Chapter 261

At Luther’s words, Zeke nodded his head.

“Yes, unlike other pure-blood Awakened, it doesn’t activate constantly even when I take off my gloves.”

He tried using mana toward Zeke’s surroundings, then, sensing something, he looked at him with wonder.

“It’s repelling my mana. It doesn’t seem to be simply disrupting the flow, but reflecting the mana itself.”

Luther ste pped back and conjured mana to create a small fireball.

Fwoosh!

Then, he threw the fireball toward Zeke.

CRASH!

The Mana Reflection skill reacted and repelled Luther’s fireball.

Thanks to that, the repelled fireball flew to the side and exploded, causing one side of the wall to crumble.

Luther looked at Zeke and thought to himself.

“With this much, I think I can apply more diverse techniques than I had thought.”

“It’s truly fortunate to be able to be taught the precious secret teachings of a Magic Swordsman.”

At Zeke’s words, Luther waved his hand and said,

“Haha, you don’t have to go that far. It was a matter contracted with the House Lord in the first place.”

“Are you saying you made a direct contract with the House Lord?”

“Yes, actually, for certain reasons, I am unable to return to the Eastern Continent. While I was hiding in the Dorta Republic, I came into contact with the Black Stage and formed a connection with the Drakers.”

Hearing Luther’s words, Zeke understood the situation.

‘He changed his identity and was made an official knight of Draker. In return, he offered the condition of passing on the secret teachings of a Magic Swordsman.’

The reason he didn’t take on external missions despite being a Draker knight was also because he was a fugitive hiding his identity.

Just then, Luther Zemben drew his sword and said,

“I am pleased to be able to pass on my techniques to the greatest genius on the continent.”

“May I ask what your technique is named, Sir?”

At Zeke’s question, Luther thought for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.

“If I were to change it to this language, I think it would be something like ‘Seven-Step Demonic-Mirror Severing Art’.”

“What does that mean?”

“Where I am from, mana is known as a power bestowed by the Demon God reflecting a mirror. That’s why a sword and a mirror are always placed during the mana-opening ceremony. The Demonic Mirror is a metaphor for the vessel that contains mana. In other words, you can think of it as a technique that severs the flow of mana within seven steps.”

Zeke found the story of the Eastern Continent, which he had not often heard, to be fascinating.

“In the Central Continent, they create a ring of mana in the heart to use magic, but they don't do that in the East?”

“I was also surprised when I heard that story after coming to the Central Continent. In my homeland, to become a Successor, one starts by opening the eyes to see the flow of mana through a ritual called Mana Opening. That is the only way one can hold a weapon containing a Demon God.”

It seemed they used mana in a completely different way from the Central Continent.

“Then are there no Successors in the Eastern Continent who train in aura?”

“Once you open your mana, you can’t create a lower dantian, so I suppose that would be the case. These days, with increased exchange between the two continents, places that train in aura cultivation methods have started to appear, but the old Successor families still adhere to the traditional ways.”

“Then how did you train in aura, Sir Luther?”

Luther said with a smile,

“I was actually in charge of researching the Central Continent’s aura cultivation and swordsmanship under the Sultan’s command in my homeland.”

“You mean you were in the Imperial Palace of the Murc Empire?”

“Yes, it’s a long story, but anyway, while researching aura cultivation, I happened to succeed in creating a lower dantian and realized that I had the ability to use both mana and aura.”

“You didn’t know you were an Irregular before then.”

“That’s right. After succeeding in aura cultivation, I learned the swordsmanship of the Central Continent and researched how to use both mana and aura together. Then one day, I got into a dispute with a warrior who was favored by the Sultan, and I ended up killing him.”

Luther continued.

“The Imperial Palace branded me as a fallen one who had sold his soul to a demon for using both aura and mana and sent pursuers to kill me. I fled for my life and barely managed to hide in the Republic of Dorta.”

“You’ve had a turbulent life.”

“I think it turned out for the best now. Although it was my homeland, I had no family, and I was destined to die after spending my whole life researching under the Sultan.”

He raised his sword again and said to Zeke,

“After coming to the Central Continent, I have refined this technique in my own way. I hope it will be of some help to your growth, Sir Zeke.”

In the backyard of Luther’s mansion, Zeke was taught the Seven-Step Demonic-Mirror Severing Art.

