. “M-Master, who are these people?”
Zeke replied, “Didn’t we meet them earlier?”
Felix was taken aback. “What? You mean those ghosts?”
“They weren’t ghosts. They were cursed, and now that the curse is lifted, they’ve returned to their true forms.”
The elder at the front knelt before Zeke, and the others followed suit.
“To the savior of our family, I, Rufus Agamemnon, head of the Agamemnon family, offer my deepest gratitude!”
“We offer our gratitude!” the other elders echoed in powerful voices.
After a moment, Rufus Agamemnon rose and approached Zeke, placing a hand as large as a cauldron lid on Zeke’s shoulder.
“Zeke Draker! My grandson with the black eyes! You have broken the curse on our family and saved us all!”