Episode 86

As Zeke returned to the waiting room, Farrell greeted him with excitement.

“Sir Zeke! You’ve made it to the semifinals. Just two more wins and the championship is yours.”

Zeke nodded in response to Farrell’s enthusiasm. “It’s all thanks to you, Sir Farrell.”

With a smile, Zeke glanced over at Felix and Liam, who were both looking rather dejected.

“What’s with you two?”

He could understand Liam’s gloominess after losing to Reina, but Felix, who had advanced to the semifinals, seemed equally downcast.

Felix lifted his head to meet Zeke’s gaze. “Ugh, Master. My next opponent is Elin Sabrina. How am I supposed to fight someone who’s almost on par with you?”

Felix groaned at the thought of facing Elin.

Zeke gave Felix a hearty slap on the back.

“Ouch! Master, your slaps are getting sharper by the day!”

Zeke clicked his tongue and said to Felix, “Go out there and show everything you’ve got. If you hold back, it’s back to intense training for you.”

Felix jumped up in protest. “What? Liam lost, and you’re not making him train! Why am I the only one getting punished? Master, you’re playing favorites!”

Instead of a reply, Felix received another slap on the back from Zeke, causing him to writhe in discomfort.

Once the designated break was over, Zeke and Felix headed back to the arena.

The semifinals were about to begin.

The first match was between Zeke and Reina.

As Zeke and Reina faced each other on the arena stage, the crowd erupted in cheers.

The knights of the Turn family beat their massive drums in support of Reina, while the Agamemnon and Graham families waved their banners wildly, cheering for Zeke.

Zeke looked at Reina and spoke, “It’s been a while since we last faced each other during the academy evaluations.”

Since then, Zeke had surpassed Reina by leaps and bounds.

He was the youngest knight to achieve the Blue rank and the youngest graduate of Valhalla.

Reina, without a word, gripped her sword and aimed it at Zeke.

Zeke drew Bahamut and pointed it at Reina.

As soon as the match began, Reina charged at Zeke.

Whoosh!

With incredible speed, Reina swung her sword at Zeke like a flash of light.

Clang!

Their swords clashed, sending sparks flying.

“Haaah!”

Reina unleashed a fierce barrage of attacks on Zeke, her strikes so powerful they seemed to shake the very air around them, even without using aura.

Zeke calmly parried Reina’s blows, defending solidly.

He deflected her powerful strikes with a mix of soft and strong counters, seizing any opening to launch a counterattack.

Whoosh!

As Zeke’s sword aimed for her side, Reina leaped back to evade.

Zeke didn’t miss the opportunity.

Dragon Slayer Technique

Gale Slash

Air Cleaver

Zeke’s Gale Slash surged toward Reina.

Gritting her teeth, Reina responded with her own technique.

Turn-style Dragon Slayer Technique

Counterattack

Breaking the Bull’s Horn

Reina swung her sword with all her might, deflecting Zeke’s Air Cleaver, then spun around to strike at Zeke’s body.

It was a counterattack that mimicked the motion of breaking a charging bull’s horn and driving the blade into its heart.

Zeke’s body wavered momentarily under Reina’s powerful counter.

Gale Slash

Phantom Step

Illusory Shift

Zeke executed an upgraded version of a high-speed movement skill he had learned before.

With Illusory Shift, Zeke vanished, leaving only an afterimage, and Reina’s sword sliced through empty air.

‘Where is he?’

Reina scanned her surroundings, but Zeke was nowhere to be seen.

Then, a shadow loomed above her.

Reina quickly raised her sword to block Zeke’s attack.

Boom!

But Zeke didn’t strike her with his sword; instead, he descended swiftly.

Reina’s sword, raised above her head, was left hanging in the air.

Zeke, crouched low on the arena floor, exploited her opening.

He aimed Bahamut at Reina’s exposed neck.

It was a flawless victory for Zeke.

“Zeke Draker wins!”

Once again, Reina couldn’t surpass Zeke.

Lowering her sword, she looked at Zeke and said, “Next time, I won’t lose.”

With that, she sheathed her sword and confidently walked off the stage.

Zeke watched her with a grin.

‘True to her title as the Flash Knight. She might become even stronger than in my past life.’

Amidst the thunderous cheers, Zeke left the arena.

The next match was about to begin.

Felix, looking as if he were marching to his doom, stepped onto the stage.

Helen, however, was focused not on Felix but on Zeke, who was seated in the waiting area.

Zeke chuckled to himself as he noticed Helen’s gaze.

‘Now’s not the time to be looking at me.’

Though he often scolded Felix, Zeke knew his potential was extraordinary.

If aura were involved, Felix might not last ten seconds against Helen, but in a pure swordsmanship duel, the outcome could be unexpected.

“Felix Valencia! Elin Sabrina!”

The two faced each other, swords at the ready.

The gong signaling the start of the match rang out.

To everyone’s surprise, Felix was the first to charge at Helen.

Whoosh!

Helen, who hadn’t paid much attention to Felix’s skills, was caught off guard by his sharp attack and quickly swung her sword.

Clang!

The weight of Felix’s strike surprised Helen.

In the previous quarterfinals, Felix’s swordplay had shown solid fundamentals.

But she hadn’t expected it to be effective against her.

Yet, as their swords clashed, her opinion changed.

‘If that had hit, my wrist might have been in trouble.’

Helen had been focused on her upcoming match with Zeke, assuming Felix would be an easy win. But his unexpected strength forced her to adjust her stance.