Luther had actually thought that there would be no one who could fully inherit this secret teaching.

It was because it was an extremely difficult technique to learn, as it involved handling both mana and aura, and was mixed with the complex movements of Eastern martial arts.

However, while teaching Zeke, Luther realized that he had been greatly mistaken.

Zeke, who possessed the Body of a War God, not only followed the difficult martial arts movements perfectly after seeing them once, but he even performed the sword forms more proficiently than Luther.

Although he hadn't opened his mana and thus couldn't learn the exact mana drive method, he repeatedly used his Mana Reflection skill to create a similar effect to what Luther had taught him and immediately applied it to his movements.

The more Luther taught, the more he felt himself falling for Zeke’s talent.

After two days, Zeke had learned all the movements of the Seven-Step Demonic-Mirror Severing Art and was able to apply them.

“Good heavens, Sir Zeke is an Irregular, but to have such a learning speed… If I hadn’t taught you myself, I would never have believed it.”

It was possible because Zeke had already reached the level of a Black Knight, possessed an outstanding constitution, and had learned several other, more complex secret teachings.

As Zeke learned all the movements of the Seven-Step Demonic-Mirror Severing Art, the technique itself was automatically absorbed under the Infinite Sword Resolution.

‘I don’t think I’ll have any use for the martial art movements of the Eastern Empire. The core of this technique is the skill to control mana.’

Zeke applied the Seven-Step Demonic-Mirror Severing Art, the Mana Reflection skill, and the Vibrating Force Resonance he had learned from Arataso to create a technique called ‘Mana Sealing Art,’ which blocked the flow of mana.

In order to use the technique freely, he needed to get used to it, so Zeke tried to perform the Mana Sealing Art while simultaneously swinging his sword.

Unlike Mana Reflection, which distorted the surrounding mana field, the Mana Sealing Art, which was an application of the Seven-Step Demonic-Mirror Severing Art, could directly attack the mana user to block their flow of mana.

Because of this, a mage who was hit by the Mana Sealing Art would find their mana control impossible, and the magic they were casting could even backfire.

‘This will be very useful when fighting mages.’

He thought he now understood why Luther was called the Mage Slayer in his past life.

Having learned the entirety of the Seven-Step Demonic-Mirror Severing Art, Zeke greatly coveted the talented individual named Luther Zemben.

Before leaving, he suggested to Luther that he join the Black Sword Knights.

“You mean the knight order that you created, Sir Zeke?”

“Yes, now that I have become a Senior Knight, I plan to register it as an official knight order soon. It would be a great help if you, Sir Luther, an official knight of Draker, would join us.”

As a fugitive, he was one to refrain from external activities as much as possible.

Because of this, the troubled Luther hesitated awkwardly and said,

“I am truly grateful for the offer, but given my circumstances……”

It was Luther, politely refusing.

Zeke was disappointed, but he decided to take a step back for now.

Just then, Luther asked Zeke in a slightly trembling voice.

“B-By any chance, Sir Zeke, do you… do you see sister C-Cali often?”

At the completely unexpected words, Zeke tilted his head.

“If you mean Sister Cali, we are close, so I see her often, but why do you ask?”

At Zeke’s question, Luther was flustered and answered while hiccuping.

“Ah, no! It’s just that, I, I respect sister -Cali as a knight… I was just curious, haha!”

It was Luther, rambling incoherently as soon as the topic of Cali came up.

Seeing Luther’s reaction, Zeke instantly noticed his feelings.

‘It seems he admires Sister Cali.’

Cali Draker, the Knight of Silver, was not only famous throughout the Central Continent, but she was also an object of admiration for knight aspirants.

Zeke was able to realize the reason why Luther had joined the Draker rebels in his past life.

‘So he followed Sister Helen, who was carrying on Sister Cali’s will. And when Sister Helen also died, he continued that will and attacked the Imperial army alone. If it’s for a knight you respect, it’s certainly possible.’

Zeke looked at Luther and said,

“We are also planning a joint training session with the Silver Knights later on. How about coming then for the sake of exchange? Sister Cali will probably be there as well.”

At his words, Luther had an expression as if his breath had stopped.

“I-Is that really true?”

“I always keep my word.”

Luther immediately grabbed Zeke’s hand.

“I look forward to working with you. Please let me know anytime if there is anything you need.”

