Chapter 93 : The Conqueror (覇王) and the Demon Wolf King (3)
Chapter 93: The Conqueror (覇王) and the Demon Wolf King (3)
When Leon woke up, the battle had already ended.
Rising sluggishly, he looked around.
The chaotic atmosphere made it obvious that the fighting had only just concluded.
Slowly getting to his feet, Leon checked the condition of his body.
'My muscles and bones are fine. My internal organs are fine as well. I remember suffering a few minor internal injuries, but it seems they healed while I was asleep.'
Twisting his waist from side to side to loosen his body, Leon walked over to Indra and asked,
“Indra.”
“Ah, Leon. You're awake. How's your body?”
“I'm fine. What about everyone else?”
“Nothing serious. Everyone only suffered minor injuries. One good sleep and they'll recover.”
“I see. By the way... did we win?”
“Is that even a question?”
Indra chuckled with an amused expression.
“Of course we won.”
Leon nodded.
He had already expected as much.
Still, hearing it directly was another matter entirely.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
'That aside...'
His gaze swept across the surroundings.
Between his narrowed eyes, he spotted a handful of surviving werewolves.
“What are we going to do with them?”
“Hm? Ah, those guys? No need to worry. Reinhardt already contacted the Empire.”
“The Empire?”
“He's been around Zeke long enough to know. Whenever Zeke truly goes all out, cleaning up afterward becomes a nightmare. The Imperial Army came personally, so it'll all be over soon.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than countless figures appeared in the distance.
At a glance, there were several thousand soldiers.
Flying the Empire's banner, they surrounded the entire area.
“Protect the survivors and capture every werewolf alive!”
The commanding officer shouted in a dignified voice.
At his command, thousands of soldiers swarmed around the remaining werewolves.
Individually, they were insignificant.
Yet the werewolves seemed to have no intention of resisting.
Their king had just fallen.
Their morale hadn't merely collapsed—it had sunk to rock bottom.
It was only natural that they lacked the will to fight.
The commander easily bound the werewolves before looking around with a bewildered expression.
But only for a moment.
He soon walked toward Indra and spoke.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Chelperston, commander of the Imperial Army. May I ask your name?”
“Indra.”
“Indra... the Lightning Fist. The honor is mine.”
“Forget the formalities. Our king is currently consolidating his enlightenment. Would you mind waiting quietly without disturbing him?”
“Of course. How could I rush the hero who prevented a war?”
Indra nodded in satisfaction.
Truthfully, he hadn't been pleased when the Imperial Army first appeared.
The Empire had always looked down upon the warriors of the North as barbarians.
He had wondered if they intended to use the cleanup as an excuse to steal the credit.
But from the looks of it, they had no intention of involving themselves in matters of merit.
'I'd heard the Emperor of the Belgarion Empire was quite greedy.'
'Apparently that isn't entirely true.'
Or perhaps it was simply because Reinhardt was involved.
'Either way, it's good for us.'
As a gesture of appreciation, Indra lightly patted the commander's shoulder.
Ordinarily, such an action was something only a superior would do to a subordinate.
Yet not the slightest trace of displeasure appeared on the commander's face.
Whether he was merely hiding it or not, nothing about his expression seemed unnatural.
It appeared the Empire had dispatched a remarkably capable officer this time.
Normally, someone unable to distinguish between personal feelings and official duty would already be throwing a fit.
After confirming the commander's character one last time, Indra turned to Leon.
“Let's go see Zeke. Reinhardt should be standing guard over him by now.”
“Reinhardt? Why aren't you guarding him yourself?”
“I gained some enlightenment as well. Why? Are you worried Reinhardt might attack Zeke while he's defenseless?”
“To be honest... yes.”
“What if someone attacks him while he's organizing his enlightenment?”
Organizing one's enlightenment demanded absolute concentration.
To the point where someone could stand directly in front of you and still go unnoticed.
Moreover, wasn't Zeke the Conqueror himself?
There would undoubtedly be countless people eager to strike him while he was vulnerable.
If something went wrong, he could suffer deviation and become permanently crippled.
As his son, Leon couldn't help but worry.
Seeing his reaction, Indra laughed.
The way he looked at Leon was almost as though he were watching something adorable.
“Well, that's how most people would think. But you don't have to worry about Zeke. Even while consolidating his enlightenment, he can still perceive everything happening outside.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. While organizing his enlightenment, Zeke still knows everything happening around him. I have no idea how he does it. I'm only repeating what he told me.”
Leon's jaw dropped.
Even in the Martial Alliance of his previous life, he had never heard of such a thing.
Organizing enlightenment while simultaneously observing the outside world?
He had occasionally heard of masters capable of simultaneously perfecting two martial arts.
Using one hand for a fist technique while the other executed a palm technique, for example.
But processing enlightenment while remaining fully aware of one's surroundings was something entirely different.
'Using a fist technique and a palm technique simultaneously is possible if one's control over Internal Energy is exceptional...'
'But what Father is doing exists on an entirely different level.'
Such a feat should have been impossible unless one possessed two souls.
It completely defied common sense.
An involuntary sigh of admiration escaped Leon.
Of everything he had witnessed so far, this miracle was by far the most astonishing.
It truly made him understand why Zeke was called the Conqueror.
Lost in thought, Leon eventually caught sight of Zeke.
