Chapter 87 - Birth of the Dragon Sword (2)
3
Two weeks had pa.s.sed. During this time, Kairen had experienced his pride become thoroughly wrecked.
“Ooh-ook. s.h.i.t.”
After a round of sparring session, Kairen spoke as he healed the wounds on his cheeks. He spoke as he glared at Azell.
“How many secret techniques do you have? Every time it looks like I"m about to break one another new technique come out. It feels like an infinite loop.”
“I still have 472 left.”
“…is that for real?”
“I"m joking.”
“Ughhh.”
It had been two weeks since Azell had gained the Dragon Sword. The two of them had partic.i.p.ated in fierce sparring matches everyday. Currently, they had already conducted over 200 sparring matches. They"ve already demolished two training halls, and these halls were in the process of being rebuilt. They had to move their location to the mountain, and everything was being overturned as they clashed with each other.
Moreover, the result was....
Kairen had lost all of them.
Some sparring matches lasted less than 5 minutes, and there were long training sessions that lasted over an hour. Every match had different conditions and rules set as they fought each others to test their mettle as martial artists.
Kairen flopped backwards as he lie on the floor.
“Ah. I really can"t do this any more!”
“Are you finally giving up? Wow. In truth, I was getting a bit tired of this. I"m glad. Now I can sleep in a comfortable bed.”
Azell smirked. For the past 2 weeks, Kairen had been very dogged in his request for matches that it was wearing a little thin for Azell.
"One more match! I want one more match!"
Kairen kept repeating those words as he charged towards Azell. He didn"t have much time to rest.
Kairen was going to retort, but he just sighed as he spoke.
“I feel as if I"m 80 years younger.”
“So you are saying you are like a 20 year old young man. Does this mean I can treat you as an equal?”
“Don"t push your luck or the the status quo we have right now might be sc.r.a.pped.”
Kairen spoke as he snorted.
“I"ve never been thoroughly beaten like this, since my father trained me.”
“You are talking about the previous Duke of Tarantos.”
“Yes. It was hard to find any good opponents after my father pa.s.sed away..”
“When did your father pa.s.s away?”
“As I said before, it was around 80 years ago. It was right when I was about to enter into my sleep cycle.”
The Dragon Demon Race was an amalgamation of Dragons and Demons. This was why the Dragon Demon race shared the activity and sleep pattern of these races. During childhood, it was common for a Dragon Demon to fall into a hibernation period every few years. If it was short, it would last one week. If it was long, it would last a month or two. This happened quite frequently.
Kairen was deep in his recollection.
“That is why I didn"t get to see my parents for the last time. I was told later that the Dragon Demon King worshippers had targeted me during my hibernation period, and they caused a lot of problems. Our castle was set on fire, so I don"t have single picture of them left in my possession.”
“…….”
"Well, don"t look at me like that. This happened a long time ago. My mother and father died by the hands of the villains... This was also why I chose to become a Guardian Shadow.”
Kairen let out a bitter laugh. It had already been over 80 years. However, the wound was still present inside Kairen"s heart. It was also the main motivation behind his fight against the Dragon Demon king worshippers.
Kairen spoke as he stood up.
“For all my life, I trained in an attempt to surpa.s.s my father. There were too many things I wasn"t able to learn from my father. However, I"ve been running out of available skills that I can learn from others, so I believed I had achieved my goal.”
He was called the Dragon Sword Duke, and no one in the kingdom could teach him anything new about the martial arts. It was actually the opposite now. Everyone was trying to learn from him. This was why Kairen didn"t stop his efforts to get better. He wanted to surpa.s.s the prior goal he had set. The creation of the Dragon Weapons had been part of that plan.
“However, I now realize that I have been too arrogant. This is the thought I had when I was thoroughly defeated by you.”
“Your were right to think that way.”
“Aren"t you suppose to console me by saying it isn"t true?”
“I forgot the duke likes people paying lip service to you. I"ll rephrase my words. You are wrong. If you parent heard what you have achieved, they would most definitely feel a swell of pride at the fact that you have surpa.s.sed....”
“…stop. You are giving me the gooseb.u.mps.”
Kairen grumbled then he laughed.
“Please continue speaking.”
“Which approach do you want?”
“Don"t pay lip service to me. Just tell me what you were originally going to say.”
“In my opinion....”
Azell paused for a brief moment before he continued to speak.
“Your predecessor might have.... I believe your father was learning what is called the "forgotten technique". It was a term coined by the Dragon Demon King worshippers.”
“Like you?”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying they probably wanted to eliminate the knowledge from being pa.s.sed on to the future generations, so my father was eliminated?”
“That is what I think. I also believe the castle was intentionally set on fire to burn the records. If what I suffered up until now is any indication, I think it is quite possible they put in a lot of effort into making that happen.”