It was the most accurate common tongue that had come out of Luther’s mouth.

After being taught the special technique by Zemben, he headed for Agamemnon Castle.

***

“What on earth is this, really.”

Kay, who had been in hiding in the Cusco Kingdom for a while, arrived at the Southern Archipelago with members of the Syndicate.

He had been put in charge of the project to transform the Southern Archipelago into a hub for intermediary trade, as per Zeke’s command.

However, when he arrived at the camp, he found a scene of utter chaos.

The dwarves that Golin had brought, saying that construction had not yet started, had opened the beer barrels they brought and were shouting at the top of their lungs, drunk since broad daylight.

The fish-men who had settled on the island were hanging the fish they had caught here and there, drying them in the sea breeze.

Just then, someone approached Kay, who was standing there dumbfounded.

“Kay, it’s been a while!”

Arina, with her snow-white appearance, smiled and waved her hand.

Kay was startled to see Arina.

“Lady Arina? What brings you here?”

“Sir Zeke asked me to help pioneer the island. He said there are a lot of magical beasts here. I came ahead and caught some with the children.”

It was Arina, speaking of hunting magical beasts as if she were on a picnic.

Just then, a girl came flying through the air from within the forest.

“Lady Arina! Sion oppa and I caught this!”

It seemed Sion had lifted Alice’s body with his psychokinesis.

She smiled brightly and flew around Arina, holding the head of a magical beast.

At that, Arina smiled at the floating Alice and said,

“You did a really great job. But monsters are still dangerous, so you must always be careful and stick close behind Sion.”

“Okay!”

Alice once again flew through the air and went back into the forest.

Kay, trying his best to hide his bewilderment, spoke to Arina, who was smiling contentedly.

“L-Lady Arina. First, shall we grasp the island’s layout and carefully devise a plan? We need to know what’s on the island first.”

At those words, Arina smiled as usual and nodded her head.

‘This woman is scarier when she smiles.’

It was then.

ROOOOOOAR!

A massive roar was heard from the other side of the forest.

As Kay was flustered, Arina waved her hand.

“Oh my, Kay, just a moment.”

After reassuring Kay, Arina turned her body and extended her hand toward the sky.

Woooong!

A huge amount of light gathered above her head, and then a giant magic circle appeared.

Crackle—

White currents sparked from the magic circle of light floating in the air.

Then, white lightning struck the place where the monstrous scream had been heard from earlier.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRASH!

Several bolts of lightning struck in succession, and soon the forest became quiet again.

Arina turned back toward Kay, smiled, and said,

“Sometimes, big ones like that come out. So, what should we start with?”

Kay thought he understood why Zeke had sent Arina here.

‘Isn’t this on the level of an ultimate weapon?’

But it was then.

Swoosh!

Bang!

A signal flare exploded in the sky.

At that, the expression of Arina, who had been smiling just a moment ago, completely changed.

She turned her body and shouted.

“All hands! Emergency!”

As she shouted loudly, she extended her hand, and a giant magic circle unfolded from beneath her feet, enveloping the entire camp in a translucent sphere.

The fish-men who had been drying fish and the dwarves who had been chugging beer all had their weapons in hand in an instant, their postures corrected.

Kay was flustered by the sudden change.

‘Wha-what is it?’

And it was a moment later.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Rick’s party and the Rose Knights came running into the protective barrier of light that Arina had cast, holding the children of Lubern.

As Sion set her down on the ground, Alice scurried over to Arina and shouted.

“Lady Arina! Th-There was something huge in the forest!”

Arina, too, had noticed from the emergency signal flare that this was no ordinary matter.

This was because Rick, Arin, Jason, and Claire were all looking with serious expressions, checking if any personnel were missing.

Arina turned her head and looked at Sion and Aaron.

At that, Aaron opened his mouth.

“We discovered a dungeon in the forest.”

At the word ‘dungeon,’ Kay, who was behind them, was startled.

“A dungeon on an island like this?”

Just then, Rick, who had finished checking all the personnel, approached and said,

“That is no ordinary dungeon.”

He took something out from his coat and handed it over.

Arina and Kay examined what Rick had taken out.

Kay’s expression turned serious.

“This is…?”

What Rick had brought was none other than the head of a person who had turned to stone.

Rick nodded and said,

“It seems there is a ‘Medusa’ here.”