Sitting cross-legged in deep meditation—
A crimson haze rose from his body.
CRACK—!
Suddenly, cracks spread across Zeke's body.
Leon's eyes widened.
“What is this?”
“Don't panic.”
Indra stopped Leon before he could rush over.
His face, however, was filled with a tension Leon had never seen before.
Over the decades, Indra had witnessed countless things.
Among them were several situations similar to this.
'Has he been consumed by his enlightenment?'
Occasionally, those who attained enlightenment would instead be devoured by it.
From the perspective of the Martial Alliance, this was known as deviation.
Unlike Leon, Indra possessed no knowledge of the Martial Alliance.
But that didn't mean he was ignorant.
Immediately, he positioned himself behind Zeke.
Placing a hand against his back, Indra carefully examined the flow within his body.
'Those consumed by enlightenment usually lose control over their mana.'
'The more violently their mana runs wild, the faster they're consumed.'
'First, I have to stabilize Zeke's mana with my own.'
Ordinarily, interfering with another person's mana was an extraordinarily difficult task.
But Indra had reached the Peak Realm.
A realm where one controlled one's own energy as naturally as moving one's limbs.
Though difficult, controlling another person's energy wasn't impossible.
CRACK—!!
At that moment, the cracks spreading from Zeke's face extended across his entire body.
It looked as though he might shatter into countless pieces at any moment.
Yet in that situation—
Indra suddenly chuckled.
“Hah!”
“Indra?”
“Ah, don't worry. It seems I was worrying over nothing.”
“What do you mean?”
“You probably don't know this, Leon, but what people commonly call the Knight's Wall refers to those who have surpassed a certain barrier.”
“A barrier?”
“That's right. It's also another way of saying they've surpassed the limits of humanity. Do you know what all of them have in common?”
“I don't.”
“They obtain an entirely new body.”
Those words caused Leon's eyes to brighten.
He had heard of it before.
Those who surpassed the barrier—
Those who reached the Peak Realm—
All of them transformed into bodies befitting the martial art they had mastered.
People called that phenomenon—
Rebirth Through Bone and Flesh Transformation.
CRACK—!
It was a bizarre sight.
Zeke had already surpassed the barrier.
Naturally, he should have already undergone Rebirth Through Bone and Flesh Transformation once.
Yet now he was experiencing it again?
Leon gasped.
He could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Was Zeke truly—
Undergoing Rebirth Through Bone and Flesh Transformation a second time?
CRACK—!
As though answering his question, a piece of flesh peeled away from Zeke's face.
That became the beginning.
Chunks of skin continuously flaked off his entire body.
Tap.
Tap, tap.
The face revealed beneath looked nearly ten years younger.
He had already appeared far younger than his actual age.
Now he looked young enough that he could pass as Leon's friend.
At that moment, Zeke opened his eyes.
“Not a bad result.”
Leon couldn't help laughing.
He had undergone Rebirth Through Bone and Flesh Transformation not once—
But twice.
And all Zeke had to say was that it wasn't bad?
That was exactly like his father.
Soon, Zeke rose to his feet.
“It ended much more quietly than the first time. Back then I couldn't control my strength, so my clothes were torn apart. This time, only my body changed.”
Watching him, Reinhardt asked,
“...Is that so? By the way, Zeke. There's something I'd like to ask.”
Zeke nodded, inviting him to continue.
“What is it?”
“What realm have you reached?”
“Well... I doubt I can give you the answer you're hoping for.”
“I have no particular answer in mind. It's merely curiosity. I, too, walk the path of martial arts. I simply wish to hear the thoughts of someone who has reached a realm no one else has ever attained.”
“My thoughts...”
Zeke slowly closed his eyes.
After remaining silent in contemplation for quite some time, he finally spoke.
“It feels unimaginably distant.”
“So distant that I almost feel as though I can no longer become stronger.”
“Have you reached the ultimate peak of martial arts?”
“No.”
“If anything, compared to the true peak, I'm still unimaginably far away.”
“Then why say you can no longer become stronger?”
“Because the road I still have to walk stretches endlessly before me.”
Zeke smiled faintly.
“This is the first time I've ever felt that I might not become stronger anymore.”
“So this is what people mean when they say they've reached their limit.”
“It truly feels hopeless.”
Those words left Reinhardt stunned.
After all, Zeke had reached a realm unprecedented in human history.
He had earned the right to make even the most arrogant declaration imaginable.
Yet his answer had been the exact opposite of what Reinhardt expected.
It was strangely disappointing.
A being who stood alone above heaven and earth—
Yet he showed such weakness.
A thought suddenly crossed Reinhardt's mind.
Did the path of martial arts truly have an end?
Someone watching Reinhardt might have said this to him—
You should strive to improve.
Wouldn't you want to walk that endless road yourself?
To such people, Reinhardt could answer without hesitation.
He had abandoned that desire long ago.
He had already been crushed by Zeke countless times.
Every single day he reflected upon talent.
Not a single moment passed without him thinking about effort.
Even someone greater than himself felt despair before the path of martial arts.
Then how much greater must the despair of someone beneath him be?
“Hm?”
But at that moment—
Reinhardt noticed the emotion shining in the eyes of a boy whose martial talent was so poor it could scarcely even be called talent.
Leon.
The boy whose face was always expressionless—
Now had eyes brighter than ever before.