Helen’s demeanor shifted, resembling an unyielding steel fortress. Felix, too, drew his sword closer to his chest, steadying his breath.

Both Felix and Helen practiced orthodox swordsmanship, maintaining a well-balanced offense and defense.

This time, Helen took the initiative.

Whoosh!

Her heavy strike aimed low at Felix’s legs.

Felix maintained his stance, sidestepping clockwise to evade Helen’s attack, then lunged forward with a clean swing.

It was a textbook move, executed flawlessly.

Zeke could see traces of Agamemnon’s Golden Swordsmanship in Felix’s technique.

‘He may have complained, but he’s absorbed the elders’ teachings well.’

Helen regained her stance and parried Felix’s strike.

The intense recoil made both their wrists throb.

“Haah.”

Felix steadied his breath and resumed his stance.

Helen frowned as she observed Felix’s solid defense, as strong as her own.

‘I can finally understand what my past opponents felt.’

Beneath the seemingly simple defense lay a sharp counterattack.

Charging in recklessly would likely result in a blocked attack and a swift counter.

If she could use aura, she might break through with her Steel Technique, but with just swordsmanship, it seemed difficult.

Helen, too, took a deep breath, gripping her sword.

‘I shall become the steel blade that pierces the fortress.’

Watching from the sidelines, Zeke was taken aback.

‘Helen Draker is already approaching the realm of sword and soul unity.’

Becoming one with the sword was the gateway to advancing from Blue to Red Knight.

Helen aimed to become the steel blade that would shatter Felix’s defense.

In an instant, she lunged forward.

Whoosh!

It was as if a massive sword was hurtling toward Felix.

Felix focused intently, extending his sword toward Helen.

Agamemnon-style Golden Swordsmanship

Counterattack

Rainbow Reflection

It was the most powerful counterattack he had learned from the Agamemnon elders.

Helen gritted her teeth as she saw Felix’s counter, launching her own in response.

Dragon Slayer Technique

Steel Technique

Armor Reversal

Crash!

Felix’s counter was met with another counter.

“Ugh!”

There was no room for restraint. Helen’s sword struck Felix’s side.

Felix, clutching his sword, fell, bleeding.

The medics outside the arena rushed in.

They quickly poured a potion over Felix’s wound.

Sizzle!

The potent potion rapidly healed the injury inflicted by Helen’s sword.

Helen, looking at the fallen Felix, felt her hand tremble.

‘If I had made a mistake, I could have been the one to fall.’

Felix’s counterattack had been that sharp.

Felix was carried off by the medics, and Helen emerged as the victor of the semifinals.

Even after the match ended, the arena was filled with cheers for both Elin and Felix.

“Elin! Elin!”

“Felix! Felix!”

The audience was moved by the incredible display of skill from the two competitors.

As the heat of the arena simmered, Gareth stepped onto the stage.

He turned to the crowd and announced, “The final match of the Draker Tournament will take place next week at the Grand Stadium!”

Every year, the Grand Stadium hosted the climactic finale of the Draker Tournament, drawing not only key figures from the Draker bloodline but also thousands of spectators.

Gareth gestured for Zeke and Helen to join him on the stage. He pointed to Zeke first.

“Zeke Draker!”

Cheers erupted from the families supporting Zeke.

Then Gareth turned to Helen.

“Elyn Sabri—”

But she raised her hand, cutting him off. Stepping forward, she addressed the crowd.

“My name is not Elyn Sabrina.”

Her sudden declaration caused a stir among the spectators.

She continued, “I am Helen Draker, a pureblood awakener of the Draker lineage, a direct descendant, and one of the Blue Knights of Draker.”

A voice from the crowd shouted, “Helen Draker! The Iron Knight!”

“Is she the Iron Knight who wiped out the outlaws in the central region?”

“The Iron Knight, known for never revealing her face, is competing in the tournament!”

The audience buzzed with excitement at Helen Draker’s revelation.

Drawing her sword, she declared, “I, Helen Draker, will give my all in the match against Zeke Draker. I urge you to reconsider the rule prohibiting aura use in the finals!”

The crowd erupted in cheers. It made no sense to ban aura in a duel between two pureblood Drakers that had captivated the continent.

Zeke watched Helen, impressed. ‘I thought she was just a rigid practitioner, but the Iron Knight has more to her than I realized.’

In a past life, Helen had taken up the mantle after Kali’s death. She possessed a political acumen even she was unaware of.

The crowd began chanting at Gareth, “Allow aura! Allow aura!”

“Ban the aura ban! Give it to the monsters!”

With the fervor rising, the tournament organizers quickly convened. The rule had been designed to favor Edward Siemens, but with him out of the picture, there was no reason to maintain it. The committee decided to heed public opinion.

Receiving the committee’s decision, Gareth nodded and announced, “The finals will allow the use of aura!”

The crowd roared with approval.

Zeke and Helen exchanged sharp glances.

“I won’t go easy on you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

With the audience’s fervor at its peak, the semifinals concluded.

Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the arena, a few observers watched the proceedings.

“So, who do you think will win, Arthur?” Duke asked Arthur Draker, who was hidden beneath a deep hood.

Arthur stood up and replied, “It doesn’t matter who wins. Only the victor matters.”

As Arthur walked away, Duke clicked his tongue, watching him go. “He’s grinning like a fool, trying to act all cool.”

Duke glanced at Zeke on the stage, smirked, and followed Arthur out.