Two hundred twenty years was a long time for the humans, but it was almost a single life span for the Dragon Demons. These beings lived as part of the human society, so the knowledge and techniques wouldn"t be easily forgotten.
However, the fact that one was from the Dragon Demon race didn’t mean they all learned magic or the Dragon arts. Even if they did, they didn"t learn it to the extreme for the express purpose of battle. Moreover, they weren"t going to willingly pa.s.s on the knowledge and techniques to strangers. This was why it was enough for the Dragon Demon King worshippers to eliminate the beings that had critical knowledge, and the high level techniques.
Azell spoke.
“I"ve heard it from Mr Havanz. The knowledge of the Dragon Slayer"s Ritual and the Dragon Arts wasn"t pa.s.sed down in Sir Rogan"s family.”
“However, Count Aldrick"s children weren"t inclined towards martial arts.”
“Wouldn"t that make it more likely that he would have been targeted?”
“Mmmm…….”
“This is a little bit weird for me to say, but.... I can teach you some of the stuff you were supposed to have learned from you father. At the very least, I can teach you a portion of it. I have a lot to teach you.”
“I would have never expected to hear such words from a human that is the age of my grandchild if I had one.”
“Are you averse to it?”
“I"m not saying that, because I don"t like the idea. Now I have something to learn, and there is someone willing to teach me. This is... I"m in a bit of an unfamiliar territory.”
Kairen put on a bitter smile. It had been a long time, since he was the one learning from someone else. For a long time, everyone put him on a pedestal, and they wanted to learn from him. Moreover, Kairen had thought that was how it should be. Now he was in the position to be the student learning from someone else. He had never imagined such a day would have come.
Kairen suddenly asked a question.
“Azell.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you being so good to me?”
“You were also good to me... Isn"t that enough?”
“It is hard for me to accept that. These techniques are something I wouldn"t even teach to a friend. I would understand it if you had decided to take up the sword and use those techniques for my cause. However, you plan on teaching me these valuable techniques... As a martial artist, I question why you are doing this.”
Whether it was a magician, Spirit Order pract.i.tioner or Dragon Arts pract.i.tioner, it was all the same. All of them were very careful in choosing the candidates they"ll pa.s.s on their techniques and knowledge to. Kairen had taught Arrieta and Seigar at the plea of the Dragon Demon Queen. However, he didn"t have a true disciple yet.
Azell could understand what Kairen was thinking.
After a brief moment of thought, he spoke the truth.
“It is needed.”
“Needed?”
“It is to prepare for the danger that might come in the near future... I feel the need to return the power that was stolen from the beings that the Dragon Demon worshippers consider to be enemies.”
The Dragon Demon king worshippers had weakened the power of the population and those that might rise up against them through a long period of time. At the same time, they had kept their history and techniques intact. It was a very dangerous situation.
“If it is as they believe and the Dragon Demon King Atein really revives....”
Azell remembered going up against Atein. He was the first of the Dragon Demon race, and he was also the world"s first magician. He had lived as long as the existence of a single race. He was an unnatural being that looked at the world through a strange and long range view.
“The Dragon Demon King worshippers that reside in the far-away Plains of Darkness will sweep over the world again. When that time comes, we need power to be able to fight against them.”
“Do you think we"ll be at a disadvantage if it does happen?”
“Yes. Currently, our side has forgotten about the Dragon Slayer"s Ritual, and the Dragon Demon Qi. Moreover, our side forgot the true techniques behind the Spirit Order and Dragon Arts. If our enemies use these knowledge against us, we will be powerless.”
“You said Dragon Demon Qi. You still haven"t given an explanation on what it is.”
Azell had mentioned the Dragon Demon Qi when he explained the Dragon Slayer"s Ritual. However, he had too many questions he had wanted to ask that Kairen had half-forgotten about it.
Azell didn"t answer his question. He continued to speak.
“I was impressed by the duke. The fact that.... You were able to make the Dragon Sword.”
Currently, there were only sc.r.a.ps of record left regarding the Dragon Demon Qi. However, Kairen had spent 30 years to gather these sc.r.a.ps, and he had made the Dragon Sword through these efforts. It was a less powerful than having the Dragon Demon Qi, but it was much superior in the fact that it was a tool that anyone would be able to use. It was superior to the Dragon Demon Qi in that aspect.
“Didn’t you tell me that the record you had found was the impetus in making the Dragon Weapons?”
“That is correct.”
“That record was about the Dragon Demon Qi..”
Azell started to explain to Kairen about the Dragon Demon Qi.
The soul had to be used as ingredient as it was refined through the Dragon"s power. This was the ultimate weapon that came out as a result.
Humans and Dragon Majin can take the power of a Dragon through the Dragon Slayer"s Ritual, and the Dragon Demon Qi can be produced. This was beyond having a tool of power like the Dragon Swords. It was a miraculous power for the Spirit Order, Dragon Arts and magic that strived for the pinnacle of power.
Kairen swallowed his breath.
“Such a thing really exists?”
“Yes. It was one of the reason why humans were able to win in the fight against the Dragon Demon race. There is a big gulf between those that have and don"t have the Dragon Demon Qi.”
“Mmmm…….”
“This is why the duke has to produce Dragon Demon Qi too.”
“What?”
Kairen was surprised. He asked the question as if he didn"t understand what had just been said.
“Didn"t you say the Dragon Demon Qi is made through taking the Dragon"s power? Moreover, this can only be done through the Dragon Slayer"s ritual?”
“Yes.”
“However. I"m of the Dragon Demon race. I thought you said I couldn"t partic.i.p.ate in the Dragon Slayer"s Ritual.”
“You can"t.”
“Then how will I be able to make the Dragon Demon Qi?”
“Of course, I haven’t told you the full story regarding the Dragon Demon Qi.”
Azell smirked.
“I told you that this was made through taking the power of a Dragon by conducting the Dragon Slayer"s Ritual. However, I was talking about it through the prism of being a human. The humans don"t have Dragon Demon magic in the first place. A human has to defeat a Dragon through the Dragon Slayer"s Ritual to gain the Dragon Demon Magic. However, doesn"t the Dragon Demon race already have Dragon Demon magic?”
This was why there were those that possessed Dragon Demon Qi within the Dragon Demon race. The most notable being the Dragon Demon King Atein and the Dragon Demon generals, who followed him. Each of them were walking calamities that could face down thousand troops.
“Of course, it isn"t easy to make it. There are three methods.”
Azell unfurled three fingers, and he lowered one finger.
“The first method is to use the secret technique behind Dragon Demon Qi to produce it yourself. It is the hardest method.”
“Why is that?”
“To my knowledge, it takes about 10 years at the earliest to produce it. If it takes a long time, it might take up to a 100 years. If you are from the first generation of the Dragon Demon race, then it might be a different story.”
“…….”
The first generation Dragon Demons meant they were directly born from the amalgamation of a Dragon and a Demon. The Dragon Demons that were currently in the human society wasn"t first generation Dragon Demons. They were the descendents. However, there were still first generation Dragon Demons born into the world. It happened from time to time. Moreover, these being possessed much more powerful Dragon Demon magic than the descendants.
‘This was true for Atein and the Dragon Demon Generals.’
Azell felt a chill as he thought about how strong they had been. They had Dragons as parents, but they were the first of their kind. They didn"t have Dragon Demon parents.
Azell folded his second finger.
“The second method is to combine the power of a Dragon Demon and a Dragon Majin. It could also be a human that possessed Dragon Demon Qi. However, these candidates need to have cultivated their magic or Dragon Demon Qi. Of course, this also take a lot of time and effort.”
“How long would it take?”
“It really depends on the skill and quality of the partic.i.p.ants. However, the difficult part is... You still fall short of meeting the requirement. If you really learn and train hard, then you might be able to reach the bare minimum requirement. However, do you think you"ll be able to find people of similar level as you? Moreover, they would have to sacrifice their Dragon Demon magic to pour this power into you. Ah, I guess Count Michael fits this description. He is a magician, so this sacrifice might matter less than someone training in the Dragon arts.”
“…….”
Kairen frowned. Azell had a big smile as he folded his third and last finger.
“The last method is to use the Dragons..”
“Dragons?”
“It is impossible for the Dragon Demons to conduct the Dragon Slayer"s Ritual. However, they can use the corpse of the Dragon after killing it. The Dragon Demon race can"t absorb the power of the Dragons, but…….”
When the Dragon Demons saw the humans gain power through the Dragon Slayer"s Ritual, they attempted to gain power through the same method. However, the Dragon Demons found out that they couldn"t absorb the Dragon"s power.
“They can use it to create the Dragon Demon Qi.”
“Then…….”
“You can kill a Dragon, and you can use its corpse.”
There was a ma.s.sive amount of magic stored inside a Dragon"s corpse. One could use this special method to accelerate the formation of Dragon Demon Qi in a Dragon Demon.
“The efficiency isn"t that great, but it can"t be helped. The Dragon Demon Qi was meant to be created over a long period of time....”
Of course, this was to the best of his knowledge. At the time of the Dragon Demon war, there hadn"t been a lot of Dragon Demons in the Dragon Demon army that possessed this power.
Kairen spoke.
“That means there aren"t that many amongst our enemies that possess it.”
“Yes. Even the one called Niberis didn’t have the Dragon Demon Qi yet.”
“Hmmmm…….”
Azell suddenly asked a question.
“Ah. You did say they are coming here.”
“It seems they have various functions they have to attend in the new year. They"ll be coming here afterwards. It"ll probably take them over two weeks to get here.”
Kairen grinned as he headed towards the estate with Azell.